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As a way to broaden its offering Saab Support and Services started to implement a new ERP system in 2009. The main reasons were to be able to handle larger integrated solutions from its customers and achieve synergies between its many programmes; these benefits have only partially been achieved. ERP systems are a subject that has generated a lot of literature which describes how an implementation should be done and what benefits can be had, such as lowered costs, higher auto-mation and better communication. This thesis has attempted to answer what barriers have been present at Saab in the post-implementation phase and what can be done in order to move past these and achieve unrealised benefits. Since there are gaps in the literature regarding the post im-plementation phase an exploratory approach was used in this study with a case being studied at the Support and Services division at Saab. A literature study was performed in parallel with the collec-tion of empirical data in order to let the collected data steer the direction of the research.The three barriers to beneficial use that were identified were lack of vision for continuous improve-ments, lack of formal processes and lack of ease of use. Lack of vision for continuous improvement is a barrier since without it improvement measures will not be aligned and issues will persist. By com-municating common goals and using benchmarks to follow up on those goals improvement can be made and employees can see the importance of the system. The second barrier is lack of formal pro-cesses which has caused bad transparency, creating issues with invoices and resulting in limited knowledge sharing between programmes. By standardising routines they are easier to benchmark it also becomes clearer what issues exist and how they relate to each other. With formalised processes it is easier to assign roles and it becomes easier to understand why data is entered since it is more apparent how it used later on in the process. The last identified barrier is the lack of ease of use of the ERP system. Since the software is difficult to use, training is generally needed in order to be able to use it correctly, but since limited training has been carried out employees still lack a greater un-derstanding of how to adapt it into their workflow effectively. This barrier can be overcome either by further education and training users or by simplifying the interface and improving the usability. By having a well communicated vision, employees can work towards common goals, by standardising processes and simplifying the usability of the ERP system it is easier for new employees to learn, which means that employees can be shared easier within Saab.

The natural landscape of western North America is being destroyed in the search for mineral resources. There is an opportunity for Landscape Architecture to play a role in the remediation of these sites, in which alternate reclamation plans can be proposed. This project is an exploration of industrial design in the early stages of a mine proposal. By analyzing the site as it sits prior to production, careful consideration of existing landscape elements can aid in better placement of waste material. Communication between the mining industry and affected communities allows for contributions to the final site design and the potential for an alternative end land use. Throughout this project I have explored layering the numerous industrial, social and environmental factors involved, and creating a design where these layers are represented in partnership with each other.

By integrating an electrochemical deposition process and a silicon chip manufacturing process, a chemical sensor based on a floating gate field-effect transistor was developed. The sensor was fabricated using the standard 0.35μm CMOS process with minimal post-processing. A pH-sensitive organic polymer was electrochemically deposited on the “pseudo” floating gate extension. This “pseudo” floating gate extension was an external area connected to the floating gate of the testing device. By monitoring the change of the current-voltage characteristics during exposure to the gas phase of the chemical aqueous solution, the sensor was shown to be feasible with a reasonable sensitivity.

In 2004 a post-frame structure with plastered straw bales as an in-fill wall system was built at the University of Manitoba. Load cells installed at the top and bottom of ten eave wall posts were intended to measure the tributary load transferred from the roof structure into the supporting posts. In 2011 wind speed and direction were measured adjacent to the structure and correlated to simultaneous load data. A linear regression model relating load to wind speed within four directional quadrants revealed that load behaviour was inconsistent with design-level loading prescribed by the National Building Code of Canada (2005). A second regression model with both speed and direction as independent variables did not determine any statistically significant relationships. This research concluded that the initial assumptions made in 2004 required additional scrutiny, including the conditions under which the load cells were calibrated, and the structural contribution of the walls’ plastered skins.

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The main theme of the thesis is a discussion of education and social change in the three East Asian societies over the post-war period. The thesis is divided into four sections. The first is a background study. In this section, the social and educational backgrounds of the respective societies are discussed. Special attention is paid to the stress on modernization as a common orientation in social developments. Major concepts and definitions of modernization are discussed and an attempt is made to study the modern development of these societies in the light of modernization theories. The second section is a discussion of education in technological societies. The concepts of industrial, post- industrial and technological societies are discussed in the light of the works of the major social theorists and futurologists. The development of technology and its relationships with education are outlined. Further, the social implications and problems of technological and scientific education are analysed. The third section is a discussion of education in rapidly changing societies. The acceleration of social change in modern societies is traced. Rapid changes in the educational scene of the respective societies are also outlined. The social implications and problems of the rapidity of change and the role and functions of education in face of rapid change are discussed. The fourth section is a discussion of the emergence of credentialism in modern societies and its manifestation in education. Negative aspects of diplomaism, excessive competition and examination systems are discussed. In conclusion, an overall review of the relationships between education and social development is made. There is an analysis of the fundamental educational problems of modem societies, and finally, in this context, a suggestion that the objectives of education should be reconsidered.

The post-glacial history of woodland in North Yorkshire has been studied using a wide variety of sources including existing environmental studies, archaeological data, documentary information, and place-names. A critical approach has been adopted involving comparative studies of the different sources. The environmental and archaeological data available for the prehistoric period are thought to indicate that until the end of the Atlantic climatic period the vegetation of North Yorkshire was primarily environmentally determined, though mesolithic woodland burning may have created-open spaces and encouraged the growth of hazel in the uplands. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age a gradual spread of dense-agrarian settlement and intensive clearance across areas with calcareous soils, and into some drift covered lowlands, is thought to have occurred. This was probably accompanied by pastoral exploitation of the more acidic uplands causing a structural change in some upland woodland reflected by the decline of Tilia. The Iron Age and early Roman period appear to have been a time of widespread clearance, affecting even areas such as the clay lowlands of the Vale of York. Woodland appears to have become restricted to slope and bog refugia at this time. Evidence for a post-Roman woodland recovery is patchy. Secondary woodland appears to have formed principally on steep slopes such as the moorland scarp and gill sides, and around lowland bogs. At the beginning of the medieval period there appears to have been a marked contrast between the largely woodless areas of the Vale of Mowbray and the Wolds, and the remaining areas which were relatively well wooded. With the exception of the eastern fringe of the Pennines, woodpasture appears to have been the dominant form of exploitation in most of the more wooded areas in the early Middle Ages. The expansion of coppice management appears to have been slow, accounting for only a small proportion of documentary references to woodland until the 14th century. After this coppicing appears to have become widespread while many common woodpastures were enclosed or lost their trees. By the mid-nineteenth century common woodpastures were rare, occurring mainly in the Pennine uplands, and plantation accounted for a significant proportion of woodland, particularly in areas with landscape parks. The evidence for distribution and management of woodland over a long time period has facilitated the construction of interpretive models for the influence of environment, economics, and social structure on woodland history. Whilst the interaction between the environment and economic considerations offers a good model for the broad trends in clearance, and woodland distribution, the chronology of the adoption of coppice management requires a more subtle explanation. The expansion of coppice is thought to have been delayed until after the Black Death as a result of a concerted defence of common by the tenantry, which may to a large extent have consisted of freeholders.