Published Article / The persistently negative state of food security worldwide has worsened the already compromised nutritional status of marginalised communities in Lesotho, thus highlighting the need to rethink current policies and strategies. This paper aims to reflect on the implementation and management of the food security strategies that have been adopted by the Lesotho government since 2004 in an effort to improve and sustain food security in the country. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst senior government officials working in different ministries tasked with the implementation and management of the government's food security strategies. The survey revealed the lack of a sound knowledge base, proper co-ordination and a communication mechanism amongst different stakeholders, as well as poor commitment of most staff towards the implementation and management of the food security strategies. It thus appears that although food security strategies have been adopted by the government of Lesotho, the implementation and management thereof is ineffective.

The purpose of this study was to explore how a potential model of a tourism industry cluster could be developed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). To undertake this task an extensive literature review of cluster-based economic strategies was done. This was followed by a synopsis of the tourism industry from a global and South African perspective in order to determine issues of competitiveness and their impact on provincial dynamics. The study employed a qualitative research design and focused on the tourism industry in KwaZulu-Natal as a case study. Major stakeholders in the industry were interviewed. The main findings of the study are that KZN has the necessary preconditions for existence of a potential tourism cluster, and these conditions make it ripe for the cluster to be activated and developed. Activating and developing a cluster would bring home major benefits. The study highlighted various tools and mechanisms which could be used to analyse the province’s cluster map, and a model cluster map is also suggested based on contributions from different respondents. Using Porter’s Diamond Model, the competitiveness of the KZN tourism industry was assessed. Overall, it has been found that the province’s tourism industry possesses a mixture of resources and capabilities, which could be capitalised upon to developing the industry in future. However, glaring weaknesses are also exposed, which need to be dealt with urgently. In particular, crime and grime, together with the lack of tourism infrastructure to attract the high-end of the market, are seen as huge liability for the industry. A major contribution of this study is in identifying strategic management challenges that cluster studies have not addressed previously. The study also highlighted important critical success factors for cluster development and the drivers for change. The presence of some of these factors contributes to making the future prospect of the tourism industry in KZN to look bright. The study concludes by recommending that a tourism cluster be activated and developed in KZN and this process be led by an Independent Cluster Facilitator, who must be appointed by the Member of the Executive Committee responsible for Finance and Economic Development in the province in consultation with industry leaders.

This thesis takes a step beyond the current discussion on hybrid competitive strategies (HS) by identifying the underlying mechanisms and common elements of successful hybrid strategies. Reviewing empirical and theoretical literature revealed a significant gap in this respect. Therefore, the activity-based view of strategy is introduced to the discussion on HS. In a first step, four consistent and sustainable HS concepts are developed providing the basis for deriving specific HS models. A second step identifies commonalities among these HS types and theoretically derives a synthesized, common HS model. Thirdly, the critical realist stance was selected for answering this thesis’ research questions addressing consistent HS concepts, implementations, common activities achieving external and internal fit, as well as common capabilities and resources supporting these activities. In a case study approach, semi-structured, open ended interviews combining appreciative and laddering methods are conducted with twelve interviewees from five firms. The separate analysis of ladder elements and ladders allowed distinguishing constitutional from relational elements. Based on this, fourth, an empirically revised research construct is substantiated. This research finds HS firms applying intended and consistent, but mixed strategy concepts based on generating high customer benefits through combining competitive weapons of differentiation and price or total customer cost. Moreover, HS concepts centre on three strategic building blocks: customer centricity, fulfilment of customer needs and employee orientation. Additionally, the research indicates that firms apply activities primarily for achieving fit. While all firms combine both views, no activities are directed to both fit types simultaneously. Activities deploy capabilities and resources in general on two adaptive and two absorptive mechanisms. Several practical implications derive from this thesis. First, firms can apply the synthesized model as a kind of ‘blueprint’ providing orientation for how to combine competitive advantages. Second, policy makers can apply the outcomes as principles steering firms or industries to ‘higher’ levels of performance. Last, firm managers can adapt their own as well as their firm’s behaviour accordingly.

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'Self-study' is a methodological approach that sets out to improve learner and teacher interactions by engaging with problems faced by educators on a daily basis. Through a creative engagement with theory and my on-going experiences as a teacher, employing selfstudy methodology has allowed me to challenge ideas and assumptions that can permeate learning and teaching, including roles, relationships, curricular content and design. This process of unsettling was achieved by drawing attention to the highly contextualised nature of my everyday interactions in relation to my pupils. The notion of context is central to this study and supported me in identifying links between a range of theoretical ideas, including: social constructivism, complexity theory and phenomenology. The connections made at a theoretical level then enabled me to explore my current practice through a period of sustained reflection. As part of this reflective activity, I was motivated to conduct a smallscale intervention in the form of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project with my class of Primary 1 and 2 children. The rich and meaningful knowledge created through an on-going process of walking and reflection, supported me in bringing participatory and enactivist approaches to teaching and learning to life. Engaging in the self-study has, therefore supported me in contributing possible roles and methodologies that express an interpretation of teaching and learning, which engages with learners' localised and on-going experiences, focussed upon the making of their worlds.

Antalet personer som får diagnosen epilepsi ökar för varje år. Med sjukdomen uppkommer problem som varje person ställs inför. För att vuxna personer med diagnosen epilepsi ska kunna hantera sina problem kan de ta hjälp av copingstrategier. Syftet med studien var att undersöka copingstrategier hos vuxna personer med diagnosen epilepsi. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie där artikelsökning, granskning och urval genomfördes på ett strukturerat och systematiskt tillvägagångsätt. Resultatet grundades på åtta vetenskapliga artiklar. Efter analys av artiklarna framkom tre huvudkategorier: Inre copingstrategier, Yttre copingstrategier och Fördelning och användning av copingstrategier. Inre copingstrategier utmynnade i ytterligare två underkategorier: Kontroll över situationen och Kontroll över känslorna. Resultatet visar att de vanligaste copingstrategierna är anpassning, förnekelse och religion. Resultatet visar även på att liknande copingstrategier används i många olika länder och att skillnader går att finna kring olika användning av copingstrategier hos kvinnor respektive män. Ytterligare forskning kring copingstrategier behövs för att förståelsen kring olika copingstrategier i sin tur ska kunna utmynna i bättre omvårdnad för vuxna personer med diagnosen epilepsi. Detta genom att sjuksköterskan lättare ska kunna vägleda och förstå vuxna personer med diagnosen epilepsi. / The number of people who are diagnosed with epilepsy increases each year and what is more each person stricken by the disease also experiences different issues all related to the illness. To be able handle the problems generated from epilepsy they can use different coping strategies. The aim of this study was to examine coping strategies among adults diagnosed with epilepsy and it was made as a literary study where article search, examination and selection was done according to a structural and methodical approach. The result was based upon eight scholarly articles. After an analysis of the articles three main categories emerged: Internalized coping strategy, external coping strategy and allocation and use of coping strategies. Internalized coping strategy gave rise to two additional lower categories: situation-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. The result shows that the most common coping strategies are adaption, denial and religion. Furthermore it is also shown that similar strategies are used among many countries, whereas there is a difference between men and women. Additional research is needed within this field to increase the knowledge about coping strategies among people with epilepsy. The effect of this knowledge is that it will be easier for nurses to guide and understand people diagnosed with epilepsy.

In recent decades, there has been increasing consensus that sustainable urban development is critical to the future of human societies and planetary systems. The effects of population growth and the environmental impacts of human activities are evident around the world, observable not only in the rapid urbanisation of many large cities, but also in small-medium conurbations, rural communities, and even uninhabited areas. For this reason, sustainable urban development is the theme of this licentiate thesis. The thesis focuses on the role of municipal organisations, the ways in which processes to develop strategies and policies addressing urban sustainability are organised, and how other stakeholders participate in such processes. The thesis concludes by presenting a new conceptual framework that aims to inform such strategic processes - the “five factors” influencing strategic planning processes for urban sustainability in municipalities. The five factors concern the capacity of municipalities and others to act for urban sustainability; their mandate to do so; the resources available to them; the scope of their processes and intended outcomes; and their will, individually and collectively, to pursue urban sustainability. The “five factors” concept may aid future analysis of urban sustainability processes, both in planning and implementation. The “five factors” are based upon the findings of the three appended papers and the synthesis of their results in this thesis. The first and second papers present studies of energy and climate strategy planning processes in Swedish municipalities active in a national programme, the Sustainable Municipality (Uthållig kommun). Paper 1 focuses upon the organisation of processes to develop energy and climate strategies, whereas Paper 2 reflects upon the experiences of participating stakeholders in such processes. The two papers build upon existing theoretical frameworks and present empirical data from case studies of five municipalities, based on document studies, interviews and comparative analysis, in order to make conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of variations in the form and composition of energy and climate planning (e.g. that early involvement of stakeholders results in more comprehensive strategies). In contrast, Paper 3 presents analysis of a multidisciplinary sample of academic journal articles addressing “urban sustainability” and published during the period 2011-2012. As such, this paper focuses on how urban sustainability is practiced, observed and represented in academic literature, and considers different issues that arise as a consequence (e.g. a lack of analysis of urban sustainability governance processes in municipalities). Whereas Papers 1 and 2 observe practice, making insights with reference to specific theoretical perspectives, Paper 3 provides overview and identifies wider challenges and opportunities for research on the theme of urban sustainability. Together, the three papers highlight a number of issues that influence the development of municipalities’ strategic work for urban sustainability – the five factors. / På senare år har konsensus att hållbar stadsutveckling är kritisk-för jordens och mänsklighetens framtid vuxit fram. Effekterna av befolkningstillväxten och människors påverkan på miljön syns runt om i världen, och är inte bara märkbar i många stora städer utan även i mindre städer, på landsbygden och till och med i obebodda områden. Därför står i hållbar stadsutveckling i fokus i denna licentiatavhandling.Avhandlingen fokuserar på kommunorganisationens roll i hållbar stadsutveckling och organisering av processerna att utveckla strategier och politik som syftar till hållbar stadsutveckling. Utöver det har även deltagandet av andra aktörer i sådana processer studerats. Avhandlingen avslutas genom att presentera ett nytt begrepp som kan underlätta strategisk planering, nämligen ”de fem faktorerna”.De fem faktorerna är kommuners/aktörers kapacitet att arbeta för hållbar stadsutveckling; deras mandat att driva hållbar stadsutveckling; tillgängliga resurser som får disponeras; processernas omfattning och önskat utfall; och den individuella- och kollektiva viljan att uppnå hållbar stadsutveckling. Femfaktorsbegreppet skulle kunna bidra till framtidsanalys av hållbara stadsutvecklingsprocesser, i såväl planering som genomförande. De fem faktorerna bygger på slutsatser från licenciatsavhandlingens tre artiklar samt en syntes av dessa.Den första och andra artikeln presenterar resultaten från ett forskningsprojekt som granskade processerna kring framtagande av energi- och klimatstrategier i kommuner som deltog i det svenska nationella programmet Uthållig kommun. I första artikeln ligger fokus på organiseringen av processerna, medan erfarenheterna av deltagande intressenter reflekteras över i den andra artikeln. De två artiklarna bygger på befintliga teoretiska ramverk och presenterar en mängd empiri från fem kommuner, som erhållits genom t.ex. dokumentstudier, intervjuer. Utifrån detta harslutsatser dragits kring för- och nackdelar i utformningen av planeringsprocesser för energi- och klimatstrategier, t.ex. att processer som involverar intressenter tidigt även resulterar i strategier som är mer omfattandeI den tredje artikeln presenteras resultaten av en multidisciplinär litteraturundersökning. Vetenskapliga artiklar som handlar om ”hållbar stadsutveckling” och publicerade under perioden 2011-2012 står i fokus. Artikeln syftar till att bättre förstå hur hållbar stadsutveckling tillämpas i praktiken, hur det beaktas, hur det representeras i den akademiska litteraturen, samt vilka effekter som uppstår på grund av denna representation, såsom t.ex. ett brist på analys av governance processer för hållbar stadsutveckling i kommuner. Medan de första artiklarna behandlar praktiken med hänsyn till specifika teoretiska perspektiv, syftar den tredje artikeln till att ge en överblick och identifiera utmaningar och möjligheter inom forskningen för hållbar stadsutveckling. Tillsammans illustrerar de tre artiklarna ett flertal aspekter som påverkar utvecklingen av kommunernas strategiska arbete för hållbar stadsutveckling – de fem faktorerna.

This research examines the implementation of marketing both by chain and online booksellers, and consumer responses to this marketing and a reading of the current trade press revealed calls for research into consumer wants and needs (Watson, 2002; Holman, 2007; Horner, 2007a). While BML (Book Marketing Limited) carries out a valuable range of research into publishing and bookselling on an ongoing basis, nevertheless, both are relatively new research areas, and bookselling is particularly underdeveloped. It would appear that research in the field of bookselling has yet to be examined in an academic context. With specific respect to the development of a comprehensive understanding of consumer responses to bookshop marketing, the research is original, timely and useful, and builds upon the foundations of existing research, as detailed above. The mixed-method approach adopted in this study enhanced the level of triangulation possible, with interviews, surveys and focus groups serving to consolidate and support sets of results. This empirical research has uncovered rich source material from consumers both online and offline, revealing complex responses to traditional and online bookselling environments. Key original findings include: the widespread perception of homogeneity across chain bookshops by consumers; the presence of a coffee shop can enhance the concept of the bookshop as a social space and that consumer behaviour online was found to tend towards linear, goal-oriented book buying, whereas traditional book shopping tends to be much more about browsing, and have a serendipitous quality to it. The research has developed a comprehensive understanding of the approaches to marketing taken by chain booksellers, but more especially, the range of consumer responses and behaviour in both traditional chain and online bookshops. It has built upon the existing scholarly material available in these fields, as well as extending and developing research in the new academic field of bookselling. There is considerable scope for further investigation in both traditional and online bookselling, as outlined in the Conclusions chapter, building on the findings emerging from this research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate English as a second language (ESL) strategies and modify them for use in the art classroom. The goal of this research was to help improve writing skills for English language learners (ELLs). This study utilized collaborative action research to understand teaching practices and develop curriculum for 4th grade students at Texas Elementary School in the Lejana Independent School District. During this study I collaborated with Ana Rivera, the art teacher at Texas Elementary School. Through a semi-structured interview and informal discussions, we developed an art lesson, Creating a Comic Book, which combined writing and drawing activities. Several lesson resources were also created as a result of our collaboration. Data was collected from the semi-structured interview, teacher and student reflections, field notes, and photos of students’ writing and artwork. By identifying academic areas that need support, I was able to draw conclusions and provide suggestions for ESL strategies. The findings of this study indicate that art educators can help improve writing skills for ELLs by utilizing vocabulary development, physical gestures, body language, visuals, and demonstrations. After reviewing a final lesson evaluation and analyzing data, I was able to provide recommendations for other art educators. These recommendations include support for native languages, create connections between home and school, encourage rigorous thinking, and edit student writing. It is my purpose that my research be shared with educators and administrators in the Lejana Independent School District and other professional venues of research dissemination. / text

<p>For technical systems in the electricity and paper and pulpindustries, asset management is emerging as a new approachaddressing how to exploit physical assets with long operativelives in the most profitably way. An important problem forasset management staff is knowing when to carry out areplacement or renewal. This is a difficult question whichrequires taking into consideration parameters of totallydifferent natures–e.g. reliability data, operatingcosts, condition information from technical systems, theenvironment and rules and regulation. An incorrect estimate ofa residual lifetime can result in a premature renewal withaccompanying high capital costs. If, however, renewal isdelayed, a breakdown may occur which can cause major damage totechnical equipment and a loss of income due to outages.</p><p>This work presents a formal model that calculates expectedcosts of different long-term strategies when managing technicalsystems. It is shown that with relatively few inputs, which inmany cases are easy to collect or estimate, a good picture canbe developed that shows the amount of resources a company willneed in the future in terms of renewals of their technicalsystems. The foundation for this work is a case study and aliterature review; the objective was to study what methods andmodels are in use today when estimating residual lifetime oftechnical systems. Also, aspects that influence long-term assetmanagement were investigated. Lessons learned from the casestudy and literature review were then used to develop a dynamicmodel, the Dynamic Lifetime Analysis model (DLA model).</p><p>This model is based on a probabilistic and dynamic riskanalysis of a technical system, linking different aspects ofrisk management strategies to specific characteristics of thephysical system. Furthermore it is shown how this model,coupled with specific value judgments, can be used to designoptimal long-term strategies. When taking more than onetechnical system under consideration the model shows that it isnot always the most effective, from a system viewpoint, torenew it too close to a possible breakdown. If there is aperiod predicted to incur high investment, it can, at times, bebetter to do an early renewal thereby maintaining resources ata constant level. The thesis also describes how to work withlong-term strategic decisions in a structural manner in orderfor the actors on a deregulated market to stay competitive.</p><p><b>Key Words:</b>Residual lifetime estimation, Assetmanagement, Maintenance, Technical systems in power and pulp-and paper industries, Long terms renewal strategies.</p>