Every organization goes through the same lifecycle. Through every step in the transformation to a better organization the communication structure changes. In this report there are examples of the communicational disadvantages that is connected to the communicational structure.By choosing to not have a formal communicational design, the manager takes a risk in spreading the information, the interaction, the control and the balance in creativity and constraint.This case organizations problem is that some parts of the organization has made more progress in the communicational structure than other parts. In this case the Collectivity structure has met the Formalized structure.Tha structural differences has came to affect the way of sharing information and it has become a situation where the information about the products is not stored in a safe way from a quality point of view. There is a gap between the two different ways of communicate.In this report I have created a model to identify problems in the communication structure. This is a tool to study the rest of the organization. This model is general and may be used on any organization. / En organisation genomgår olika livscykler. Genom varje steg i utvecklingen förändras organisationens kommunikationsstruktur. I den här rapporten finns exempel på de kommunikativa brister som uppkommit på grund av brister i den kommunikativa strukturen.Genom att inte ha en kommunikationsdesign för den formella kommunikationen utsätter ledningen organisationen för risker i informationsspridning, interaktion, kontroll och balans.Den studerade organisationen har kommit obalans genom att vissa avdelningar har kommit längre i sitt arbete med att formalisera och strukturera sitt arbete, medan andra avdelningar inte har haft samma strukturella utveckling. Interaktionen mellan dessa avdelningar har därför blivit en kommunikativ kulturkrock, där den Kollektiviserade strukturen möter den Formaliserade strukturen.De strukturella skillnaderna genomsyrar även avdelningarnas arbetssätt och innebär en brist ur kvalitetssynpunkt, då de båda strukturerna inte är överlappande.I rapporten har även en modell för att identifiera kommunikativa brister framtagits, för att caseföretaget ska kunna arbeta vidare med andra delar av organisationen och utreda sin kommunikativa struktur ytterligare. Modellen är av allmän karaktär och kan appliceras på en godtycklig organisation.

In this study, Mapulana male learners’ views on the influences of cultural initiation on their schooling were researched. Rite of passage was adopted as the theorisation for the study. In the context of the study, a rite of passage is when uninitiated male learners (mashoboro) go through the initiation process. Thereafter, their status of being boys is converted to becoming men (monna) through a transition (passage). Likewise, normal schooling is also a rite of passage, and Grades 1 to 12 are interrupted by another form of schooling, initiation, as a rite of passage. This study was motivated by the tension that was observed between the legal and customary, democratic and cultural, and formal and informal schooling. The study was qualitative in nature and rooted in the interpretive paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were employed to understand the Mapulana male learners’ views on the influences of cultural initiation on their schooling. It was found that the operation of initiation schools in Mpumalanga conflicted with the school calendar and this ultimately influenced schooling. Much of this could be attributed to the loopholes in policies governing initiations. This study can capacitate the Mpumalanga Department of Education (MDoE) about possible policy amendments. I recommend that parents raise this problem with principals through school governing bodies (SGBs) and that it be brought to the attention of the MDoE. The authorities should come to an agreement that prospective initiates should undergo medical circumcision before they go into cultural initiation performed in the bush. I also recommend that the above stakeholders should only allow male learners who are less than 15 years of age or those learners who are still in Grades 8 to 11 to undergo cultural initiation. The school management team (SMT) should help male learners who were away for initiation (initiates) with catch- up programmes. The MDoE must work hand-inglove with the Department of Health, Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), and law enforcement agencies to prevent male Mapulana learners from being left behind in the curriculum. It must be ensured that learners’ health comes first and that initiation principals strictly adhere to policies governing initiation schools. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria 2020. / pt2021 / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

In the South African context, the number of informal settlements are increasing. A problem arises when one observes the conditions that informal settlers are forced to live in, which are diminishing livelihoods and do not fulfill basic human needs. Informal settlements are described as parts of a city that have been neglected and that have been illegally occupied by the urban poor (Huchzermeyer 2006:2). South Africa is currently experiencing a major housing backlog and sometimes the houses that are provided don’t satisfy human needs. It is important to provide elements that will improve the livelihoods of the residents. Thus, the aim is to provide people with elements that not only provide protection against natural elements but also make a positive contribution to the livelihoods of the residents. / Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This research investigates the engagements between community activists and urban authorities in the provision of sustainable sanitation services in the informal settlements of Khayelitsha Cape Town. Since 2008, there have been contestations on the exclusion of informal settlements in the planning and delivery of sanitation services by the City of Cape Town. The planning and decision-making of sanitation services in the informal settlement is complex due to numerous stakeholders involved and thus not clear on how sustainable sanitation can be achieved. The challenge has been on understanding the level where decision-making in the provision of sanitation services is more effective for sustainable sanitation.

Field stations across the United States provide learning opportunities to the general public through their outreach programming. With approximately 78% and 98% of the US population living within 60 and 120 miles of a field station, respectively, stations have the potential to be key providers of informal STEM education. We surveyed a sample of US biological field stations and asked them to describe their outreach programming and goals. Our findings indicate that field stations prioritize outreach by dedicating personnel and fiscal resources, but such initiatives are highly variable in magnitude and scope. We propose an informal STEM education framework to guide outreach efforts by aligning place-based activities with outreach goals, strands of science learning, and learner engagement theories. Such intentional program design can help stations focus on meaningful learning outcomes for their outreach participants.

Deparment of Urban and Regional Planning / MURP / The frequency of natural disasters in informal settlements has been on the increase globally, Yet approximately 1 billion people still live in informal settlements world-wide. In South Africa, about 1.2 million people live in informal settlements characterised by inadequate infrastructure, lack of effective land use and spatial planning, high densities and are highly exposed to the risk of disasters. In general, there is a close link between informal settlements as spaces of habitation and exposure to disaster risks. Reflecting on disaster risk reduction strategies for informal settlements is therefore imperative particularly from an urban and regional planning perspective. Therefore, this work uses a case study of Hlophekane an informal settlement located in Greater Giyani Local Municipality under the Limpopo Province's Mopani District in South Africa to illustrate these concerns. The main purpose of this study is to develop disaster risk reduction strategies for Hlophekane Informal Settlement. The study sought to identify and characterize the nature of disasters in Hlophekane Informal Settlement. Data was collected from 90 households that live in Hlophekane Informal Settlement through a questionnaire survey and 3 key informant interviews were conducted. Furthermore, the study mapped disaster risk zones in Hlophekane Informal Settlement using GIS. Collected data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) making use of a thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Microsoft computer software packages and Geographical Information System (GIS) were used to map disaster hotspots zones. Data was presented through the use of tables, graphs, and maps. Qualitative data was analysed making use of a range of processes and procedures to generate explanations, understanding or interpretation of the experiences of people and situations in the disaster context. The study findings in disaster risk reduction strategies are expected to provide lessons for reducing disasters in the area from an urban and regional planning perspective. Disaster Risk Reduction strategies suitable for informal settlements such as Hlophekane must be sustainable, cost effective and involve the community. A combination of the multi-sectoral and multi-displinary approaches is one of the disaster risk reduction strategies that can be implemented. This strategy integrates different sectors, government departments, NGO’s and the affected communities. Out of this strategy, several projects were identified such as in situ upgrading, roll over upgrading and complete relocation. From those projects, in situ upgrading is the most suitable, convenient and cost-effective strategy that can be implemented. / NRF

This research explores the factors that impede the growth of retail home based enterprises in South Africa. The potential contribution of home based micro and small enterprises (MSEs), or Spaza shops to generating income and employment to people in the informal sector of the economy is becoming increasingly recognised. This paper provides the primary data which consists of a non-random sample of 47 Spaza shop owners and managers in the four different areas (old establishments, new establishments, informal and reconstruction and development programme (RDP)) in the township of Mamelodi, applying a quantitative research methodology. The level of human capital, gender, and entrepreneurial mindset of the proprietor are found to have an inverse relationship to the firm’s growth. Key results of the research are that women owners tend to struggle to grow their businesses given the temptation to direct the earnings from the home based business to the needs of the household, and Spaza shops tend to sell the same, if not identical, products as competitors thereby gaining no competitive advantage necessary for growth. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This paper attempts to provide experimental evidence on fire prevention and risk aversion among urban informal settlers using lottery choice data with real monetary prizes. The paper estimates the risk attitudes of a sample of 174 individuals from an informal housing development in Cape Town. The empirical analysis is performed within the expected utility theory specification, assuming constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) defined over the lottery prize. We tests the hypothesis that risk averse individuals will take precautionary measures in as far as possible to mitigate the risk of fire to their household. We find that individual-level fire prevention measures that are within the means of the households to effect, such as making sure that matches, lighters and paraffin are kept out of reach of children, is correlated with risk aversion, but measures, such as building of homes at least 3-5 meters from the neighbours, does not seem to be within the choice set of low-income informal dwellers. Our results further indicate that subjects who engage in fire prevention/fire safety strategies that require the "most effort" (that are most effective and costly) are significantly more risk averse relative to subjects engaging in fire safety measures that need "least effort". Contrary to expectation, distance from the main road, informal electricity connection, and the use of paraffin for lighting, heating and cooking are not correlated with risk aversion, indicating that irrespective of the risk profiles of decision makers, low-income households are often forced to make choices that increase their exposure to fire hazards.

There are over 13 million children and adolescents in poverty in the United States today. These children and adolescents are likely to remain poor throughout their life, and are less likely to be upwardly mobile than their middle-income peers. Although structural change is needed in order to redress economic immobility on a large scale, informal mentoring may be one small person-level intervention that can help promote mobility. Informal mentoring (positive relationships with caring non-parental adults), has already been associated with key building blocks to economic success, including educational attainment and early employment. This dissertation is the first study to examine if informal mentors can promote economic mobility for adolescents, asking (1) is informal mentorship associated with upward mobility? and (2) do some mentoring relationships promote upward mobility more than others? This study uses data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). Research Question 1 uses propensity score matching to isolate the effect of informal mentoring on economic mobility, both for low-income and middle-income youth as a comparison. Research Question 2 uses cluster analysis and a series of logistic regressions to determine (a) types of informal mentoring relationships and (b) whether some types better promote economic mobility for low-income youth. Findings from this dissertation demonstrate that some, but not all, informal mentors can promote economic upward for low-income youth. Simply having a mentor did not promote mobility for low-income youth. In order to be upwardly mobile, they needed to have a "capital" mentor, i.e., someone who comes from outside their immediate social circle and connects them to other important relationships and resources. These are in contrast with "core" mentors, long-standing, important relationships from within the family that provide emotional support. This dissertation shows that some mentors can, in fact, make a difference for low-income adolescents' economic outcomes in adulthood. Low-income youth, however, were less likely to have an informal mentor, and only 45% of those who were mentored had the type that could promote mobility. Findings from this dissertation suggest that those who are interested in promoting economic mobility for low-income youth should thus promote capital mentoring relationships. / 2021-06-04T00:00:00Z

Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002. / The aim of this study was to determine the information needs and uses of the informal sector in Uganda. For this purpose, it was necessary to review literature on the informal sector and to provide an overview of the information systems and services in the country. The demographic, business and cultural characteristics of the informal sector have also been established in order to identify the information needs of the informal sector and to explore the ways in which entrepreneurs seek information and the sources that they use to access such information. The study furthermore explored the uses to which information is put and the impact that it has on the sector. In addition to this, the study identified factors that affect access to information as well as shortcomings in the information services and systems of Uganda. Solutions are suggested to fill gaps that are seen to be present in the system and, finally, an information model, which generates an agenda for further research, is proposed for the sector. The study made use of qualitative study design, the historical survey, observation, and the critical incident method to achieve its goals. The survey covered the populations residing in the various districts of Uganda, including entrepreneurs working in the informal sector. Samples were taken from six districts, of which twenty-eight persons formed the focal discussion group for the pilot district, while six-hundred-and-two entrepreneurs, twenty-three organisation representatives, and thirty-five informants represented the national population sample. Six research instruments were used in the study. The findings show that the informal sector in Uganda dates back to prehistoric times. Uganda's information systems and services vary greatly in that they range from indigenous information systems to the more formal kinds. Adults as well as children are employed in the sector and their income is generally low. While the entrepreneurs encountered in the study usually had a very basic educational background, there were also some well-educated people, including university graduates, working in the sector. Working hours were found to be flexible and depended on the type of activity that the entrepreneurs pursued. The activities of the sector were basically motivated by the need for personal survival, possible opportunities for further training, and the availability of market and specific skills. The study found that some 1,5 million people in the informal sector were employed by about 800,000 entrepreneurial business concerns spread throughout the rural and urban areas. Very little evidence of division of labour and organisation of production was found, while most of the businesses were found to be unregistered. Record keeping, however, was found to be prevalent among the businesses covered in the survey. Personal capital was mostly relied on for starting up the businesses, and products tended to be inferior. There was limited evidence to suggest that cultural beliefs had any influence on the sector's activities and/or performance. The information needs of the sector were found to be contextual. Entrepreneurs typically needed information with regard to the following areas of activity: training and skills, markets and marketing techniques, cheaper sources of raw materials/supplies, finance, tools and equipment, business management and development, information centres, knowledge of production processes, advocacy and lobbying skills, new areas of investment, record keeping, quality improvement and recognition by government. Methods of information seeking were largely found to be informal. The informal entrepreneurs made very little use of reading and libraries for accessing information, and informal sources were used more often than formal sources. However, the radio as a source of information found ubiquitous use among the entrepreneurs. It was found that information is used in marketing, the location of raw materials/supplies, pricing of products and services, improving skills, making decisions, becoming more enlightened, in order to promote self-reliance, and in understanding current affairs, including government regulations and how to deal with and relate to other people. The impact of information use was judged in terms of business improvement, improved coordination of workers and activities, the upgrading of skills and the creation of better opportunities, improved living standards, sales and increased profits, among others. Problems encountered among the informal business communities included the inability to obtain required information, lack of specific sources of information, high cost of information and the time factor involved in getting the required irrforrnation. Many entrepreneurs did not know what information facilities existed and were apathetic in this regard. It was furthermore found that language barriers and illiteracy impacted negatively on entrepreneurs in their efforts to obtain information. Entrepreneurs were furthermore found to have the habit of concealing information from one another. Problems encountered in the usage of information systems in Uganda included the following: limited use of the public library system by entrepreneurs, very few public libraries, the availability of irrelevant information in public libraries for entrepreneurs, lack of information centres for entrepreneurs, very low usage of associations for information, under-developed telecommunications infrastructure throughout the country, wrong timing of programmes on radio, low priority given to information in budgets, the publication of newspapers in a few local languages only, and poor marketing of information services. The study recommends that, in order to increase information availability to the informal sector, it is necessary to deal with the following problems: illiteracy, languages of packaging information, convenient timing of information distributed by means of radio broadcasts, redefining the role of the public library to society, increased research into the specific types of information needed by the entrepreneurs in their different trades. The study urges'government to establish an information centre for entrepreneurs and to increase publication of information in other local languages and other formats as a means of increasing channels of information dissemination. The Government is furthermore urged to work hand in hand with the private sector to increase programmes meant for the informal sector. Organisations owning radio programmes aimed at the sector are urged to plan convenient times for airing programmes for the benefit of the entrepreneurs. Individual entrepreneurs are urged to take information seriously and to use any means available to them to acquire information. Finally, the study shows that there is an urgent need for the establishment of a policy with regard to informal sector information systems and services, and that policy frameworks need to be developed for the information systems in the country. / Makerere University