Purpose: This study aims to explore the perceptions of employees of the effectiveness of stress management interventions within a specific company. Motivation for the study: Stress has become part of everyday life of most employees. Studies have shown the negative effect that stress has on employee wellbeing. Stress Management Intervention (SMI) is a programme implemented by organisations focusing on the reduction of work-related stressors, as well as assisting employees to cope with and minimise the negative impact of stress. Most stress intervention programmes are reactive and are aimed at alleviating the situation. The purpose of this study is to determine the perceived measure of effectiveness of the SMI in the organization. Research design, approach, and method: A qualitative cross-sectional approach was used on a purposive sample of 12 employees from one organisation in South Africa. The sample consisted of permanent employees, aged between 25 and 64, employed by an organisation utilising a SMI programme. Main Findings: SMI in this company was evaluated as effective by the majority of participants. The participants indicated the effectiveness of the SMI in terms of personal stress management ability improvement, more effective authority management, more effective time management, improved assertiveness behaviour, meaningful personal counselling sessions, and improved personal health. It can thus be concluded that SMI in the company seems to be effective, as perceived by the participants. Practical implications: The findings of this study can inform other organisations of the importance of effective SMIs in order to alleviate stress and to equip employees with efficient skills to manage stress. This will promote a healthy workforce and increase productivity. The opposite can occur if SMIs are not implemented effectively, namely loss in productivity, increased absenteeism, and an unhealthy workforce. Contribution/value-add: This study makes a theoretical knowledge contribution to the field of SMI in the workplace, and contributes to a better understanding of the nature and importance of effective SMI programmes for organizations. Disse / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Human Resource Management / Unrestricted

Abstract The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between elementary school teachers' attitude towards the students' guidance and discipline measures and the effectiveness of classroom management. Based on the literature and research, we establish the theoretical framework, and to design research tools. This study used "survey method", prior to the merger by the Kaohsiung city and county elementary schools 600 teachers for the survey, obtained 528 valid questionnaires . Formal questionnaires recovered to descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation, and stepwise multiple regression statistical analysis data. According to the result of the data analysis, the main findings are the following: 1. The elementary school teachers' show better "in attitude on the part of the overall performance level, which the" positive discipline measures "the most prominent. 2. The "classroom management effectiveness" is in the upper part of the overall performance, which the "teacher efficacy" best. 3. Male elementary school teachers for teaching, practice and self-efficacy have a higher perception. 4. Older, part-time position of director of elementary school teachers' attitude toward guidance and discipline measures show a higher perception. 5. Older, experienced, part-time position of director of elementary school teachers show the better perception of the effectiveness of classroom management. 6. Elementary school teachers' attitude toward guidance and discipline measures show greater the perception of the situation, the effectiveness of teacher classroom management will be the better. 7. Elementary school teachers' attitude toward guidance and discipline measures has a positive effect on classroom management predict. Keywords:guidance and discipline measures,classroom management effectiveness.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between teachers¡¦ leadership behavior of elementary school and classroom management effectiveness. The subjects were sixth grade students of public elementary school in Kaohsiung. This study used stratified random sampling; 928 questionnaires were taken back including 895 ones valid, at a ratio of 96.44%. This study adopted questionnaire survey, ¡§Teachers¡¦ Leadership Behavior Scale¡¨ and ¡§Classroom Management Effectiveness Scale¡¨ were used as instruments. The collected data were analyzed by t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The conclusions of this study were as follows: 1. The present status of elementary school teachers¡¦ leadership behavior is over the average. They perform best on ¡§intellectual stimulation¡¨ and ¡§active management-by-exception ¡¨ but worst on ¡§passive management-by-exception¡¨. 2. The present status of elementary school teachers¡¦ performance on classroom management effectiveness is over the average. They perform best on ¡§teaching quality¡¨ but worst on ¡§class manners¡¨. 3.Better performance in teachers¡¦ leadership behavior was found for the ones who were female, 6 to 10 years of serving, and at schools with the scale under 24 classes. 4. Better performance in classroom management effectiveness was found for the ones who were female, 6 to 10 years of serving, at schools with the scale under 24 classes,and with the number of students between 21-30 in class. 5. The better is the teachers¡¦ leadership behavior, the more outstanding is their classroom management effectiveness. There exists the strongest correlation between ¡§individualized consideration¡¨ and ¡§classroom atmosphere¡¨. 6. Teachers¡¦ leadership behavior is crucial in enhancing classroom management effectiveness. The prediction capability of ¡§individualized care¡¨ for the whole classroom management effectiveness is the most significant.

Abstract The globalization tendency has led the new market, the new product, the new point of view, the new ability and the new competitive advantage, the enterprise must have to be able to have the unique competitiveness, the manpower becomes one of enterprise competition most important sharp weapons, the human resources new duty will be guides the enterprise to break through the challenge, the new role must act which from the traditional bracelet. This research is for the purpose of discussing the enterprise the human resources activity situation, enterprise characteristic regarding human resources activity influence, and discusses the human resources function and the human resources potency relations. According to correlation literature discussion, of human resources management function, this research classification will adopt Dr. Bingen Wu's "the organization development","The resource management","the strategy consultation", and"the personnel administration" and so on four big construction surface make the classification. This object of study for aims at of human resources department the enterprise one artificially to execute measures the object, the grand total sends out 782 questionnaire, the returned and effective questionnaire altogether 153, the returns-ratio is 19.8%. The material analysis is take the human resources management function as from variable, as depends on variable potency of weight take the human resources, carries on the variance analysis to examine the human resources management function to the human resources potency whether has the remarkable influence, and utilizes the regression analysis inquisition human resources function to of influence the human resources potency result. These researches concludes: 1.The level of Human resources role is promoted. With the specialty human resources personnel, the human resources highest manager has Master or above school record, and participates in the enterprise operation meeting, shows the importance of the human resources for the enterprise . 2.The human resources function is more perfect, the human resources potency is better. a. The development of organization function is more perfect (make long-term development system for organization, appraisal present situation, draws up the manpower cultivation strategy, impetus organization studies, lead the organization transformation), the potency of the customer capital surface is better. b. The personnel administration function and the resource management function are more perfect (utilizes the multi-dimensional way to hire new employees, salary survey, draws up various levels training plan, result of the achievements to be the dismissal basis, and make the human resource plan for now and the future, base on this to develop education and training plan, achievements evaluation, manpower change and future development plan), the potency of the human capital surface is better. c.The strategy consultation function and the personnel administration function is more perfect (The human department is able to provide the suggestion, the strategy, and drafts the cultivation plan, and also transform the enterprise strategy to the practice of the human resource management, to develop suitable human resources motion, and in hiring, operating, training and keeping, both considering the quality and the cost), then potency of the financial capital surface is better. d.The resource management function is more perfect (draws up the plan for manpower oversupply or shortage, link it to the education and training plan, the manpower changes and the future development in the process), the potency of the structure capital surface is better. The research discovered, the organization should place importance on the investment of the capital of human resource, and coordinates the regulation revision and the human affairs flow improvement, it will conducive toward favor fast also has the system promotion organization's competitiveness

Accountancy education in South Africa has been very controversial during the last few years and this controversy has led to objective self-examination by academics. It is acknowledged that there has been a substantial growth in the body of knowledge generally and that the accountancy profession has also been faced not only with a certain growth in the body of knowledge but also with a growth in society's expectations of the profession. These expectations could possibly include the expression of opinions on the fairness of profit forecasts and projected financial statements, including the underlying assumptions and opinions on management effectiveness. Possibly in order to accept greater responsibilities for the detection of fraud and the anticipated growth of society's expectations and greater utilisation of the computer, the future chartered accountant will be expected to be more proficient. This leads to the premise that a broader and less technique-oriented education is required for the future chartered accountant in South Africa. Developments overseas indicate that the profession in certain countries, plays a very active role in the final year of the accountancy education of its trainee accountants. In Australia the "Professional Year" is organised by The Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants. The candidates are evaluated on their performance during the "Professional Year" in assignments as well as their participation in classes, their attendance at the sessions and their successful completion of the final examination which is not regarded as a hurdle. In countries such as Canada and Scotland the institutes play an active role in promoting their own block-release courses. In Scotland the institute has its own lecturing staff, whereas in Canada in the province of Ontario, the Ontario Institute uses staff of the larger firms. In certain countries the final qualifying examination is intended to be difficult and case studies are used in the examination. In certain countries where the universities playa greater role in the educational process, the accountancy institutes are phasing out their own examinations. In other countries multiple-choice questions are set as a matter of expediency, where very large numbers of candidates are involved. In other countries, where the number of candidates is not too large, candidates do oral examinations and write theses as well. Complaints have been made about the length of the courses in South Africa, but in some countries accountants qualify between the age of 30 and 35 years. It is submitted that accountancy education in South Africa has been too technique-oriented and a happy medium between a conceptual and technique-oriented approach is required. University academics should play a more active role in research, and it is suggested that the Public Accountants' and Auditors' Board should give serious consideration to the possibility of reducing the number of contracting universities that are entitled to educate students for a Certificate in the Theory of Accountancy. The ultimate requirement for the profession is graduate entry, but in the interim entry standards must be improved and it is suggested that the profession create a trust fund utilising the Accounting Development Foundation, which could make bursaries available and thus make the profession more attractive to bright scholars. It is not envisaged that a detailed common body of knowledge should be prescribed, but more stringent conditions for the approval of contracting universities, should lead them to define the details themselves. This should not be stultifying, but should encourage research, which in the long run is in the interests of the profession. Communication between members of the profession and academics is essential to promote research and ensure the cross-fertilisation of ideas. It is also submitted that the final qualifying examination has had an undesirable effect on the teaching. This is because the proficiency of lecturers is generally measured by the success of the candidates in the final qualifying examination. A change in the format of the final qualifying examination is therefore imperative. A more case-study oriented examination is proposed. The value of the practical-experience requirement (articles) is questioned. It is submitted that for the practical ¬experience requirement to be meaningful, greater and more effective control of the quality of experience, to which the trainee accountant is exposed, is required. It is recommended that articles of clerkship or service contracts be dispensed with and that the training quotas of firms be more flexible, depending on circumstances. For the trainee accountant's experience to be meaningful it is necessary that his principal be kept up to date continuously with the latest developments which will result in greater emphasis being placed on required continuing education. The introduction of a quality review programme by the profession to improve the performance standards of its members is recommended. The abovementioned requirements, namely more effective control of practical-experience requirements, the introduction of a quality review programme and required continuing education as well as the fact that the decision making process in the accountancy profession is cumbersome and time-consuming necessitates a rationalisation of the controlling bodies in the profession. A questionnaire was designed to test the opinion of the respondents with regard to various controversial issues surrounding accountancy education. It appears that the profession does not want to accept greater responsibility for the possible extensions of the attest function and it can be stated that it favours the retention of the audits of private companies. It is thus obvious that certain changes are urgently required and the profession as well as academics will have to define its priorities very carefully. In the final analysis it must be borne in mind, that the profession must not overlook the public interest. / Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Accounting / DCom / Unrestricted

Purpose – The increasing importance placed on organizational performance in a highly competitive global business environment has been unmistakable in recent years. The performance of entry-level managers contributes significantly to the effectiveness of the overall organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and dimensions of entry-level managers’ performance-related variables for a cross sectional sample of Portuguese organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 106 executives from Portuguese organizations, factor analysis was used to extract the underlying dimensions of effective performance of entry-level managers. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between the critical performance dimensions revealed by factor analysis. Findings – The results of this study reveal the significance of personality-related aspects, learned aspects, and cognitive capacities on shaping the effective performance of entry-level managers. The practical implications of the results to business organizations and organizations of higher learning are examined. Research limitations/implications – The sample used in this study is specific in nature. It consists of executives from Portuguese organizations representing different industries. Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly. Practical implications – Based on the results of this study, some important organizational implications regarding managerial training and development are advanced. Originality/value – This study empirically examines the Portuguese executives’ opinions regarding entry-level managers’ desired performance-related characteristics. It offers significant implications to both business and higher learning organizations, as they engage in joint ventures aimed at promoting effective managerial performance.

The theoretical part desribes some of the main concepts used in assessing human resources effectiveness especially those from the last decade written in anglo-saxon countries. There are three goals of the analytical part: comparison of the human resource management indices with international benchmarks, testing of stated hypotheses defined in cooperation with top management of the chosen company and determination of key human resources indices. Comparison and analysis are main methods used in the thesis. Beside partial recommendations there are two main indices proposed at the end to help top management to achieve goals of the business strategy.

Na Amazônia, o avanço da perda de biodiversidade por diversas formas de pressão antrópica cresce a cada ano, com destaque para os crescentes índices de desmatamento. As unidades de conservação têm um papel fundamental na proteção dos recursos naturais e culturais e a criação de novas áreas protegidas representa uma das estratégias utilizadas pelos países com o mesmo tipo de problema. Nos próximos anos, o governo do Estado do Pará pretende elevar em 24,07% o número de unidades de conservação em seu território. Entretanto, a conservação da biodiversidade não é garantida apenas com a existência de unidades de conservação, é preciso implementálas e manejá-las adequadamente para que alcancem seus objetivos, avaliando de forma sistemática a qualidade de manejo das mesmas. Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a efetividade de manejo de duas unidades de conservação de proteção integral no Pará, o Parque Estadual da Serra das Andorinhas/Martírios - PESAM, localizado no sul do Estado, com 25.000 hectares e o Parque Ambiental de Belém - PAB, localizado na região metropolitana de Belém, com 1.200 hectares. A efetividade de manejo foi avaliada por meio da qualificação de indicadores pré-estabelecidos e aplicados em áreas protegidas em vários países. Os resultados apontaram que os dois Parques alcançaram a média de 30,82% da situação ótima para os indicadores demonstrando uma qualidade de manejo insatisfatória. A maioria dos indicadores se concentrou nos níveis de manejo pouco satisfatórios e insatisfatórios. A partir da análise dos 11 grupos de indicadores, concluiu-se que os Parques não reúnem as condições mínimas necessárias para seu manejo básico. Assim, não existem garantias para sua permanência em longo prazo e os objetivos que nortearam a criação dos mesmos não podem ser alcançados sob essas circunstâncias. / At Amazônia, the loss of biodiversity advance grows from diverse forms of human pressure each year, with prominence of the increasing deforestation indices. The protected areas have an important role in biodiversity protection. In the next years, Pará State intends to raise in 24,07% the number of protected areas in its territory. However, the biodiversity conservation is not guaranteed only with the existence of protected areas, but it is also necessary to implement and to manage them in a proper way that makes them reach their conservation objectives, evaluating in a systematic way the management quality. The objective of this research was to evaluate the management effectiveness of two areas of integral protection in Pará, at Parque Estadual da Serra das Andorinhas/Martírios, in the south part of the State, with 25.000 hectares and the Parque Ambiental de Belém, located in the metropolitan region of Belém, with 1.200 hectares. The management effectivity was evaluated through the qualification of preestablished indicators applied in many Latin America countries. The results pointed out that the two Parks had reached the average 30,82% from the excellent situation of management, which indicated an unsatisfactory quality of management. Most indicators were identified as satisfactory and little unsatisfactory levels of management. It was concluded that the two Parks do not congregate the minimum necessary conditions for its basic management. So there is no guarantees for the permanence (of the area as a protected area) for long periods and the goals that guided the creation of these areas cannot be reached under such circumstances.

An activity for principal improvement that has not received much attention is the structured management effectiveness profile. The concept is to provide the principal and a group of teachers at that campus with an opportunity for assessment of the principal's management and leadership skills. A comparison between the two provides the principal with information on their perceived management strengths and weaknesses. One such profile, available through the American Association of School Administrators is the Educational Administrator Effectiveness Profile (EAEP). The EAEP was originally given to 66 principals in Tarrant County, Texas. This study reports the results of reassessment of 40 of those principals after a five year period.

O crescimento dos sistemas de áreas protegidas nas últimas décadas é considerado um dos maiores esforços da humanidade para conter a atual crise da biodiversidade. No entanto, a cobertura da superfície global por áreas protegidas é um indicador simplificado, sendo necessário ir mais além e avaliar se os sistemas de áreas protegidas representam os diferentes componentes da biodiversidade e processos ecológicos e se estão sendo geridos de forma efetiva para garantir a manutenção da biodiversidade no longo prazo. O objetivo geral do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise da efetividade de gestão e representatividade biológica do sistema de unidades de conservação (UCs) no Estado do Tocantins, avaliando como os diferentes níveis de gestão de áreas protegidas podem interferir nos processos de planejamento sistemático da conservação. Os resultados indicaram a existência de lacunas significativas na implementação das áreas protegidas existentes, apesar do desempenho relativamente bom em alguns elementos. As quatro ameaças mais importantes para o sistema de UCs avaliado foram: infraestrutura, queimadas descontroladas, caça e pecuária. A análise da distribuição de 109 espécies de vertebrados e plantas indicou a presença de padrões biogeográficos claros na biota do Tocantins, que coincidem com padrões relatados por outros autores para alguns grupos taxônomicos. No entanto, lacunas significativas foram observadas tanto na proteção das espécies, quanto na representação dos elementos bióticos identificados. Para testar os impactos dos baixos valores de efetividade e altos valores de ameaças das UCs no planejamento do sistema, reduzimos o estado de conservação das áreas protegidas em 25% e 50%. Isso resultou em acréscimos de 250.000 ha e 590.000 ha, respectivamente, no sistema de áreas protegidas, necessário ao cumprimento das metas de conservação. A representatividade dos sistemas de áreas protegidas depende da persistência da biodiversidade dentro dessas áreas, que é reconhecidamente comprometida por níveis elevados de ameaça associados à efetividade de gestão incipiente. Portanto, sugerimos que o estado de conservação da biodiversidade dentro das áreas protegidas seja incorporado a exercícios de planejamento sistemático de conservação. A definição de prioridades para a criação de novas áreas protegidas deve fazer parte de um planejamento integrado, que aborde também a consolidação de áreas protegidas existentes e estratégias mais amplas para mitigar os efeitos dos fatores principais da perda de biodiversidade fora das reservas. / The growth of protected areas (PAs) in the last decades is considered one of the humanity\'s best efforts to refrain the current crisis of biodiversity. However, the global PA coverage is a simplified indicator; it is necessary to go further and assess whether PA systems represent the different components of biodiversity and ecological processes and are being managed effectively to ensure the maintenance of their values in the long term. The main goal of this study was to analyze the management effectiveness and representation of PA system in Tocantins State, assessing how the different levels of PA management may impact the systematic conservation planning process. Results indicated the existence of significant gaps in the implementation of Tocantins PAs, despite the relatively good performance found in some elements. The four most important threats to the PAs evaluated were: infrastructure, uncontrolled fires, hunting and cattle ranching. Analysis of the distribution of 109 vertebrates and plants indicated that selected species represent biogeographical patterns of Tocantins biota and that there are significant gaps in the protection of the species and biotic elements in the current PA system. In order to test for the effects of detected low management effectiveness and high levels of threat, we reduced the conservation status of protected areas by 25% and 50%. This resulted in an increase in the conservation area network needed to achieve targets of around 250,000 ha and 590,000 ha, respectively. Our results strongly indicate that the representation of PA systems depends on the persistency of biodiversity inside PAs, which are known to be impacted by high levels of threat associated to poor management effectiveness. Therefore, we advocate that biodiversity status within PAs should be incorporated in systematic conservation planning exercises. The definition of priority areas for the establishment of new reserves should be part of an integrated planning process that addresses both the consolidation of existing protected areas and broader strategies to mitigate the effects of major drivers of biodiversity loss outside reserves.