Despite increasing philosophical knowledge of disaster planning and preparedness, disasters still remain a challenge in many communities. As a result, communities, environment and economies remain considerably vulnerable and at the risk of disaster destruction hence, sustainable development is undermined. The purpose of this study is to review and assess the state of community readiness in order to prevent and mitigate common hazards in the City of Johannesburg, especially in previously disadvantaged communities such as Protea-South. A survey and interviews was conducted with the local community members. Results show that, this community like many others, is at high risk, due to their living circumstances. e.g. the presence of densely built shacks on a flood plain; poor hygiene and sanitation, pollution, poverty etc. There is therefore a need for a paradigm shift by institutions from emergency response and the provision of hard infrastructure to disaster prevention, preparedness and soft infrastructure provision by means of an approach encompassing collaborative planning.

This dissertation documents the qualitative study that was conducted with the Ambassador Pilot Program team at Thanksgiving Point Institute; a non-profit farm, gardens, and museum complex and informal learning institution; from the summer of 2011 to the fall of 2012. The Ambassador team was tasked to develop an employee training program. Over time the team members were given more freedom to direct their own course and set their own objectives. To the co-directors of the program it seemed the Ambassadors began to embrace some characteristics common to a community of practice (CoP); however, it remained to be seen how the Ambassadors viewed themselves. Therefore, this research study seeks to answer the following research questions: Did this Ambassador team transform into a CoP or at least the beginnings of a CoP? If so, what contributed to this transformation? And if not, what discouraged this transformation from occurring? To what extent did the Ambassadors become a CoP or not? This dissertation is comprised of two articles. The first article is a literature review of applicable CoP and team literatures that investigate the theoretical underpinnings of the question, "Can a team become a CoP?" Thus far, no documented cases have been found in the literature of teams transforming into CoPs. The second article documents the study that was conducted at Thanksgiving Point with the Ambassador team during the Ambassador Pilot Program. Using qualitative methods including interviews, observations, and document analysis, it was observed that the Ambassador team took on many characteristics of a CoP, including becoming a community of learners, sharing a domain of interest, engaging in a common practice, and evolving organically as directed by the Ambassadors and not the senior management at Thanksgiving Point. Appendices of this dissertation include the following: (a) a literature review similar to the first article but with more content; (b) a detailed methodology plan that outlines the qualitative methods, techniques, and standards that were followed to conduct this study; and (c) the interview protocol used during the study.

Gegenstand der Dissertation ist die Verantwortung der Kommunen für die Versorgung der örtlichen Bevölkerung mit Elektrizität: Woraus kann sie hergeleitet werden, welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich aus ihr für die Kommunen und welche Bedeutung kommt hierbei der Kooperation mit der Privatwirtschaft zu? Die in drei Teile gegliederte Arbeit befasst sich in ihrem ersten Teil mit den allgemeinen Grundlagen und der Entwicklung kommunaler Elektrizitätsversorgungsunternehmen. Im zweiten Teil geht es um die gesetzlichen Zielvorgaben in der Elektrizitätswirtschaft und die kommunale Verantwortung für ihr Erreichen. Der dritte Teil schließlich befasst sich mit den Voraussetzungen kooperativer Staatstätigkeit und dem Potenzial der Anwendung von Kooperationsmodellen im Bereich der örtlichen Elektrizitätsversorgung. / The dissertation ist focused on the responsibility of municipalities to supply local populations with electricity: Where can it be derived from, what consequences for municipalities arise from it and what role does the cooperation with private sector have in this context? The thesis is divided into three parts; the first part deals with the basic principles and the development of municipal electric utilities. The second part focuses on both statutory normative targets in the electricity supply industry and the municipality's responsibility to achieve them. Finally, the third part discusses the preconditions of cooperative government activity and the potential of cooperation models for application to local power supply.

Gegenstand der Dissertation ist die Verantwortung der Kommunen für die Versorgung der örtlichen Bevölkerung mit Elektrizität: Woraus kann sie hergeleitet werden, welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich aus ihr für die Kommunen und welche Bedeutung kommt hierbei der Kooperation mit der Privatwirtschaft zu? Die in drei Teile gegliederte Arbeit befasst sich in ihrem ersten Teil mit den allgemeinen Grundlagen und der Entwicklung kommunaler Elektrizitätsversorgungsunternehmen. Im zweiten Teil geht es um die gesetzlichen Zielvorgaben in der Elektrizitätswirtschaft und die kommunale Verantwortung für ihr Erreichen. Der dritte Teil schließlich befasst sich mit den Voraussetzungen kooperativer Staatstätigkeit und dem Potenzial der Anwendung von Kooperationsmodellen im Bereich der örtlichen Elektrizitätsversorgung. / The dissertation ist focused on the responsibility of municipalities to supply local populations with electricity: Where can it be derived from, what consequences for municipalities arise from it and what role does the cooperation with private sector have in this context? The thesis is divided into three parts; the first part deals with the basic principles and the development of municipal electric utilities. The second part focuses on both statutory normative targets in the electricity supply industry and the municipality's responsibility to achieve them. Finally, the third part discusses the preconditions of cooperative government activity and the potential of cooperation models for application to local power supply.