This study assessed the intentions with regard to fertility and use of contraception by women living with HIV/AIDS. The study was a quantitative cross-sectional study on a sample of 362 HIV-positive women in the ART follow-up unit in Adama Hospital Medical College. Large numbers of HIV-positive women with no income, housewives, illiterates and women in the age group of 28-32 years declared their intention to fall pregnant. The most prevalent family planning method among the HIV-positive women before their HIV diagnosis was injectables. After wards the most popular method of contraception was the condom. The results suggest that the counselling about condom use that is offered to HIV positive women yields results, as more women adopt this method of contraception. This is important in view of prevention of HIV infections and re-infections. / Health Studies / M. A. (Public Health)

The purpose of this study was to investigate internationalisation of Ethiopian SMEs by examining internal and external factors that motivate or restrict internationalization process and the impact of internal and external barriers on SMEs export performance. The small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) sector in Ethiopia is a significant group within the economy in terms of firm numbers and total employment. However, the SMEs sector’s share of exports is disproportionately small, which raised considerable research concerns. Firm export propensity and export performance were the dependent variables and export stimuli and barrier factors were used as explanatory variables. The study was conducted through mixed research design. A questionnaire was administered to 90(36 exporting and 54 nonexporting) SMEs in Leather and Leather Products Industry in Addis Ababa selected through stratified random sampling. In order to complement survey results nine (4 exporting and 5 non-exporting) SMEs were selected through critical case purposive sampling and an in-depth interviews were conducted. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS 20) was used to analyse the quantitative data whereas, qualitative data were analysed manually. Analytical techniques used were, Chisquare test of independence, Spearman rank order correlation, factor analysis, binary logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis. The statistical results of binary logistic regression analysis and chi-square tests indicated that managerial factors, internal marketing factors and foreign government related factors, firm ownership and size are the most significant motivators of SMEs internationalisation in Ethiopia. On the contrary the result showed that, logistics problem, insufficient finance, functional barriers, lack of export knowledge and information, procedural barriers and international trade barriers are the factors hindering it. Further analysis was conducted to examine the impact of export barriers on performance of firms. The result of multiple regression analysis indicated that, export barriers significantly and negatively affect export performance. The overall results revealed that explanatory variables used in the analysis significantly predict the dependent variable at 95% confidence level. Considering these results numerous implications for theory, practice, and future research were recommended. Finally, the study concluded that internationalisation of SMEs has to be encouraged by mitigating both internal and external barriers identified in this study. / Business Management / D. Admin. (Business Management)

This study has assessed the self-help group approach and its contribution to women empowerment in the Debremarkos district of the Amhara region of Ethiopia. SHG is an approach that strives to empower poor women through organising them in groups to solve their problem through mutual help. This study employed a mixed method using both the qualitative and quantitative techniques. The findings suggest that the SHG approach has brought social and economic empowerment for the poor women in Debremarkos district who participated in SHG. The findings suggest that the selfhelp approach is important, particularly by creating access for the poor to financial resources with low interest rates, which is a key for the success of the businesses of the poor. The SHG approach has also significant contribution for social empowerment by building the confidence of women and facilitating their participation in their community. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and its partners are determined to prevent and manage preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in mothers, neonates and children. In the last decade, special emphasis has been given to increasing the number of health facilities that provide maternal and child health services (MNCH), huge production of skilled birth attendants (SBAs), and equipping the health facilities to improve the utilisation of quality services. This study investigated the community perspectives of health service utilisation and proposes a framework for improving the utilisation of the available SBA and postnatal care (PNC).The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for the utilisation of skilled care for delivery and postnatal care by women of childbearing age (15-45). The study used a Sequential explanatory Mixed Methods Approach to investigate the utilisation of SBA and PNC in a district in Ethiopia. The Delphi Technique helped to solicit input from maternal health care experts on the development of a Framework for utilisation of SBA and PNC. This study utilised the Anderson Health Utilisation Model. In the study, 79.8% and 248 (71.5%) of the women who delivered within 12 months prior to this study received ANC and skilled birth attendance respectively from SBA. Fifty five (15.8%) mothers and 131 (38%) babies received Postnatal care from SBA with in 45 days after delivery. The study further found that women who can read and write and were educated are more likely to utilise SBA and receive quality health care services. The study showed that certain factors such as disrespecting service users, abusing service users’ lack of trust on the SBA by service users, religion and superstition contribute negatively to the use of SBAs. None of the predisposing, enabling and need factors predicted the use of SBA for PNC by the mothers. Nevertheless, through the focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews (IDI), it was revealed that there was a widespread knowledge and perception gaps in the community related to the importance of postnatal period and PNC. Religious sanctification also have imperative role in hampering PNC service use by the mothers. The Health care workers (HCWs) also lacked the keenness and orientation to provide the service. Babies born from families with monthly income equal to 500 or above USD were more likely to use PNC within 45 days. There was a widespread misconception in the community that Babies do not need PNC before 45 days of birth except for vaccination purpose. To examine their role in health service utilisation for SBA and PNC, researches can integrate social support and social network to the Andersen’s health- ervice utilisation model. A framework for utilisation of SBA and PNC is proposed. The researcher recommends developing an utilisation tool kit that specifies the detail operationalisation of the framework. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This study was designed to determine the prevalence of substance use and risky sexual behaviours among university students in Ethiopia and examine whether personality traits predict substance use and risky sexual behaviours. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, data were obtained from 2620 undergraduate students selected through stratified multistage sampling. Personality traits were measured through John, Donahue, and Kentle‘s (1991) Big Five Inventories [BFI-44]. Substance use and risky sexual behaviours were assessed using risky behaviour scales adapted from Miller et al. (2004) and Zuckerman and Kuhlman (2000). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 and Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) Version 22 software. The findings revealed that 72.18% of the respondents reported that they have used at least one kind of substance in their lifetime and 50.27% of the participants had consumed at least one kind of substance in the past 30 days before the survey. The current prevalence of substance use was 46.3%, 16.1%, 9.9%, 6.8%, and 5.0% for drinking alcohol, chewing khat, smoking shisha, smoking cigarettes and marijuana use respectively. About 40.2% of respondents had sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime and 25.6% had sex in the past three months before the study. Among sexually active respondents, 35% began sexual intercourse at the age of 17 years old or younger; 64.3% had multiple sexual partners; 53.1% had substance-induced sex, 62.03% had unsafe sex, and 45.3% had casual sex at least once. Males were found to be more at risk of substance use and risky sexual behaviours. Analysis of the structural relation revealed that conscientiousness and agreeableness traits were significant negative predictors and extraversion was a significant positive predictor of substance use and risky sexual behaviours. Neuroticism had a significant direct effect only on substance use. Substance use mediated the effect of personality traits on risky sexual behaviours. There was gender moderation or variation on the effect of personality traits on substance use and risky sexual behaviours. Therefore, the findings may imply that health risk behaviours were highly prevalent among students, which requires special prevention and intervention. Personality traits can be used to identify the vulnerable individuals and design programs aimed at developing behaviours underlying the protective traits. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

The aim of this research was to examine determinants of service learning in Ethiopian Universities with a view to suggesting remedial solutions. Qualitative case study was employed to understand management of service learning in the purposively selected three case Universities. Data were collected from interns, mentors, department heads, Academic Vice Presidents, service learning office heads and agency supervisors through semi-structured interviews. Besides, focus group discussion with interns and document review were conducted. Collected data were analysed through narration. Service learning is used for pedagogical necessities, personal and civic development, career development and social responsibility in the Ethiopian Universities. However, its application is challenged by several factors. Product curricular model, low time ration for community service, limited teachers' involvement and discipline-based curriculum framework were identified as major hindrances to service learning implementation. As a result, most students and teachers were not committed to service learning. For instance, in government Universities, service learning offices were not well-organised. Partnership agreements were either weak or not in place, as a result, the majority of interns were placed based on their preferences. Resistance not to host was also found to be a common factor. An interesting finding of this study is that privileging interns for self-identification of hosting organisations resulted in dispersed and individualised placement that caused interns to develop feeling of strangeness and insecurity. Moreover, this placement hindered collaborative learning with their peers. Assessment error, absence of service learning programme evaluation and shortage of budget were common problems. Hence, the following suggestions along with a proposed strategy are recommended. Considering these challenges, the following recommendations are made. Service learning should be applied in a wider scale from junior through senior courses in the Universities. The curriculum should be designed to include extensive context-based and interdisciplinary-learning approaches. Government Universities should strengthen service learning offices. Placement of interns should mainly be based on partnership agreement. Time ration for community services and research functions should be increased to at least 50%. And lastly, Universities should closely support agency supervisors and arrange evaluation forums and celebrity events. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

In this doctoral thesis I advance a new interpretation of the social and economic history of Ethiopia beginning with the turn of the twentieth century and ending with the third decade of that century. One of my achievements in this study is the careful utilization of property documents in the reconstruction of the modern social history of Ethiopia, more precisely Däbrä Marqos (Gojjam) in northwestern Ethiopia. Besides original use of property documents in my study, I have used new and less conventional genre of sources, viz., courtroom observation, images, biblical references, private documents, and old sayings. Combining these genre of sources and oral data helped me to provide a plausible story and advance a new interpretation of the property system and the socioeconomic and power relations arising from modern Däbrä Marqos (Gojjam). I emphasize the continued relevance of tax appropriation in contemporary Däbrä Marqos (Gojjam). This is to counter an adverse claim to tribute in kind and services as well as the resilience of old practices relating to land use, political power, exploitation, social domination, landholding and violence. All these served as the background to impede changes, in the course of progress of the imperial policy, mostly, between liberation in 1941 and revolution in 1974. As the main argument embedded in my study is that despite the attempt of the imperial state to figure out what the content of land tenure and surplus appropriation in Däbrä Marqos (Gojjam) was like, in actual fact what the effort produced was the people's multiple reaction. New measures relating to property reform which the imperial state tried to codify and fix failed to achieve stability and order, precipitated a revolution leading to the end of the imperial rule with broadly similar historical trajectory to what many scholars viewed on the subject. / History / D. Phil. (History)

Modern parliaments are mostly compared to the top echelon of the society.The unfairness of the representation still holds true even where free, fair and periodic democratic elections are held. PWDs constitue the largest minority group accounting for 15.6% of the world's population. In Ethiopia approximately the same percentage of the population is disabled though nor fairly represented in the political system. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / nf2012 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the value of visual research methods to applied anthropology in the context of exploratory research with farmers in Ethiopia. The three methods of photo-elicitation, participatory photography, and ethnographic film, enrich and expand ethnographic methods to support the client's objective of supporting farmers. The applied project constructs a narrative from the local perspective to help consumers learn more about farmers' lives. The research focuses on specific farmers, and their experiences with direct fair trade and coffee farming. The client sees the application of research produced by ethnographic and visual methods as a good direction not only for his company, but the Fair Trade Industry as a whole.

In a country like Ethiopia, where information and communication systems are in the early stage of development, software projects may face several challenges. Projects may suffer from schedule or budget overrun or unmet specifications, leading to failure. Risk is one of the factors that challenges project performance, and even causes failure. Hence, risk management helps project managers to control the effect of risks. However, risk management appears to be the least practiced component of project management. This study aims at assessing the risk management practice in the Ethiopian software projects. This study was undertaken using a survey conducted on 45 banks, insurance companies and UN agency offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The findings of the study suggest that formal risk management is not widely practiced in Ethiopian software projects. Only 16% of organisations reported that they applied one or more documented formal risk management techniques. Overall, 67% of organisations were found to exercise one or more risk management process steps. Though the risk management practice was found to be reasonably high, the proportion of organisations that carry out all the risk management process phases, through formal or informal methods, was only 27%, showing that risk management practice in Ethiopia cannot be considered adequate. The study thus recommends that Ethiopian software project managers should give more emphasis for risk management in their project management. The risk items that Ethiopian software projects face most were found to be technical complexity risks, with the highest risk item being use of new technology. This may be an indication that project managers should give adequate attention to the risks arising from technical complexity. No statistically significant relationship was observed between formal risk management and project success, and also between risk management practice and project success. / College of Engineering, Science and Technology / M.Sc. (Computing)