Federal law mandates that transition plans and services be in effect for students with disabilities by the time they turn 16, in order to optimize students’ successful movement from high school into postsecondary areas including postsecondary education, competitive employment, independent living, and community participation. Despite currently available services, however, students with disabilities continue to exhibit worse outcomes than their peers in the aforementioned areas. Occupational therapists (OTs) have professional expertise and knowledge that may contribute to improved postsecondary outcomes for these students, yet the majority of school-based OTs do not work with transition age-youth or address goals related to transition planning. This may be due to OTs’ perceptions that other professionals handle transition services, lack of understanding of the role of OT by other team members, lack of funding within schools, and inadequate time on OTs' caseloads to address services not mandated in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is currently the second largest school district in the country and operates several Career and Transition Centers (CTCs) for students with disabilities aged 18–22. Following a literature review of OTs’ previous and potential role in transition, this paper proposes a model for an OT-led transition program for use within LAUSD. Supporting Opportunities for Adult Readiness (SOAR) is a multi-faceted and multipronged approach to team capacity building. It targets CTC staff and families, as well as district OTs, to maximize their skills and capabilities in supporting youth with disabilities as they transition into adulthood. The program is based on the Knowledge to Action framework (KTA), which posits that a deliberate and thoughtfully planned effort to disseminate knowledge with stakeholders will result in the more effective utilization of that knowledge. Using KTA as a road map, SOAR outlines a range of strategies, including trainings, consultations, publication of written materials, and models of ongoing support to best serve the target populations. SOAR presents a dynamic and evolving set of program activities that collectively can impact the perceptions and role of OTs within LAUSD. Methods for program evaluation and dissemination, as well as potential funding sources are discussed.

This paper examines an effort to develop community capacity to engage in sustainability planning as part of a Peace Corps Municipal Services Development project in Areguá, Paraguay. It sketches the context in which the initiative occurred, outlines relevant academic research on community sustainability planning, and describes the strategies adopted to assist Areguá in securing the critical mass of community capacity necessary to engage in sustainability planning. The paper concludes with an outline of continuing challenges for sustainability in Areguá and a description of means by which those concerns might be addressed. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

This thesis strives to provide a new way of implementing the principle known as Responsibility to Protect (R2P). When traditionally associated with armed forces, this thesis will present the principle from a new angle, and in doing so illustrate its untapped potential as a tool for combating human suffering. The aim of this study is to normatively argue for R2P to also be applicable in a situation where water scarcity leads to such severe suffering that a state’s unwillingness or inability to manage the crisis puts people in a situation of despair equivalent with Crimes Against Humanity. The argumentation builds on a deductive inference where documents from the UN and the ICC lay the foundation for the premises. The study concludes that there exist circumstances where R2P could be invoked in the context of water scarcity, but advocates only the non-violent measures of the principle as responses.

This empirical research explored the capacity building of human resources in the emerging oil and gas sector in Ghana. Ghana’s oil and gas were discovered in commercial quantities in 2007 by GNPC and its partners in Jubilee field in the Cape Three Point in the western region, which signified a turning point in the development effort of the state. Local skills shortage perceived as a significant challenge. Thus the government envisaged the need to build local skill capacity which attracted an initial grant of US$38 million from World Bank to facilitate the implementation of oil and gas capacity building project in 2010. The study adopted a mixed method approach for primary data collection. Matched samples of employees (226) working in four public sector organisations in the oil and gas sector were surveyed using the simple random technique, while human resource/training and development directors (9) were purposively sampled and interviewed on the human resources capacity building to assess and corroborates the survey data. The study findings confirmed shortcomings in local skills in the public organisations in the petroleum industry. Comparatively, the results suggested that the performance appraisal tools could be further improved. The study also found local skills mismatch. It revealed that inadequate funding and delays in the release of funds affected local skill capacity building in the public-sector organisations in the industry. Originality, this is one of the very few studies to explore the shortcomings of local skill capacity in the selected organisation including the strategies used in addressing the skill gap. Research implications, more matched-sample studies are necessary to understand further how private companies (IOC’s) contributing to local skill capacity building. Practically, the study is of significance to the policymakers to address the skill gap in the energy sector. The main contribution of the research is to conceptualise the concept of HRM in Ghana’s context. The thesis, therefore, is an essential contribution to our understanding of the skill gap in the oil and gas industry in Ghana and the role of HR in this field.

No description available.

Coffee is an important commodity being traded daily on major commodity trade exchanges in London and New York. Meanwhile, in emerging markets like Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, coffee is a major source of revenue, with exports of coffee accounting for, in some cases, over 80% of foreign exchange earnings . As the fourth largest exporter of coffee beans in the world, Indonesia holds a strong opportunity to be a prominent coffee player in the world, not only by exporting raw material to developed countries but also by performing solemn roles in coffee global marketing strategies. Sadly, from preliminary research that I conducted before, I found out that the knowledge level of most Indonesian coffee farmers, particularly in coffee processing techniques, is relatively beyond par. How can Indonesia become a respected global player in coffee industry if the farmers do not simply know how to roast and grind their coffee? Coffee does not only affect world economy. In fact, it touches social cultural aspect in globalization, diffusion of innovations and technology, agricultural sustainability, and human empowerment among coffee farmers. Based on those above notions, I decided to commence on a particular study of a Motramed (Mediated Partnership Model) program, designed and implemented by ICCRI (Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Institute), to specialty coffee farmers in Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia. Over several weeks that I spent in Jember, in ICCRI headquarter, I met directly with ICCRI researchers who are in charge for Motramed development program under Dr. Surip Mawardi’s supervision, respective Motramed farmers in Bondowoso, East Java and Motramed’s social actors. We engaged in an intense dialogue and qualitative interviews regarding Motramed program and its implications towards social, economy, and behavioral change. The study result was tremendously proliferated by myself observation of exploratory study which through that process, I found significant relations between ground theories of development and their field practice.

Om missgynnade och underordnade kvinnor i strikta klassificeringssystem ska förändra sin position krävs socialt deltagande och kollektiv handling, men hur? Flertalet Aymarakvinnor har upplevt att ”kapacitetslärande” åtgärder har varit framgångsrika, men till vilken nivå? Att vara del av samhälles fattigaste befolkning betyder ett liv under en mångfald sociala orättvisor. I den här uppsatsen argumenterar jag för att kapacitetslärande är ett potentiellt verktyg för social förändring. Detta gör jag genom att hänvisa till den informella utbildningen och det symboliska kapital som åtgärden omfattar, sett ur ett makt- och självbestämmande-perspektiv. Genom att förmedla de förhållanden som Aymarakvinnorna lever under, och med hjälp av intersektionalitetsteorin presenterar jag några av de faktorer som försvårar dessa att nå en radikal social förändring. Likväl är ursprungskvinnornas sociala påverkan och aktivism central i kampen för rättvisa. / If deprived and subordinate women in rigorous systems of stratification are to change their position, social agency and collective activism is needed, but how? Several Bolivian Aymara women have experienced processes of “capacity-building” to be a successful measurement, but to what extent? Being part of the poorest sectors of society implies being dominated by a diverse spectrum of social injustices. In this paper I argue that capacity-building may be a potential tool for social change. I will show this by referring to the informal education and the “symbolic capital” this embraces, seen from an empowerment perspective. By illustrating the conditions under which the Aymara women live, I will, with the help of intersectionality theory present some of the factors which impede them to bring about a radical social change. Nevertheless, the indigenous women’s agency and activism are crucial for the achievement of social justice.

Teacher leaders are people who lead by example and, in this school, most are not afraid to speak up even if it is not politically correct. Teacher leaders are selfless people who are looking out for what is best for all, especially the students. They are risk takers. With the introduction of technology and accountability measures, education appears to have changed more in the first seventeen years of the 21st century then in the entire prior 100 years of our nation. The knowledge and skills required by school administrators has greatly expanded. To that end, it seems most appropriate that schools are lead not only by a principal, but also by the teachers. The collective knowledge of a group of professionals is stronger than the knowledge of one individual person. Teacher leadership appears as a natural concept to utilize in order to achieve successful school reform and to increase the use of technology as an instructional tool. This study focuses on the specific actions of building principals in public secondary schools which will cultivate and nurture the leadership potential in teachers. A qualitative study, this research involved a multi-case study approach and focused on three public secondary schools spanning two Pennsylvania counties. Ninety-four surveys were conducted of professional employees. Of those, three building principals and seven of their teachers were selected to be observed and interviewed. While teacher leadership requires active steps be taken by both teachers and principals, this research centered on what the principal needs to do in order to nurture teachers to be leaders within their schools. A culture of trust and collaboration is essential, as is a shared vision of where the school is headed. / Educational Administration

Yes / The remarkable evolution in the twentieth century has been a result of a new perspective in understanding the importance of investing in individuals and organizational human resources, and the implementation of capacity building strategies in various organizations and in societies. This paper explores the case of ICO, an international consultancy organization, based in the Middle East, specialized in architecture, engineering, planning, environment and economics. This qualitative study, using thirteen selected semi-structured interviews, observations, and secondary data, has been conducted in the Beirut design office of the organization. The paper aims to examine major human resource related capacity building themes in ICO which include employee involvement and motivation, recruitment and selection, in addition to performance appraisal and reward management.

Evaluation is a burgeoning field and remains fairly young by most standards. Within Cooperative Extension, evaluation practices have been implemented at a variety of levels given that evaluation is mandatory for much of the funding Cooperative Extension receives. With evaluation in high demand, it is expected that most Extension educators are performing some levels of evaluation as a routine part of their jobs. In order to perform the required evaluations, an Extension educator must exhibit some level of knowledge and skill regarding evaluation. While much research to date has been done on the level of evaluation within the organization, there is a lack of understanding regarding the evaluation competencies that Extension educators must possess and the culture of evaluation within the organization. This study set out to examine the evaluation competencies, culture, and evaluation behaviors within Cooperative Extension. Utilizing an online survey format and quantitative methodology, a widely accepted set of evaluation competencies were examined for their importance within Cooperative Extension. A panel of 13 experts was selected to examine the competencies and it was determined than all competencies in the list were necessary for Extension educators to exhibit in their jobs. The list of competencies was then combined with a subscale regarding culture and a subscale based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). A total of 419 Extension educators in four Extension systems participated in the study, with 222 generating usable data for a response rate of 13%. The highest and lowest skill level for the competencies were determined by Extension educators self-reporting. Perception of importance of each competency was examined and the highest and lowest importance rankings were determined. These were compared to the rankings of importance by the expert panel. A path analysis was conducted by modifying the Theory of Planned Behavior model and multiple regression analysis. Mean weighted discrepancy scores were calculated to determine the differences in skill level and perception for each of the competencies. The subscale of culture was examined for potential areas of Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) within the organization. Results show that while there was much agreement between the expert panel and Extension educators regarding the importance of competencies, experts ranked all competencies as important while Extension educators did not. The results of the path analysis determined intention and perceived behavioral control explained 3.9% of the variance in the evaluation behavior exhibited by skill. Subjective norm and attitude explained 11.8% of the variance within intention. Perceived behavioral control, attitude and culture accounted for 13.1% of the variance in subjective norm. Culture and perception accounted for 7.1% of the variance in attitude. Perception, program area, college major, location, training in evaluation, degree level and years of experience explained 28% of the variance within evaluation culture. Finally, recommendations for practice and future research were made based on these findings. / Ph. D.