Management is a process requiring both an art and a skill in order to be effective in service rendering. In order for managers to be efficient and effective then in their managerial practices, there is a need for a formal management training programme by the organization. On the basis of this, the researcher has selected her subject of study to stress the importance of the development of a management training programme amongst staff officers and area managers within the SANDF Social Work Directorate. The study was conducted amongst staff officers and area managers within the SANDF Social Work Directorate consisting of men and women whose ages varies between thirty and fifty years. The researcher's motivation for choice of subject emanates from the observed difficulties experienced by some of the staff officers and area managers in the performance of some of the managerial tasks assigned to them such as the drawing of a budget. This resulted in the development of interest by the researcher in determining the need for a management training programme amongst staff officers and area managers within the SANDF Social Work Directorate. Literature review regarding the topic of management, needs assessment, management training and management training programme was done. The researcher consulted various sources to obtain the literature. Management functions and the different managerial approaches were explored. Needs assessment with the main focus on various levels of analysis, management training with specific reference to knowledge, skills and attitude, and the management training programme were looked into. A needs assessment for a management training programme questionnaire was administered amongst staff officers and area managers within the SANDF Social Work Directorate. According to the researcher, the findings indicate a definite need for a management training programme amongst staff officers and area managers within the SANDF Social Work Directorate. Through this management training programme, service rendering within the SANDF Social Work Directorate will definitely be enhanced. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The thesis provides a need assessment of towns, schools and local religious congregations that joined the Fairtrade Towns campaign. It is framed into a broad topic beginning with global issues, going through the concept of fair trade to the subject of this research. The author reflects his approach and explains why the system theory and theory of autopoiesis was chosen as an interpretive framework for analysing data. Having regard to the methods, the thesis uses needs assessment approach. Its interpretive possibilities are later used. The author focuses on the formulation of hypotheses before the implementation of qualitative interviews as the main research method. Final hypotheses served as a guide for research. The author performs analysis of available resources and uses his own quantitative data analysis findings that used confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression. Qualitative interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was made. Than aforementioned analyses approaches were used too. The needs of subjects that joined the campaign were found out, described and assessed.

Master of Public Health - MPH / One hundred and fifty two (152) countries in the world can be classified as developing or low-resourced countries (LR Cs) according to the World Bank. 1 In the majority of these countries the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is below $1000. Given these limited resources it stands to reason that there is less money available to spend on healthcare and health research

Many Utah State University (USU) Extension personnel are nearing retirement age. The purpose of this study was to identify professional development needs of Extension professionals and assess USU Extension by evaluating competencies essential to be a successful Extension professional. USU Extension can conduct more beneficial professional development training by using identified high priority competencies and improve the on boarding process for new Extension professionals. With improvements as suggested, the effectiveness of professional development could be enhanced and produce Extension professionals who work more efficiently and are committed to the success of USU Extension.

A large-scale transition to renewable energy sources will become increasingly appealing as the issues of federal regulation, climate change, and decreased fossil fuel energy return on energy investment become more prevalent. Although renewable resources remain a small portion of the nation’s and Utah’s energy portfolio mix, current power purchase agreements indicate an impending boom. Cooperative Extension should play an integral role in the transition to renewable resources on the national, state, and local levels. The purpose of Extension is to provide objective, research-based, and credible information to improve local communities. There is a great opportunity for Extension agents to be trusted experts in educating and assisting farmers, ranchers, and homeowners in transitioning to renewable energy systems. This thesis identified the benefits, barriers, and opportunities for renewable energy outreach in Extension. Data were collected through a nationwide online survey and focus group interviews, in addition to a Utah-based online survey. The nationwide survey and interviews revealed a need and demand for increased renewable energy programming in Extension. This need became further evident after a nationwide inventory discovered that only twenty-two of fifty states have distinct renewable energy departments, programs, or discipline areas. A Utah-based needs assessment revealed that fifty-nine percent of Utah State University (USU) Extension employees agreed that there was a need for a statewide renewable energy specialist. Additionally, more than fifty-five percent of employees agreed that there was an internal and public demand for USU Extension to provide and receive renewable energy information, programs, education, and outreach. The Utah-based survey also revealed differing perceptions of the environmental harmfulness of common energy sources. Different attitudes toward conventional and renewable energy sources demonstrated the need for unbiased, properly messaged delivery of desired renewable energy programs.

Preparing students to be career and work ready is a concern of educators and schools nationwide. Twenty-first century skills prepare students to enter the workforce or higher education with the ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate with others, take the initiative when approached with a task, and use technology to its fullest potential. If students are not learning the skills needed for success, it is because educators and schools are not teaching them. When students possess these skills, they are prepared to work in teams, think critically and creatively about a problem, display leadership and social skills, and communicate effectively with others. The research sought to identify school-based agriculture education teachers perceived knowledge, importance, and ability to teach these 21st -century skills in the classroom. Results showed that agriculture teachers nationwide find 21st -century skills to be important, but they are less knowledgeable and able to teach them. The research concluded that professional development is needed to increase teacher’s knowledge of and ability to teach 21st -century skills. Professional development will allow school-based agricultural education teachers to gain specific and applicable strategies for implementation. With the application of 21st -century skills in the school-based agricultural education classroom, students will become better prepared to enter the workforce or higher education upon graduating high school.

This exploratory study examines documentation practices and processes in ten small non-profit organizations. The objectives of this study were to answer the following two research questions: (1) What organizational needs do small non-profit organizations have that are relevant to technical communication? and (2) How are small 501(c)(3) organizations attempting to meet these needs? Which of these attempted solutions are ineffective? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two people from each organization: the executive director and a volunteer. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed, and grounded theory was used to identify coding categories related to documentation development. Primary findings suggest that interviewees are aware that they need documentation, yet they often postpone developing such documentation until problems develop. The study findings also suggest that interviewees across different nonprofit organizations value documentation for similar reasons. Strategies are provided for technical communicators interested in working with nonprofit organizations, and additional research avenues are identified.

No description available.

Bakgrund: En akutmottagning är en plats där snabba beslut ofta måste tas. Tidigare studier visar att faktorer som påverkar sjuksköterskans arbete med att vårda patienter i livet slut inom akutmottagning är hög arbetsbelastning, svårigheter att stötta närstående och dålig utformning av akuten där möjligheten för avskildhet är liten för döende patienter och deras sörjande närstående. Att påbörja palliativ vård i ett tidigare skede kan minska akuta sjukhusbesök och inläggningar den sista tiden i livet. Vissa diagnoser har ett ojämnt sjukdomsförlopp, det kan då vara svårt att veta när övergången till palliativ vård bör ske, vilket kan leda till att vården kommer i ett sent skede av sjukdomen. Vid upprepade vårdtillfällen på akutsjukhus bör dessa patienter fångas upp och den palliativa vården sättas in.  Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva metoder för att identifiera och bedöma palliativa vårdbehov hos patienter på akutmottagning.  Metod: Litteraturöversikt med 15 inkluderade artiklar. Sökning utfördes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Studierna är av både kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats. Utvalda artiklar granskades, analyserades och sammanställdes till nytt resultat.  Resultat: Genom analysen framkom tre kategorier: Bedömningsverktyg, Bedömning av palliativt vårdbehov utifrån individuell vårdplan och Samarbete mellan enheter. Förslag på olika bedömningsverktyg lyfts fram men även vikten av ett gott samarbete mellan olika enheter, här mellan akutmottagning och palliativ vård. Behov av tidiga samtal med patienter med livsbegränsande sjukdom framkommer.  Slutsats: För att identifiera och bedöma palliativa vårdbehov behövs ett specifikt bedömningsinstrument, kunskap och ett bra teamsamarbete mellan olika enheter. Tillgängliga vårdplaner och patientfullmakter skulle kunna underlätta bedömning och beslut om vidare vård. Sjuksköterskan har en nyckelroll både vid triagering och som länk mellan teamen, men även som förmedlare av kunskap och genom att leda utbildning på avdelningen. / Background: At the emergency room immediate decisions often have to be made. Prior studies show that some of the factors that affect a nurse’s ability to care for patients at the end of their lives in the emergency room include a heavy workload, challenges in supporting and offering seclusion to dying patients and their grieving families due to inefficient design of the emergency facility. Beginning palliative care at an earlier stage can reduce acute hospital visits and hospitalizations in the last period of life. Some diagnoses reveal an uneven course of disease, leading to challenges in knowing when the transition to palliative care should take place. Patients that require repeated visits to emergency rooms should be identified and palliative care should be administered.  Aim: The aim was to describe methods for identifying and assessing palliative care needs in patients in the emergency department.  Method: Literature review with 15 included articles. Search was performed in the databases PubMed and CINAHL. The studies are of both qualitative and quantitative approach. Selected articles were reviewed, analyzed and compiled into new results.  Results: The analysis revealed three categories: Tools for Assessment, Assessment of palliative care needs based on individual care plan and Cooperation between hospital units. Proposals for different assessment tools are emphasized, as well as the importance of sustained cooperation between different units. The need for early consultations with patients experiencing life-limiting illness emerges.  Conclusion: To identify palliative care needs requires specific assessment tools, knowledge and teamwork across different departments. Available care plans and patient authorizations could facilitate assessment and decisions about further care. The nurse plays a key role in triage and as a link between teams, as well as a leader of education and training within the departments.

Bakgrund: Närståendestöd är en av de fyra hörnstenarna för god palliativ vård. Sjuksköterskor inom palliativ vård ska identifiera och bedöma behov hos närstående. Specialistsjuksköterskor inom palliativ vård ska arbeta för utveckling, kvalitetssäkring och implementering av validerade metoder för bedömning av behov. Studier har visat att närstående har behov som sällan bedöms med strukturerade metoder. Enligt de befintliga riktlinjer som finns i Sverige för palliativ vård ska närståendes behov bedömas, men det finns inga rekommenderade metoder.  Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva metoder som sjuksköterskor kan använda för identifiering av närståendes behov.  Metod: En litteraturöversikt har genomförts där både kvantitativa och kvalitativa artiklar har använts i resultatet. Narrativ syntes har använts för att analysera resultaten från artiklarna, med inspiration från guiden av Popay et al. (2006).  Resultat: Fyra instrument för bedömning av närståendes behov har identifierats. Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT), Needs Assessment Tool (NAT), Carer Alert Tool (CAT) och Family Inventory of Needs (FIN). Fyra teman framkom i syntetiseringen: bedömningsinstrumentens användbarhet, bekräftar närstående, öppnar upp för kommunikation samt lyhördhet har betydelse.  Slutsats: Denna litteraturöversikt tillför en översikt över befintliga metoder för att bedöma närståendes behov. Av de fyra instrumenten som identifierades bedömdes CSNAT ha starkast evidens. Regelbunden användning av CSNAT kan bidra till en mer jämlik vård för närstående. Bedömningen med CSNAT skulle även medföra att aktuella riktlinjer för närståendestöd inom palliativ vård följs. / Background: In palliative care there are four cornerstones, one of them is support of the next of kin. Nurses in palliative care should identify and assess the needs of next of kin. Specialized nurses in palliative care should work for the development, quality assurance and implementation of validated methods for assessing needs. Studies have shown that next of kin have needs that are rarely assessed with structured methods. According to the existing guidelines in Sweden for palliative care, the needs of next of kin must be assessed, but there are no recommended methods.  Aim: The aim was to describe methods that nurses can use to identify the needs of next of kin.  Method: A literature review has been carried out where both quantitative and qualitative articles have been used in the result. Narrative synthesis has been used to analyze the results from the articles, with inspiration from the guide by Popay et al. (2006). Results: Four instruments for assessing the needs of next of kin have been identified. Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT), Needs Assessment Tool (NAT), Carer Alert Tool (CAT) and Family Inventory of Needs (FIN). Four themes emerged in the synthesis: The usefulness of the assessment instruments, confirms next of kin, opens up for communication and sensitivity matters.  Conclusion: This literature review provides an overview of existing methods for assessing the needs of next of kin. Of the four instruments identified, CSNAT was estimated to have the strongest evidence. Regular use of CSNAT can contribute to a more equal care for next of kin. The assessment with CSNAT would also mean that current guidelines for support of next of kin in palliative care are followed.