Management of any aspect of life remains the single determining factor for success, wealth, growth and prosperity – this is a general truth. Without an effective management system, nothing will have direction and no milestone can be achieved. The most important management section of any organization is the management on ground level. If ground level management of an organization is defective, the organization will not function and will soon only serve as a reference to a valuable lesson. The sustainability of local government is determined by the same principle, with the success thereof ascribed to the management of infrastructure and processes within a municipality. One such functioning aspect of municipalities is the electrical energy metering system. A wellmanaged and maintained electrical energy management system is one of the few capital resources of any municipality. The electrical supply system can however also be one of many constraints, impeding development if mismanaged. This research study shows the effects of management, or the lack thereof, on selected rural municipalities. Research was done to determine the current state of technology and the associated financial impact on these municipalities. Although it is not possible to generalize, it is evident from this research study that an underlying problem is the lack of proper ground level management. Design science research was used to add value in the form of a capability maturity model for rural municipalities. Such a model can be used to score a municipality in terms of its capability maturity at national level. When applied correctly, this model can be used as a management tool. By the implementation of certain management strategies based on technical principles, the impact of an electrical energy metering management system was also illustrated by this research study. This research study also covers the applied method and results as implemented by several municipalities within the Republic of South Africa. / Thesis (MIng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

It is important for engineers to understand the capabilities and limitations of the technologies they consider for use in their systems. Several researchers have investigated approaches for modeling the capabilities of a technology with the aim of supporting the design process. In these works, the information about the physical form is typically abstracted away. However, the efficient generation of an accurate model of technical capabilities remains a challenge. Pareto frontier based methods are often used but yield results that are of limited use for subsequent decision making and analysis. Models based on parameterized Pareto frontiers—termed Technology Characterization Models (TCMs)—are much more reusable and composable. However, there exists no efficient technique for modeling the parameterized Pareto frontier. The contribution of this thesis is a new algorithm for modeling the parameterized Pareto frontier to be used as a model of the characteristics of a technology. The novelty of the algorithm lies in a new concept termed predicted dominance. The proposed algorithm uses fundamental concepts from multi-objective optimization and machine learning to generate a model of the technology frontier.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1982. / Includes bibliographical references. / Microfiche. / xviii, 344 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This thesis investigates the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being through a case study in Cornwall, UK. The study examines how aspects of the economic and socio-cultural environment interact and influence participants’ constructs of well-being, as well as mediate, through mechanisms of access, their ability to benefit from ecosystem services. The research design is informed by Sen’s capability approach as well as insights from literatures on access theory, human well-being, and ecosystem services. While Sen’s approach potentially offers a novel means to explore the ecosystem services and well-being relationship, it is currently underutilised in this research context. Adopting an in-depth qualitative research approach, data collection took place over 21 months with the same cohort of participants, who face various types of socio-economic disadvantage. Focus groups, life history interviews, photo elicitation, and semi-structured interviews were used to (a) elicit local constructs of well-being, (b) explore the role of ecosystem services for well-being, and (c) identify mechanisms of access that mediate participants’ ability to benefit from valued ecosystem services. The analysis shows that capabilities are interlinked and multidimensional. Therefore, existing socio-economic constraints have important implications for capability formation, and also lead to a series of trade-offs in converting capabilities into well-being. The findings deliver new insights into existing conceptualizations of the ecosystem services and well-being relationship, highlighting the role of cultural practices as sources of well-being, and identifying cultural ecosystem services as an overarching theme rather than a discrete service type. Four types of access mechanisms emerge from the data, including psychological mechanisms, demonstrating that physical distance is an insufficient indicator of exposure to ecosystem services. The thesis concludes by suggesting that developing a capability theory for ecosystem services could aid disaggregated analyses and deliver more nuanced insights into the complex links between ecosystem services and well-being, by shifting the focus from outcomes to opportunities and the processes that contribute to particular outcomes.

Submitted by Tatiana Lima (tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2015-03-19T19:32:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_LSS_VR_07-04-14.pdf: 2066022 bytes, checksum: ea52edd77688361ee5fd9b74790fb5ab (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima (tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2015-03-20T19:16:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_LSS_VR_07-04-14.pdf: 2066022 bytes, checksum: ea52edd77688361ee5fd9b74790fb5ab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-20T19:16:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_LSS_VR_07-04-14.pdf: 2066022 bytes, checksum: ea52edd77688361ee5fd9b74790fb5ab (MD5) / Essa pesquisa busca verificar a influência da gestão no desempenho inovador das micro e pequenas empresas (MPE). Para tanto, utilizou-se os dados referentes às empresas participantes do Projeto Agente Locais de Inovação (Projeto ALI), realizado pelo Sebrae e que buscou introduzir a cultura de inovação nos micro e pequenos empresários. Como variável dependente se utilizou o Grau de Inovação Global, uma proxy para capacidade inovadora e que nada mais é do que o desempenho inovador das empresas no curto prazo. E, analogamente ao modelo apresentado por Zawislak (2008b) e baseado na teoria da RBV (Resource Based View), foram utilizadas as seguintes variáveis independentes para representar a influência das capacidades internas à empresa na sua capacidade inovadora: capacidade empreendedora, gestão de logística, gestão de marketing, gestão de recursos humanos (pessoas), gestão financeira, gestão da tecnologia da informação, gestão da produção, gestão empresarial e estratégica. Foi utilizado o sistema STATA 8.0 e o modelo de regressão multivariado por Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO). Como resultado, a pesquisa verificou que a gestão (capacidade gerencial) influencia na capacidade de inovação das MPE´s, o que confirma a hipótese levantada por alguns estudos de que a melhor estratégia para inovar na MPE não é através de atividades relacionadas à capacidade de desenvolvimento tecnológico (P&D). Além disso, se verificou também a importância do papel do empresário para a inovação nas MPE´s. Nesse sentido, não é somente a capacidade empreendedora que influencia na capacidade inovadora das MPE, mas na verdade todo um conjunto de atividades relacionadas ao papel do empreendedor. Ou seja, as atividades relacionadas às decisões estratégicas da empresa (gestão empresarial e estratégica) aliadas às atividades relacionadas à capacidade empreendedora do empresário é que formam a influência do papel do empresário no desempenho inovador da empresa. Além disso, é possível afirmar que há um conjunto de atividades que formam as competências essenciais da empresa para inovar. De modo geral, e para a amostra estudada, se verificou que as competências essenciais para inovar na MPE são: gestão de marketing, gestão de tecnologia da informação, gestão empresarial e estratégica e capacidade empreendedora. Por fim, contrariando estudos, não foi possível verificar a influência da gestão de recursos humanos (pessoas) na capacidade inovadora das empresa. É provável que isso seja resultado das limitações do modelo, do método de coleta dos dados e das próprias características da amostra. Da mesma forma, não se verificou a influência do setor (indústria e comercio ou serviço), da localização (cidade), do tamanho da empresa (número de empregados), do tempo de vida (anos) e do ―Efeito Sebrae‖ (se a empresa já utilizou o serviço do Sebrae) na capacidade inovadora das MPE´s. Nesse sentido, sugere-se a ampliação da amostra e a alteração do método de análise, contemplando momentos distintos no tempo (t0 e t1) como possíveis formas para ultrapassar as limitações do presente estudo. This research seeks to verify the influence of innovative performance management of micro and small enterprises (EPC). To this end, we used the data for companies participating in the Local Agent of Innovation Project (ALI Project), conducted by Sebrae and which sought to introduce the culture of innovation in micro and small entrepreneurs. As dependent variable using the degree of Global Innovation, a proxy for innovative capacity and which is nothing more than the innovative performance of the companies in the short term. And, similarly to the model presented by "(2008b) and based on the theory of the RBV, following independent variables were used to represent the influence of internal capabilities to the company's innovative capacity: entrepreneurial capacity, logistics management, marketing management, human resource management (people), financial management, information technology management, production management, business and strategic management. STATA 8.0 system was used and the multivariate regression model by Ordinary least squares (MQO). As a result, the research found that the management (management capacity) influences the ability of innovation of SME, which confirms the hypothesis raised by some studies that the best strategy to innovate in the EPC is not through activities related to the ability of technological development (PD). In addition, there was also the importance of the role of the entrepreneur to innovation in SME. In this sense, is not only the entrepreneurial skills which influences on the innovative capacity of the EPC, but actually a whole series of activities related to the role of the entrepreneur. That is, activities related to strategic decisions of the company (business and strategic management) together with activities related to the entrepreneurial skills of the entrepreneur is the influence of the role of the entrepreneur in the breakthrough performance of the company. In addition, it is possible to affirm that there is a set of activities that make up the core competencies of the company to innovate. In General, and for the sample, it was found that the essential skills to innovate in the EPC are: marketing management, information technology management, business and strategic management and entrepreneurial skills. Finally, and contrary to some research, it has not been possible to verify the influence of human resources management in the innovative capacity of firms. It is likely that this is the result of the limitations of the model, data collection method and the own characteristics of the sample. Similarly, there was the influence of the sector (industry and trade or service), the location (City), the size of company (number of employees), the lifetime (years) and "Sebrae Effect" (if the company has already used the service of Sebrae) in innovative capacity of MPE ´ s. Accordingly, it is suggested the expansion of the sample and the change of the method of analysis, contemplating different moments in time (t0 and t1) as possible ways to overcome the limitations of the present study.

This thesis recognizes that organizational culture is a primary determinant of innovation capability and argues the need to better understand this relationship or process as a necessary prerequisite to nurturing it in a more structured and systematic manner. The study explores this relationship within an R&D environment in telecommunications. It draws upon the knowledge management, organisational behaviour and organisational theory literatures to conceptualise organisational culture as a repository of knowledge. Using a soft systems bottom up approach four cultural archetypes with specific knowledge dynamics are identified and developed through a three-phase multi-method research strategy. These provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between organisational culture and innovation capability. The thesis concludes by considering strategies for improving innovation capability through the effective and appropriate movement between these archetypes.

Doctor Educationis / This study examined the three education poverty alleviation policies in relation to learners’ capabilities and was grounded in the Capability Approach as a conceptual framework pioneered by the economist and philosopher, Amartya Sen. The study posits the view that the policies investigated and evaluated are essential in terms of contributing to the well-being of learners, particularly those living in poverty, as well as offering opportunities for every child, irrespective of social and/or economic background. The theoretical framework which conceptualise the dimensions of poverty, re-imagines the South African case. A local investigation was undertaken to understand the poverty dynamics in the Quintile 1 schools in the Frances Baard District of the Northern Cape Province. The empirical research was done using a mixed methodology within the pragmatic paradigm. The investigations were based on and informed by the policies and the components of the Capability Approach. An investigation into the extent and processes of the implementation of these policies, and their impact on poverty alleviation in the schools, was considered necessary in order to provide information on the successes and limitations encountered in the implementation processes. A framework is proposed including capabilities for the effective implementation of the educational poverty alleviation policies namely autonomy, knowledge and accountability.

Since colonization, Indigenous women in Chiapas have occupied very disadvantaged social positions, characterized by ethnic, gender and class-based oppression. However, during the last thirty five years, important social dynamics have taken place which have driven women to perceive themselves as the main actors of social transformation, and to start participating in planning and development efforts at a household and community level. Building on the ideas of Paulo Freire and Pierre Bourdieu, oppression is understood as a dynamic where the oppressed are also implicated by, among other things, the involuntary body adhesion to oppression, experienced as shame, fear and silence. Therefore, the main focus of this research is the processes by which women achieved to exercise the internal capability to speak out; as well as how this new ability has been critical in order to have transformative agency, by having a meaningful participation in planning, agency and decision-making in the different spheres of their private and public life. The main findings of this thesis arise from six month of field research. With a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach, seventeen Indigenous and ten non-Indigenous women participated through in-depth interviews and focus groups. Participatory observation and a validation workshop were also undertaken. Findings are related, first, to women’s participation in group processes, by which, on the one hand, they achieved to generate critical-reflective awareness, denaturalizing oppression, and, on the other hand, they removed embodied oppressive dispositions by retraining their bodies through dialogue and corporal techniques. Second, praxis of liberation aroused from reflection, with no need of a mechanistic plan informed by efficient and effective predetermined justifications. Praxis of liberation took the form of practical wisdom and wise judgment for the achievement of good life. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

This research elaborates the concept of Resource Recombination in firms from a Dynamic Capability perspective. With the investigation of the role of Dynamic Capabilities in the process of Resource Recombination, this research addresses some existing shortcomings in the Dynamic Capability literature, where there is a crucial need to better understand the interrelationship between Dynamic Capabilities, the firm`s resource base, and innovation in form of Resource Recombinations. Examining the effect of a specific set of Dynamic Capabilities - namely the firm`s Sensing Capacity, Learning Capacity, Integrating Capacity and Coordinating Capacity - on Resource Recombination in firms, this research sheds light on what it is that explains the competitive heterogeneity and variance in resource value creation across firms. Addressing this issue, this research contributes to the resource and competence based research by presenting and empirically testing a conceptual model of factors influencing Resource Recombination in firms. The conceptual model is developed based on a thorough literature review, before being further tested, refined and validated using a mixed method research approach, entailing both qualitative and quantitative research steps. Hereto, empirical data from 208 target respondents is analysed applying structural equation modelling (SEM) principles, including structural path analysis and hypothesis testing, model re-specification, as well as mediation and moderation analyses. In line with the resource based view (RBV), empirical findings confirm that the firm`s resource endowments explain - in part - value creation in firms. But moreover this study found that the effectiveness of those resource endowments to provide productive performance outcomes depends on the extent to which firms possess specific Dynamic Capabilities: Sensing and Learning capacities are important for building the potential value of resources for Resource Recombination, while Integrating and Coordinating capacities are necessary for realising the value creation potential of those resources by developing new Resource Recombinations. Accordingly, regarding their role and effects towards Resource Recombination, two different types of Dynamic Capabilities can be distinguished: Potential Building Dynamic Capabilities and Value Realizing Dynamic Capabilities, whereby both capacity modes have complementary roles and are critical to the achievement of superior performance. Moreover, empirical evidence is given that the firm`s Entrepreneurial Orientation and Networking Orientation are important antecedents for the development of Dynamic Capabilities, and consequently Resource Recombinations. The principal aim of this research was to bring clarity to the notion of Dynamic Capabilities, their role and effects towards building Resource Recombinations in firms. With the Dynamic Capability framework and conceptual model presented, this research offers a more precise definition of the firm`s Dynamic Capabilities, shedding light on their role and effects towards developing new Resource Recombinations and separating them from their antecedents and consequences. Therewith, this research not only contributes towards opening up the black box of Resource Recombination in firms, but moreover helps to establish Dynamic Capabilities as a theoretically, well-founded and useful construct for strategic management. By explicitly embedding the Dynamic Capability perspective in resource based explanations for value creation, this research extends the traditional focus of the RBV, working towards a more dynamic interpretation of the RBV. It thereby tries to overcome the identified limitations of past research in this field.

Magister Artium - MA / In this thesis I present – from the perspective of the capability approach and within the context of South Africa – a conceptual analysis of the relationship between quality of life, education, poverty and inequality. The role of education within the South African context is of particular importance. The capability approach, which was pioneered by economist-philosopher Amartya Sen and significantly further developed by philosopher Martha Nussbaum and a growing number of other scholars across the humanities and social sciences, is a theoretical framework for the assessment and comparison of quality of life and social justice. The argument is made that when inquiring about the prosperity of a nation or region in the world, traditional economic approaches – such as gross domestic product (GDP), which is the most commonly used indicator of economic activity – are not, by themselves, accurate or adequate. When assessing individuals and societies‟ quality of life and sense of well-being, we need to know not only about their levels of income, wealth, or consumption; but also about the opportunities they have, or do not have, to choose and to act. The capability approach provides a more comprehensive conceptualisation of quality of life, because it takes into account broader and more encompassing measures of well-being. Conceptualising quality of life from the perspective of the capability approach, makes it clear that large numbers, if not the vast majority, of people experience many forms of unfreedom that impedes their development (i.e. their freedom to choose), and prevents them from leading lives they consider valuable and worthwhile. Many people lack capabilities. The capability approach asserts that the expansion of the real freedoms that people enjoy (i.e. what people are effectively able to be and to do) is both the primary end and the principle means of development. Expansion of freedom equates to enhanced individual agency as a result of an increase in capabilities. Furthermore, individual agency is central to addressing various deprivations (both individual and societal).