Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen Myers-Bowman / Due to health conditions, the average 70 year old will outlive the ability to drive by 6 years for men and 10 years for women (Foley et al., 2002). Driving loss has a significantly negative impact on the quality of life of an older adult. For this reason, some continue to drive despite concerns about safety. Midlife family members of older adults often feel social pressure to intervene in driving decision-making and social pressure to refrain from intervening. The goal of this study was to understand the experiences of midlife family members from the time that someone first noticed a concern with the older relative’s driving until the time the older adult stopped driving. A qualitative, multiple embedded case study approach was used to gather information from two midlife family members from 7 families with an older driver who had recently retired from driving. The family processes that influenced communication about driving and choice of strategies for intervening were examined. Findings indicated that the midlife family members became aware of safety issues at different times. Awareness prompted conversations with other relatives, and the majority of family conversations about driving did not include the older adult. Many family members reported a respect for the autonomy of the older relative and a reluctance to initiate conversations without permission from the older adult to do so. Intervention strategies reported by participants included (1) wait and worry, (2) nudging, (3) attempted conversation, (4) ending requests for driving assistance, (5) requesting assistance from physicians, (6) requesting assistance from the DMV, (7) requesting assistance from law enforcement, and (8) accepting the inability to end an older adult’s driving career. Participants reported many factors that both helped and hindered efforts to encourage driving retirement. Based on these findings, an Ecological Model of Later-Life Decision-Making was proposed. The model reflects that the participants’ efforts to encourage driving retirement were not simply a matter of intra-family communication, but were influenced by processes occurring at multiple levels, both within and outside of the family. Processes occurring at multiple levels both helped and hindered family members’ efforts to encourage driving retirement.

The Road Freight Industry accounts for 1 to 5 percent of most countries GDP (AECOM International Development, 2011). According to e-Natis there was 321 056 Trucks (Heavy load Vehicle GVM > 3500 kg) in South Africa by November 2009 (Arrive Alive, 2009). This relative big industry, according to the statistics, influences most other industries value chains. Vehicles are driven by trucks drivers, making driving trucks their living. These drivers have their own lifestyles and ways that they go about. This study focusses on the risk factors of truck drivers’ lifestyles, especially long-distance truck drivers. This mini-dissertation draws attention to the limited research done on lifestyle risk factors and occupational hazards of long-distance truck drivers in South Africa. Most of the legislation regulating road transport is old and outdated, and any existing legislation is not being enforced. The goal of the study is to draw closer attention to the impact of certain lifestyle risk factors, social behaviours and occupational stressors on the lives of long-distance truck drivers, their close families and communities. The research was based on a comprehensive literature review as well as an empirical investigation done in the Gauteng province. A total of 150 long-distance truck drivers participated in the empirical investigation, by completing anonymous questionnaires. It is the researcher’s hope that this mini-dissertation will aid the betterment of long-distance truck drivers’ lives, general health and to make South African roads safer for all road users. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The Road Freight Industry accounts for 1 to 5 percent of most countries GDP (AECOM International Development, 2011). According to e-Natis there was 321 056 Trucks (Heavy load Vehicle GVM > 3500 kg) in South Africa by November 2009 (Arrive Alive, 2009). This relative big industry, according to the statistics, influences most other industries value chains. Vehicles are driven by trucks drivers, making driving trucks their living. These drivers have their own lifestyles and ways that they go about. This study focusses on the risk factors of truck drivers’ lifestyles, especially long-distance truck drivers. This mini-dissertation draws attention to the limited research done on lifestyle risk factors and occupational hazards of long-distance truck drivers in South Africa. Most of the legislation regulating road transport is old and outdated, and any existing legislation is not being enforced. The goal of the study is to draw closer attention to the impact of certain lifestyle risk factors, social behaviours and occupational stressors on the lives of long-distance truck drivers, their close families and communities. The research was based on a comprehensive literature review as well as an empirical investigation done in the Gauteng province. A total of 150 long-distance truck drivers participated in the empirical investigation, by completing anonymous questionnaires. It is the researcher’s hope that this mini-dissertation will aid the betterment of long-distance truck drivers’ lives, general health and to make South African roads safer for all road users. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Sunanda Dissanayake / Rapid increases are estimated in the percentage of elderly among the U.S. population starting in 2010. A majority of the older Americans depend on automobiles to meet their transportation needs either because of lack of public transportation or by choice. Ninety percent of total trips made by the elderly are by personal vehicle and seventy percent of this number involves the elderly driving the vehicles. However due to the aging process, older drivers experience a natural decline in sensory, cognitive, and other mental and physical capabilities as compared to younger drivers. This situation, combined with an imperfect highway infrastructure is making older drivers one of the most critical groups in terms of highway safety, thus demanding safer driving conditions. Safety concern for older drivers arises when the fatality rate per mile driven is considered, as exposure is one of the crucial factors contributing to increased fatality risk of older drivers. Hence, exposure reported in Billion Vehicle Miles Traveled (BVMT) was considered for this study. Crash data and exposure data were used to compute the fatality rates. Sources for this data are the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). A basic characteristics study was completed to compare the fatality risk of younger (16-24 yrs), middle-aged (25-64 yrs), and older drivers (65+ yrs). Crash details were screened to study the characteristics of older drivers involved in fatal crashes. Risk for older drivers due to other involved drivers of all ages divided into groups was studied to understand their distribution. A number of statistical methods like the chi-square test of independence, odds ratio and double paired comparison estimates were applied to study contributing factors of older driver’s increased fatal crash involvement. Results from the characteristics study for the elderly indicate that a majority of fatal crashes occur under daylight conditions with relatively higher seatbelt usage and non-alcoholic driving on straight level roads, which are generally considered as safer driving conditions. Other factors studied include vehicle-related variables like body type; manner of collision; roadway-related variables like roadway function class, month of the crash, and day of the week; and driver-related variables like race. Roadway functional class, vehicle body type, travel speed, number of drunk drivers, and the month in which the fatality occurred were found to have strong correlation with age of the older driver. Results from paired comparisons were used to estimate the fatality risk of older occupants as drivers and passengers under two different conditions considered simultaneously. Older drivers were found to have more fatality risk compared to older passengers. Recommended measures are also discussed to enhance older driver safety in the U.S.

Contemporary global agriculture has been undergoing transition towards different pathways. In developed countries, a shift from productivist agriculture to multifunctional agriculture has begun since the 1980s (Wilson, 2007). In the developing world, agricultural modernisation is still the primary strategy for agricultural development, and driven by urbanisation and industrialisation, deagrarianisation of rural society has been widely identified (Bryceson, 1996; Rigg, 2006a). As the largest developing country in the world, China embarked on market reform three decades ago and has ever since experienced dramatic socio-economic transition towards modernisation, industrialisation and urbanisation. Significant levels of academic attention have focused on empirically identifying economic and policy drivers of Chinese agricultural production from a structuralist standpoint, largely neglecting the agency of smallholders and sociocultural factors. To address the resulting literature gap, this thesis adopts an approach that combines political economy and cultural analysis through an in-depth case study of a rural community in southwest China. A multi-methods approach is used to collect data, including questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation and the analysis of secondary data. The results suggest that Chinese smallholder agriculture has been dramatically transformed by an array of socio-economic forces. The “intensive, sustainable, diverse” Chinese smallholder agriculture which Netting (1993) portrayed, has been progressively shifted towards extensive, unsustainable and less diverse pathways. It suggests that the “perfunctory agriculture” performed by Chinese smallholders is the outcome of interactions and negotiations between various political, socio-economic and institutional constraints and farmers’ agency. Another key finding is that moving out of agriculture is becoming the norm in Chinese rural society. Most smallholders show willingness to rent out agricultural land and to enter into a capitalist relationship with employees, rather than primarily being cultivators of their land. Land transfer markets have become increasingly buoyant at the local level, and large-scale capitalist agriculture seems to be the desired future of Chinese smallholder agriculture for both the Chinese government and smallholders. Besides, based on the case of Hu Village, this thesis discusses the convergences and divergences between the road of Chinese agricultural development and that of developed countries and other emerging BRIC economies. Lastly, based on the findings of this research, four policy implications are proposed including sponsoring agricultural mutual aid groups, strengthening agricultural extension services, enhancing farmers’ negotiation power through laws, and initiating comprehensive socio-economic reforms to facilitate farmers’ pursuit of non-farm employments.

Job quality is important: there is a substantial evidence base which illustrates the potential risks of poor quality work. These arise from the occurrence of accidents and disease due to unmanaged hazards, as well as from psychosocial factors such as poor pay and security, shift working or the combination of low control and high demands. There is also a body of evidence which demonstrates a positive impact from good quality work, with contributions to longevity, improved health and happiness, and business success. Despite this recognition of the importance of job quality, there is a lack of agreement around exactly what it is: particularly when trying to define it as a single construct. This research aimed to address this insufficiency by exploring the concept of the good job, and seeking to define job quality from an ergonomics perspective. This approach encourages a broad outlook, taking account of the physical and psychosocial aspects of work, the interactions between them, and the impact of individual variation. A theoretical model is presented to summarise the concept of job quality based on these considerations: this was applied to a study of three bus companies using both a quantitative survey tool and qualitative methods. In developing the model, an initial study was undertaken using repertory grid interviews to explore notions of work and job quality, and to identify the most important areas for further investigation. Interviews were conducted with individuals (n=18) who were employed in a wide range of jobs, and varied substantially in their priorities and preferences. Job content and relationships were often identified as more important than pay levels; but there was also evidence of compromise, where interviewees had prioritised jobs which met their practical needs. Also, individuals perceived a good job differently from one which was good for their health, and overall did not consider good health to be an essential outcome of a good job. Two subsequent studies were undertaken with a focus on jobs commonly done by those with low formal education, who may have more to gain from improved job quality. Semi-structured interviews were carried out firstly with cleaners and manufacturing employees (n=30) and then with bus drivers (n=80). A number of job features such as safety and job/employment security were found to be important for almost all interviewees, and thus were identified as core features of a good job. Other factors such as autonomy and preferences for particular working patterns were more variable, highlighting the importance of job-employee fit. The theoretical model of job quality constructed was based on these findings and the literature. The model was applied in a qualitative study of bus and coach drivers in three companies to assess whether this was a good job, whether it could be a good job, and what the barriers to this might be. In two of the companies bus driving was found to be a poor job, with low pay and inadequate health and safety management. In the third company it was better but there were still challenges: particularly time pressures, low physical activity, and varied and unsociable working patterns. It was identified that some of the barriers to good job quality for bus drivers and potentially in jobs more generally are difficult to address as they are intrinsic to the job. The best solution to these difficulties is to ensure a good fit between job and employee. Other barriers were identified which appeared to be financial, such as low pay in the two smaller companies, but they could also reflect cultural factors within the organisation or within wider society. A final study considered the measurement of job quality, in the light of the importance and extent of individual variation highlighted throughout the research. The DGB-Index (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund Index), a questionnaire tool designed and used in Germany which specifically accounts for this, was used in the same three bus companies (n=423). The results were compared with those from the qualitative study and reached similar conclusions, thus confirming the utility of the DGB-Index for job measurement and comparison when translated into English. The research demonstrated that it is possible to define and measure job quality and to compare it between organisations. The model of a good job constructed to facilitate this differs from those found in the literature: it takes into account the variation between individuals and the fact that they construe good jobs in different ways. Thus it highlights the importance to job quality of a good fit between job and individual in addition to the need for work to be good in terms of the more universal features such as job security, safety and adequate pay.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between emotional intelligence, burnout and absenteeism of bus drivers in the scheduled public bus services industry. A controlled inquiry of non-experimental research was used. In addition, correlational and multivariate research, as a form of relational research, was employed to explore the relationships between the three constructs. The constructs were defined as follows: emotional intelligence as the basic capacity of a person to identify and utilise emotion (Goleman, 1998); burnout as a syndrome consisting of three negative response patterns which include: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and diminished personal accomplishment. (Maslach & Jackson 1986, in Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003) and absenteeism as the average numbers of days a driver was absent from work. A sample of 245 bus driver employees was drawn from the depots of Golden Arrow Bus Services (Pty) Ltd. The Swinburne Emotional Intelligence Test (Palmer & Stough, 2001) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen, 2005) were administered. The results showed that there was a moderate negative relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout. Emotional management (a dimension of emotional intelligence) was negatively related to all three the dimensions of burnout namely personal burnout, work burnout and client burnout (a dimension of burnout), indicating that where bus drivers are capable of managing emotions, levels of burnout would typically decrease. In exploring the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and absenteeism, no statistically significant relationships were found. In exploring the different dimensions of burnout in their relationship to absenteeism, it did however indicate a small, yet significant positive relationship between work-related burnout and absenteeism. This suggested that bus drivers with a low score in terms of work-related burnout would experience less absenteeism. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om die verwantskap tussen emosionele intelligensie, uitbranding en afwesigheid van busdrywers in die geskeduleerde publieke busbedryf te ondersoek. Daar is gebruik gemaak van 'n nie-eksperimentele navorsingsontwerp (nl. 'n verkennende opnamestudie) ten einde die verband tussen die konstrukte en hul subdimensies te ondersoek. Daarbenewens is korrelatiewe en meerveranderlike navorsing gebruik as 'n vorm van relasionele navorsing om die verhouding tussen die drie konstrukte te ondersoek. Die konstrukte is soos volg gedefinieer: emosionele intelligensie as die basiese kapasiteit van 'n persoon om emosie te identifiseer en te gebruik (Goleman, 1998); uitbranding as 'n sindroom bestaande uit drie negatiewe responskomponente: emosionele uitputting, depersonalisasie en veminderde gevoel van persoonlike bekwaamheid (Maslach & Jackson 1986, in Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003) en afwesigheid as die gemiddelde hoeveelheid dae wat 'n drywer afwesig was by die werk. 'n Steekproef van 245 busdrywers verbonde aan Golden Arrow Bus Services (Edms) Bpk is geneem. Die respondente het die twee vraelyste, nl. die Swinbume Emotional Intelligence Test (Palmer & Stough, 2001) en die Copenhagen Bumout Inventory (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen, 2005) voltooi. Die resultate wys dat daar 'n matige negatiewe verhouding bestaan tussen emosionele intelligensie en uitbranding. Die bestuur van emosies, 'n onderafdeling van uitbranding, is negatief verbind aan al drie die onderafdelings van uitbranding nl. persoonlike uitbranding, werksuitbranding en klientuitbranding. Dit dui daarop dat waar busdrywers bevoeg is om hul emosies te bestuur, vlakke van uitbranding tipies sal verminder. In die ondersoek na die verhouding tussen emosionele intelligensie en afwesigheid is geen betekenisvolle statistiese verhoudings geidentifiseer nie. In die ondersoek na die verhouding tussen die onderafdelings van uitbranding en afwesigheid, is 'n klein, dog betekenisvolle, positiewe verhouding geidentifiseer tussen werksuitbranding en afwesigheid. Dit suggereer dat busdrywers met 'n lae werksuitbrandingsvlak minder afwesig sal wees. Die beperkinge van die studie en voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing is bespreek.

The work described provides the development, implementation and evaluation of engineering product design guidelines suitable for engineering product designers. The motivation arises from collaborative efforts that continue to be made by the Least Economically Developed Countries (LDC) and the Most Economically Developed Countries (MDC) towards the development of the engineering design field. It is argued here that product design guidelines which are derived from existing product design methods enhance the capability of engineering designers to shorten time to market, deal adequately with product design constraints and boost supply chains. The sample for the proposed study is comprised of companies in Botswana (a least economically developed country) and the United Kingdom (a most economically developed country). The research has been conducted using a mixed qualitative research approach comprised of aspects from the framework method, cluster analysis and Kolb's model. The findings have identified five themes central to the product design process which are incorporated into the engineering product design guidelines. Case study work was conducted to validate the approach. The following claims are made for contributions to knowledge: 1. A conceptual framework which is a graphical co-ordinate system of engineering and management techniques required by nine engineering product design methods. The conceptual framework is arranged according to two orthogonal axes that describe the structure of the product design process and incorporate the need function form structure, the divergent convergent structure, the product design drivers, product realisation process and product development lifecycles. 2. The product design method notation which is a register of the expressions derived from the conceptual framework and is used to communicate and aid in the selection of a group of techniques being implemented, or intended for implementation by design teams; and 3. The configuration scheme which provides a clear link between components, subassemblies, products, projects, programmes and policies. The critical point put forward by this work is that the conceptual framework is only comprehensible today because the engineering product design methods in the public domain have imparted knowledge about the functions of physical products (described here as part of the need function form structure) at the expense of human needs and the interactive forms of human responses to physical products. The contributions of this research provide a holistic and coherent means of integrating design methodologies for the benefit of design teams in Botswana. The approach is, however, universal and may also be beneficial for design projects in the most economically developed countries.

Context and Objectives: There is an increasing recognition that there is great potential in utilizing learning in client relationships as this can enable service providers to develop relational capabilities and more successfully manage relationships. Building on this premise, the present study argues that learning in relationships relates to the ability to learn from the local context to leverage relationship success. To do this, requires an understanding of what drives success in each stage of relationship development and how this can be achieved to ensure success. The aim of the research is to explore the potential for learning in business service relationships, through the exploration of learning needs relevant in stages of relationship development. Learning needs are defined as what service providers need to learn about how to leverage successful relationships at each stage of development. Research Methodology: The study employs two qualitative case studies of business service providers that provide contextually differing embedding conditions for relationships and learning. Data has been gathered through interviews with individual service providers, observation of practice and organisational documentation. The research undertaken explores service providers’ approach towards relationship development, with the aim of identifying critical factors influencing success in each relationship stage and corresponding opportunities for learning through the experiences and challenges faced by service providers in practice. Findings: Results highlights that learning from the local context is critical for managing relationship success. Critical success factors for each stage are identified from the experiences and challenges faced by service providers across the two cases. These are translated into learning needs for each stage that aim to guide service providers’ attempts to learn from the local context in order to inform and adapt their approach. The appreciation of learning needs in relation to the unique context of each organisation directs attention to corresponding guidelines for practice. The research concludes with the proposition of a theoretical model for learning in relationships as well as a practical learning needs framework that can be incorporated in service providers’ practices for managing client relationships. Importantly results suggest that becoming relationally capable requires a transition to embracing a learning orientation in terms of both philosophy and process. Research Relevance and Implications: The study extends the potential for the creation of a relational capability in business relationships through the exploration of learning needs. Findings suggest that relationship management can be viewed as a cyclical process of learning and adaptation where success at each stage rests on the ability to read and learn from the local context and engage in appropriate actions in practice. The study contributes towards practice, by providing a practical framework through which service providers can develop relational learning. Exploration and appreciation of learning needs in stages of relationship development can aid service providers in the establishment of appropriate approaches towards intervention or stimulation of relationship success.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy