Due to the medical applications of products of Dynamic Controls and the size of investment that the company has in this industry, the company decided to improve the design and development process by improving its Lessons Leaned (LL) procedure. Based on academic literature and industry guidelines a LL procedure is a process that allows an organisation to take advantage from its successes and failures. An effective LL process should assist the organisation to repeat its successes and prevent the repetition of previous mistakes. Each LL procedure has three fundamentals: “Culture, Process and Tools”. This improvement assists Dynamic Controls to development of products and services to better meet the customer needs, with higher reliability and lesser in-field failures. It also provides more comprehensive design inputs to reduce development cost and time. The objective of this project was to investigate the current LL process in the business, identify the best practice, investigate enabling processes, technologies and tools for taking the most advantages from both upcoming and previous LL, define appropriate categories for LL, and determine an implementation plan for the company. The project started on 1st October 2012 and was delivered by the 8th of February 2013.

Lessons Learned Programs (LLPs) can be used to acquire knowledge from individual employees for the benefit of the entire organization. The effectiveness of a LLP is highly dependent on the critical components of a LLP and the factors that impede or promote behaviors conducive to a LLP. This study identifies these critical components and the factors that influence the behaviors a LLP requires to succeed. I analyze an existing LLP to identify a process that will simultaneously promote behaviors to execute the LLP and develop the culture where a LLP can succeed. The primary objective of this research is to develop actionable recommendations to improve an existing LLP. / text

This study examines the perceptions of self in two groups of adults with literacy difficulties. The methodologies used include interviews, the repertory grid, Eysenck' s Personality Inventory (E.P.I.), Levenson's I.P.C. and self report questions. The interviews build on, and extend, work carried out by Charnley (1973), the only PhD to date, in the field. of adult literacy. The research pioneers the use of the repertory grid. technique in studies of adults with literacy difficulties. The theoretical framework for the thesis is the Learned Helplessness model (Seligman, 1975) and its reformulation (Abramson, et al, 1978). Learned helplessness can impede learning by affecting self esteem negatively and inhibiting cognitive, emotional, and motivational development. The study seeks to establish (among other perceptions of self) whether respondents exhibit signs of learned helplessness. The findings include a tendency for the sample to score more highly on neuroticism, as measured by the E.P.I., than the general population established by Eysenck. All the respondents consider there had been an improvement in their literacy skills. The majority viewed the ':present self' less negatively than the 'self prior to tuition', as shown by the former being rated nearer than the latter to the ideal self on the repertory grid. A minority were deemed to show continuing Learned Helplessness as evidenced by their attributions for literacy failure given in the self report questions, the locus of control orientations on Levenson's I.P.C. Scale and continuing negative perceptions of self on the repertory grid. This continued learned helplessness, despite improved literacy skills, has implications for the tutors adults with literacy-difficulties. These implications are discussed. Teaching strategies which could be adopted to overcome learned helplessness are outlined in the final chapter.

“Pseudo-wits and polished frauds”: directing Molière's The Learned Ladies examines the preparation, pre-production, and rehearsal process behind The Learned Ladies, staged at the University of British Columbia’s Frederic Wood Theatre from February 7-16, 2008. As detailed in the following paper, my objective was to examine the text through the lens of the commedia dell’arte and its influence on the playwright’s characters and dramaturgy, as well as Molière's feminism. In the rehearsal hall, my focus was on actor creation and “play.” Chapter 1 summarizes my pre-production research, and includes biographical information on both the playwright and translator, as well as the above noted commedia and early feminist influences, while Chapter 2 provides a detailed directorial analysis of Molière's text. A journal – chronicling the entire production process from early design meetings through rehearsals and the run of the show – makes up Chapter 3. Finally, Chapter 4 is a short reflection on the process, outlining major shifts in my thinking and technique, and concluding with my final thoughts on the production.

“Pseudo-wits and polished frauds”: directing Molière's The Learned Ladies examines the preparation, pre-production, and rehearsal process behind The Learned Ladies, staged at the University of British Columbia’s Frederic Wood Theatre from February 7-16, 2008. As detailed in the following paper, my objective was to examine the text through the lens of the commedia dell’arte and its influence on the playwright’s characters and dramaturgy, as well as Molière's feminism. In the rehearsal hall, my focus was on actor creation and “play.” Chapter 1 summarizes my pre-production research, and includes biographical information on both the playwright and translator, as well as the above noted commedia and early feminist influences, while Chapter 2 provides a detailed directorial analysis of Molière's text. A journal – chronicling the entire production process from early design meetings through rehearsals and the run of the show – makes up Chapter 3. Finally, Chapter 4 is a short reflection on the process, outlining major shifts in my thinking and technique, and concluding with my final thoughts on the production.

“Pseudo-wits and polished frauds”: directing Molière's The Learned Ladies examines the preparation, pre-production, and rehearsal process behind The Learned Ladies, staged at the University of British Columbia’s Frederic Wood Theatre from February 7-16, 2008. As detailed in the following paper, my objective was to examine the text through the lens of the commedia dell’arte and its influence on the playwright’s characters and dramaturgy, as well as Molière's feminism. In the rehearsal hall, my focus was on actor creation and “play.” Chapter 1 summarizes my pre-production research, and includes biographical information on both the playwright and translator, as well as the above noted commedia and early feminist influences, while Chapter 2 provides a detailed directorial analysis of Molière's text. A journal – chronicling the entire production process from early design meetings through rehearsals and the run of the show – makes up Chapter 3. Finally, Chapter 4 is a short reflection on the process, outlining major shifts in my thinking and technique, and concluding with my final thoughts on the production. / Arts, Faculty of / Theatre and Film, Department of / Graduate

Previous research has shown benefits of adolescents' disclosure of activities to parents in reducing risk of deviant child behavior (Kerr & Stattin, 2000; Stattin & Kerr, 2000). In the current study I examine the effect of disclosure on learned helpless attributions, through the mediators of paternal, maternal, and peer support in sample of college undergraduates enrolled in psychology classes. In two online data collection points, participants completed measures on peer, paternal, and maternal support, disclosure, and negative attributions. In order to examine associations among these variables, I tested three general models: 1) disclosure would predict negative attributions through support, 2) support would predict negative attributions through disclosure, and 3) support would moderate the relations between disclosure and learned helpless attributions. Results demonstrated interrelations of disclosure with peer, maternal, and paternal support. Disclosure, peer support, and maternal support were negatively correlated with learned helpless attributions. However, the first and second models were not supported. The third model was partially supported in regard to maternal support. When maternal support was low, greater disclosure was associated with greater learned helpless attributions. Future longitudinal and experimental research is needed to further discern pathways of association for these constructs. / Master of Science

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

South Africa's business environment is changing dramatically. Companies are continuously placed under pressure to reform. Government introduced clear guidelines in the form of transformation strategies to assist companies in moving towards a more democratic, non-racial and fully representative organisational structure. The two major strategies are coined Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action. The aim of the strategies is to empower and uplift the previously disadvantaged communities of the Apartheid era. These communities include black people; who consist of Africans, Coloureds and Indians; women and disabled individuals. However, these strategies are perceived with mixed emotions. A sense of negativity is evident within the attitudes of all race groups. This may give rise to a new problem in the workplace: pessimism. Pessimism is associated with undesirable characteristics such as external, unstable and specific explanations for bad things and has emotional links to depression. Pessimists view problems as long lasting and inescapable, and tend to blame all misfortunes on their own ineptness and incompetence. On the other hand, optimism is associated with characteristics such as positive mood and good morale, happiness, perseverance and effective problem solving, achievement and health and even a long life and freedom from trauma. It is characterised by internal, stable and global explanations for bad things. A cross-sectional design with an availability sample (N 68) of junior and middle management workers working in a multinational industry was used. Nonprobability purposive sampling was applied in the selection of the study population. The results indicated that males experience more dispositional pessimism than women. Black employees also experienced more dispositional pessimism and optimism than white employees, and employees who attended Affirmative Action induction programmes displayed higher levels of optimism than those who have not attended such programmes. If the tendency towards pessimism increases the result may have devastating effects on the organisation as a whole. It is possible that performance will decline and organisational targets will not be reached. To address these issues organisations may need to change their structural planning in order to utilise males more productively, and to enhance a sense of empowerment. Companies should formulate clear goals with regard to what they want to gain from Affirmative Action programmes. Programmes should also be constantly revised and continuing evaluations must be carried out in order to track the effect of the programmes on the workforce. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

South Africa's business environment is changing dramatically. Companies are continuously placed under pressure to reform. Government introduced clear guidelines in the form of transformation strategies to assist companies in moving towards a more democratic, non-racial and fully representative organisational structure. The two major strategies are coined Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action. The aim of the strategies is to empower and uplift the previously disadvantaged communities of the Apartheid era. These communities include black people; who consist of Africans, Coloureds and Indians; women and disabled individuals. However, these strategies are perceived with mixed emotions. A sense of negativity is evident within the attitudes of all race groups. This may give rise to a new problem in the workplace: pessimism. Pessimism is associated with undesirable characteristics such as external, unstable and specific explanations for bad things and has emotional links to depression. Pessimists view problems as long lasting and inescapable, and tend to blame all misfortunes on their own ineptness and incompetence. On the other hand, optimism is associated with characteristics such as positive mood and good morale, happiness, perseverance and effective problem solving, achievement and health and even a long life and freedom from trauma. It is characterised by internal, stable and global explanations for bad things. A cross-sectional design with an availability sample (N 68) of junior and middle management workers working in a multinational industry was used. Nonprobability purposive sampling was applied in the selection of the study population. The results indicated that males experience more dispositional pessimism than women. Black employees also experienced more dispositional pessimism and optimism than white employees, and employees who attended Affirmative Action induction programmes displayed higher levels of optimism than those who have not attended such programmes. If the tendency towards pessimism increases the result may have devastating effects on the organisation as a whole. It is possible that performance will decline and organisational targets will not be reached. To address these issues organisations may need to change their structural planning in order to utilise males more productively, and to enhance a sense of empowerment. Companies should formulate clear goals with regard to what they want to gain from Affirmative Action programmes. Programmes should also be constantly revised and continuing evaluations must be carried out in order to track the effect of the programmes on the workforce. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.