This thesis presents a study of business adaptation strategies employed by small and medium retailers in order to be sustainable in a climate of rapid and significant environmental change in regional Thailand. The study was carried out in Ubon Ratchathani, a large regional city in North Eastern Thailand which shares many of the difficulties encountered by regional businesses in regional Thailand. Changes over the last ten years have been considered in this work and recent strategies adopted by the small and medium retailers have been investigated. Using extensive input from a study group which represented approximately 10% of all small and medium retailers, the study attempts to isolate the successful strategies for the region.

[Abstract]: The traditional approach to training novice programmers has been to provide explicit programming knowledge instruction but to rely on implicit instruction of programming strategies. Studies, reported in literature, have discovered universally poor results on standardised tests for novices studying under this traditional approach.This dissertation describes the explicit integration of programming strategies into instruction and assessment of novice programmers, and the impact of this change ontheir learning outcomes.An initial experiment was used to measure the performance of students studying under a traditional curriculum with implicitly taught programming strategies. Thisexperiment uncovered common flaws in the strategy skills of novices and revealed weaknesses in the curriculum. Incorporation of explicit strategy instruction wasproposed.To validate a model of strategies as being authentic and appropriate for novice instruction, an experiment with experts was conducted. Experts were asked to solvethree problems that a novice would typically be expected to solve at the end of an introductory programming course. Experts‟ solutions were analysed using Goal/PlanAnalysis and it was discovered that experts consistently applied plans, the subalgorithmic strategies suggested by Soloway (1986). It was proposed that plans could be adapted for explicit inclusion in an introductory programming curriculum.Initially a curriculum incorporating explicit strategy instruction was tested in an artificial setting with a small number of volunteers, divided into control andexperimental groups. The control group was taught using a simplified traditional curriculum and the experimental group were exposed to a curriculum which explicitly included programming strategies. Testing revealed that experimental group participants applied plans more than control group participants, who had been expected to learn these strategies implicitly. In interviews, experimental participants used strategy-related terminology and were more confident in the solutions they had created. These results justified a trial of the curriculum in an actual introductory programming course.When explicit instruction of programming strategies was incorporated into an actual introductory programming curriculum, novices achieved superior results whencompared to results from the initial experiment. Novices used strategies significantly more when these strategies were incorporated explicitly into instructional materialsand assessment items.This series of experiments focussed on explicitly teaching specific programming strategies rather than teaching problem-solving more generally. These experimentalresults demonstrate that explicit incorporation of programming strategies may improve outcomes for novices and potentially improve the potential of expertprogrammers in future.

The dual problem space model of writing (Scardamalia, Bereiter and Steinbach, 1984) shows how writers develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by reflecting on problems of substance and problems of presentation in planning a composition. Reflective thought is attributed to a two-way communication between a content problem space and a rhetorical problem space. The content space involves the development of ideas, while the rhetorical space is concerned with achieving various purposes in composition. This thesis reports an instructional experiment comparing alternative approaches to teaching the self-regulatory strategies required for the two-way process of reflection. The experiment compared the dialogue approach of current practice, which relies on the teacher to provide the linking operations between the two problem spaces, with two experimental approaches which promote development of self-regulatory strategies of reflection, so that students are able to sustain such a two-way process independently. The experimental approaches are described as a guided discovery approach proposed by Evans (1991) and an approach described as cognitive apprenticeship developed by Scardamalia, Bereiter and Steinbach (1984). Three instructional programs were prepared by the author to represent the three alternative approaches examined in the present study. The control program utilised the dialogue approach of current practice in which the dialectical process is carried on between teacher and student. The two experimental programs focused on promoting processes of self-questioning rather than questioning by an external agent such as a teacher. The guided discovery program consisted of activities which prompted self-questioning processes. The cognitive apprenticeship program employed scaffolding in the form of procedural facilitation cues to stimulate the self-questioning process. A pre-test and post-test control group design was used involving three groups, two experimental (guided discovery and cognitive apprenticeship) and one control (dialogue), with instructional method as the independent variable and rated reflectiveness of writing as the dependent variable. Instruction was concentrated on teaching the two-way problem formulating and problem solving strategies of the reflective process for opinion essays and factual exposition essays. The experiment compared the effectiveness of programs by measuring changes in overall reflectiveness of writing. Significant improvements were obtained for the experimental teaching methods withrespect to opinion essays. This research provided some support for the hypothesis that instruction which fosters self-regulation of the planning process through processes of reflection results in more reflective writing than instruction in which such regulation is prompted by the teacher.

Occupational stress among teachers is a painful, prevalent and costly phenomenon, one which impacts on individuals, families, schools and wider society. A growing body of evidence suggests that individuals' susceptibility to occupational stress is not determined exclusively by environmental or personality factors, but by the cognitive and behavioural transactions between the individual and potentially stressful events. Two major factors which contribute to individual stress are a person's appraisal of events as threatening or demanding, and the strategies they use in coping with those events. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between experience, stress levels and coping patterns in a group of primary school teachers. Two groups of teachers were surveyed, 'Starters' who were in their first year of teaching and 'Stayers' who had at least 10 years of teaching experience. Stayers were divided, on the basis of their responses, into Low-stress, Moderate-stress and High-stress groups. The aspects of coping which were explored are: 1. The range of coping strategies used by teachers in each group, 2. The frequency of use of those coping strategies for each group, and 3. The coping styles preferred by teachers in each group. The results of this study show no direct connexion between stress level and any of the demographic variables (sex, age, religion, piety, teaching experience, full-time teaching, part-time teaching and time away from teaching). Nor are significant differences found between the coping patterns of more or less experienced and more or less stress teachers. A pattern is suggested by correlational analysis, wherein inexperienced teachers (Starters) and highly-stressed experienced teachers (High-stress Stayers) show the same preference for coping styles. It is hypothesized that this similarity of preference relates to role of control in reducing stress, and that these groups are examples of different stages of adaptation to teaching. Implications for the use of these preferences in detecting teacher stress, and for the inclusion of coping strategies in teacher training are discussed.

This study combined a number of behaviour modification strategies into a programme aimed at changing behaviours of delinquent and acting out children. The programme was used at Duffield Place, a small special school where such children were referred when it was deemed that they could no longer be catered for in their home schools. An examination was made of the five main theories of delinquency (Psychoanalytic, Biological, Conditionability, Sociological and Social Learning) and seven behavioural procedures commonly used with delinquent and acting-out children (systematic adult attention and feedback, token economies, contracting, stimulus change, assertiveness training, time out and generalization training). The first seven children to finish the programme in 1981 were then examined, using a case study approach, to answer two questions - 1. Can acting out and delinquent children be removed from their home schools and be taught various skills that will generalize when they are returned to a home school? 2. Can the. programme be assessed by the staff and consultants working at the centre? Criteria used to evaluate effectiveness were the number of offences involving police contact, whether the child remained in school until he or she was fifteen years old, whether the home school reported a decrease in aggressive/disruptive behaviours and whether there was an increase in measured self-esteem and attainments. Most criteria were met with most children and maintained so the evaluation met the needs of the public schools system. However functional relationships between particular interventions and behaviour changes were not established and evaluation by personnel other than those at the centre would be necessary to establish these relationships. Results from programmes like that at Duffield Place should provide a more complete theoretical basis for working with delinquent and acting-out children.

<p>In a world characterized by increased global competition, and a rapidly changing business environment, companies and organization are forced to continuously reevaluate how they work. Since the first systematic studies of manual labor began during the last century, the focus have changed from a strict control of employees toward looser organizations, increased globalization, and the emergence of HRM-Human Resource Management during the 80’s. Research shows that employee compensation can account for as much as 70-80 percent of companies cost,but also show that the value of a company’s human capital can significantly affect the market value of the company. Studies also show that managers see non-monetary reward and recognition systems as very effective in reaching eight out of ten organizational objectives.</p><p>Another problem facing international companies is establishing themselves in cultures vastly different from their own, in regards to organizational as well as national cultures being different. A company that has been highly regarded and are among the most valued companies in the world is General Electric, which established themselves in Sweden and Umeå when Amersham became GE Healthcare n 2004.</p><p>This background led us to our problem formulation:</p><p>How does GE Healthcare in Umeå use Reward and Recognition strategies and how do their co-workers perceive these strategies with a focus on motivation and jobsatisfaction?</p><p>And our purpose:</p><p>We want to examine potential gaps between evidence and practice on Reward and Recognition Strategies. Furthermore we want to develop and understanding of how co-workers perceive these strategies.</p><p>We have chosen to use a case study to examine GE Healthcare Umeå, and we have interviewed twelve respondents, both managers, white-collar and blue-collar workers. We are using a hermeneutic stance, and our interviews are semi-structured and qualitative in approach. Furthermore we are using an abductive research process in performing our case study. We have chosen to use a theoretical framework based on soft and hard HRM, reward and recognition strategies, and motivation and job satisfaction. We found that GE is highly focused on individual reward and recognition systems, but that they have to some extent adapted to the Swedish collective working culture. GE Healthcare is still in a transition phase in Umeå, and we found that there are some dissatisfaction primarily amongst blue-collar workers with the new organizational structure and culture. Feedback and communication was seen as the most important factor in affecting motivation and job satisfaction, and this was seen as lacking, especially amongst blue-collar workers. We think that this will most likely change over time, as GE’s Session C and EMS systems are implemented throughout the organization and the communication has been further developed. Taking into consideration the loss of perspectives that our anonymity entails and the interest of the topic as such, we think that it would be interesting to conduct a more extensive study of GE Healthcare, two to three years from now.</p>

<p>Setting strategies for an organisation is full of complexities (which strategy or strategic process to use) and these complexities arise from the ambiguous and non-routine processes. This is so because, strategy development is about the future and this future is unknown, as the paths companies follow are dynamic. Due to these complexities, managers tend to embark on knowledge gain through competencies in the management of companies. In order for future managers who have not had organisational experience to understand how strategic management is in real company situation, a case study on the types of market growth strategies and strategy development process in a multinational company is done in this thesis. How these strategies implemented affects market share is also an elaborate part of this study</p><p>This study was done as a case study in Komatsu Forest AB; a multinational company that manufactures forestry machines. In this light, the study sets to identify the market growth strategies implemented by this company, its strategy development process and how the strategies have affected its market share.</p><p>As basis for an empirical research process, a theoretical framework was compiled from existing literatures on market growth strategies and strategy development process, where the strategies were considered both at the business level and corporate level. A deduction research approach was appropriate for the study whereby qualitative empirical data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The interviews were conducted with two employees of the company (Market analyst and the spokesman for the company) who were considered to be knowledgeable in the subject area. This allowed a thorough understanding of particular issues pertaining to the company.</p><p>The analysis of the empirical findings showed that this company implements acquisition, partnership/networks and diversification at the corporate level and high pricing, differentiation at the business level as its market growth strategies. This company develops these strategies through a planned process; meaning that strategies are intended and these strategies have a positive impact on the company as its overall market situation has increased. This study offer some contributions for this company on how some strategic adjustments can be made in order to improve the current market situation and some recommendations for its management in better decision making.</p>

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>The new century has provoked the liberalization of the world economy and market globalization. International marketing has opened the borders for all countries, which can compete with the same competitive tools, increasing the rivalry among them. This</p><p>thesis deals with the wine sector and the changes that this sector has suffered in previous years, due to the entrance of new producer countries and the recession that has been produced by European wines, called “Old World” producers.</p><p>In this study we will make an analysis of the Swedish wine market, describing how the different players act; from consumers to the special system of alcohol distribution that is controlled by the government, all the way to the producers and kinds of wine that</p><p>compose the market.</p><p>Among the different wine producers we will make a thorough study of the Spanish case, given that we come from Spain, where the wine industry has a special relevance. Furthermore, Spain is one of the most important wine exporters to Sweden, but in the last years it has suffered a small decrease in its market share.</p><p>So apart from studying the current situation of the wine sector in Sweden and how consumers perceive the wine of “Old World” countries, such as France, Italy and Spain and “New World” countries, such as Australia, Chile and South Africa, our main objective is to make some strategic recommendations in order to improve the situation</p><p>for Spanish wine.</p><p>The study will focus on a quantitative research through a self completion questionnaire, measuring the main features of wine (quality, price, nationality, etc.) and also on different theories that compose the marketing and strategic fields.</p>

<p>Konflikter finns överallt i samhället, inte minst i organisationer och företag. Att beskriva olika ledares sätt att hantera konfliktsituationer i sitt ledarskap var därför intressant. Syftet med studien var att undersöka ledares upplevelser av ledarskap och sätt att hantera konflikter. Undersökningen baserades på 14 intervjuer med ledare som har personalansvar från både privat och offentlig sektor. Studien är könsmässigt balanserad. En kvalitativ ansats valdes för att få en så rik och beskrivande bild som möjligt. Resultatet visade att ledare agerar utifrån en omedveten strategi för att hantera konflikter. Samtidigt framkom att det fanns paralleller mellan ledarskapstil och sättet att hantera konflikter. En könsaspekt beaktades också i undersökningen. Inga direkta könsskillnader kunde påvisas härvidlag.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Date: May 29, 2008</p><p>Course: Master Thesis (EFO 705)</p><p>Authors: Apiwat Suvagondha 790819</p><p>Pattamaporn Soparat 840216</p><p>Tutor: Tobias Eltebrandt</p><p>Title: Creating marketing strategies for wedding business unit of Amari Atrium Hotel</p><p>Problem: What should be marketing strategies for wedding business unit of Amari Atrium Hotel?</p><p>Purpose: The aim of our thesis is to analyze the wedding market in Bangkok together with consumer purchasing behavior of Thai’s couple regarding to wedding ceremony in order to create the marketing strategies towards marketing mix (7Ps) for wedding business unit of Amari Atrium Hotel.</p><p>Method: This thesis will be mainly focused on the information gathering from the primary data by conducting interviews and questionnaires distribution to gain the insight and in-dept information for this market and very useful for the target audience. Moreover, the researchers realized that the secondary data can give us the general overview for this market. The theoretical framework is based on “Marketing Plan for Service Business” book by Malcolm McDonald. This framework illustrated the outline of marketing planning process for service organizations which consisted of four phases: establishing the strategic context; conducting the situation review; formulating marketing objectives and strategies; allocating budgets and devising a detailed first-year implementation plan. However, the phase of formulating marketing objectives and strategies will be focused.</p><p>Conclusion and Recommendation: As the rapid growth of wedding market in Thailand, many companies would like to take the opportunity to gain the market value. Amari Atrium Hotel is known as the wedding venue provider also would like to be in this market that comes with the new form, providing full wedding service or one stop service. In order to compete with the existing rivalries, the hotel should have sustained marketing objective and strategies toward their target customers. Since the full wedding service is considered as the services development for Amari Atrium Hotel; therefore, the marketing objective is to promote one stop service about value added and benefit of this new service to target audience in order to increase sales volume by 10 percent in one year. Moreover the created marketing strategies are compatible with this marketing objective in order to archive the objective. The specific approach for marketing strategy in each element of the marketing mix will be explained in the recommendation part.</p>