This thesis is a study of how the Swedish media company MTG Radio has developed new strategies and production practices in relation to technological change, new competition and media convergence during the first decade of the 2000s. During this period the media landscape in general has been marked by digitization, the rise of new media platforms and competition from new media companies. The study engages in an ethnographical perspective on media production, but also takes its starting point in political-economic theories on media work (Banks 2007, Hesmondhalgh & Baker 2011, Ryan 1992) in order to raise questions about the relation between technological and organizational changes and relations of power in production. Empirically, the thesis builds on interviews with production staff as well as an analysis of production documents and content produced by MTG Radio. The analysis shows that digital production technologies contribute to anincreased automation and centralization of control over editorial decisions, and hence to “de-skilling” (Braverman 1974/1999, Örnebring 2010). On the other hand, strategies of multiplatform production and the organizational changes taking place contribute to an “upskilling” (Edgell 2012) and give DJs and presenters more autonomy and control within production. This strengthened autonomy involves their possibilities for reflexivity and critical self-evaluation, as well as their control over content and production. Finally, the thesis connects these results to the more overarching question of alienation, arguing that upskilling and increased autonomy do not automatically create better jobs within the media house, or necessarily represent emancipatory possibilities within media work, as has been argued in previous research and theory.

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The thesis examines challenges museum curators face when outsourced performers – whose role it is to embody the work of other artists – are included in exhibition projects. The research questions are: What are the practical, juridical and ethical challenges that come with situating outsourced performance labour in the museum setting? What does the inclusion of live performance in exhibition projects mean for the role of the museum curator? Two exhibition cases in Stockholm are studied in the thesis: Marina Abramović – The Cleaner (2017) at Moderna Museet and Dora García, I Always Tell the Truth at Bonniers Konsthall (2018–19). The material consists of digital surveys that were sent out to employed performers from each exhibition case as well as interviews that were conducted with both performers and curatorial staff. The material was examined using theories on affective labour and the theoretical notion of de-skilling and re-skilling of acquired competences.  The thesis shows that the practical challenges include the architectural conditions of museum buildings, insufficient prior knowledge on what working with performers entail, short project timespans and limited exhibition budgets. The juridical challenges include a lack of union recommendations for performance in museums and the difficulty of situating reperformances of historical works that in its form and duration may go against national labour regulations. The ethical challenges include commodification of performers’ subjectivity through instances of affective labour and mechanisms of objectification. In turn, both the outsourced performer and the museum curator turned performance curator inhabits a precarious working situation. The role of the performance curator is highly administrational and organisationally tedious in its positioning between curatorship, performing arts production and human resource management. Additionally, it entails a prodigious amount of affective labour in the reproductive mode – of emotional investments, conflict resolution and social liaison.

The aim of my research has been to explore, in the area of probation, the influence of the shift away from traditional social work values towards an emphasis on punishment, enforcement and the management of risk. In particular my focus has been on how this shift has influenced the methods by which practitioners undertake their role, with an increasing focus on risk assessment removing them from the principles engendered within their professional disciplines and further away from an empathetic and meaningful relationship with their clients. I examine the consequences of this shift through the ways in which criminal justice legislation, policy and practice have developed and impacted upon particular categories of offenders. The theoretical orientation of my work involves a dual focus on the deconstruction of the client and the practitioner. The former is redefined from welfare citizen to carrier of risk and criminogenic needs, while the latter is fragmented and deskilled into an operator of routine risk assessment and prediction techniques. I argue that an important outcome of these procedures is the deployment of a concept of 'pre-emptive criminalisation'. My research work, which is the basis of this submission, comprised three components: a comparative study of three mental health White Papers, a research study of the working of OASys (the Offender Assessment System) and a study of the effectiveness of risk assessment in the parole process. The research techniques involved mainly the reading of policy documents and the content analysis of OASys reports. My findings, detailed in my various publications, include an argument that the effectiveness of risk predictions involve precisely the type of high level practitioner skills now being undermined by deskilling and also illustrate the role of such risk predictors in the pre-emptive criminalisation of clients. The thesis concludes with an acknowledgement of the limitations of the type of research I have conducted and suggestions for directions in which it might be further developed.

This research contributes to the study of the journalism by analysing the changes in journalistic practice and news production as a result of digital media and the implications thereof. I critically analyse the role of digital media on news production and journalistic practices and argue that the rise of digital media has significantly changed the roles, practices and structures of the journalistic profession in Nigeria. I also argue that these changes require a practice centred approach to explore changes in perceptions of identity and journalistic labour; attitude towards multi-skilling, working conditions of journalists and the commercialisation of news which have the potential to compromise journalistic performance and the news they produce. A proposed combined approach of Pierre Bourdieu’s Field theory and Howard Becker’s Social Worlds was used. I support Dickinson’s argument that the meso-level analysis offered by field research requires the micro-level analysis of the news world to present a “socially situated, empirically grounded and contextually located” analysis of journalists’ adoption/appropriation of media technologies. To this end, the combined approach provides a more rounded understanding of journalism and news production in Nigeria by presenting a contextual understanding of the socio-cultural and political economic context that shape to the changes that are occurring in the newsrooms in Nigeria. Empirical evidence is drawn from five media organisations in Nigeria (Guardian newspapers, ThisDay, Vanguard, Channels TV and Nigeria Television Authority) to examine these from the perception of journalists. It also argues that the adoption of particular technologies is “socially and culturally determined” and understanding these nuances would contribute to the broader debates on news production and journalism.

Dabarties Lietuvoje vykstant švietimo reformai, mokytojų rengimas, kvalifikacijos tobulinimas ir perkvalifikavimas yra vienas iš svarbiausių uždavinių. Šiandieniniam mokytojui tobulėjimui nėra ribų, tobulintis gali kvalifikacijos tobulinimo kursuose, seminaruose, užsienio stažuotėse, tęstinėse studijose ir aišku, persikvalifikuojant. Pedagogų perkvalifikavimas yra viena iš kvalifikacijos tobulinimo krypčių. Perkvalifikavimas suteikia galimybę įgyti papildomą profesiją, tobulinti įgytus gebėjimus tuo pat metu juos jungti su naujai gautomis žiniomis, dalytis pedagogine patirtimi su kolegomis bei siekti aukštesnės kvalifikacijos. Perkvalifikavimas suvokiamas kaip papildomas mokymasis, per kurį, mokytojas gali įgyti naują diplomą ir pakeisti kryptį profesijos viduje. Tyrimu siekta nustatyti, kaip vyksta mokytojų perkvalifikavimas, kokia yra mokytojų perkvalifikavimo patirtis, išryškinti mokyklos vadovo vaidmenį persikvalifikuojant. Siekta išsiaiškinti, kodėl mokytojai persikvalifikuoja, ar vertina perkvalifikavimo studijas, kaip jų profesinės veiklos sudedamąją dalį, koks jų po��iūris į nuolatinį mokymąsi ir kaip tobulina savo kvalifikaciją, kiek perkvalifikavimas atitinka mokytojų poreikius ir valstybinę švietimo strategiją. / In present Lithuania in pursuance of the reform of education teachers training, in- service training, re-skilling is one of the biggest tasks. A modern-day teacher can improve himself in many ways: clinic, seminars, foreign probationary, continual study or re-skilling. Schoolmasters re-skilling is a trend of the qualification in-service training. Re-skilling gives an opportunity to get a new profession, improve acquired abilities, link them with new knowledge, interchange pedagogical experience and seek the superior qualification. Re-skilling is an additional learning, it is the way of getting a new diploma and changing a direction inside profession. The main intention of the research was to estimate the experience in re-skilling teachers and to ascertain the school head’s role in this process. It’s important to find out why do teachers retrain, do they value retrain study as a component of their work, what is their attitude towards permanent learning, how do they improve their qualification and does re-killing conforms to the teachers demands at the strategy of national education.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / As global and national markets become more competitive, businesses are forced to become more adaptable and the public service is by no means exempt from this phenomenon. Owing to a dynamic and ever-changing work environment, it is necessary for public servant employees to continuously update their knowledge and skills. However, in most organisations, the impact of training and development programmes are undermined. The value placed on increasing knowledge and skills is limited to attending a training programme. As a result, the newly acquired information and competencies are very seldom transferred from the classroom to the workplace and without a definite increase in performance and in service delivery; the contribution of actual learning is questionable. This research study therefore uses the Integrated Integrated Human Resource Administration and Persal (IHRAP) Programme (presented by the Western Cape Provincial Training Institute) to gauge the importance of post training evaluation and the benefits that can be derived from it, both for the department and the employee. In addition, the study evaluates whether the participants of the training programme are able to apply concepts and techniques learned in the classroom. It focuses specifically on human resource employees employed within the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, who is responsible for performing a number of different human resource functions. A survey was conducted amongst the participants of the IHRAP programme using a research questionnaire. After the results of the survey were collected and analysed, the researcher was able to determine where there were gaps in the post training evaluation process. Several recommendations are made to bridge these gaps and in doing so, enable the training programme to have a greater impact on the participants and in the workplace. In addition to evaluating the IHRAP programme, the need for continuous improvement in skills will always be essential, but departments must create the opportunities for participants to exercise these acquired skills effectively.

[pt] A nova política comercial brasileira, seja associada a exercícios de liberalização negociada ou autônoma, impõe a necessidade de avaliar e administrar os eventuais custos associados à nova situação de abertura comercial, sobretudo do ponto de vista do deslocamento do trabalho em setores tradicionalmente protegidos. Neste sentido, a facilitação da mobilidade do trabalho entre firmas e setores é essencial não apenas para mitigar os custos do ajuste, mas também para maximizar os ganhos esperados na produtividade do trabalho. A partir da experiência internacional com programas de ajuste ao comércio e políticas ativas de mercado de trabalho, este estudo visa analisar as opções e formatos de políticas mais adequados à promoção da empregabilidade no contexto da nova política comercial brasileira. Com base na trajetória recente de políticas de requalificação profissional no Brasil, argumenta-se que o movimento de abertura comercial deva ser acompanhado pela priorização de políticas de mercado de trabalho com elegibilidade universal e orientadas à demanda, com resultados positivos comprovados – em particular, através da expansão do Pronatec Setor Produtivo, tornando-o o principal programa nacional de acesso ao ensino técnico e profissional. Ao mitigar os custos laborais do ajuste à abertura comercial, este exercício poderá contribuir para atenuar resistências setoriais ao próprio processo de liberalização. / [en] The new Brazilian trade policy, whether associated with negotiated or autonomous liberalization, imposes the need to evaluate and manage costs associated with the new competitive situation, especially considering the displacement of labor in traditionally protected sectors. In this sense, facilitating labor mobility across firms and sectors is essential not only to mitigate trade adjustment costs, but also to maximize expected gains in labor productivity. Based on international experience with trade adjustment programs and active labor market policies, this study aims to analyze the most appropriate policy options and formats to promote employability in the context of the new Brazilian trade policy. Based on the recent trajectory of vocational and technical training programs in Brazil, it is argued that trade liberalization should be accompanied by the prioritization of demand-driven universal labor market policies, with proven positive outcomes – in particular, through the expansion of Pronatec Productive Sector, making it the main national program for access to technical and vocational education. By mitigating the labor costs of adjusting to trade openness, this exercise may ultimately help to mitigate sectorial resistance to the liberalization process.