<p> The rapid increase of athropogenically-derived CO2 in the atmposphere, during the past century, has been linked to unprecendented global climate change. Forests and various forest management techniques have been proposed as a potential way to help sequester some ofthe atmpospheric CO2. In order to evaluate the CO2 sink potential offorests, a good understanding oftheir carbon dynamics is required over various stages oftheir development and growth. </p> <p> This dissertation reports results of a field study that focused on characterizing and quantifying CO2 emissions from various components of planted white pine (Pinus Strobus L.) forest ecosystems, growing in southern Ontario, Canada. The study site, called the Turkey Point Flux Station (TPFS), consisted offour stands, aged: 70-, 35-, 20-and 7 years-old, as of year 2009. Three major components of ecosystem respiration, Re, were studied using the chamber-method: soil respiration, Rs (both, autotrophic and heterotrophic ), foliar respiration, Rf, and live woody-tissue respiration, Rw. </p> <p> Chamber-based estimates of annual Re across the four different stands were: 1527 ± 137, 1313 ± 137, 2079 ± 293, and 769 ± 46 g C m^(-2) yr^(-1) for the 70-, 35-, 20-, and 7-year-old stands, respectively, and were generally higher compared to literature reported values. Annually Rf accounted for 48, 40, 58, and 31% of Re at the 70-, 35-, 20-, and 7-year-old stands, respectively, and dominated Re during the growing season at the three oldest stands. In contrast, Rs was the dominant Re component at the youngest stand and during the winter months at all four sites. Annually Rs accounted for 44, 40, 29, and 69 % ofRe across the respective TPFS sites. Rw was the smallest component of annual Re, accounting for only 9, 15, 13 and 0.1 % ofRe, respectively. Differences in leaf area indices among the stands were responsible for most ofthe intersite variability in Re, as well as for differences between Re values obtained in this study and those reported in the literature. Results from this study highlight the importance of considering site age and knowledge ofpast land-use history when assessing carbon budgets of afforested or planted ecosystems. They also suggest that Rf may be the more dominant and determinant component ofRe in young to mature afforested stands, which is in contrast to the widely reported Rs dominance of Re in forest ecosystems. </p> <p> Soil respiration was studied in detail across TPFS, as part ofthis dissertation, to determine the driving factors ofits temporal variability, considering seasonal, interannual (3 years ofmeasurements) and decadal (over the TPFS age-sequence) timescales. The range ofRs values across TPFS over the course of three study years was 539 ± 31 to 732 ± 31 g C m^(-2) yr^(-1). In general, annual soil emissions from the oldest stand were higher compared to those from the youngest two stands. However, emissions from the 35-year-old stand were comparable to those from the 20-and 7-year-old stands. Intersite differences in soil emissions were driven mostly by stand physiology, while interannual differences relfected interannual variability in climatic factors, as well as differences in stand physiology that modified the site's microclimates. In particular, results from this study suggest that soil moisture may have a larger effect on the heterotrophic rather than on the rhizospheric component of soil respiration in these forest ecosystems, supporting evidence from other literaturereported studies. Finally, the chamber-based Re values derived in this study were compared with Re values derived from congruent eddy covariance measurements at TPFS. Based on annual totals, Re calculated from chamber measurements overestimated Re calculated from eddy covariance measurements on average by: 18, 75, 24 and 39% at the 70-, 35-, 20-, and 7-year-old stands, respectively. These results highlight the continued need to resolve the discrepancy between the two methodologies used to estimate Re, before measurements from both methods can be used together to make conclusions about the composition of forest carbon budgets. <p> As part of this dissertation, a statistical method of data analysis was used to implement temporal flexibility in the conventional Q10 model, widely used to simulate various Re components of forested ecosystems. The outcome of that analysis highlighted two things: a) for the case of soil respiration, the exponential relationship between Rs and Ts may be limited to the so called "ecologically optimum Ts range" for fine root growth; b) the functional form of the Q10 model is inadequate for simulating the Rs-Ts relationship across a wide range ofTs values, even after the implementation of temporal flexibility into the model, which allowed both of its model parameters to vary. The consequence of the latter result led to the development of a new empirical model -the Gamma model -for use in simulating respiration with temperature. The statistical method and the new emprical model were used to simulate CO2 emissions in this study and to identify additional environmental and physiological factors that explained some of the variability in the individual Re components across TPFS. Thus, temperature was found to be the dominant controlling factor of respiration at all four sites. However, occurrence of precipitation events, vapour pressure deficit, photosynthetically active radiation, the thickness ofthe LFH soil horizon (i.e. litter layer), and soil nutrients, were also shown to explain some ofthe variability ofthe various respiratory components. </p> <p> This dissertation fills some of the gaps in literature on studies of Re component fluxes ofplanted young to mature forests, especially of those growning in the temperate climate of eastern North America, where afforestation and plantations are most likely to occur. The study should be of interest to carbon cycle modellers, field ecologists, the eddy covariance community. It should also be of interest to those involved in forest carbon accounting, management, and policy development, by adding knowledge to our understanding of global carbon cycling and the potential for using afforested sites in global warming mitigation attempts. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (LLM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study will analyse the legal position of the right to strike and the consequences of participating in an unlawful strike. The study will provide a brief practical implication of employees dismissed for participation in an unlawful and/or unprotected strike and the employer’s right to reemploy any employee dismissed for a misconduct relating to unlawful and/or unprotected strike. The study will further make a brief comparison with the labour law position relating to strikes in the United Kingdom (“UK”). At the end provide recommendations on how the law on participation on unlawful and/or unprotected strikes and reemployed of employees dismissed on misconduct relating to participation in an unprotected strike can be developed and improved.

No description available.

In any organisation processes can be seen evolving throughout their lifecycle and play a deciding role in the efficiency of organisational activities. Tender processes are no different and with growing competitiveness and globalisation it has become the responsibility of managerial staff to ensure continuous improvement is applied to processes so organisational goals are consistently met and knowledge, talents and other success factors are institutionalised therein. The objective of this study was to perform an iteration of process re-engineering on the tender process within Tubular Track, so that a tender could be performed more efficiently and more competitively, and be more manageable. The investigation was carried out by means of a literature review and interviews. This was done to establish an accurate baseline from the current process and then re-engineer the system in its entirety. Verification of the investigation method was done through application of the PMBOK proven project management methods, while validation was done by comparison of processes through process improvement methodology principles as relationship. Process improvement and its management is a continuous procedure but because this study only focuses on the design of a new tender process for Tubular Track the conclusion that was made through literature application and comparison was that the newly designed process is expected to improve efficiency, manageability and time to complete. In the final conclusion stage recommendations were also made that re-engineering phases be planned and followed with corresponding risk and change management plans. Training needed for personnel so that implementation would be optimally applied and continuous improvement institutionalised would also need inspecting. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In any organisation processes can be seen evolving throughout their lifecycle and play a deciding role in the efficiency of organisational activities. Tender processes are no different and with growing competitiveness and globalisation it has become the responsibility of managerial staff to ensure continuous improvement is applied to processes so organisational goals are consistently met and knowledge, talents and other success factors are institutionalised therein. The objective of this study was to perform an iteration of process re-engineering on the tender process within Tubular Track, so that a tender could be performed more efficiently and more competitively, and be more manageable. The investigation was carried out by means of a literature review and interviews. This was done to establish an accurate baseline from the current process and then re-engineer the system in its entirety. Verification of the investigation method was done through application of the PMBOK proven project management methods, while validation was done by comparison of processes through process improvement methodology principles as relationship. Process improvement and its management is a continuous procedure but because this study only focuses on the design of a new tender process for Tubular Track the conclusion that was made through literature application and comparison was that the newly designed process is expected to improve efficiency, manageability and time to complete. In the final conclusion stage recommendations were also made that re-engineering phases be planned and followed with corresponding risk and change management plans. Training needed for personnel so that implementation would be optimally applied and continuous improvement institutionalised would also need inspecting. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: MPLS-based recovery is intended to effect rapid and complete restoration of traffic affected by a fault in a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Two MPLS-based recovery models have been proposed: lP re-routing which establishes recovery paths on demand, and protection switching which works with pre-established recovery paths. lP re-routing is robust and frugal since no resources are pre-committed but it is inherently slower than protection switching which is intended to offer high reliability to premium services where fault recovery takes place at the 100 ms time scale. This thesis presents an overview of various recovery techniques and addresses the problem of how to find an in some sense optimal set of pre-established traffic engineered recovery paths, given a network with link capacities and traffic demands. We present and motivate our choice of a nonlinear objective function and optimization method for finding traffic engineered working and recovery paths. A variant of the flow deviation method is used to find and capacitate a set of optimal label switched paths. We present and evaluate two simple methods for computing a set of pre-established traffic engineered recovery paths by using the flow deviation method. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: MPLS-gebaseerde herstel is daarop gemik om verkeer wat deur 'n fout in 'n Multiprotokol Etiketwisseling (Multiprotocol Label Switching) (MPLS) netwerk geaffekteer is, vinnig en volledig te herstel. Twee MPLS-gebaseerde herstelmodelle is voorgestel: Internetprotokol-herroetering (lP rerouting) wat herstelpaaie op aanvraag tot stand bring, en beskermingsoorskakeling (protection switching) wat met voorafbeplande herstelpaaie werk. IP-herroetering is robuust en voordelig aangesien geen netwerkbronne vooraf gereserveer word nie, maar dit is inherent stadiger as beskermingsoorskakeling wat veronderstel is om 'n hoë graad van betroubaarheid aan belangrike dienste te bied waar die herstel van foute in die 100 ms tydskaal plaasvind. Hierdie tesis verskaf 'n oorsig oor verskeie hersteltegnieke en ondersoek die probleem hoe om 'n optimale versameling van voorafbeplande herstelpaaie te vind, gegee 'n netwerk met skakelkapasiteite (link capacities) en verwagte netwerkverkeer. Ons stel voor en motiveer ons keuse van 'n nie-lineêre objekfunksie en optimeringsmetode om verkeersontwerpde (traffic engineered) aktiewe en herstelpaaie te vind. 'n Variant van die vloeideviasie (flow deviation)-metode word gebruik om 'n optimale versameling van etiketwisseling (label switched) paaie te vind en om 'n optimale hoeveelheid kapasiteit aan die paaie toe te ken. Ons stel voor en evalueer twee eenvoudige metodes om 'n versameling van optimale voorafbeplande herstelpaaie te bereken deur die vloeideviasie-metode toe te pas.

I tider av miljöproblem ställs begrepp om natur och vad det innebär på sin spets. Olika uppfattningar vad som är naturligt och vad som är ett miljöproblem har dominerat inte minst klimatdebatten. Utgångspunkten består i den socialkonstruktionistiska tanken om att skapandet av naturen sker i våra tolkningar av den, och inte minst i olika samhällsinstitutioners definierande av den efter egna intressen. Det noteras även att flera av de mest framgångsrika definitionerna av naturen har på senare utgjorts av berättelser i form av spelfilmer och dokumentärer. Mot bakgrund av detta undersöker uppsatsen hur även företag skapar konstruktioner av naturen, och mer specifikt i berättelser om sina produkter. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka hur naturen används av det svenska klädföretaget Houdini för att skapa en intressant berättelse om en produkt. Det empiriska materialet består också av just av två produktberättelser i formen av Youtubefilmer. Frågeställningar som behandlas är hur naturen konstrueras i filmerna, vilken relation dessa konstruktioner har till den marknadsförda produkten, samt hur naturkonstruktioner används som narrativ funktion. Med ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av en rad tidigare identifierade naturkonstruktioner och begrepp som kritiskt undersöker relationen mellan natur och produkt genomförs en semiotisk och en narrativ analys av de två filmerna. Slutsatser inkluderar att naturen porträtteras som ömtålig och problematisk i filmernas anslagsscener, samt att miljöproblem utgör båda filmernas konflikter. Det hot som föreligger mot naturen bäddar också för ett intressant narrativt projekt som Houdini åtar sig i filmerna - att skapa nya kläder som på olika sätt, om än i olika grad, utges lösa problemen. Via kritiska begrepp som semiotisk flexibilitet, naming och re-framing noteras även att naturen används för att ge vissa Houdiniprodukter närmast naturgivna karaktärsdrag i vissa fall. Studien konstaterar slutligen att det tycks finnas relevans för de ställda frågorna i uppsatsens frågeställningar och denna undersökningsdesign skulle vara intressant att applicera på marknadsföring kring andra branscher med kopplingar till naturen, så som turism- och bilindustrin.

Over the last two decades, public sector organisations in the UK have invested heavily on electronic government (E-Government) projects to transform the services offered to citizens. E-government is seen as an enabler that helps public services to become more efficient, transparent, cost effective and accountable. In this respect the implementation of e-government projects have been influenced by private sector thinking borrowed from New Public Management (NPM) principles. However, the evaluation of e-government under the influence of NPM has been primarily focused on economic and technical outputs whereas its value to citizens has been largely ignored. Furthermore, research shows that many e-government projects have failed to deliver the desired outcomes when influenced by NPM principles. Recent studies have emerged that highlights the significance of public value to understand the broader outcomes of e-government services. The aim of this study is to explore the concept of public value and identify the antecedents that affect value and the consequences of value on e-government. To do so, this study develops a conceptual model grounded on Public Value Theory, DeLone and McLean IS Success Model and Means End Chain Theory combining the disciplines of Public Administration, Information Systems and Marketing. The conceptual model was validated through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on online surveys of 705 users of egovernment services in the UK. The findings have highlighted significant theoretical and practical implications for researchers and policy makers. This research highlights that the key dimensions (services, outcome and trust) of public value theory cannot be validated on their own as they are far too abstract in current literature. Therefore, this study verifies that public value can only be validated by drawing from the multiple fields of Public Administration, Information System and Marketing. From a practical perspective, the study offers policy makers a frame of reference to understand the influence of value on the adoption and re-use of e-government services.

This essay searches to examine religious education (RE) in Swedish primary school through a comparison to the teaching of the same subject in Germany. The perspective used is the one of the teacher, and the methods and content of religious teaching have been investigated by interviews and a minor study of the curricula of RE in both nations. The three central concepts of teaching RE, defined by Michael Grimmit, operate as a mould for the findings to be organized after. The purpose is not to investigate the knowledge of religions among pupils, but to compare two different methods of RE, both being used in two secularized North European nations, and how they are practically performed by six teachers. The respondents’ experiences of their mission will be the focal point of the study, but didactics methods of RE have also been an important part of  the literary synthesis as well as of the interviews. A survey of which cathegories of methods were described in the interview will be presented in a chart. The synthesis of the respondents’ reflections suggests that the experience of the professional mission varies between the teachers teaching confessionally and those teaching unconfessionally. The first include in their charge to breed their pupils into the culture and heritage of their religion, and guide them into living within it. The second stress their target as objective founders of knowledge, responsible to offer varying views of the world and society. The collective opinion among the respondents was however that to be able to interact well in a society of multiple religions, the pupils need to reach substantial knowledge of the religions of the world, including other outlooks on life, and develop understanding and tolerance for their neighbours.

This empirical research focuses on exploring the role of strategic leadership in the shift from Electronic Government (eGovernment) to Transformational Government (tGovernment). Despite the fact that many countries have implemented eGovernment, the literature reports a number of themhave failed to reach the promised seamless transformation. Moreover, there is a dearth of research into the domain of tGovernment; the research which exists is limited in extent thus leaving scope for timely and novel research contributions. This thesis reveals that a valuable contribution to knowledge could be derived from exploring the domain of transformational government. The leadership motivationand incentives to conduct a radical government organisational change have become an area of great importance. There is limited research on the strategic role of leadership in achieving transformational government domain; hence, the implications of seamless integration for transformational government have yet to be explored. This research discusses transformational government by using a qualitative, multiple case study research strategy. Data is triangulated and analysed according to its explanatory properties and underlying structural context. This researchextends established norms in literature for tGovernment implementation by incorporating established theories in organisational change from other related disciplines. This is to explain the significance of the underlying philosophical nature of the emerging themes, thus enabling government leaders to create robust strategic proposals for tGovernment. This empirical research is conducted in a Middle Eastern cultural context based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The research arrives at several key findings and themesthat contribute to the body of knowledge. A primary finding is the need for a radical change and an innovative managerial approach in using ICT to enable radical change in government organisations. A related finding of this research is that many assumptions underlying the various tGovernment models for transformation fall short to empirically explain the transformational government domain. The government visionary leadership has been proven to be a powerful driver for change in terms of initiating and leading the process for transformational government.