Student Number: 0316733E Master of Arts (Industrial Psychology) Faculty of Humanities / The aim of this research project was to investigate final year university students’ attitudes towards affirmative action. In particular the current research investigated the final year students’ justice perceptions and attitudes towards affirmative action as well as their perceptions of job opportunities. The study also incorporated the role of locus of control in relation to the above mentioned variables. Prior research indicated that affirmative action is perceived as controversial in nature and has been accused of promoting inherent unfairness of practices and procedures that give preferential treatment to certain groups of people based on gender, race and ethnicity (Parker, Baltes and Christiansen, 1997). In addition affirmative action has been accused of reducing job opportunities for non-beneficiaries, as well as stigmatising those it aims to assist (Kravits and Plantainia, 1992). Therefore there arises a need to examine and explore affirmative action within South Africa, as much research has been conducted in the United States and is not applicable to South Africa. The present research was conducted using a quantitative, non-experimental cross sectional research design. The sample consisted of fourth year bachelor of accounting students. Five hypotheses were tested. The results indicted that support was found for three of the hypotheses, indicating that attitudes towards affirmative action differ between beneficiaries and non – beneficiaries. There is a relationship between perceptions of job opportunities and attitudes towards affirmative action as well as a relationship between justice perceptions of affirmative action and attitudes towards affirmative action in both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research. The implications of the research and the limitations of the study are outlined in the research report.

Cities constitute important political, economic and cultural frameworks, playing a potentially crucial role in influencing the residents' views and opinions about the world. In the context of Central Europe, there has been little attempt to examine the dynamics and construction of attitudes within urban societies. In this research, I explore the influence of urban spaces on citizens' attitudes towards the city and the European Union (EU). This study investigates such citizen behaviours in the largest new EU member state - the Republic of Poland. Building on existing scholarship, I include economic factors and attachment-related approaches to assess support of EU integration among highly skilled citizens living in European cities, the so-called Eurostars. The thesis asks to what extent perceived conditions in Polish cities shape the attitudes of young well-educated urban citizens towards the EU. How do citizens' perceptions of the local and of the supranational space affect their choice of location and work? I assess these questions by employing a sequential mixed methods approach that combines a quantitative and a qualitative method. I devised a survey that I conducted on 923 Masters (MA) students in Polish cities to evaluate their perceptions about their cities' performance. The survey further assessed students' attachments to their cities and their support for the EU. This collected data is complemented by detailed semi-structured interviews with 27 MA students to investigate whether their individual views on their respective city and on the EU influence their motivations to leave or stay in their city. This study situates these students as 'potential Eurostars' as they still live in their hometown. I conducted the comparative investigation in five large urban spaces in Poland: the Tricity area (Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia), Poznań, Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków. Although not representative of every urban centre in Poland, these cities serve as a microcosm to understand the impact of local conditions and Europeanisation in Central and East Europe. (CEE) The use of cities as sites of analysis departs from the traditional and dominant nation-state framework. This thesis further underscores the attitudes of a specific social urban group, whose newly-gained access to the EU - with its opportunities for mobility - potentially offers them new perspectives. Such conditions may influence students' choices of future location and work. The developed methodological framework, with its focus on Polish cities, can be further applied to other countries, groups and territorial units in future research. The quantitative and qualitative findings reveal a relatively marginal influence of urban conditions on place attachment. I further demonstrate that satisfaction with economic and cultural conditions in Polish cities relate to positive attitudes towards the EU. The perception of quality of life plays an important role for the sampled MA students in how they decide where to work and live after graduation. Although, attachment to the city does not necessarily lead to a negative opinion about the EU, it does impact students' exit strategies and often leads to temporary migration plans. Other elements such as local patriotism, family and friends' networks, equally shape this form of place attachment.

Thesis (M.A.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-125). Also available via the Internet.

The thesis looks at a detailed survey of jobs opportunities for graduates of tourism industry at the University of Economics on the labour market. The theoretical parts deals with the definition of the Tourism, actual position of Tourism labour market in the Czech Republic, factors which influence the job exercise of graduates and the causes of the graduates unemployment. A part of the thesis belongs to review of companies in the Tourism Industry, getting of workforce with the inclusion of ways of occupying places at these companies. The possible job opportunities, suitable for graduates of Tourism Industry according to the ways of getting workforce, are located in the framework of analytic part. Another chapter of the thesis is devoted to the detailed questionnaire which is focused on student's and graduate's expectations of their possible job oppostunities. As students and graduates of the University of Economics constitute the supply on the labour market, the thesis includes also evaluation of demand on the Tourism labour market in the selected region of the capital of the Czech Republic.

De två senaste århundradena har kantats av återkommande oroligheter kring huruvida automation och ny teknologi kommer att eliminera arbetstillfällen för samhällets medelklass. Ämnet automation tillhör idag en av de stora diskussionerna inom logistikbranschen, och inte minst inom lager, där detta beror delvis på en stark tillväxt inom e-handel och tredjepartslogistik. Denna studie undersöker automation inom lager och vilken inverkan det har på arbetstillfällen, arbetsmiljö samt vad som är den främsta drivfaktorn till automation inom lager. Detta har gjorts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med olika aktörer som helt eller delvis arbetar med automation, eller har implementerat automation i sin verksamhet i någon omfattning. Studiens resultat visar att automation har potential att eliminera i princip samtliga arbetstillfällen inom lager som involverar godsförflyttning och de två begränsande faktorerna är teknologi och kostnad. Nya arbetstillfällen som skapas i anslutning till automation är teknikcentrerade och kräver högre kompetens än för de arbetstillfällen som minskas. Arbetsmiljö i automatiserade lager är en fråga som tas på allvar redan i planeringsfasen då det ska automatiseras, och stort fokus läggs på ergonomi för att maximera produktiviteten hos arbetstagare. Studien har visat att automation och olika automationslösningar förbättrar både arbetsmiljö och ergonomi utifrån en rad olika faktorer. Den främsta drivfaktorn bakom automationsinvesteringar är kostnadsbesparingar i olika former, t.ex. ökad produktivitet och minskad personalkostnad. Andra faktorer som driver automation är trygghet i form av lägre personalfrånvaro, kortare ledtider och högre servicegrad, samt optimering av hela försörjningskedjor. De tjänster som erbjuds av logistikpartner och logistikkonsulter kan också ses som en indirekt drivfaktor, då detta kan underlätta finansiering av automationslösningar och samtidigt leda till välgrundade beslut om huruvida en automationslösning är lönsam eller inte. Många företag saknar kunskap för att fatta sådana beslut på egen hand. / The past two centuries have been characterized by recurring worries whether or not automation and new technology will eliminate job opportunities for society's middle class. Automation as a topic is today a major part of the discussions within the logistics industry, not least the warehousing and storage industry, which can be partly explained by the powerful growth within e-commerce and third party logistics. This thesis examines automation within warehousing and storage, and its impact on job opportunities, working environment and the primary driving force behind automation. This has been done through qualitative interviews with various persons who are working fully or partially with automation or have implemented automation in their operations to some extent. The results of this thesis show that automation has the potential to eliminate basically every job related to the movement of goods and the two limiting factors are technology and cost. New jobs created in conjunction with automation are technology-centric and require higher skills than for the jobs that are being reduced. Working environment is an issue that is taken seriously already in the planning phase of the automation process, and a major focus is placed on ergonomics to maximize the productivity of the employees. The thesis has shown that automation and various automation solutions improved both working environment and ergonomics based on a variety of factors. The main driving force behind automation investment is cost savings in various forms, e.g. increased productivity and reduced labor costs. Other forces that drives automation are lower employee absenteeism, shorter lead time and higher service levels as well as optimization of entire supply chains. The services provided by logistics partners and logistics consultants can also be seen as an indirect driving force, as this can facilitate financing of automation solutions and at the same time lead to informed decisions about whether an automation solution is profitable or not. Many companies and organizations lack the knowledge to make such decisions on their own.

This dissertation focuses on the relationship between accessibility to job opportunities, travel mode choices and employment outcomes of the disadvantaged. In past research examining the impact of accessibility on employment outcomes of the underprivileged, it has been an implicit assumption that a poor individual's employment status is directly connected to accessibility to transport modes and job opportunities. This dissertation challenges such a fundamental assumption and argues that due to unique travel needs of the poor, a high level of access to transportation means or job accessibility provided by a given travel mode does not automatically determine the choice of that particular travel mode. What is missing in the existing literature is examination of how accessibility affects travel mode choices for low-income individuals, and how travel mode preferences subsequently influence their employment outcomes. The objective of this dissertation is to shed new light on current understanding of the relationship between transportation and employment of the disadvantaged. The study focuses on explaining what factors influence low-income individuals in their choice of a transportation mode, and more importantly, how modal preferences, along with job accessibility, affect employment of the poor. Household travel survey data from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Atlanta Metropolitan Region were used to examine this interrelationship. The research findings show that higher modal and job accessibility do not always determine the choice of a particular travel mode, defying the assumption of the previous studies. What is important for enhancing one's employment is whether or not a low-income person has regular access to cars and an individual circumstance allows the poor to utilize existing automobiles rather than the efficiency of highway network. In terms of public transportation, higher job accessibility by transit network is associated with better employment outcomes for transit users. Nonetheless, when transit riders had to access transit systems by walking, job accessibility did not have meaningful impact on employment. It is important to note that the impact that job accessibility by transit has on employment is found only in a transit-friendly Bay Area. Policy implication from this dissertation is discussed. / text

The main objective of this thesis is to define and describe in detail job opportunities in the tourism industry and to research current employer needs. The first part of the thesis focuses on defining of job opportunities in the tourism industry and on determination of factors and subjects which influence the labour market in the tourism industry. One of the chapters explains the meaning of the education in the tourism and compares the education system with labour market needs. The second part concentrates on the analysis of job offers on the internet. Results of the analysis allow describing job opportunities regarding to their structure, region and tourism sector in which they ensue. Employer needs arise from the job offer analysis too and they are expressed by demands on education, training, language skills and other important skills.

"The first part of the study is devoted to a comparison of those graduates who stay in Denton with those who move away. The marital status of each group, where they live, and why they chose the cities in which they live are shown in this section. A study is made to determine if those graduates who have moved away choose cities larger or smaller than Denton. The second aspect of the problem is developed by making a comparison of the quality of work done in high school and amount of education of the two groups. To make this comparison, a study is made of the quartile rank in high school ; the number that attended college in each group; the schools they attended; and the number that graduated from college. The third part of the problem is a comparison of the degree of success attained by each group. the occupations of the graduates, the number who have their own businesses, the financial success of each group, and the relationship of education to financial success attained are shown. The fourth division of the problem is the presentation of suggestions given by the graduates for improving job opportunities in Denton. It is hoped that this study will show whether or not Denton is losing its potentially more valuable citizens to other communities."-- leaf 2.

In order to ensure the Earth’s future prosperity and welfare gender inequalities need to be tackled and our marine environment needs to be safeguarded. In this thesis we therefore evaluate the possible effects of a blue economy on gender equality in the Republic of Seychelles. Using a qualitative methodology, we have conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with a total of 35 respondents. These including people working at grassroots level, in non-governmental organisations and within the governmental bodies in Seychelles. In order to assist the collection and analysis of the data, we developed a theoretical model portraying in what ways the blue economy can affect gender equality in the country via three main components; maritime sustainability, technological innovation and new market and job opportunities. The empirical results demonstrate that the blue economy framework through these three components can affect gender equality, both in the short and long-term. If proven to be inclusive and implemented in the correct way, our findings portray that the blue economy will offer many opportunities. This affecting gender equality in diverse ways, with our main results showing that the concept will (i) help single mothers through factors such as increasing food security, water quality and new job opportunities; (ii) encouraging women to enter into more technological and/or male dominated fields; (iii) motivating boys to remain in school or help dropouts to venture into more practical fields. / För att säkerställa jordens framtida välstånd och välfärd måste ojämlikheter mellan könen åtgärdas och vår marina miljö skyddas. I denna uppsats så utvärderar vi därför de möjliga effekterna av en blå ekonomi på jämlikheten mellan könen i Republiken Seychellerna. Via ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt genomförde vi 21 semistrukturerade intervjuer med 35 respondenter. Dessa inkluderade individer som arbetar på gräsrotsnivå, i icke-statliga organisationer och inom de statliga organen i Seychellerna. För att förenkla insamlingen och analysen av data utvecklade vi en teoretisk modell som visar på vilka sätt en blå ekonomi kan påverka jämlikheten mellan män och kvinnor i landet via tre huvudkomponenter; marin hållbarhet, teknologisk utveckling och nya marknads- och arbetsmöjligheter. De empiriska resultaten visar på att en blå ekonomi kan, genom dessa tre komponenter, påverka jämlikheten mellan män och kvinnor på både kort och lång sikt. Om konceptet implementeras på rätt sätt samt inkluderar hela befolkningen, tyder våra resultat på att en blå ekonomi kommer erbjuda många möjligheter och påverka jämlikheten mellan könen på olika sätt. Våra huvudsakliga resultat visar att konceptet kan (i) hjälpa ensamstående mödrar genom att öka livsmedelsförsörjningen, kvaliteten på vatten och erbjuda nya arbetsmöjligheter; (ii) uppmuntra kvinnor att gå in i mer tekniska och/eller mansdominerade yrken; (iii) motivera pojkar att stanna kvar i skolan eller hjälpa de utsatta att hitta arbete i mer praktiska områden.

The diploma thesis focuses on the employment of persons with hearing impairments. In the theoretical part, the introductory chapters pay attention to the terminological definition from the perspective of surdopaedia, classification of hearing impairments and the possibility of communication of persons with hearing impairments. Furthermore, the theoretical part is devoted to approaches to education and education systems for persons with hearing impairments. The thesis also describes the situation of employing persons with hearing impairment not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Germany, Slovakia and Great Britain. In the practical part, the situation of work of persons with hearing impairments is analyzed by means of a research survey, which has the character of mixed research. A structured interview for clients of the organization Silent world and a semi-structured questionnaire were used for the research investigation. The main aim of this thesis is to analyze the situation of work of persons with hearing impairment and possibilities of work of persons with hearing impairments in the Czech Republic, this goal is achieved by research investigation. KEYWORDS Job opportunities, persons with hearing impairments, deaf, Silent world, professional counseling