Context: Agile practices have created its own mark on recent software development strategies. The significance of agile core values and principles attracted several organizations towards agile software development. Agile methods incorporate core values & principles, whereas agile practices define how agile methods are implemented in practice. However, it is still unclear, which combinations of agile practices are adopted in practice and how are they adapted. Objectives: In this research, our main aim is to find the combinations of agile practices that are most commonly adopted in practice, which includes identifying the practices which mostly appear together and finding the evidences for adaptations of agile practices. Methods: We have developed a survey to collect empirical evidence regarding agile practice adoption and adaptation. The survey is based on a framework consisting of a set of questions to determine agile practice adoption and adaptation. The framework was validated with researchers and practitioners through interviews. In order to identify the practices and possible adaptations we conducted a literature review. The sample population of the survey includes primarily project managers, developers, agile coaches and system types includes majority of information systems, commercial type of software, outsourced and embedded. Results: We have collected 109 responses with the survey. It is important to make the tradeoff between the length of the survey and quality of the responses, so, we needed to pose many questions with regard to the ways how the practices are tailored/adapted. We found that there are certain practices which were given highest priority and mostly appear together, certain practices appears only with particular combinations of practices. Regarding practice adaptations, the empirical findings show the adaptations of each individual practice. Moreover, regarding employee and customer satisfaction, the results indicate that there is a significant level of satisfied employees and customers with agile software development. A conceptual model of agile practices and performance is developed and presented to make a better understanding of implications for practice. Conclusions: During adoption there are certain set of agile practices that were given higher importance, given highest priority during selection and also mostly appears together. Moreover, there are certain practices which are considered as most important, but are given with less priority during selection by practitioners. Furthermore, the empirical findings supports practice adaption depends on change in context factors. Finally, it is interesting to see that almost all of the stakeholders in agile software development are satisfied with its nature.

The Christian canon comprises of sixty six book. Of these the majority, thirty nine to be precise, stem from the Jewish religion. These books, comprising the Hebrew Bible direct or guide the adherents of Judaism till today. Christians consider the Hebrew Bible as the Old Testament in the light of a new revelation in Jesus Christ. This thesis questions the last premise, firstly in the light that Messianic Jews or present day Jewish Christians, also still adhere to their heritage as stemming from the Old Testament. Secondly, it should be noted that due to missionary influence both the Old Testament (Hebrew) culture and African culture were discarded. In the light of so many correlations between the Old Testament values and culture and African values and culture I set out to trace whether there is more to the Old Testament than the deductions we, Africans, have inherited from the Western minds down the centuries, as we in the process could have tapped into their (unconscious?) anti-Jewish motivations. As a start in this wide field, I focus on the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles, prescribed in the Old Testament. I go back in history, through the eyes of Messianic Jews, to learn about the celebrations and interpretations that surround these festivals. Once I have gained that insight I contrast it with the general Christian interpretations and celebrations and where there is room for implementation of Messianic Jewish insight I put these forward towards liturgical enrichment and worship enhancement in the Lutheran Church. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

abstract: Effective collection and dissemination of project information, including best practices, help increase the likelihood of project performance and are vital to organizations in the architecture-engineering-construction (AEC) industry. Best practices can help improve project performance, yet these practices are not universally implemented and used in the industry, due to the following: 1) not all practices are applicable to every project or organization, 2) knowledge lost in organizational turnover which leads to inconsistent collection and implementation of best practices and 3) the lack of standardized processes for best practice management in an organization. This research, sponsored by National Academy of Construction, the Construction Industry Institute and Arizona State University, used structured interviews, a Delphi study and focus groups to explore: 1) potential benefit and industry interest in an open repository of best practices and 2) important elements of a framework/model that guides the creation, management and sustainment of an open repository of best practices. This dissertation presents findings specifically exploring the term "Practices for Excellence", its definition, elements that hinder implementation, the potential value of an open online repository for such practices and a model to develop an open repository. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Engineering 2014

La thèse étudie les liens entre les pratiques d’enseignement et les pratiques collectives des enseignants, au sein de l’établissement, lors de l’élaboration d’un projet « vie scolaire ». Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une recherche-intervention, répondant à une demande sociale, incluant un accompagnement des acteurs de terrain lors de l’élaboration du projet. Dans ce contexte, nous explicitons la rencontre entre sphère sociale et sphère académique. Pour cette dernière, mobilisant une approche dans laquelle ne dominent ni les structures sociales ni les acteurs, nous proposons d’étudier les pratiques d’enseignement à partir des incidences de leurs contextes. Les pratiques d’enseignement sont envisagées lors d’incidents relatifs à l’ordre scolaire en classe et les pratiques collectives au cours de l’élaboration du projet « vie scolaire ». Nous défendons que les pratiques d’enseignement varient en fonction des phases d’élaboration collective du projet et de l’appartenance des enseignants aux différents groupes de travail. Pour la mise à l’épreuve, nous avons utilisé d’une part une méthodologie dite des « pratiques en récit », fondée sur la narration des incidents à la fois par l’enseignant et par le chercheur et d’autre part une analyse « stratégique » de l’action des groupes de travail. Les résultats montrent que les pratiques de dénouement d’incident pédagogiques (DIP) varient selon l’appartenance des enseignants aux groupes de travail d’élaboration du projet, mais ne dépendent pas uniquement de ces derniers. Les différences repérables relèveraient davantage d’autres facteurs, plutôt que de la participation des enseignants à l’élaboration du projet. Par ailleurs, nous mettons à jour une distribution du pouvoir d’agir des enseignants selon les périodes, entre les pratiques d’enseignement et les pratiques collectives ; un fort investissement dans les unes s’accompagne d’un retrait dans les autres. / The aim of this thesis is to study the links between teaching practices and collective practices of teachers within the institution when developing a "school life" project. We conducted this work as part of a research-action responding to a social demand, and thus accompanied and led the field actors in the elaboration of the project. In this context, we explain the meeting of social sphere and an academic sphere. For the latter, involving an approach that does not dominate the social structures nor the actors, we propose an interpretative balance between teaching practices and the impact of their contexts. Teaching practices are envisaged in incidents related to the order in class and collective practices during the development of the "school life" project. We propose that teaching practices vary depending on collective project development phases and the participation of teachers in different working groups. For testing, we used on one hand a methodology of "narrative practices" based on the narration of incidents by both the teacher and the researcher and on the other hand a "strategic analysis " of the action of the working groups. The results show that the practices of outcome of pedagogical incident (DIP) vary according to the membership of teachers in project development working groups, but do not depend solely on them. The identifiable differences arise more from other factors, rather than teachers' participation in the development of the project. Furthermore, we update a distribution of the teachers’ power to act between teaching practices and collective practices; a strong investment in one is accompanied by a diminished on the other.

Five graduate students from the Marital and Family Art Therapy Program at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) conducted a research study to explore the characteristics and attributes of collective art practices and how they contribute to healing. A survey including quantitative measures and qualitative responses were administered on the Qualtrics platform, allowing for a wide geographic reach and rapid data collection. The subsequent qualitative analysis involved the creation of visual artworks by the researchers, utilizing the arts as data to identify additional common themes contributing to healing attributes. The data revealed three major themes, or characteristics, of how art contributes to healing: (1) shared collective experience, (2) validation and space for emotional expression, and (3) art as a conduit of healing. These three themes were recurrent throughout the responses and emerged from participants' responses to three specific questions, driven by a curiosity about the attributes and experiences involving art and community. The results gathered not only provided parallel alignment with significant deviation from those gathered during the literature review, but also shed light on the profound impact of creative expression in fostering well-being, cultivating interpersonal connections, and promoting emotional healing within collective settings. This insight offers valuable guidance for future researchers and art therapists, emphasizing the importance of incorporating collective healing elements into their practice and theoretical frameworks.

Published Article / Knowledge is universally considered to be a public good and something that should be developed and supported. The information explosion and enabling technologies (such as the Internet and cellular technologies) of the past decade has firmly established the Age of Knowledge. Knowledge has normative value that extends far beyond a single discipline and the Age of Knowledge has resulted in a paradigm shift with regard to the way in which knowledge is generated, applied and stored. As the custodians of knowledge, universities should pay particular attention to the management of knowledge as they take the lead not only in generating new knowledge, but also in converting new and existing knowledge into innovative ideas, products and practices that benefit society at large. Knowledge should, for this reason, be strategically managed to be of value to universities. It is thus imperative that universities should ascertain the nature and extent of their knowledge resources and pay special attention to their Knowledge Management practices that include the way in which knowledge is acquired, disseminated and rewarded. Universities of Technology (UoTs), with their distinct emphasis on applied research, innovation and knowledge transfer, need to manage knowledge in such a way that it enhances the creation of solution-based technologies. This paper provides a theoretical basis for understanding Knowledge Management in a UoT context and reflects on the Knowledge Management practices of a UoT in the South African context.

Published Article / The abattoir Hygiene Management System (HMS) was regulated in South Africa under the Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000. Presently, there is no national regulated microbiological standard to compare against meat tested at abattoirs as an indicator of good hygiene practices. The aim of the study was to establish a provincial guideline for a microbiological baseline. This may be used to verify the performance of the implemented HMS. Thirty red meat and twenty-two poultry abattoirs were sampled to determine baseline Total Bacterial Counts (TBCs). The results of this study were compared to standards presently used in the United Kingdom (UK). The results compared favourably.

The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine whether staff and leaders differ significantly in terms of their perceptions of leaders’ emotional intelligence and retention factors; (2) to investigate the relationship between personality types (as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), emotional intelligence (as measured by the Emotional Competency Profiler), and retention factors (as measured by the Retention Factor Scale); and (3) to determine whether demographical groups differ significantly in terms of the retention factor variables. A non-probability purposive sample of 160 working adults from an organisation within the asset management industry participated in the study. The research findings indicated that there is a difference in terms of leaders’ and staff’s perceptions of leaders’ emotional intelligence and retention factors. There is a relationship between leaders’ personality types, emotional intelligence and retention factors. Biographical groups (gender, race and age groups, and business units) differed in terms of the retention factors. The findings contributed valuable new knowledge that may be used for organisational retention practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology

This thesis explores organisational learning, a process of improving actions through better knowledge and understanding (Fiol & Lyles, 1985). Organisational learning is essential in an organisation's ability to evolve and grow and respond to environmental changes and is implicated in its survival. While all organisations are said to be learning constantly, the processes involved in this learning are highly contested, multi-layered and intricate. Knowledge, memory and practice have been implicated in the multi-faceted nature of organisational learning. This study examines the role of organisational learning in stability and change patterns and the ways that this learning is manifested in an organisational context. In particular, this study focuses on the routine actions taken by organisational members and their role in reproducing relations of stability and change organisationally. It employs Giddens's Structuration Theory (1984) as a sensitising device to view the relationship between organisational structure and employees as one of mutual constitution where knowledgeable agents both produce their world at the same time as they reproduce it anew through their daily actions. The research takes the form of a single case study comprising interview and documentary data collected over a period of eighteen months with an aerospace manufacturing company. The analysis of the findings indicated that organisations and the individuals who comprise them: are driven by a mutual objective that directs collective action; constantly interpret the information they receive from within and outside the organisation and act upon their interpretations; and accept that such varied interpretations can and do create conflict about organisational priorities. The findings are presented in the context of existing literature on organisational learning, knowing, remembering, practising and routine work; and within the theoretical framework of structure and agency. In doing so this study discusses the transformation of the organisation through practices, thus making stability and change constantly present rather than being viewed as mutually exclusive. This transformation is constant because organisations are comprised of individuals who engage in knowing as an element of living. Individual employees, driven by incomplete and provisional knowledge, engage in learning about their work, their organisation and how to improve by constantly interpreting the knowledge transmitted to them through their socialisation in and through organisational practices. Their knowing and learning is continuous; when practising routine work not only do they reproduce the conditions that make their actions possible, they also produce the organisation anew. Better knowledge has increased the capacities of employees and their contribution to organisational efficiency has improved. In their joint efforts they have thus transformed the organisation which in turn forces change back upon the individuals – a transformed organisation needs to be interpreted and understood once more and the cycle starts again. Organisational learning can be viewed as the transformation of the organisation, not only through major changes that are deliberate and contingent, but also though the subtle alterations that happen continuously in the course of each day as people go about their work.

I både den Europeiska unionen och i Sverige som enskilt land finns nu för tiden en utvecklad konkurrensrätt, som har till syfte att främja den fria konkurrensen, som i sin tur anses främja marknadsekonomin. En företeelse som hotar den fria konkurrensen är när företag som tillhör samma marknad går ihop i avtal om prissättningar eller uppdelning av marknaden. Denna företeelse förekommer även i mindre formella former, i så kallade samordnade förfaranden, där det inte finns några egentliga avtal som grund för samordningen, utan företagen agerar i samförstånd utan att ett avtal kan visas som styrker orsakssambandet mellan agerandet och samförståndet. Samordnade förfaranden förekommer på alla olika typer av marknader och svårigheten att skilja på ett förfarande i samförstånd och ett naturligt parallellt uppträdande mellan företag är stor. Ett parallellt uppträdande är när företag agerar självständigt men ändock följer varandra i prissättningen av liknande produkter, som en följd av en naturlig konkurrens, och är en del av en välfungerande marknad. Gränsen mellan parallellt uppträdande och ett samordnat förfarande kan vara svår att urskilja. Svårigheten blir större på så kallade oligopolmarknader, där det är få aktörer som styr över en stor andel av marknaden, varför ett parallellt uppträdande ter sig mer naturligt och förekommer i en annan utsträckning än på andra marknader. I denna uppsats kommer problematiken med bevisningen av samordnade förfaranden att framställas och även svårigheten att bedöma gränsen mellan samordnat förfarande och parallellt uppträdande som uppkommer när en marknad är ett oligopol.