The challenge of child mortality between the ages of 0 and 5 years has extensively increased over the past few years. Furthermore, the ever-evolving and complex consequences of ineffective monitoring of children’s growth and development have been identified as one of the reasons for this increase in child mortality. The Road-to-Health Chart was developed and redesigned for use by child nurses and midwives to monitor children’s growth and development. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the midwives at community healthcare centres in the Nelson Mandela Bay area had the necessary knowledge to utilise the Road-to-Health Chart effectively. Permission to conduct the study was sought from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the Department of Health and the participants. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey was used in this research. The population consisted of all the midwives working in the Midwife Obstetric Unit and community healthcare centres within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal area. The sample was extracted from the targeted population but from willing participants that met the inclusion criteria. The research data-collection method was a self-developed questionnaire with closed-ended statements to measure the knowledge of how effectively the midwives in the Nelson Mandela Bay area were using the RTHC. The researcher ensured the validity of the questionnaire by focusing on the instrument’s validity, construct validity, content validity and face validity. Ethical considerations, including permission, informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, were adhered to. The most significant findings showed that midwives at CHCs and MOUs in the Nelson Mandel Bay area were knowledgeable about the importance of the RTHC to the mother and child and the use of the RTHC. These findings may assist in the identification of measures to enhance the knowledge of midwives about the use of the RTHC thus ultimately facilitating the use of the RTHC by mothers as intended.

This research focussed on the roles and responsibilities of school principals, School Governing Body chairpersons and finance officers in managing the finances of Section 21 schools to ensure that quality teaching and learning are provided within context. A qualitative investigation was conducted using individual interviewing. This was supplemented by a study of official documents on financial management at the different research sites. A research sample of 33 participants consisting of eleven school principals, eleven School Governing Body chairpersons, and eleven finance officers represented the selected eleven schools. The findings revealed that school principals lack knowledge and understanding of legislation on financial management. All three types of role-players lack capacity to augment school finances, capacity to manage school assets sufficiently, and capacity to comply with prescripts guiding school finance management. Based on the perceptions of participants, guidelines are provided to improve the capacity of the role-players to manage school finances effectively. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This thesis deals with description and evaluation of the status quo in terms of Slavonice city in a question of drawing funds from both the national and European sources. Work consists of the theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part consists of regional issues and EU structural policy and the Czech Republic, municipalities and financing its development. The practical part includes socio-economic characteristics of Slavonice city, which is connected to SWOT analysis of discussed area and outline a strategy that would lead to positive development of the city. Another part of this work is a summary of the grants from national and regional resource analysis and utilization of financial resources from EU funds in individual programming period. In conclusion, this work is presented a proposal for new financial incentives and design project, which reacts at 11th Call for NUTS II South-West.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Performance Management System, since its inception and to date, with regards to the advancement of organisational goals and objectives through employee development, as well as resource allocation for service delivery to the residents of the Amathole District Municipality (ADM). The concept of performance management is key for achieving organisational goals and objectives, since it seeks to develop employees by identifying areas of strengths and weakness. The study is based on the assumption that although municipalities are different, and their approach to performance management particularly individual performance differs. This study therefore is based on the assumption that, levels of poor service delivery, and the consequent service delivery protests experienced in the ADM, can be ascribed to a poor linkage between annual performance planning and the assessment of municipal officials. Annual organisational performance, and individual performance planning and output, is not commensurate. Furthermore, a lack of correlation between these variables has led to the poor implementation of basic services and good governance, which has resulted in low levels of citizen satisfaction with the ADM. The empirical survey and research methodology used in the study is described and explained and followed by the data collection in a form of questionnaires. The research findings from the empirical survey are then analysed and reported accordingly. Recommendations are presented in the last chapter based on the empirical survey findings through the respondent’s inputs in the questionnaire. Recommendations are therefore also presented on how Amathole District Municipality can improve its business to achieve the objectives performance management. The key recommendation that came from the study is that ADM planning should be executed in collaboration with other government departments, government agencies, municipalities, private sector and NGOs, in order to maximize chances of achieving effective and efficient service delivery in communities.

Bygglov handlar om att väga enskilda intressen mot allmänna intressen i hur vår omvärld ska se ut. Tolkningen av hur lagen ska efter levas faller på bygglovshandläggaren, dennes chef och däröver nämnden. Att handlägga ett bygglov kräver kunskaper i både PBL (plan- och bygglagen) och BBR (boverkets byggregler), rätt instanser ska kontaktas samt remisser och grannhöranden skickas i de fall de behövs. En handläggare måste kunna läsa och tolka lagtexter, kartor och detaljplaner som ibland är av äldre datum och svårtydda. Det här arbetet tar upp hur kommunerna arbetar med bygglovshandläggningen och hur kunderna upplever kommunernas arbete. Vilka uppgifter en bygglovshandläggare utför under en dag undersöks. Det visar sig att arbetet varierar väldigt mycket från dag till dag. Handläggaren måste bemöta frågor och ge relevanta svar som frågeställaren kan förstå och acceptera. Till sin hjälp har handläggaren flera verktyg som underlättar arbetet så som digitala kartor, ritningar och lagtexter. Det framkom under mina studier att Örebro kommun och Karlskoga kommun använder sig av lean-modeller i sitt arbete för att korta ner handläggningstiderna och få nöjdare kunder. Kommunerna genomför undersökningar för att få en uppfattning om vad som behöver förbättras och vad som redan fungerar tillfredställande. / Building permit is about to weigh individual interests against the public interest in decisionmaking about how our surroundings should look like. The interpretation of how the law should be observed undertaken by the building permit officer, his or her manager and the board. Dealing with a building permit requires knowledge of both PBL (Planning and Building Act) and BBR (Building Regulations), the relevant instances should be contacted, and referrals and neighborhood hearings should be sent when they are required. An administrator must be able to read and interpret legal texts, maps and detailed plans that are sometimes old and difficult to interpret. This work addresses how the county works with building permit processing and how customers perceive the county’s work. What tasks a building permit officer performs in one day is studied. It becomes apparent that the work varies greatly from day to day. The officer must respond to questions and provide relevant answers that are easy to understand and accept. There are several helpful tools available to assist the officer, such as digital maps, drawings and law texts. During my studies I learned that both Örebro county and Karlskoga county make use of lean models in their efforts to reduce delays and improve customer satisfaction. The counties carry out surveys to get an idea of what needs improvement and what already works satisfactorily.

The study investigates the integrated development plan as a public policy model and public participation tool, with reference to Fetakgomo Local Municipality in Limpopo province of South Africa. The researcher conducted the study through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Furthermore, triangulation research methods have been also taken into consideration with the aim of achieving the objectives of the study in applying a variety of data collection techniques. The study involved a number of data collection techniques, namely a desktop study, literature review, case study and documetary review. Specifically, the study focused on the following objectives: i. To assess how the municipality develops and presents the Integrated Development Plan to the community; ii. The structures promoting IDP, good governance and public participation; iii. To bring to light any political inteferences which may hamper municipal service delivery; iv. To critically analyse the implementation of Batho Pele principles as a way of community involvement; and v. To identify and assess the challenges faced by both the community and the municipality during public paticipation in IDP processes. Throughout the study, Fetakgomo Local Municipality was found to have some strengths, but it was also found that there is room for improvement in terms of providing a better and more understandable integrated development plan. In conclusion, meaningful public participation in the IDP process requires that citizens should be afforded an opportunity to raise their concerns and be taken into consideration, that they should be informed and be knowledgeable about municipal activities. The community must be willing and able to be involved. Community members must have the interest, time, opportunity and access necessary to participate. The community must take responsibility for the quality of their participation and be accountable to each other for effective and efficient use of time and other resources. Concluding the study were reccommendations to improve the state of IDP and public participation in the municipality. / Dissertation (MAdmin)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

Subject of this thesis "Analysis of the Possibility to Draw Financial Means on the European Union's Funds for the Financing of Developing Activities in Municipalities, a concrete manifestation on an example of a municipality (town)" is to find to what extent towns look after their area development and how they use the possibility to draw financial means from the EU funds. The first part tackles the status of a municipality at present and possibilities of changes. The second part deals with the town's economy; the third focuses on possibilities of drawing subsidies at various levels of public administration to fund development activities of towns, mainly through EU funds. On those theoretical grounds, development potential of a concrete town is analysed and in consequence, future development activities and their possibility is explored.

The concept of city branding has sprung to prominence in recent years. This can be attributed to globalisation and the ease of access to all corners of the globe with the improvements in technology and modes of transport. This increased competition for resources, skills, talent and revenue has made cities not only compete with other cities in close proximity to one another, but also with cities across the world. The answer to this conundrum was found to be a comprehensive marketing strategy composed of clever and catchy slogans, beautiful logos, media campaigns and public relations drives. This process only led to the loss of large amounts of money since the benefits were not longstanding and the results were not tangible as these avenues only benefitted the home country’s tourism industry. A long term solution for cities was needed to build a favourable image. Corporations were used as models to build a brand since manufacturers of similar products are in constant competition to gain market share and revenues from their competitors. The similarities between corporations and cities are undeniable and efforts were made to incorporate successful branding strategies from corporations into city branding efforts. Cities and corporations must be effective in developing and incorporating social, economic and political aspects of their culture into a successful city brand image. The major difference between cities and corporations stems from the fact that it takes considerably longer to leverage a comprehensive brand of a city, when compared to the brand of a product since their lifespans are completely different. In the past, city brands were based on historical significance. Today, city brands are exclusively influenced by the events it hosts. The hosting of events has been seen as a guaranteed way for a city to improve its brand image. On the contrary, the hosting of events has been found to either improve a city brand or tarnish it. Sports events have been deemed as the best way to improve a city brand because sports appeal to a wide audience and are relatively inexpensive to host in comparison to the benefit and improvements they bring. This treatise investigates the approach and various types of sports events which must be included for the successful branding of Nelson Mandela Bay as part of a destination marketing strategy. The suggestions from this study were formulated upon scrutiny of the available literature and case studies on various branding efforts undertaken by cities around the world to establish and improve their brand image. A survey was conducted amongst the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay using a questionnaire. A total of 952 responses were received. The questionnaire measured the respondents’ attitude to what types of sports events they will support, their feelings on the standard of facilities and quality of events in Nelson Mandela Bay. This treatise served to identify which sports events should be used in any branding effort undertaken by Nelson Mandela Bay. Literature and case studies served as the foundation for this study. The survey insights and expectations enabled a plan to be developed that will be unique for Nelson Mandela Bay based on its location, characteristics, tastes and preferences of its residents. This plan would serve to benefit the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, the city itself and encourage additional investment from external sources. The results of this study indicate that the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay advocate the use of sports events as the main driver in branding the city. Furthermore, the residents have made it clear that cricket, rugby and Iron Man-type of events are favoured and more likely to be supported than any other type of sports event in Nelson Mandela Bay.

This research study focuses on investigating the sustainability of cooperatives in the peri urban areas of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The researcher described a cooperative concept, identified and explained a research problem. Research study addressed literature extensively on the local and international scenes; looking at cooperative case studies of India, California, United Kingdom, Ghana, Bangladesh and South Africa. The researcher used a qualitative research methodology using structured and semi structured questionnaires that were distributed to thirty identified cooperatives in Walmer Location and external stakeholders supporting cooperatives. Face to face and telephonic interviews were used during research in three identified funded cooperative members, registered cooperative members and external stakeholders supporting cooperatives. Research findings confirmed unequitable age distribution in cooperatives. Young people constituted 10% of cooperatives’ membership which led to non-transference of knowledge and experience from the elderly to the young; dominance of women in cooperatives who joined or registered cooperatives with the intention of receiving a sustainable income so that they could support their families; poor governance in cooperatives caused cooperatives to fail. Eighty percent of registered cooperative members during research confirmed that they do not have access to the markets, while 2% confirmed that they have access to the markets although they are unable to secure contracts; research confirmed that the majority (59%) of Walmer Location registered cooperative members do not have matric (grade 12) while 25% of cooperative members have matric and 16% have a post-matric qualification; research findings confirmed a decrease in the survival rate of cooperatives after registration without receiving financial support; research findings confirmed that cooperative members do not receive all training programmes that would ensure cooperatives’ sustainability; other cooperative challenges include lack of cooperation among cooperatives, lack of monitoring and evaluation systems, high crime rate and continuous service delivery protests and lack of integration among stakeholders supporting cooperatives.

The civil engineering sector of the construction industry as a whole has been suffering from mental stress due to a lack of stress management interventions, rendering employees vulnerable to burnout, poor mental health, and subject to injury on site. The rationale of this study is to explore the prevalence of mental stress in the civil engineering sector of the construction industry, and the potential causes of stress, vis-à-vis the effects it has on an individual. An empirical study based on a descriptive and analytical survey method was conducted among medium to large civil engineering contractors in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole (NMBM). The study adopted the use of questionnaires, and a review of the related literature to effectively summarise and describe the collected field data. The sample stratum included civil engineering site agents and foremen. The salient findings include: high job demands, low job control, and low job social support are contributors to stress; site agents and foremen long for more time spent with family and friends; site agents and foremen are exposed to various physical, organisational and socio-economic stressors; site agents and foremen are displaying coping strategies unsupportive of a healthy lifestyle; there is a lack of awareness of stress management in the civil engineering sector of the construction industry; the level of stress experienced by site agents and foremen is rated as a lesser extent; the prevalence of depression among site agents and foremen is rated as a lesser extent; site agents and foremen are at risk of injury due to feeling stressed, and site agents and foremen are exposed to a range of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to poor ergonomics, and possibly stress too. It can be concluded that stress negatively affects the civil engineering sector of the construction industry by, inter alia, increased employee absence, injuries and accidents, higher staff turnover, depression, and lower levels of production. Furthermore, stress may lead to eventual burnout, rendering an individual at a significantly higher risk of developing physical health complications. Recommendations include: organisations to address the problem of work-family imbalance, by providing more time off to spend with family and loved ones. v Organisations need to promote and implement internal coping strategies, to assist those who are facing strain to effectively deal with their stress. More support from line managers to employees should be provided, as this will increase their resources in terms of job support, job demand, and job control in their working environment. Also, organisations need to promote teambuilding activities and exercise among their employees. Lastly, organisational policy and government legislation need to be revised in the long term, to provide for individual mental wellbeing, and reduced occupational stress.