Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study examines the relationship between educational attainment and employment advancement among marginalized people in Namibia. It attempts to identify the situational, institutional and dispositional barriers that have stifled the educational progress of OvaHimba and OvaZemba people based in the Kunene region and how these have limited their access to formal employment opportunities and/or employment advancement. Furthermore, it explores the potential of Adult Education to improve the formal educational qualifications of the OvaHimba and OvaZemba adults. Namibia is often lauded as an example of a country which has successfully negotiated the perils of post-independent statehood to take its place as a model citizen in the community of democratic nations. Blessed with relative stability, an abundance of natural resources, and a liberal constitution, Namibia appears to be ideally placed to provide all its citizens with a decent life consisting of access to quality education, healthcare and economic opportunities. Despite this, Namibia education has failed it adult population because of numerous factors. This study identify these factors.

South Africa has recently introduced a new curriculum – curriculum 2005 and its revised version, the Revised National Curriculum Statement to replace the pre-apartheid education curriculum. C-2005 had come with some major changes in the teaching and learning of most subjects in the school curriculum. Among its major changes, the new curriculum focused on Environmental Education (EE) as a theme to be offered across the entire basic education or General Education and Training (GET) level curriculum. The one implication of that new focus on Environmental Education was that all the children at the basic education level were to be introduced to EE concepts and content. While the new version of C-2005, in the form of the RNCS places arguably less focus on Environmental Education as a theme, it retains the focus on environmental learning through (for example) the first principle listed for the RNCS: “Social justice, a healthy environment, human rights and inclusively.” Furthermore, a number of learning area outcomes with an environmental focus have also been retained. The whole focus on environmental learning, whether as a principle or a theme, is an unprecedented change in the curriculum of South Africa. Not many teachers, policymakers, learners, and other education stakeholders however, have the necessary experience to make such a major focus on Environmental learning workable within the current provincial systems of the country. It is against this background that a research was initiated to find out how the various provinces have responded to this new curriculum focus on EE. The study sought to explore the distribution of Environmental Education Opportunities to learn in the Mpumalanga province. Data for the study were collected mainly through qualitative interviews and document analysis with Environmental Education coordinator, subject advisers and the subject teachers within the province. An important finding in the study among others is that the Mpumalanga Education Department (MDE) on its own appears to have limited intellectual and material resources with which to build the schools’ instructional capacity for the implementation of the new Environmental Education policies and programs. I concluded the study by positing possible approach for providing Opportunities to Learn Environmental Education through an interaction between governmental and non-governmental resources and programmes in Mpumalanga. / Dissertation (MEd (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Changing classroom practice is a difficult and complicated business. It involves challenging both what teachers know and do in their classrooms. It involves a process of re-configuring both teacher knowledge and practice. Many attempts at teacher development have had less than spectacular results in this regard. This study explored one such attempt of a teacher development programme that was aimed at challenging and reshaping teacher’s science content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), with the aim of influencing classroom practice. Using Shulman’s argument on the importance of uncovering teachers’ knowledge, this study investigated teacher clusters or networks and the opportunities they provide for science teachers to collaborate and share their knowledge and classroom practices. The collaboration was intended to strengthen science content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in order to improve classroom practices. The context of the study was a professional development intervention on science and mathematics in Mpumalanga; the Mpumalanga Secondary Schools Initiative (MSSI) funded by the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), where the teachers met regularly to share knowledge and experiences in smaller groups commonly referred to as Teacher Clusters. Qualitative research methods in the form of case studies were used to investigate and understand how these clusters helped science teachers in particular to challenge and change their CK and PCK by working collaboratively. The study presents two case studies of science teacher clusters, and examines the interactions and mechanisms by which the clusters constituted resources for teacher learning and improvement in teaching practice. The major findings of this research are that: -- Teacher clusters indeed provided better resources for changing the classroom practice of science teachers by allowing them to focus specifically on their CK and PCK and the interactions between the two forms of teacher knowledge -- Most importantly, teacher clusters also functioned in such a way that they allowed teachers a substantially more and better set of collective resources from which to begin and sustain changes in classroom practice. In making these major findings, this research established the critical role of the structure and leadership of the cluster in helping to create conditions for successful clustering and teacher change. The study concluded by observing that clustering or networking does provide teachers with enhanced opportunities for professional growth and classroom change. Variations in forms of clustering and teacher leadership issues within the clusters still require further investigation and research than this study was able to provide. / Thesis (PhD (Science Education))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

The first part of this work describes the Netherlands as a whole -- generally informations, its economical and tourist characterizations. The second part deal with Dutch incoming tourism to the Czech republic -- its development, characterizations, main trends and determinations. Dutch travel customs and reasons for visiting Czech republic are mentioned there. The third part analyse tourist services in detail. In terms of each of tourist service is mentioned, what Netherlanders demand, what situation in the czech marketplace is and in respect of this are sketched possible entrepreneurial opportunities for czech tourist facilities. The last part concretize and point out the greatest uncovered entrepreneurial opportunities.

The thesis is concerned with finding potential obstacles women must overcome in building a professional career. I analyze legal documents that guarantee the principle of equal treatment for women and men. I go through secondary statistical data to ascertain the cause of the existence of the difference in employment rates between women and men. In the empirical part, through personal interviews with women managers I analyze the sources of motivation, which led them to build a career.

The work describes the application of the EFQM Excellence Model and the implementation of these requirements in the organization. Part of this work is to analyze the performance criteria of evaluation, identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement.

The thesis looks at a detailed survey of jobs opportunities for graduates of tourism industry at the University of Economics on the labour market. The theoretical parts deals with the definition of the Tourism, actual position of Tourism labour market in the Czech Republic, factors which influence the job exercise of graduates and the causes of the graduates unemployment. A part of the thesis belongs to review of companies in the Tourism Industry, getting of workforce with the inclusion of ways of occupying places at these companies. The possible job opportunities, suitable for graduates of Tourism Industry according to the ways of getting workforce, are located in the framework of analytic part. Another chapter of the thesis is devoted to the detailed questionnaire which is focused on student's and graduate's expectations of their possible job oppostunities. As students and graduates of the University of Economics constitute the supply on the labour market, the thesis includes also evaluation of demand on the Tourism labour market in the selected region of the capital of the Czech Republic.

The aim of my diploma thesis is to process a strategic analysis of the Family brewery BERNARD, a.s. with using of selected methods of internal and external analysis. I will characterize the strengths and weaknesses of the internal company environment, business opportunities and environmental threats. I will compare the competitive position of the monitored company with its competitive companies in the market. I will elaborate the financial analysis of the brewery for the period 2007, 2008 and 2009 by calculating some profitability ratios, activities and debt. Based on the evaluation of the company according selected methods of strategic analysis, I will outline the business strategy and recommendations for its further development.

The concept of innovation hubs are increasingly being adopted by different sectors as a means to accelerate innovation. Previous research on innovation hubs have focused on large-scale and trans-regional hubs on its managerial practices instead of its geographical situation. This paper studies an innovation hub in the Northern Swedish city of Skellefteå, in a region historically relying on heavy industry trying to transform into a high technology economy. The study aims to answer the research question: “what are the challenges and opportunities in building and managing an innovation hub to foster innovation in a geographically isolated region with a relatively small population?” To answer this question, interviews with stakeholders in the innovation hub has been conducted as part of a qualitative case study. The results indicate that the region’s large heavy industry companies provide a fertile ecosystem for startups in the digital industry by enabling the necessary supporting industries and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the lack of certain important elements needed in the startup process, most prominently private funding in the form of angel investors and venture capital, pose challenges to the development of the digital startup community in the region.

This thesis deals with diversity and its level in the company CSOB. The main objective is to describe the current situation, make an analysis, identify strengths and weaknesses and come up with suggestions for the company and government, which would have positive effect on diversity. The methods used in this work include an analysis of internal documents, comparison of theory and practise and personal interview with responsible manager. The thesis is divided into two main parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical part is based on study of literature, legislation and actual studies and focuses on definitions and theoretical bases. The practical part contains an introduction of CSOB and evaluation of the state support effectiveness. Next part is focused on description of current activities in the company that support diversity and analysis of its current level. The final part contains recommendations for the company and government that should lead to an improvement of the current situation.