Project failures are a reality that most project managers face several times in their careers, but even more significant than the failure itself, is what these individuals learn after experiencing it. Studies do exist within the entrepreneurship literature which analyze failure of entrepreneurial projects. But these are not particularly focused on projects executed within organizations and the experiences of entrepreneurs would be different to those of project managers within firms, after a failure occurs. The authors have made a research from a sample of 6 project managers over such project failures. Using Kolb's experiential Theory to understand the learning that occurs after project failures helped the authors to create a model which the project managers can use in their process of learning after failures. This study also elaborates about the project management literature in association with project failures and also the various aspects of learning that can be achieved in an organization.

Vi har genomfört en kvalitativ intervjustudie som är inspirerad av fenomenologin. 14 verksamma lärare inom grundsärskolans inriktning träningsskola deltog i studien. Samtliga arbetade med olika former av AKK och upplevelsebaserat lärande. Syftet med studien var att beskriva och analysera hur 14 verksamma lärare i grundsärskolan, inriktning träningsskola, upplevde att AKK och upplevelsebaserat lärande kunde främja elevernas kommunikation och vara möjliga vägar till att nå målen i ämnesområdet kommunikation. Det framkom i resultatet att elevernas kommunikation, inom deltagarnas respektive skolor, till stor del bestod av samspel och olika former av AKK. Samtliga deltagare menade att upplevelsebaserat lärande var en förutsättning i deras undervisning för att ha något att kommunicera om då deras elever hade relativt få upplevelser för sin ålder. Eleverna hade också nedsatt förmåga till abstrakt tänkande och därför fanns behov av konkreta arbetsformer. Kombinationen av olika former av AKK och upplevelsebaserat lärande innebar att deltagarna kunde klä upplevelserna och deras naturliga sammanhang i ord vilket främjade elevernas kommunikation. Resultatet av studien ledde fram till flera slutsatser varav den främsta var att samtliga deltagare upplevde att både AKK och upplevelsebaserat lärande var förutsättningar för att främja elevernas kommunikation och för att nå målen i ämnesområdet. AKK och upplevelsebaserat lärande ansågs med andra ord inte bara främja kommunikationen och vara möjliga vägar mot målen utan ansågs dessutom vara nödvändiga förutsättningar i träningsskolan

Title: Airlines experiential marketing: gaining and retaining customers Research Question: How do airlines use the experiential marketing to gain and retain consumers? Supervisor: Venilton Reinert Course: Strategic Marketing with Independent Project Keywords: Airlines, experiential marketing, experience, loyalty, sense, emotions, feelings Purpose: The aim of this research is to understand how airlines’ users can be acquired and kept thanks to experiential marketing. This study allows analysing the news consumers’ expectations and how companies adapt their strategies to meet customers’ needs thanks to experiential marketing. All airlines mentioned in this study are European. Methodology: A qualitative research has been used for this paper. The authors of the thesis proceed choosing five European airlines: British Airways, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Easy Jet and Scandinavian Airlines System. The case studies have been used to describe, thanks to a number of Internet tools, how companies use the experience and feelings in marketing to urge consumers to purchase and be loyal. Then, authors used Schmitt theory to collect data. Finally, a number of frameworks have been used to analyse data. Conclusion: Airlines want to carry the customer to think and act through the experience. A successful experiential marketing occurs when the customer behaves thanks to his emotions. So, airlines’ marketers create competition, challenge, and game to remind customers. The interaction with public and internet users is necessary used in each experiential marketing event by airlines to promote the event and permeated to the customer share its experience, meet people and identify him in a group. If customers experience unique and perfectly experiential event, they will remember the service, and consequently the brand in the long-term as remarkable. In this way, the brand gain or retain customers.

Children's oral health is an important but often overlooked component of overall health. Tooth decay therefore remains a common phenomenon among children. It is however entirely preventable through early and sustained intervention. The aim of this research was to develop an age-appropriate programme to enhance children's knowledge and awareness of proper dental care. Action research was applied in this research, which was characterized by various cyclical research phases, including planning, reflecting and implementing. The initial phase of the research included a thorough literature investigation and a baseline assessment, consisting of a questionnaire which assessed preschool children's basic knowledge and awareness of proper dental care. Purposive sampling was used to select 52 Afrikaans-speaking children, between the ages of five and seven years, of different preschools. This age group was chosen because children in this developmental phase are at an age where their activity, curiosity and ability to construct a better system for understanding the world, are key to the process of development. The data obtained indicated a moderate level of knowledge and awareness among the participating children. The initial literature study and the baseline data informed the development of an age-appropriate dental care programme, according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The different developmental tasks of the identified age group were considered to be very important in the development of an age-appropriate programme and to teach children the basic aspects of proper dental care by using information and activities that are stimulating, creative and challenging. The programme focuses on basic aspects of proper dental care, including the healthy tooth, loss of primary teeth, the importance of primary teeth and development of permanent teeth, the process of tooth decay, diet, different ways of caring for teeth, and visiting the dentist. Parent involvement was also emphasized in the presentation of the programme. Specialist practitioners in the fields of developmental psychology and dentistry were asked to evaluate the newly developed programme. They were asked to focus on four specific areas, namely, general feedback on the questionnaire that was used for the initial baseline assessment, the overall appearance and presentation of the dental care programme, the relevance and appropriateness of the programme and its activities for the specific age group, and suggestions for further adjustments and improvements. Programme evaluation is an important part of the developmental process and contributes to the eventual appropriate and relevance of the intervention. The specialists' evaluation indicated that the programme appears to be a well-designed intervention that could contribute to enhancing preschool children's knowledge and awareness of proper dental care. Suggestions were made to adjust the programme in certain areas to make it more appealing to children and to enhance its appropriateness and relevance. For example it was suggested that the language used in the programme be more consistent. More structure should be added to the programme manual to assist facilitators in presenting it. These suggestions were considered to be valuable in improving the efficacy of the age-appropriate programme and the adjustments were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The concept of ‘brand experience’ has evolved as an essential area of study within the brand management and marketing discipline. Despite the importance of (and the attention paid to) this concept in recent years, the theory of brand experience has remained unclear and there is a less of theoretical support. In addition to this, several scholars content that there is a connection between brand experience and loyalty. This study aims to address the gap in the literature and provide a better understanding of the concept of ‘brand experience’ together with its consequences, with particular regard to consumer loyalty. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between brand experience and consumer loyalty in the luxury cosmetic brand industry (Thailand). This empirical study proceeds with a systematic review of the existing literature, leading to the development of a theoretical framework. The research adopts a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach, use of a quantitative survey to collect data, validated and enhanced qualitatively by personal interviews. The questionnaires were completed by Thai customers who frequent the luxury cosmetic brand counters in three particular stores in Bangkok. The data analysis uses descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and linear/multiple regression analysis for hypotheses testing. The personal interviews use a purposive sampling technique. The results of this study demonstrate that sensory experience, affective experience, behavioural experience, intellectual experience and social experience form the dimensions of luxury cosmetic brand experience. In addition to this, there is a positive direct relationship between luxury cosmetic brand experience and consumer loyalty. In addition, luxury cosmetic brand experience has a positive indirect relationship with consumer loyalty through brand personality, brand trust and consumer satisfaction; albeit, brand trust is the most significant of these. A key contribution of the present study is the conceptual model the study offers that explains the phenomenon of luxury cosmetic brand experience and its consequences. This study contributes further knowledge to the marketing literature, brand management literature and, also, consumer behaviour literature (particularly in the luxury cosmetic brand sectors in Thailand and other Asian countries) and suggests directions for future research. Finally, the present study will facilitate luxury cosmetic brand managers’ endeavours to identify both the experiential needs of their customers and the marketing strategy necessary to achieve consumer loyalty.

This thesis seeks to advance a curriculum which provides learners with educative experiences required to promote an ecological literacy. This particular type of literacy enables individuals and communities to understand their connectedness to all systems, to appreciate the finite carrying capacity of the planet, to predict consequences of human activity, and to ultimately create sustainable communities through action, or praxis. The proposed curriculum is a vision of public education in Manitoba, borrowing examples of experiences throughout the world which are then adapted to meet the ecological, social, and political realities of this province. It is a utopian-inspired curriculum as it seeks to shed current restraints imposed by contemporary educational practices in Manitoba. By removing certain constraints, this philosophical inquiry can then be used to provoke a dialogue as to how we might transform learners into agents of social and ecological change. / October 2016

Master of Arts / Department of Communication Studies / Sarah Riforgiate / Internships provide students with valuable learning experiences in their chosen fields. Considering that one of the most important components of students’ learning experiences during an internship is learning how to socialize and assimilate into organizational settings, an internship stage model should be able to account for this particular process – organizational assimilation. This study contends that existing internship stage models overlap and can be enhanced by organizational assimilation theory (Jablin, 1987). Therefore, this qualitative study includes data from 13 semi-structured interviews with students who participated in formal internships in order to explore students’ assimilation experiences during the course of their internships. Additionally, how interns view the host organization’s identity and its impact on their assimilation experience was examined. Findings indicate that students are more adaptive to socialization than individualization in terms of their responsibilities and roles during organizational assimilation. Further, the concept of organizational identity was so complex and intricate that students could not grasp their host organizations’ identity during the course of their internships; instead, through their organizational assimilation experience, participants learned the culture of the organizations.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Michael C. Holen / There is a call for education, including teacher education, to transform from solely transmitting knowledge to creating dynamic learning opportunities for students to experience real-world situations so they can develop the skills and competencies necessary to navigate a changing and unpredictable world. Service-learning is proposed as one strategy to facilitate this transformation. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how individual or group service-learning experiences might impact the attitudes and beliefs of pre-service teachers in a teacher education course. This study was guided by two research questions: How do pre-service teacher participants describe their individual or group service-learning experiences within the context of a required teacher education course? In what ways do participants' attitudes and beliefs towards service-learning vary, based on individual or group service-learning experiences? The service-learning experiences for this study were designed using experiential educational theory and a blended framework from service-learning common goals (academic enhancement, personal/professional growth, and civic learning) and common components (academic material, critical reflection and relevant service) (Ash, Clayton, & Moses, 2009). Fourteen pre-service students agreed to participate in the study. Two sources of data were identified, (a) individual semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and (b) critical reflective journals written by participants. Findings suggest that service-learning experiences reinforce academic content including experiential education. Personal and professional growth and an understanding of diversity can result from service-learning experiences. Teacher involvement in the local community was viewed by participants as important for student-teacher relationships and to improve connections between the school and the community. Participants of the study viewed critical reflection as a fundamental component in service-learning. Self-identified personality type can impact how each participant described their individual or group service-learning experiences, including benefits of social interaction and collaboration. Individual and group service-learning present different challenges in implementing effective experiences. Participants’ beliefs and attitudes did not vary based upon individual or group service-learning experiences. In conclusion, incorporating the experiential pedagogy of service-learning in teacher education programs can better prepare pre-service teachers for the very unpredictable nature of teaching.

The skills shortage is one of the problems that existed in South Africa as a result of its historic political situation. South Africa was characterized by a white dominant government in an economy which was marked by exclusions of various people of race and gender. In the working environment, the situation reflected job reservation for white males, limited career opportunities for white females with repercussions of isolation, sanctions and global deprivation. The 1994 elections brought a change in leadership and a democratic government had as its primary mission skills development for all. On a macro level, South Africa was marginalized from global participation and on a micro level, many people were not able to enter the workforce because of a lack of skills let alone be active in the economy. The South African government’s resultant Human Resources Development – (HRDS) and National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) were driven by supportive legislation namely the Skills Development Act No 97 of 1998, Employment Equity Act No 55 of 1998, Skills Development Levies Act of 1999 and the South African Qualifications Authority Act No 58 of 1995. These strategies and legislative measures intended to address the skills shortages through the implementation of learnerships as a national qualification. Following from the high level strategy were the initial over-ambitious targets for people to become qualified learners. The result was a push-through effect of individuals who were not necessarily suited to a particular learnership nor were they able to function on the required standard. Low level evaluations were used to ‘certify’ potential learners in terms of their numeracy and literacy levels only. This provided an opportunity to evaluate the suitability of learners on the New Venture Creation Learnership in terms of their entrepreneurial functionality and leadership qualities. After evaluating a number of models (Carland Entrepreneurial Index, the Bar-on Emotional Intelligence test and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), the Functional ii Intelligence Assessment Tool (FIAT) scientific model was selected because of its holistic approach of the individual and his/her functionality within an environment. The Functional Intelligence Assessment Tool identified and substantiated the suitability or non-suitability of the respondents in terms of entrepreneurial requirements. An additional questionnaire was administered to evaluate leadership qualities which are an essential component of the entrepreneur. The first of three research goals were attained when the respondents who were in the process of completing the New Venture Creation Learnership were successfully assessed in terms of entrepreneurial functionality. The outcome of this research concluded that only three (3) out of nineteen (19) candidates were found to be suitable for the entrepreneurial environment while two of the three had leadership qualities. The analysis of one candidate was such that no accurate analysis in terms of leadership qualities could be obtained. In terms of Functional Tendency, eight (8) candidates showed extrovert tendencies, six (6) showed introvert tendencies while five (5) candidates rendered results that did not give a clear indication of the individual’s functionality. Nine (9) individuals intentionally tried to manipulate their results but were identified through their inconsistent results while candidate 1 manipulated her results unintentionally; Five (5) individuals tried to disguise their results by giving extreme scores thereby hoping to impress with their choice of answers (impression management) while two (2) individuals were in denial about their situation having scored unrealistic results. Two (2) individuals had serious problems with their emotional functioning to the extent that they should consult a professional person (professional intervention). Twelve (12) individuals revealed inconsistent results while the remainder of candidates shows some or an insignificant degree of inconsistency in their results. Only three (3) individuals should be re-assessed due to the extent of their inconsistency. iii The second research goal to give comprehensive feedback to the Services Seta and respondents regarding the outcome of the Functional Intelligence Assessment Tool assessments will only be attained after this thesis but it sets the base for follow-up of the respondents’ progress and to conduct future research. The third research goal is also more medium - to long term - to apply this tool to potential learners and – employees in addition to the initial research performed. This goal will also only be attained after negotiations with SETAs and continuous populating of a central database with the FIAT’s assessments. The holistic approach to assessing the functionality of an individual gives the person a vast number of areas known as super constructs (self perception and emotional functioning; relationships and corporate functioning, personal – and organizational value comparison) that will either highlight a serious situation or spell out how the individual will react and interact in certain situations. Small business is said to drive the economy of a country. It is therefore critical that the entrepreneurs in a country are identified early (through a scientific instrument such as FIAT) and skilled appropriately (through learnerships or other educational routes). It is equally important that individuals that are not entrepreneurs be found their rightful vocation and then everyone can contribute effectively to the economic activity. / Prof. J.J.D. Havenga

Student Number : 0301924V - MA dissertation - School of Psychology - Faculty of Humanities / In the field of mentoring the psychological needs of mentors have been given little attention in previous research. The aim of this study is to analyse mentors’ psychological needs within a corporate environment. The research approach is exploratory and was conducted within a qualitative framework. A sample of 5 mentors within the corporate environment was drawn and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Thematic content analysis was applied to report and summarise the data and Covey’s (1989) four dimensions of human functioning (mental, social-emotional, physical and spiritual) was used to categorise mentor needs. The key findings of the study from a mental perspective indicate that mentors identified continuous and experiential learning as a method for continual mental growth. Further mentor training was recommended by the mentors to assist in addressing their mental needs and help them to improve their time-management skills. Mentors’ social-emotional needs focused around the need for a supportive social network from significant others to maintain a state of well-being. The ability to be understanding, to be good listeners and the ability to set appropriate boundaries within the mentoring relationship were identified by mentors as emotional skills (needs) that they would like to improve. From a physical needs perspective, all the mentors revealed an awareness of the need to stay healthy in various ways. Every mentor stated that he/she was affected by stress and that it manifested in different ways, however, the mentors were satisfied with the resources provided by their organisation for their health and well-being. From a spiritual perspective, mentors experienced satisfaction from assisting in others’ growth, suggesting a need for engaging with and learning from others.