The thesis focuses on development and use of information and communication technologies and their final impact on tourist behaviour in the sector of tourism. First part is dedicated to the theory od tourism in general, it states the main participants, it defines more specifically tourist behaviour from the point of view of consumer, it describes the development of modern technologies that directly or indirectly influence the sector of tourism industry. The target of the practical part of the thesis, using the quantitative research, is to point out on the influence that brings the concrete technology as Internet and its services to his users and in the same time consumers in tourism.

As a way to gain greater insight into the operation of Library and Information Science (LIS) e-learning communities, the presented work applies automated text mining techniques to text-based communication to identify, describe and evaluate underlying social networks within such communities. The main thrust of the study is to find a way to use computers to automatically discover social ties that form between students just from their threaded discussions. Currently, one of the most common but time consuming methods for discovering social ties between people is to ask questions about their perceived social ties via a survey. However, such a survey is difficult to collect due to the high cost associated with data collection and the sensitive nature of the types of questions that must be asked. To overcome these limitations, the paper presents a new, content-based method for automated discovery of social networks from threaded discussions dubbed name networks. When fully developed, name networks can be used as a real time diagnostic tool for educators to evaluate and improve teaching models and to identify students who might need additional help or students who may provide such help to others.

Accepted for publication in Physics World (January 2007) / With the vast majority of scientific papers now available online, this paper (accepted for publication in Physics World) describes how the Web is allowing physicists and information providers to measure more accurately the impact of these papers and their authors. Provides a historical background of citation analysis, impact factor, new citation data sources (e.g., Google Scholar, Scopus, NASA's Astrophysics Data System Abstract Service, MathSciNet, ScienceDirect, SciFinder Scholar, Scitation/SPIN, and SPIRES-HEP), as well as h-index, g-index, and a-index.

This study explored the extent to which using online communication tools helped NAIT (the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) denturist students on third-year practica maintain laboratory and clinical standards of treatment. The inquiry was framed by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, and was conducted from a collaborative constructivist approach with quantitative data used to enhance and support a mainly qualitative design. Results showed that all elements of a CoI were present in the online environment and that participants voluntarily used WebCT communications tools for academic and social interaction. Standards of treatment on practical projects completed by the study group were no different than those of cohorts that did not use communications tools. Modifications to instructional practices made comparison of standards achieved on patient cases unfeasible. Study results informed immediate changes made to the online practicum site, and suggestions for long-term pedagogical changes to denturist practica were made.

This study focuses on the teaching of RE in Zambian multireligious secondary schools. The problem faced in secondary schools is that currently RE is being taught with a single religious approach by the RE teachers instead of using a multireligious perspective as directed by the Ministry of Education (MoE). The aim of this study, therefore, was to find out why RE teachers tend to be reluctant to respond to the MoE directive in applying a multireligious approach to the subject. In order to achieve this aim, an empirical investigation was necessary. A quantitative and qualitative survey through self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews were undertaken by the 194 teachers teaching RE in selected secondary schools in the Copperbelt Province. The research reveals that the RE teachers' reluctance to respond to the Ministry's directive is a result of their different perceptions which are mostly influenced by their religious affiliations and the syllabuses they use. For example, the majority of the RE teachers involved in the teaching of RE in secondary schools are Christians, therefore, they are reluctant to teach RE that also includes non-Christian religions because they feel it would compromise their consciences and their own faiths. As a result, they prefer to teach the subject from a Christian standpoint. This approach differs from the MoE directive to teach RE from a multireligious perspective. In the light of the different perceptions concerning the problem of teaching RE in Zambian multireligious secondary schools, the following recommendations have been made: (i) Since the Zambian secondary schools have become multireligious, RE teaching should take a multireligious perspective if it is to be relevant to the needs of pupils of diverse religious backgrounds; (ii) The current RE syllabuses (2044 and 2046) require a critical evaluation and revision in order to ensure that they adapt to a multireligious tradition. Finally, the results of this study concludes that the teaching of RE should be firmly placed in an educational context by making no assumptions or preconditions from the personal commitment of RE teachers. The role of RE teachers is that of educators. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The diploma thesis deals with electronic commerce. The theoretical part of this work is focused on basic aspects of consumer's protection, consumer organisations and institutions providing advice and information and the rights and obligations of consumers and sellers. It describes the history and current situation of e-commerce, advantages and disadvantages, circumvention of the law when buying over the internet and specific casework. The diploma thesis also briefly informs of marketing research. In the practical part there is a questionnaire survey applied, examining the issue of electronic commerce, experiences of buying over the internet and knowledge of consumer rights. The aim of the research is to summarize collected information that is complemented by measures designed to reduce the negative impacts.

This diploma thesis follows my bachelor thesis in which the mother slang was described. This diploma thesis is aimed at the performance of the mother speech research, i.e. the use of specific expressions and language resources used by mothers of small children in Internet discussions in relevant forums or web pages. The diploma thesis aims at creating a questionnaire and establishing five hypotheses. The first part of the thesis describes the methodology of this research, in the following part there are presented the data obtained by the questionnaire survey. The hypotheses are verified in the following section, and the hypothesis testing procedure is described here. The appendix includes the questionnaire and a table of critical values that specifies the data that are needed for verifying hypotheses.

This study explored the relationship between leadership styles and organisational climate by means of quantitative research. Data from an organisational climate survey was used during the analysis. The results indicate that there was a positive correlation (0,749 at the 0,01 level) between leadership styles and organisational climate, thus supporting the research hypothesis. A standard multiple regression analysis was conducted and three leadership styles were found to predict 55,6% of the variance in organisational climate. The Authoritative leadership style made the largest unique contribution to the variance in organisational climate. The interaction between biographical and organisational variables and leadership styles and organisational climate was studied by means of t-tests and ANOVAs. Although statistically significant differences were found, these terms were of little practical significance and the effect sizes were generally small. The study concludes with recommendations for Industrial and Organisational Psychology practices and further research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Change in today’s business environment may be seen as inevitable however in the absence of a generic and endemic Change Framework for Managing and Leading Change; South African businesses face a difficult task of surviving into the future unless they are able to find an Organisational Change Management Approach that will assist them in navigating the Organisational Change Landscape for the 21st Century. This study provides an exploratory approach to understanding the nature of Organisational Change Management in South Africa, by exploring the following key concepts: (1) An understanding of the nature of Organisational Change Management in South Africa (2) The Critical Success Factors needed for Organisational Change Management to succeed in South Africa (3) The provision of a practical Organisational Change Management Framework and Scorecard for the measurement of Organisational Change Management processes and initiatives (4) Recommendations towards a Organisational Change Management Scorecard The study which is largely qualitative in nature makes use of a multiple case study design methodology for the collection of empirical evidence as well as quantitative research data from a survey questionnaire to support the underlying constructs and research questions posed within the study. The use of data and methodological triangulation, namely research interviews, survey data, company and archival documentation as well as focus group discussion points has provided the research study with the necessary validity and reliability to support research results, findings and recommendations.This information should be utilized by Change Practitioners practicing organisational change within a rapidly transforming environment, where Mergers and Acquisitions are major force for change as it would help to provide the necessary change framework and change scorecard for the management and measurement of organisational change interventions. This study also highlights the Critical Success Factors for change by focusing on the Emotional side (Low impact) and Change Imperatives / Prerequisites (High impact) for the management of organisational change. In addition, the study also provides a first view of some change performance measures in the form of a Change Scorecard, which can be used to assess the overall impact of the current change intervention being implemented. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / DBL

The main goal of the diploma thesis is to find out how the import substeps from China participate in making a price. The import substeps of products classified within the section 7 of the Standard international trade classification are analyzed. Another goal of the thesis is to discover advantages and disadvantages of JV co-operation established in China. The results of partial analyses become the basis of making guidelines for those, who are planning to establish this kind of co-operation in chinese region.