The services sector has played an increasingly important role in international trade in recent years. The negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in recent years have initiated a global drive to liberalise services trade. However, this liberalisation process holds many challenges, especially for developing countries that do not have an adequate regulatory system to sufficiently support and promote these new export sectors. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in South Africa recognised a need to undertake scientific research to identify the development and export potential of key services sectors. In the period from 2005 until 2009, the services sector contributed 65% on average to the GDP of South Africa. In 2010, 79% of the labour force in South Africa was employed in the services sector. However, services only contributed 19% to total exports from South Africa in the period from 2005 until 2009 (ITC, 2010a). The largest services export sectors for South Africa over the five–year period were travel (63%), transportation (11%), and business services (9%). This indicates that South Africa?s services exports are mostly concentrated in one sector, namely travel, and this clearly indicates the need for South Africa to diversify exports of services into other sectors. Export promotion is one of the methods that governments can use in order to stimulate the export growth of a country. Given the need to increase and diversify the exports of South African services, this study aimed to investigate the literature in order to establish possible guidelines for the export promotion of services specifically. Export promotion instruments should aim to identify potential export opportunities in order to allocate scarce government resources to the active promotion of the sectors with the highest export potential. In order to aid government with this process, Cuyvers, De Pelsmacker and Roozen (1995) developed a decision support model (DSM) that could determine potential export opportunities for products in Belgium by using a scientifically–based method. This model was adapted for South African products in 2007 and further refined in 2009 and 2010 for the DTI in South Africa. In all cases, the DSM analysis was only applied to products and the services sector was never taken into consideration owing to the data differences and the nature of services. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a similar model for the services sector in South Africa that could identify the sectors and countries with the highest potential for services export diversification. The results of such a model could also be incorporated into a services sector strategy for South Africa. Such a services strategy does not currently exist for South Africa and if the results of this model were incorporated into such a strategy, it would be the first of its kind. The study reviewed the methodology of the DSM for products and found that the methodology of the first two filters could be applied to the available services data in a similar manner. However, owing to the nature of services and the limited availability of data, the third and fourth filters had to be adapted to consider these differences. Therefore, a new model was developed to incorporate the nature of services, and the new model was named the export opportunities model (EOM) for services. A new methodology was developed for the third and fourth filters in the EOM for services. A new cell structure was also constructed to categorise the results of the EOM according to the specific market characteristics, which could be used in export promotion strategies to develop specific promotion instruments for each type of market. The results of the EOM for services on a geographical basis showed that the highest export opportunities for services in South Africa were in Eastern and South–Eastern Asia, followed by the European market. The results also identified specific sectors that have high export potential for South African services. The sectors with the highest export potential are travel, transportation, construction services, communications services and other business services. These results can be incorporated into a services sector export promotion strategy for the DTI in South Africa. The study also compared the results of the DSM for products with the results of the EOM for services, in order to establish guidelines on regional export opportunities for both products and services. The study found that the highest export opportunities were in the Asian and European regions. The DTI in South Africa could use these product/country combinations and services/country combinations to develop specific export promotion instruments and strategies for each region in the world. / Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Denna studie grundar sig i Arbetsmiljöverkets föreskrift om organisatorisk och social arbetsmiljö, AFS 2015:4, som tagits fram i syfte att främja en god arbetsmiljö och förebygga risk för ohälsa. Utifrån de ökande antalet anmälningarna om arbetssjukdom med stress och psykiska påfrestningar som orsak ligger fokus i studien på ohälsosam arbetsbelastning och om det inom kommunen finns kunskaper att förebygga och hantera dessa risker. Syftet har varit undersöka hur kommunen praktiskt arbetar med föreskriften inom tre organisatoriska nivåer och hur de anställda uppfattar sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Fokus låg även på att undersöka hur de anställda är delaktiga i ovanstående arbetsmiljöarbete. Studien utgick från ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med en kvalitativ ansats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. En gruppintervju bestående av två medarbetare som representerade HR-avdelningen och två individuella intervjuer på chefsnivå. På medarbetarnivån genomfördes två gruppintervjuer med tre medarbetare vardera från de avdelningarna som respektive chef leder. Av studien framgår att goda resultat kan uppnås i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön när alla organisatoriska nivåer integrerar frågorna i sitt systematiska arbetsmiljöarbete och upprättar rutiner för att förebygga och hantera ohälsosam arbetsbelastning. Studien bekräftar att socialt stöd, kunskap, kommunikation och delaktighet är viktiga framgångsfaktorer för en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. I diskussionen lyfts vikten av att avsätta tid i syfte att förebygga ohälsa och förslag lyfts om att använda krav/kontroll/stöd-modellen som verktyg att analysera och reflektera kring de anställdas arbetsbelastning. / This study is based on the Swedish work environment authority statute book about organisational and social work environment, AFS 2015:4 provisions, that has been developed to promote a good work environment and prevent risks of ill health. Because of the increasing numbers of work-related ill health due to stress and mental strain, the focus in this study was unhealthy workloads and if there is knowledge in the municipality about preventing and dealing with these risks. The aim was to examine how the municipality practically work with the provision within three organizational levels and how the employees perceive their psychosocial work environment. There were also focus on investigating how employees participate in the above environment work. The study was based on a hermeneutic perspective with a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews. One group interview consisting two employees representing the HR department and two individual interviews at the managerial level. At the employee level, two group interviews were held with three employees from the departments headed by the managers. The outcome of the study shows that good results can be obtained in the psychosocial work environment when all organizational levels integrates these issues in their systematic work environment and establish routines to prevent and dealing with unhealthy workload. The study confirms that social support, knowledge, communication and employee participation are important factors for a healthy psychosocial work environment. The discussion shows the importance of taking time for preventing ill health and suggestions about using the demand/control/support-model as a tool for analysing and reflect over the employee workload.

Syftet med studien var att studera enhetschefers upplevelse av arbetsrelaterad stress, samt hur stressupplevelsen och balansen på deras privatliv varierade. En kvalitativ metod genomfördes med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Utifrån syfte och Karaseks och Theorells krav-kontroll och stödmodell utformades fyra frågeställningar. Sex enhetschefer intervjuades och det insamlade materialet analyserades med hjälp av en deduktiv tematisk analys. De fyra huvudtemana: krav på arbetsplatsen, kontroll över arbetssituationen, vikten av socialt stöd samt balansen mellan arbete och privatliv var förutbestämda utifrån teorin. Det övergripande resultatet visade på att respondenterna upplevde höga krav och låg kontroll på arbetsplatsen. Vidare framkom det att det sociala stödet var av stor vikt i respondenternas arbetssituation. Modellens förutsedda stressupplevelse stämde överens med enhetschefernas faktiska stressupplevelse och balansen mellan arbete och privatliv visade sig vara begränsad. / The purpose of this study was to study unit managers' experience of strenuous work and work-related stress, as well as how the stress experience impacted on their privacy. A qualitative method was carried out using a semi-structured interview guide. Based on the purpose and Karaseks and Theorell's demand-control and support model, four questions were formulated. Six unit managers were interviewed, and the collected material was analyzed using a deduction thematic analysis. The four main themes: workplace requirements, control of the work situation, the importance of social support and the balance between work and privacy were predetermined based on theory. The overall result showed that respondents experienced high demands and a low level of control at the workplace. Results also showed that social support was of great importance in the respondents' work situation. The model's predicted stress experience was in line with the unit managers' actual stress experience and the balance between work and privacy proved to be limited.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-12-20Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:59:01Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 larrubia_cb_me_ilha.pdf: 1490169 bytes, checksum: e5d66416ae597322c58503ce0f43ddd7 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O reservatório da Usina Hidrelétrica Ilha Solteira localiza-se entre os estados de São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais e Goiás inserindo-se na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraná. Este reservatório foi construído com o objetivo de geração de energia, porém, como geralmente ocorre com a maioria dos reservatórios, passou a ser utilizado para múltiplas finalidades. Dentre os usos se destacam o transporte hidroviário, a irrigação, a aquicultura e o lazer. Devido à boa qualidade de suas águas, apresenta uma forte tendência ao aumento das utilizações deste recurso. Considerando que alguns aproveitamentos resultam em impactos e consequentes conflitos relacionados aos interesses de usos do recurso, é de suma importância o desenvolvimento de medidas disciplinadoras que visem à manutenção da qualidade da água. Nesse sentido, a presente proposta objetivou estabelecer uma hierarquia dos principais usos do reservatório considerando critérios econômicos, sociais, operacionais e a qualidade da água. Para tanto, adotou-se um Modelo Multicritério de Apoio à Decisão, onde, com a utilização do método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), as modalidades de uso do reservatório foram priorizadas. De acordo com o constatado no presente estudo, o segmento de recreação e turismo apresentou o melhor desempenho nos critérios avaliados, sendo considerado como prioridade global para a utilização da água do reservatório de Ilha Solteira e de seus afluentes. O uso dos recursos hídricos para irrigação se mostrou interessante, sendo que foi apontado como prioridade em alguns municípios. A aquicultura aparece em terceiro lugar na ordem de prioridade, se destacando tanto em projetos da iniciativa privada como em projetos com investimentos públicos. A região apresentou um baixo uso dos recursos hídricos para o transporte hidroviário, sendo este segmento quase uma exclusividade... / The Ilha Solteira reservoir is located between the States of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Goias, inserted in Paraná's river basin. This reservoir was built with the purpose of power generation, but as it usually happens with most reservoirs, it began to be used for multiple purposes. Among the various uses of the reservoir can be highlighted the navigation, the irrigation, the aquaculture and the recreation. Due to the high quality of its waters, there's a strong intent on increasing the use of this resource, being that some uses result in significant impact and therefore, conflicts of interest arise. It is then of utmost importance the creation of disciplinary measures targeted on maintaining water quality. In that sense, this proposal aims to establish a hierarchy of the main uses of the reservoir, considering the criteria economical, social, operational and the quality of the water. To that end, was adapted a Multi-Criteria Decision Support model, where, using the method of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the uses of the reservoir were prioritized. According to the results of this study, the segment of recreation and tourism showed the best performance on the evaluated criteria and was defined as the global priority concerning the water usage of the reservoir of Ilha Solteira and of their tributaries. The use of water resources for irrigation proved to be interesting, and it was appointed as a priority in some cities. The aquaculture appears in third place in the priority order, standing out so much in projects of the private initiative such as in projects with public investments. The region presented low use of water resources for waterborne transport, being that segment almost exclusiveness of the São Simão-GO city. The usage of the water to supply showed little expression on the cities in the region, however deserves attention for the volume of sewage... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a manufacturing method where components are produced by successively adding material to the product layer by layer, unlike traditional machining where material is subtracted from a workpiece. There are advantages and disadvantages with both methods and it can be a complex problem to determine when one method is preferable to the other. The purpose of this study is to develop a decision support model (DSM) that quickly guides the end user in selecting an appropriate method with regards to production costs. Information is gathered through a literature study and interviews with people working with AM and CNC machining. The model takes into consideration material selection, size, times, quantities, geometric complexity, post-processing and environmental aspects. The DSM was formulated in Microsoft Excel. The difference in costs between each method in relation to quantity and complexity was made and compared to the literature. The AM model is verified with calculations from the Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. The margin of error is low, around two to six percent, when waste material isn’t included in the calculations. Unfortunately, verification of the CNC model hasn’t been performed due to a lack of data, which is therefore recommended as future work. The conclusion of the study is that AM will not replace any existing manufacturing method anytime soon. It is, however, a good complement to the metalworking industry, since small, complex parts with few tolerances benefits from AM. An investigation of existing solutions/services related to the study was also performed with the ambition that the DSM can complement existing solutions. It was found that while there are many services that helps companies with implementing AM through consulting, few provides any software to assist the company. Regarding the question if AM is profitable for certain products, only one software fulfilled that demand, though it didn’t provide any actual costs. The DSM therefore fills a gap among the existing services and software. / Additiv tillverkning (AM), eller 3D-printing, är en tillverkningsmetod där komponenter produceras genom att succesivt addera material till produkten lagervis, till skillnad från skärande bearbetning där material subtraheras från ett arbetsstycke. Det finns fördelar och nackdelar med respektive metod och det kan vara ett komplext problem att avgöra när den ena metoden är att föredra framför den andra. Syftet med denna studie är att utveckla en beslutstödjande modell (DSM) som hjälper användaren välja lämplig metod med avseende på produktionskostnader. Information inhämtas genom en litteraturstudie samt intervjuer med personer som arbetar med AM och skärande bearbetning. Modellen tar hänsyn till material, storlek, tider, geometrisk komplexitet, efterbearbetning och miljöeffekter. Den beslutstödjande modellen skapades i Microsoft Excel. Skillnaden i pris mellan respektive tillverkningsmetod beroende på antal och komplexitet jämfördes mot litteraturstudien. Modellen för AM verifieras med hjälp av kostnadskalkyler från Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. Felmarginalen är förhållandevis låg på cirka två till sex procent när spillmaterial inte tas hänsyn till. Tyvärr har modellen för skärande bearbetning inte verifieras på grund av en brist på data, vilket därför rekommenderas som fortsatt arbete.  Slutsatsen är att AM inte kommer ersätta någon nuvarande tillverkningsmetod. Det är dock ett bra komplement till metallindustrin eftersom små, komplexa komponenter med få toleranskrav gynnas av AM. En undersökning över nuvarande tjänster relaterat till studien genomfördes med ambitionen att utreda om den beslutstödjande modellen kompletterar dessa. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att medan det finns många konsulttjänster som hjälper ett företag implementera AM så är det få som erbjuder någon form av mjukvara. Gällande frågan om AM är lönsam för vissa produkter så var det bara en mjukvara som kunde besvara den, dock utan att visa några kostnader. Den beslutstödjande modellen framtagen i denna studie fyller därmed en funktion bland nuvarande tjänster och mjukvaror.

The globalized world has increased people’s awareness, which has resulted in a higher demand for better quality as well as shorter led times, without increasing the selling price. The fact that companies are actively working with streamlining processes of the existing business can therefore be seen as crucial for its future existence. In this study, a decision support model for the initial part of streamlining projects for warehouses has been developed. The model is based on key theories and methods of efficiency and warehouse layouts. This constitutes the theoretical foundation, for which the six areas of the model were designed. The model is based on a process- and rating structure, in which the six areas were broken down to 12 matrices and 1 summary. In each matrix, the solution methods are rated based on their individual properties against crucial parameters. As support for the model, complementary questions for each area have been developed, to give the user good opportunities to gather necessary information and data. By answering the questions and studying the matrices, the user has a good foundation to select the alternatives that fits the company’s needs. By doing this, the user will be able in a timely manner to identify the most relevant opportunities, and thus also discard those who do not possess the requested features or properties. This study has resulted in a model whose strength lies in its ability to allow companies, at an earlier stage, to allocate resources to the solutions that are relevant and therefore should be examined more closely. This based on the company's situation, goals and needs.

The workplace is an arena that most individuals spend time at. Work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints are problems for the society. Work-related stress has increased in Sweden over the past decades. The aim was to investigate the difference between men and women in work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints among working adults in the Swedish population, and to see if there is a relationship between work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. The author posted an online survey on Facebook and Discord and 95 adults answered the survey. The result showed that there is a relationship between work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. Psychosomatic complaints are more common among those who experience more work-related stress. There were no differences between men and women when it comes to work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. The model Job demand control support model was used in this study. The model is measured with scales such as workload, time pressure and role conflicts. It can be used to see the relationship between job decision latitude and stress indicators. Psychosomatic complaints are more common among those who experience more stress. There are no differences between men and women when it comes to psychosomatic complaints and work-related stress.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka relationen mellan chefens personlighet utifrån femfaktorsmodellen och anställdas arbetsupplevelse utifrån krav-kontroll-stödmodellen när arbete skedde på distans. Pearsons korrelationsanalys genomfördes för att ge en översikt över relationen mellan chefens personlighet och anställdas arbetsupplevelse. Vidare undersöktes hur mycket av chefens personlighet förklarade variationer i anställdas arbetsupplevelse samt om och hur respektive personlighetsdimension predicerade anställdas arbetsupplevelse samt delkategorierna krav, kontroll och stöd. Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) användes för att mäta chefens personlighet. Fem delskalor från QPS Nordic (34+) med koppling till krav-kontroll-stödmodellen användes för att mäta anställdas arbetsupplevelse. Resultaten påvisade signifikanta samband mellan respektive personlighetsdimension och anställdas arbetsupplevelse. 57.9% av variationer i anställdas arbetsupplevelse kunde förklaras av chefens personlighet baserat på femfaktorsmodellen. Samvetsgrannhet var den enda personlighetsdimensionen hos chefen som enskilt hade en signifikant prediktion på anställdas totala arbetsupplevelse och samtliga delkategorier.  Extraversion hos chefen hade en signifikant prediktion på anställdas upplevelse av kontroll. / The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the leader's personality and employees experience of work in a distance context. The study investigated if there was a significant correlation between the leader's personality, based on the five-factory-model, and employees' experience of work, based on the demand-control-support-model. Furthermore, the study explored how much the leader's personality explained the variation in employees' experience of work. Ten Item Personality (TIPI) was used to measure the personality of the boss. Ten questions from QPS Nordic (34+) were used to measure work-experience. The results showed a significant correlation between the leader's personality and distance-workers' experience of work. 57.9% of the variation in the employees' experience of work could be explained by the leader's personality. Concisentiousness was the only dimension that had a significant effect on employees' total experience of work. Extraversion had a significant effect on employees' sense of control.

På senare år har den arbetsrelaterade psykiska ohälsan stått för stora delar av sjukskrivningarna. Man har sett ett mönster mellan långtidssjukskrivningar och de yrkeskategorier som upplevt en ökning mellan psykiska krav och möjligheten för individerna att anpassa sitt egna arbete. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur trafikkonsulenter inom flygsektorn subjektivt upplevt sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö under pandemin. I studien användes QPSNordic som mätverktyg. Totalt var det 82 deltagare som besvarade enkäten, och 72% av de var kvinnor. Studiens resultat jämfördes med QPSNordics referensdata (N=2010) och två separata Pearson korrelationsanalyser genomfördes. Resultatet visade ett positivt signifikant samband mellan socialt stöd och kontroll i arbetet. Medelvärdena i referensdata skiljde sig framförallt åt i skalan ”kontroll av arbetstakt”. Resultaten visade att trafikkonsulenter som upplevde hög grad av socialt stöd också upplevde en hög grad av kontroll i sitt arbete, vilket också stöds i tidigare forskning. / In recent years, work-related mental ill-health has increasingly caused long-time sick leave, and a pattern has been seen, showing increased long-term sick leave for the occupational categories that have increased mental demands and less possibility for employees to control their own work. The purpose of this study was to study how traffic consultants in the aviation industry subjectively experienced their psychosocial work environment during the Covid-19 pandemic. QPSNordic, a questionnaire designed to study psychological, social and organizational working conditions, was used as measurement tool. A total of 82 participants answered the survey, 72% women and 28% men. The results of the study were compared with QPSNordic's reference data (N = 2010), and two separate Pearson correlation analyzes were performed. The results showed a positive significant relationship between social support and individual control of work. The mean values in the reference data differed mainly in the scale range: control of work rate. The results showed that traffic consultants who experienced a high degree of social support also experienced a high degree of control in their work, which corresponds with prior research.

Middle managers have a complex task where it is important to achieve results while at the same time being there for their employees. To succeed in this, a good structure in the work and the right type of support from both management and employees are required. This study aims to investigate how middle managers experience the support that the respective companies provide and how the experiences can be understood based on the JDCS model. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with middle managers at two different businesses. The interviews were transcribed orthographically and then analyzed thematically. The results showed that the support function is central when it comes to handling the high demands that are made, as well as how management forums can contribute to increasing community and collegial support among middle managers. The conclusion that could be drawn was that in order to avoid burdensome work and increase satisfaction, a comprehensive support function is required.