Background: The Human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic peaked in 1999, which led to an increase in funding by donors and Global Health Initiatives (GHI) to combat the epidemic. This literature review examined how the substantial influx of funding for GHI’s and HIV and AIDS since early 2000 has impacted the health system in Zambia. Method: The method used for the study was a systematic literature review.  Results: There is conflicting views and mixed evidence about whether GHIs and HIV and AIDS initiatives have benefitted the general health system. It is clear that GHIs and HIV and AIDS initiatives have added substantially to the increase in funding for health in Zambia. Furthermore, it seems likely that the special attention put on HIV and AIDS created an exclusive and skewed environment with increased capacity to tackle HIV and AIDS, but with less capacity built for health services in general. In-coming support from Global Health Initiatives and funding for HIV and AIDS in Zambia has to some extent been controlled by and led by the contributing donor, giving the Zambian authorities limited oversight of the resources. Conclusions: The influx of funding for HIV and AIDS has led to increased support for a specific disease, but it has not generated support to the health sector in general. It has also led to a fragmented approach, where HIV and AIDS have fallen outside of the regular coordination of the health sector.   Keywords: Zambia, HIV and AIDS, Health systems, vertical initiatives, strengthening, impact. / Bakgrund: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (HIV) och Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemin var på sin högsta nivå 1999, vilket ledde till en kraftig ökning av resurser från givare och globala hälsoinitiativ för att bekämpa epidemin. Denna genomgång av litteraturen undersökte hur denna tillväxt av resurser sedan början av 2000-talet påverkade hälsosystemet i Zambia. Metod: Den metod som användes för studien var en systematisk litteraturgenomgång. Det finns olika slutsatser och bevis för om insatser för HIV och AIDS och globala hälsoinsatser har gynnat hälsosystemet. Resultat: Det är klart att insatser för HIV och AIDS och globala hälsoinsatser har bidragit substantiellt till finansiering av hälsosektorn i Zambia. Studien visade att det är troligt att det särskilda fokus som HIV och AIDS fick skapade en exklusiv och snedvriden miljö, med ökad kapacitet för att hantera HIV och AIDS, men med mindre kapacitet för hälsosektorn generellt. Det stöd och resurser från globala hälsoinitiativ och för HIV och AIDS som Zambia fick del av, har till en del varit kontrollerat av och letts av bidragsgivaren, vilket ledde till att Zambiska myndigheter hade begränsad kontroll över dessa resurser. Slutsats: De ökade resurser som tillkom för att bekämpa HIV och AIDS innebar en ökad satsning på dessa sjukdomar men det har bevisats att detta inte genererade tillräckligt stöd till hälsosystemet. Detta ledde också till en fragmenterad satsning, där HIV och AIDS har hanterats utanför den vanliga samordningen av hälsosektorn.   Nyckelord: Zambia, HIV och AIDS, Hälsosystem, vertikala initiativ, stärkande, effekt.

Assuming that Africa is serious in its intent to become a developed role player in the global world, then information and the way in which it is managed is of critical concern. This study is inter alia informed by the need for an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to information management integrating relevant aspects and characteristics of human beings as well as aspects of the life and culture, economy and ecology of a community with sustainable development, and by the notion that information is a crucial resource in development projects. The study responds to the acute need for trained information managers/agents in development projects and aims to develop an information management model to be used in development projects in Africa. Chapter one identifies the problem to be investigated, the objectives to be attained, the research methodology to be followed, and the significance of research into development in Africa. This is placed within a theoretical framework focusing on managing information flows in developing communities. Chapter two focuses on the present status of development policies and conditions in Africa. It seeks to facilitate understanding of current development initiatives, particularly where these relate to information management and its interrelationship with coordinating development agencies such as the African Union, NEPAD and the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. The importance of information management as a holistic approach to long-term sustainable development in Africa is highlighted. Chapter three focuses on information management as a core concept in development. The basic management activities of the proposed integrated and multidisciplinary model for information management are described. The use of organisational development theory in a community context is proposed as a means to integrate project management principles with the needs of communities affected by development processes and projects, so as enable communities to accept development and change. The need for awareness of socio-cultural tensions emerging in communities during development processes is discussed in Chapter four. Reference is made to sixteen cultural elements guiding the activities in communities and influencing development and/or information, as well as the interaction between these during development and change processes. In this, human development is defined as a process of personal change, growth and advancement through processes involving the acquisition of knowledge, development of the capability to make decisions and to participate in the activities of a community. Chapter five proposes a three-part model for information management in development, which serves as a holistic, integrated and multi-disciplinary tool for information managers and agents in development projects in Africa. The model proposes three categories of (circular) information flow during development process to ensure an all-stakeholder focus, namely, (i) initiation and introduction of the development project, (ii) strategy and management information (iii) facilitation of consultation processes in the communities with subsequent inclusion of local and indigenous knowledge. The chapter indicates that the facilitation of the circular flow of information is a main responsibility of the information manager. Chapter six evaluates the contribution of the study and identifies new opportunities to further the objectives of this study. Copyright 2007, 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: Bester, BC 2007, A proposed multi-disciplinary and integrated model for managing the flow of information in development projects in Africa, MIS dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04212008-082240 / > / Dissertation (MIS (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Information Science / unrestricted

Affiliate councils provide a platform for professional connectedness in ways that are often more difficult to achieve through national memberships. Through professional endeavors, affiliate councils provide opportunities for collaboration, networking, and engagement. Although the benefits of affiliate councils are clear, they can often be difficult to sustain when councils have a small infrastructure. Through roundtable discussions, the current project will share avenues by which the Southeastern Council on Family Relations, the southeastern affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations, has been successful in maintaining their mission to provide a network for collaboration among family professionals. This roundtable discussion will also explore areas of improvement within the affiliate council’s effort to fulfill their mission and will prompt attendees to engage in a meaningful exchange on the ways in which barriers to affiliate council success can be overcome.

<p> This research project is based on the increasing importance states like Canada and Singapore give to their gateway initiatives, marketing cities like Singapore and Vancouver, as bridges between the East - mainly understood as the People's Republic of China - and the West. I am interested in the everyday life changes developing in Singapore and Vancouver as a result of these gateway initiatives in the business and education sectors, notably when it comes to catering to international students and young professionals.</p> <p> In trying to understand how gateways between East and West are experienced in everyday life, I argue that these initiatives take meaning through the everyday actions of individuals and community associations embodying these gateways. More specifically, I am interested in the actions of what I call gatekeepers: Chinese community associations well established in Singapore and Vancouver that have to adapt, influence and appropriate these gateway initiatives.</p> <p> It is my contention that both gateway projects in Singapore and Vancouver, Canada are based on neo-liberal assumptions with respect to profiting economically from a specific international context in which the economic rise of China is marketed to the West. The stories of community associations and individuals are giving to these projects specific nuances and goals that reflect both broader trends in the international political economy, such as the use of international education to migrate to Western countries, and smaller perspectives, such as transnational survival strategies of families. </p> <p> In this dissertation, I examine more thoroughly the structural limitations neo-liberal assumptions of these gateway projects create on: who is seen as a desirable migrant for/at the gateway, how community associations ought to adapt to stay relevant within these gateways and how exclusions are created along identity lines and privilege assumed within a neo-liberal framework.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

My thesis considers the distinctive characteristics of contemporary artistic production and display in Scotland from the 1960s to the present. The main objective is to make manifest the diversification of global sites of contemporary art away from traditional centres by examining less exposed aspects of art practice in Scotland. My methodology is driven by a set of case studies of artist-run initiatives (ARIs), which provide models of enquiry into alternative methods of production and display of contemporary art and that demonstrate the role of ARIs in producing art scenes, and not merely representing those that already exist. I focus on counter-histories of self-organised ARIs and their legacies, and adopt a genealogical approach to examine how recent praxis and infrastructures came into existence and how their initial impetus intersected with their historical conditions. Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory is employed to examine local forms of power and infrastructure, as well as the wider, global structures of the art world. The emphasis is on how ARIs and established institutions can and do negotiate with each other and in recognising the interpenetration of different scales of art institutions. I apply a bifurcated approach in order to bring Scotland into dialogue with anthropological discussions of cultural globalisation. I ask how locality, nationalism and globalisation are configured in (visual) culture generally and as applied specifically to a Scottish context. This is underpinned by a consideration of Scottish Devolution as a disintegration of hierarchical domination, which correlates to the ideologies of artist-run practice. Finally, I propose the eradication of top-down delivery in favour of horizontal distributions of knowledge and practice via self-organisation.

The researcher/writer of this treatise has used qualitatively based data to develop a better understanding of the perceptions of college readiness initiatives in three public school districts in the service area of a community college in South Texas. The researcher has also used these methods to understand the perceptions of participants in a community based parental outreach program about the subject of college readiness. More specifically, through the use interviews with public school district superintendents, focus groups with educational professionals in the corresponding school districts, and similar focus group interviews with the parent/facilitators in the outreach group; critical issues, incidents, and events have been identified to improve and better inform the processes of college readiness initiatives for the college. The end product of this treatise will help both the researcher/practitioner and the leadership of the college improve their educational service to the community, and add new voices to the character of this service. The researcher as an outsider to the language and culture of the region, has also reflected on his positionality and professional growth within this community through these processes. / text

Political representatives’ democratic legitimacy rests on their ability to cover the distance between themselves and citizens. Representatives must avoid being perceived as distant and aloof from the needs and wishes of those they represent. The aim of this thesis is to increase the understanding of how new forms of communication with citizens, through participatory initiatives as well as political blogging, are used by politicians in their roles as representatives. Underlying this aim is the question of whether new forms of communication can contribute to reducing the distance between representatives and citizens. The central argument of this thesis is that such types of communication aid representative democracy only to the extent that they offer representatives efficient channels for performing functions related to political representation. This study presents a theoretical framework that identifies potential functions of communication between representatives and citizens for political representation. Its empirical analyses, presented in five articles, find that representatives widely communicate with citizens through participatory initiatives and political blogging to aid their roles as political representatives. Furthermore, results show that representatives’ communication is significantly determined by strategic, practical, and normative factors. The representatives are found to act strategically as communication practices are adapted to accommodate their particular situations, needs and normative orientations. Keywords:

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate how companies address sustainability holistically and compare the practical results to theoretical findings. The holistic approach of sustainability includes four dimensions and five corporate system elements.   Methods: For creating the theoretical framework a literature review was executed. Empirical data was gathered from a multiple case study. In total five case companies have been selected and five interviews have been conducted. Furthermore the interview guideline included a small survey. Empirical data was complemented by information from sustainability reports and companies website.   Main findings: Sustainability is partly executed in differently in practical terms compared to theory research. The differences are mainly explained by the unique use of sustainability initiatives, which are adapted to companies circumstances.   Academic contributions: Previously, only a few researchers investigated the combination of initiatives to provide a holistic sustainability approach. Furthermore a lack of practical research in the field of sustainability has been identified. This thesis contributes to close this gap by investigating five case companies regarding the use of multiple initiatives.   Practical implications: Based on the findings a model was created by the authors. By applying this model and using recommended initiatives companies are able to establish a holistic sustainability approach, involving all sustainability dimensions and corporate system elements.   Limitations: The interviews have been translated from German or Dutch into English, which increases the risk of wrong interpretations. Further the interview involved only one representative per company. Additionally the number of small case study companies and case companies from the service sector might limit the generalization of the results.

Considerable research has been conducted examining the benefits of diversity on campus and diversity programming for undergraduate students. However, minimal research has been focused on connecting reading fiction as a potential resource for diversity programming. Diversity courses, racial awareness workshops, and service learning opportunities are all supported by research for their transformational influence on students’ attitudes and perceptions towards minority and underrepresented groups on campus. Emerging studies have established that reading narrative fiction can enhance readers’ empathic and multicultural attitudes, shift perspectives and outlooks, and enhance moral reasoning. Benefits such as these could be harnessed to cultivate a campus culture that is inclusive and celebrates diversity. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the relationship between self-reported reading habits of undergraduate students and multicultural awareness and acceptance scores, measured by the Survey of Self-Reported Reading Habits and Diversity Orientation of Undergraduate Students. A 33-item paper survey was distributed to 389 students enrolled in courses in the College of Business, College of Education, and College of Nursing at a public university in East Tennessee. Three hundred eighty-three usable surveys were collected from a sample size of 389, a 98% response rate. Results from the 2-way ANOVA analysis on the 9 research questions indicated that respondents who read at an avid or moderate level typically had higher scores revealing more openness and appreciation for diversity. Also, the majority of respondents reported reading at least at a moderate frequency level and fiction is one of the most preferred reading genres. The findings provide further support that reading literary fiction is a credible resource for fostering empathy and increasing tolerance on this campus.

As technology and organizations continue to increase in complexity, a willingness to implement change management strategies for Internet technology (IT) change initiatives is necessary in a healthcare setting. This multiple case study explored change management strategies that 3 hospital administrators at 3 different hospitals in the southeast region of the United States used to guide organizational IT change activities to avoid waste and increase profits. The conceptual framework for this study was Lewin's organizational change model and Kanter's theory of structural empowerment. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of hospital documentation from the 3 hospitals. The data analysis process was completed by transcribing the interview recordings and coding the data using a codebook and data-management software. Themes that emerged from data analysis included strategies to increase digitization in all areas, improve communication with IT personnel, provide ongoing training, and encourage the gradual adoption of technology. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to provide hospital managers with successful strategies related to the use of IT in hospitals to facilitate improved patient care and community well-being.