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For several years, businesses and organizations have faced an increasingly volatile environment, marked with challenges such as increased competition, globalized markets, and individualized customer requirements. These challenges are accompanied by many changes in every organizational field. As a response, different concepts have emerged that should enable organizations to master these challenges. Agility is the most recent, but others like flexibility and leanness are mentioned often, too. Many research activities concerning agility and its related concepts have been conducted in the meantime. However, there currently exists no common understanding of what constitutes agility. This makes it difficult for both researcher and practitioner audiences to build upon the insights obtained thus far. On the one hand, researchers are missing a well-founded basis to develop the topic further, while on the other hand, practitioners cannot easily uncover what parts of their organizations have to be changed and in what respect they have to be changed to respond to new market challenges. This is of particular interest for organizations in the software and information technology (IT) service industry. With the appearance of agile software developing methodologies in the early 2000s, or in a broader sense agile values and principles, the advantages of these new approaches became visible. However, it turned out to be difficult to transfer the experienced benefits beyond the team level, though this step is necessary so that the whole organization can benefit from agility. Hence, the report presented here is part of a research project aimed at identifying the structure and components of an agile organization within the software and IT service industry. To fulfill this aim, a survey from a comprehensive organizational perspective has been carried out that was based on a systematic comparison of available agility frameworks. The purpose of this publication is to give an initial comprehensive overview over the collected data. Together with a comprehensive literature review conducted prior to this study, it answers the research questions: "What are potential components of an agile organization?" and "To what extent are these components reflected by the software and IT service industry?"

No final da década de 1960, começaram a circular no cenário acadêmico brasileiro as primeiras notícias a respeito da Gramática Gerativa de Noam Chomsky. A conseqüência desse momento inicial de recepção das idéias lingüísticas norte-americanas foi a formação de um grupo de especialidade que reuniu pesquisadores que se reconheceram como gerativistas e passaram a aplicar teorias e métodos da Gramática Gerativa a dados do português. Esta tese propõe uma reconstrução desse período da história da lingüística brasileira, seguindo métodos e propostas interpretativas da Historiografia Lingüística, a partir de categorias analíticas como programas de investigação, grupos de especialidade, reconstruções externa e interna, formas de argumentação, retóricas de ruptura, continuidades e descontinuidades. / At the end of the 60s, the first news about Noam Chomsky\'s Generative Grammar spread among Brazilian Scholars. The first consequences of these North-American linguistic ideas was the creation of a study group that joined researchers who started applying Generative Grammar theories and its methods to Portuguese language data. This thesis aims at reconstructing this period of Brazilian Linguistics. In order to do so, it proposes the use of Linguistics Historiography, applying analytic categories such as investigation programs, research groups, internal and external reconstructions, argumentation patterns, revolutionary rhetoric, continuity and discontinuity.

No final da década de 1960, começaram a circular no cenário acadêmico brasileiro as primeiras notícias a respeito da Gramática Gerativa de Noam Chomsky. A conseqüência desse momento inicial de recepção das idéias lingüísticas norte-americanas foi a formação de um grupo de especialidade que reuniu pesquisadores que se reconheceram como gerativistas e passaram a aplicar teorias e métodos da Gramática Gerativa a dados do português. Esta tese propõe uma reconstrução desse período da história da lingüística brasileira, seguindo métodos e propostas interpretativas da Historiografia Lingüística, a partir de categorias analíticas como programas de investigação, grupos de especialidade, reconstruções externa e interna, formas de argumentação, retóricas de ruptura, continuidades e descontinuidades. / At the end of the 60s, the first news about Noam Chomsky\'s Generative Grammar spread among Brazilian Scholars. The first consequences of these North-American linguistic ideas was the creation of a study group that joined researchers who started applying Generative Grammar theories and its methods to Portuguese language data. This thesis aims at reconstructing this period of Brazilian Linguistics. In order to do so, it proposes the use of Linguistics Historiography, applying analytic categories such as investigation programs, research groups, internal and external reconstructions, argumentation patterns, revolutionary rhetoric, continuity and discontinuity.

The thesis explores the possibilities for immersion in a First Nation small community whose language survival hinges on the action by the 5% fluent speakers. Curriculum planning is needed at a time when First Nations do not have the resources or experience in teaching their language as a second language and very limited experience with curriculum development and school administration. The author is familiar with the deep emotional desire for effective language programs but the communities cannot find an effective means for truly successful results. The occasional Native teacher searches for methods by learning linguistic strategies or modeling literate classroom lessons. Community leaders face surmounting obstacles while elders pass away with each crucial decade. These obstacles and constraints are not only due to social ills but also to the attempt at developing curriculum with models which do not origninate with the community, the culture, or the language itself. The thesis therefore attempts to find avenues for blending learning strategies of an oral culture and recognizing and validating the culture which embraces the cultural background to the language. The avenues for language revitalization involve ethnographic research which is seen as practical to the community if these are steps toward cultural development. The social issues level is considered as Native language speakers are often adversely effected due to schooling in residential schools. The thesis then concludes the specific needs for the Ditidaht context as concerns community process, as traditional protocol, and as the nature of an effective curriculum (received in generalized concepts from the community interviews). Other First Nation Community strategies are reviewed from many nations throughout Canada and the United States. The Canadian French immersion experience provides a preview into immersion evolution. The research is found necessary for any First Nation community in search of the crucial need for effective second-language curriculum focus.

The measurement of research output is common practice among public institutions internationally, and is increasingly contested and controversial. The term “research” is itself contested and can cover quite a wide range of activities, from carefully designed studies by independent, university-based researchers to analysis of data for particular administrative or political purposes to arguments for specific policy positions that may be more or less well grounded in evidence. Such measurement of research output is needed for decisions about professional staff and resource allocations. Measures of research productivity, covering both quantity and quality at national level, support government decisions on setting priorities and funding. With increasing competitive allocation of research funding and declining public funds for higher education, institutions around the world are facing increasing pressure to produce research outputs. The revenue generated through published research has therefore come to assume greater and greater significance in institutional budgets and in academic reward systems. Moreover, research in public institutions is funded mainly according to the number and quality of publications of members of staff. On the other hand, the growing international trend towards ranking institutions in competitive terms has assigned considerable value to research output as a measure of institutional standing in the global marketplace. What counts as an acceptable unit of measurement therefore becomes the subject of considerable debate within and outside institutions as they seek to enhance institutional standing and revenue. Whilst measurable output such as scientific publications and research reports are usually considered for government subsidy, it is difficult to accept that other output types such as patents, software, advisory work for government, consulting, or technical assistance, are not measurable, and do not have any relevance with respect to research subsidy. This thesis was set out to critically examine the effects that current government policy on the measurement of research output of public higher education institutions will have on the performance of South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The purpose of this study was to trace and explain the differential impact of new government policies on the measurement of institutional research output in four different university faculties. The study has highlighted key challenges facing the universities in implementing the new research subsidy policy; and made recommendations and proposals on how best can the policy be implemented with the view of increasing or improving the institutions’ research output. / Dissertation (M.Ed (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The thesis explores the possibilities for immersion in a First Nation small community whose language survival hinges on the action by the 5% fluent speakers. Curriculum planning is needed at a time when First Nations do not have the resources or experience in teaching their language as a second language and very limited experience with curriculum development and school administration. The author is familiar with the deep emotional desire for effective language programs but the communities cannot find an effective means for truly successful results. The occasional Native teacher searches for methods by learning linguistic strategies or modeling literate classroom lessons. Community leaders face surmounting obstacles while elders pass away with each crucial decade. These obstacles and constraints are not only due to social ills but also to the attempt at developing curriculum with models which do not origninate with the community, the culture, or the language itself. The thesis therefore attempts to find avenues for blending learning strategies of an oral culture and recognizing and validating the culture which embraces the cultural background to the language. The avenues for language revitalization involve ethnographic research which is seen as practical to the community if these are steps toward cultural development. The social issues level is considered as Native language speakers are often adversely effected due to schooling in residential schools. The thesis then concludes the specific needs for the Ditidaht context as concerns community process, as traditional protocol, and as the nature of an effective curriculum (received in generalized concepts from the community interviews). Other First Nation Community strategies are reviewed from many nations throughout Canada and the United States. The Canadian French immersion experience provides a preview into immersion evolution. The research is found necessary for any First Nation community in search of the crucial need for effective second-language curriculum focus. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This dissertation explores the experiences of a psychotherapist in training. Psychotherapeutic training can be described as taxing, because personal change often results from the process, and change can be difficult. This study is an action research enquiry that focused on a living theory methodology. A living theory enquiry strives to find answers to the question of how to improve the practice (in this dissertation, the practice of sychotherapy). In order to find answers to this question, the researcher embarks on a journey of reflective awareness, which highlights whether he or she is able to practise in accordance with his or her personal values. An explicit awareness of both personal and professional values is essential in a living theory enquiry. A living contradiction occurs when a person is unable to consolidate his or her personal and professional values. A living contradiction has a negative impact on a practitioner’s well-being, which may in turn influence how that person practises psychotherapy. This dissertation explores such a living contradiction which the researcher experienced during her training as a psychotherapist. A subtext of the dissertation can be described as the Narrative of a psychotherapist (in training) dealing with personal trauma. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study introduces rapid design ethnography as a research strategy that may be used in design as an alternative to conventional ethnography. It interrogates this strategy by means of a study of the Ghanaian Adinkra symbols. Adinkra is an indigenous graphic language that carries specific cultural narratives that embody proverbs and or poetic messages. In view of this, this study discusses how a collaboration between ethnography (and rapid ethnography) and design can be merged to create appropriate visual communication with specific reference to this indigenous visual vernacular. The study also highlights the evolution of rapid ethnographic techniques in comparison to conventional ethnography, as well as the way that these techniques may be of assistance to both designer and ethnographer. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Visual Arts / MA / Unrestricted

The goal of my thesis is to find out how satisfied are people in young age between 18 and 30 years old with life in Czech Republic and find reasons and factors which can lead them to undergo the labour migration. The first part focuses on goals of the thesis and methods used for its elaboration. The following theoretical part consists of basic terms and theory connected with marketing research, customers‘ satisfaction and labour migration, which create base for practical part. Practical part includes the marketing research, recived data processing, the result of the research and proposals how to improve people’s satisfaction with life in Czech Republic and how to alleviate labour migration as well.