This study reviews a training programme on Marine Protected Area (MPA) management. It notes that although MPAs are well promulgated under legislation, reports have found that there are still key challenges facing the management of these areas. The research examines how the course was developed following the Lemm and Attwood (2003) report and designed to develop competences for effective MPA management. The aim is to identify how a MPA management training course produced competences apposite to the workplace settings of the participants. An interpretive case study method was used, in two phases. The first phase explored salient issues in MPA management in South Africa through analysis of the two key ‘state of MPA management’ reports and interviews with MPA professionals. The second was an analysis of the South African Marine Protected Area Management Training Course. This involved interviews with course designers, a review of the course materials, interviews with past course participants, and an analysis of course evaluations. Evidence emerged that supported the following findings: Challenges and problems facing MPA management still exist. Competence in key areas of MPA management was addressed in an effective work-integrated approach. Social learning was a key process in the development of these competences. The competences articulate well with the workplace of participants. Gaps exist between some of the management issues and the competences developed by the course, and some aspects of the course design are ineffective. From these findings it is concluded that: The course took up the majority of issues in MPA management through the development of key competences. The course design facilitated the development of these competences. The competences developed through the course are relevant to the workplace of MPA professionals. The research found that the course adequately addresses issues in MPA management through the development of competences. Some recommendations for improvements are made.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The HIV epidemic is in its third decade, and there is still neither a cure nor an effective vaccine in sight. Although the number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths has decreased since the early 2000s, the number of people living with HIV remains high. Sub- Saharan Africa carries the burden of the epidemic, and South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV globally. In South Africa HIV and AIDS is one of the health priorities, and nurses’ role in the fight against HIV infection is crucial, as nurses form the bulk of health care professionals in the country. The South African Government has increased its efforts in the fight against HIV infection, with the introduction of various policies and guidelines. For these policies to be implemented effectively and able to fight the HIV epidemic successfully, nurses’ training needs to provide adequate preparation for nurses to attend to people living with HIV and AIDS upon graduation. The literature highlights various shortfalls in nurses’ training related to HIV and AIDS care and management; in-service training has been the main training model so far, with limited emphasis on pre-service training. The purpose of this study was to develop a model for integration of HIV and AIDS nursing competencies into the undergraduate nursing programme at the University of the Western Cape. The study’s objectives include identification of HIV and AIDS-related core competencies for a nurse in South Africa, then integration of the identified competencies into the undergraduate nursing programme, supported by the Competency, Outcome, Performance, Assessment framework, within a constructivist paradigm. Applying the intervention research: design and development approach, the study was conducted in three phases. Data collection was carried out using nominal group technique, interviews, systematic research synthesis as well as workshops, and data were analysed qualitatively. The 112 participants included nurse educators, people living with HIV and AIDS, registered nurses in clinical practice, recent graduates, South African Nursing Council representatives, lecturers that teach in the nursing programme as well as nurse experts on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, with 12.8% of them participating in more than one phase of the study. Three competency categories covering seven core competencies were identified, namely: foundation (knowledge); supporting pillars (ethics, policies, interdisciplinary approach, personal and professional development); and performance (health education, holistic safe practice). Furthermore, four structural requirements were identified, namely teaching and learning strategies, learning opportunities, service readiness and staff development, forming the HIV and AIDS nursing core competency framework. Vertical and horizontal integration of the core competencies was completed, highlighting how they can be integrated into the undergraduate nursing programme, and this was validated by experts through a workshop. The integration model which was developed is flexible, allowing further adoption into any other undergraduate nursing programme, and provides the potential to assist in the systematic integration of HIV and AIDS into the nursing curriculum. This would enhance new nurse raduates’ competencies in the provision of HIV and AIDS-related care and management upon graduation.

Due to the ever growing diversity of school populations in the United States, it becomes increasingly more vital that school counselors are efficient in multicultural counseling. As the significance of effective multicultural counseling competencies increases, so too does the importance of accurately assessing these proficiencies. To assess school counselors' ability to implement multicultural techniques, specific constructs must be developed. The central focus of this research is to develop an instrument which accurately assesses the multicultural counseling competencies of school counselors and conforms to standards set by the American School Counselor Association and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. By exploring these standards and investigating qualitative and quantitative data regarding current competencies, school counselors can work more effectively with a diverse student body.

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abstract: The goal of this research study was to identify the competencies the Project Manager (PM) will need to respond to the challenges the construction industry faces in 2022 and beyond. The study revealed twenty-one emerging challenges for construction PMs grouped into four primary disruptive forces: workforce demographics, globalization, rapidly evolving technology, and changing organizational structures. The future PM will respond to these emerging challenges using a combination of fourteen competencies. The competencies are grouped into four categories: technical (multi-disciplined, practical understanding of technology), management (keen business insight, understanding of project management, knowledge network building, continuous risk monitoring), cognitive (complex decisions making, emotional maturity, effective communication), and leadership (leveraging diverse thinking, building relationships, engaging others, mentoring, building trust). Popular data collection methods used in project management research, such as surveys and interviews, have received criticism about the differences between stated responses to questions, what respondents say they will do, and revealed preferences, what they actually practice in the workplace. Rather than relying on surveys, this research study utilized information generated from games and exercises bundled into one-day training seminars conducted by Construction Industry Institute (CII) companies for current and upcoming generations of PMs. Educational games and exercises provide participants with the opportunity to apply classroom learning and workplace experience to resolve issues presented in real-world scenarios, providing responses that are more closely aligned with the actual decisions and activities occurring on projects. The future competencies were identified by combining results of the literature review with information from the games and exercises through an iterative cycle of data mining, analysis, and consolidation review sessions with CII members. This competency forecast will be used as a basis for company recruiting and to create tools for professional development programs and project management education at the university level. In addition to the competency forecast, the research identified simulation games and exercises as components of a project management development program in a classroom setting. An instrument that links the emerging challenges with the fourteen competencies and learning tools that facilitate the mastering of these competencies has also been developed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering 2012

The purpose of this study was to identify the essential competencies for entry-level management positions in the food and beverage (F&B) industry based on the perspectives of Taiwanese industry professionals across three groups: work experience in Taiwan and/or mainland China, two F&B sectors (Hotel F&Bs and restaurants), and three management levels (first-line, middle, and top). A total of 515 Taiwanese F&B industry professionals participated in this study with 104 participants currently employed in mainland China, some of whom worked previously in Taiwan, and 411 participants working in Taiwan, without work experience in mainland China. Factor analysis produced four dimensions of important competencies: leadership, F&B management, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Results indicated that communication skills was the only dimension that showed significant difference between participants with and without work experience in mainland China. The findings of this study indicated that 14 of 41 competency items were ranked in the top 10 based on the responses of the three groups. Participants from all three groups ranked "high level of personal integrity" as the most important competence and "ability to communicate orally in proper English" was ranked as the second most important competence by all groups except the restaurant sector. The results also showed that 10 of 41 competency items were ranked differently between participants with and without working experiences in mainland China. Findings are beneficial for graduates preparing to enter a management position in F&B, industry leaders/managers, recruiters and corporate trainers, educators, and future research.

This diploma thesis deals with competencies of people who participate on a company running. The determination of these competencies and their dividing according to their types and roles that occur in the company are analyzed at the theoretical level. The work examines and studies strategy being the basic reference point for the formulation of the company’s targets and tasks related to them, accomplishment of which is the foundation of the assigned competencies. The practical part of the thesis deals with analysis of an actual company’s environment with the main purpose of determining the particular area of the enterprise which creates a narrowed place and tries to solve this problem by establishing the appropriate competencies.

This research considers how competencies are developed that allow for a firm to explore. Limited empirical studies exist on how these competencies are developed and how they evolve. Utilising a single case study research methodology approach, this research looks at a single case event at South Africa’s third biggest bank, First National Bank (FNB). In 2012, FNB was awarded the title of Most Innovative Bank in the World at the 2012 BAI –Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards, recognising their contributions to radical banking solutions. Considering only one such innovation, the Smart Device offering, this research places into context how FNB have evolved the competencies to radically innovate in a world of scarce resources. The fundamental outcome of this research is that competencies take considerable time and resources to develop and as such, firms must make intelligent choices about their strategic competitive path. The research also highlights that the competency to explore requires a coalesce of many factors that when aligned with that strategic path, ready the firm to execute on opportunities that are outside of their relevant knowledge distant domain. FNB’s “customer eco-system” model has ensured congruence with existing competencies and upstream processes while engaging their employees in natural collaboration across business units. This research considers these and other factors that have led FNB to position themselves for exploration. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the accelerated development training program by using a pre and post-tests in order determine whether learning transfer actually took place-that is, whether competencies developed. The research focused on the following competencies: action orientation; planning and organising; analysis and problem solving; relationship building; and impact and influence. From the statistical analysis conducted, significant differences were obtained for three competencies: action orientation, problem solving and impact and influence. The results could not be attributed directly to the training programme though as the separation of variables proved problematic. The results are discussed as well as the design of the evaluation being critically reviewed. Recommendations are made to improve the design of the evaluation and direction is given for possible future research. Copyright 2009, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Sehannie, S 2009, An explorative study into the effectiveness of an accelerated development programme within a South African , MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02162012-104824 / > C12/4/204/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

En los últimos años, el uso de la gamificación en la educación superior se ha orientado a mejorar el nivel de compromiso de los estudiantes en el aprendizaje. El modelo de educación por competencias no es ajeno a esta pedagogía que hoy se apoya en la creatividad del docente y en la participación del estudiante. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue analizar cómo el uso de la gamificación incide en el incremento de dominio de la competencia informacional en estudiantes universitarios. El enfoque utilizado es mixto. En la fase cuantitativa con diseño cuasi experimental se utilizó el cuestionario ALFIN-Humass para medir la percepción del desarrollo de la competencia (pre y pos) y se demostró que hay diferencias significativas entre el pretest y postest del grupo experimental en la percepción del desarrollo de ALFIN (t = –4,63; p < 0,01). En la cualitativa, se llevó a cabo un grupo focal cuyos resultados confirmaron los hallazgos cuantitativos. La contribución de este trabajo radica en señalar la pertinencia de la gamificación como estrategia didáctica en el desarrollo de las competencias informacionales. / In recent years, gamification in higher education aimed to improve the level of student engagement in learning. The model of education by competencies is no stranger to this pedagogy, which today relies on teacher creativity and student participation. The objective of this research was to analyze how gamification affects the increase in the mastery of information skills in university students. The research approach used is mixed. In the quantitative phase with a quasi-experimental design, the ALFIN-Humass questionnaire was used to measure the perception of competence development (pre and post), showing that there are significant differences between the pretest and post-test of the experimental group in the perception of ALFIN development (t = -4.63; p <.01). In the qualitative one, a focus group was conducted whose results confirmed the quantitative findings. The contribution of this work lies in pointing out the relevance of gamification as a didactic strategy in the development of Information Literacy Competency.