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The hydrological model WATFLOOD and a volume-area scaling relationship are applied to estimate glacier wastage and seasonal Melt contribution to the headwaters of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains from 1975-1998. Wastage is defined as the annual volume of glacier ice melt that exceeds the annual volume of snow accumulation into the glacier system, causing an annual net loss of glacier volume. Melt is defined as the annual volume of glacier ice melt that is equal to, or less than, the annual volume of snow that does not melt from the glacier and instead accumulates into the glacier system. It is proposed that the distinction between these two components of glacier runoff is important in studies of the impact of glacier variations on flow. A comparison of similar glacierised and non-glacierised basin hydrographs shows that glacierised basins have greater specific streamflow in the late summer months of otherwise low flow, and the presence of glaciers in a basin results in a lower coefficient of variation of the July to September and annual streamflow as a result of the natural regulating impact of glaciers on streamflow. Glacier wastage and Melt are estimated from a hydrological-hypsometric comparison of glacierised and non-glacierised basins, mass balance data from Peyto Glacier and the published work of other researchers. The similarity of these results to those from the volume-area scaling approach indicates that this is a suitable method for estimating glacier wastage on a regional scale. Whilst the WATFLOOD results were similar to those from the hydrological-hypsometric approach regionally, there were considerable differences between the estimates of combined glacier wastage and Melt from different methods in the small, highly glacierised Peyto Glacier basin. The WATFLOOD results, and thus the estimates of Melt, are therefore treated with caution and it is proposed that glacier runoff data is collected with which to improve the model calibration, verify results and make uncertainty estimations, currently prevented by the severe lack of data on glaciers in the North and South Saskatchewan River basins.<p> The results show that glacier wastage was smaller than Melt and varied between glaciers, though contributed over 10% to streamflow in a number of basins in the July to September period 1975-1998. Melt was positively correlated with basin glacier cover and contributed over 25% to streamflow from basins with glacier cover as little as 1% in the July to September period. The significance of Melt is manifest in its timing since it is equal to the annual volume of snow that accumulates into the glacier system, the volume of which melts as ice instead of snow thus entering the stream in the later summer months after snowmelt. Future glacier decline is therefore expected to result in an advancement of peak flow towards a snowmelt regime hydrograph, assuming that post glacial basin conditions do not similarly delay snowmelt runoff. The resulting reduced late summer flow, compounded by decreasing wastage contributions, is a concern for agricultural and industrial streamflow users, such as hydropower plants, and threatens ecological habitats. Downstream at Edmonton and Calgary, glacier wastage contributed approximately 3% of streamflow 1975-1998; however, Melt supplied over double this volume of flow thus the concern here is whether reservoir capacities are large enough to store a sufficient volume of the spring peak flow to meet supply needs in the late summer months of decreasing flows.

The hydrological model WATFLOOD and a volume-area scaling relationship are applied to estimate glacier wastage and seasonal Melt contribution to the headwaters of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains from 1975-1998. Wastage is defined as the annual volume of glacier ice melt that exceeds the annual volume of snow accumulation into the glacier system, causing an annual net loss of glacier volume. Melt is defined as the annual volume of glacier ice melt that is equal to, or less than, the annual volume of snow that does not melt from the glacier and instead accumulates into the glacier system. It is proposed that the distinction between these two components of glacier runoff is important in studies of the impact of glacier variations on flow. A comparison of similar glacierised and non-glacierised basin hydrographs shows that glacierised basins have greater specific streamflow in the late summer months of otherwise low flow, and the presence of glaciers in a basin results in a lower coefficient of variation of the July to September and annual streamflow as a result of the natural regulating impact of glaciers on streamflow. Glacier wastage and Melt are estimated from a hydrological-hypsometric comparison of glacierised and non-glacierised basins, mass balance data from Peyto Glacier and the published work of other researchers. The similarity of these results to those from the volume-area scaling approach indicates that this is a suitable method for estimating glacier wastage on a regional scale. Whilst the WATFLOOD results were similar to those from the hydrological-hypsometric approach regionally, there were considerable differences between the estimates of combined glacier wastage and Melt from different methods in the small, highly glacierised Peyto Glacier basin. The WATFLOOD results, and thus the estimates of Melt, are therefore treated with caution and it is proposed that glacier runoff data is collected with which to improve the model calibration, verify results and make uncertainty estimations, currently prevented by the severe lack of data on glaciers in the North and South Saskatchewan River basins.<p> The results show that glacier wastage was smaller than Melt and varied between glaciers, though contributed over 10% to streamflow in a number of basins in the July to September period 1975-1998. Melt was positively correlated with basin glacier cover and contributed over 25% to streamflow from basins with glacier cover as little as 1% in the July to September period. The significance of Melt is manifest in its timing since it is equal to the annual volume of snow that accumulates into the glacier system, the volume of which melts as ice instead of snow thus entering the stream in the later summer months after snowmelt. Future glacier decline is therefore expected to result in an advancement of peak flow towards a snowmelt regime hydrograph, assuming that post glacial basin conditions do not similarly delay snowmelt runoff. The resulting reduced late summer flow, compounded by decreasing wastage contributions, is a concern for agricultural and industrial streamflow users, such as hydropower plants, and threatens ecological habitats. Downstream at Edmonton and Calgary, glacier wastage contributed approximately 3% of streamflow 1975-1998; however, Melt supplied over double this volume of flow thus the concern here is whether reservoir capacities are large enough to store a sufficient volume of the spring peak flow to meet supply needs in the late summer months of decreasing flows.

The nursing shortage in China is more serious than in most developed countries, but the loss of nurses through their voluntarily leaving nursing practice has not attracted much attention in Chinese society. The aim of this study is to add to the understanding of nurses leaving nursing practice in China by exploring the process from recruitment to final exit. The qualitative research method draws on a grounded theory approach, especially the constant comparative method of analysis. The indepth interviews were conducted with 19 nurses who have left clinical care. The selection of the study participants was guided by the principle of theoretical sampling. Two core conceptual categories emerged from leavers’ account of their leaving: “Mismatching Expectations: Individual vs. Organizational” and “Individual Perception of Power”. By illuminating the interrelationship between these two core categories, four nursing behaviour patterns are identified: (1) Voluntary leaving (2) Active staying (3) Adaptive staying (4) Passive staying. These behaviour patterns provide an explanation about why and how nursing wastage occurs. The analysis suggests: (1) the higher the degree of mismatch that the nurses recognised between individual and organizational expectations of nursing and the greater the extent of imbalance of power the individual nurses perceived, the more likely it is that the nurses intend to leave the powerless status of being a clinical nurse within the organization; (2) the more difficult it becomes for the nurses to achieve their individual expectations by exercising nursing autonomy in their nursing career, the more likely it is that they actually empower themselves to leave nursing practice. The study suggests that nursing wastage could be avoided if the individual and organizational expectations of nursing were more aligned, and the individual nurses were able to exercise nursing autonomy in their professional practice and career. Although the findings are limited in studying the current nursing workforce situation in China, the theoretical perspective may contribute to the international debate on nursing employment towards effective nursing workforce management and retention strategies.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Government’s immovable assets are fundamental in achieving its service delivery objectives. If not put to productive uses the welfare of a country, or even its national income, could be reduced significantly. The value for money principle should resonate through effective asset management. “Poor management” of closed school buildings worth millions may be regarded as “financial wastage”. Four case studies reflecting various outcomes of re-use, abandonment and demolition will be reviewed. The application of legislation and policy on government immovable asset management are problematic when schools are closed down. The study focus will be on government immovable asset management and not the reasons for school closures. Literature in this field is very limited. The research findings could add value to the subject field by minimising the chances of a possible repetition of “bad management” of closed schools. Currently in public discourse is the possible closure of 26 schools in the Western Cape. The research could be used as a guiding document for stakeholders, administrators and other research scholars. The research objectives are to formulate a clear understanding on: The Governance of immovable asset management in government; The Responsibility of the different state stakeholders and their interaction on immovable asset management; and The participation of non-state stakeholders. A Qualitative research design is followed. Tools consist of four case studies, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. A literature review and study of applicable legislative and policy documents was done and empirical data analysed. An international best practice model is also discussed. This study has revealed various research findings through the primary and secondary sources collected. Based on these findings specific recommendations are made to the various stakeholders. The wellbeing of all stakeholders and respondents were set above outcomes and objectives that the research could generate.

The thesis deals with the flow of the engagement through the company DIEFFENBACHER - CZ, hydraulické lisy, s. r. o., which produces machines and machine components for woodprocessing industry and hydraulic presses. Flow of a specific engagement is analyzed and deficencies are identified with the use of theoretical background. Subsequently, proposals of elimination of these deficiencies while rendering the whole process more effective are stated.

Background – inventory management theory has in the past been focused on traditional engineering industries. These theories are not completely applicable on industries such as FMCG where the main objective is to avoid obsolescence and not tied-up capital. A part of the FMCG industry that is especially pressured by short shelf lives is the food industry. The food industry has also the disadvantage that the customers demand instant deliveries, which makes production to order impossible. Arla Foods is a dairy company that is struggling with high and increasing wastage costs. The wastage cost is generated from products where last sales date is exceeded and Arla Foods CSE therefore has to trash the products even if the best-before date is still valid. These costs need to be reduced on both short and long term. Hence Arla Foods is perfect as a case company for this study. Purpose – the ulterior purpose of this study is to seek if the current theory is applicable on the food industry. This is investigated through a case study at Arla Foods with the following questions asked: Which factors drives wastage costs at a global dairy company such as Arla Foods? How do the factors relate to each other? Which actions could be taken to reduce the wastage costs at a global dairy company such as Arla Foods? To what extent could these findings be generalizable? Method – a thorough literature study is conducted to create an understanding of the existing theories. The case study is mainly based on interviews and observations with employees at Arla Foods. Data has been extracted from internal data bases and processed to complement the interviews and observations. Conclusion – the case company showed that the most significant wastage drivers on an article level were forecast deviations and batch size/delivery frequency. However, the main wastage drivers at Arla Foods were nothing that could be found in neither supply chain management nor inventory management theory – this was instead problems related to work process, organization, communication and strategy. Suggested solutions to these problems are among others: Going through the worst performing articles’ set-up in a structured way. Making sure that there exists a clear process and that all employees are educated in it. Having a back-up plan on what to do with excessive inventory. Using follow-up reports as tools to take action from. When these problems have been solved, Arla Foods can instead focus on planning principles such as taking steps towards a more integrated collaboration with their customers via Efficient Consumer Response. The findings are not proved to be general in any way, but the conclusion of the report still states that there is a high probability that these findings could be applied on other companies within the food industry in general and within the dairy industry in specific. If this is the case, then it is shown that the current theory lacks several aspects when it comes to food industry – aspects that maybe do not have the same importance within most of the traditional engineering industries. Originality – the literature review conducted before the case study did not show any other case study or research that has made an equally broad overview. Earlier studies have mainly been focused on that the food industry is in need of customized planning principles and systems. That research has in the end advocated implementation of Efficient Consumer Response or similar.

Reducing medication wastage is a paramount objective in promoting appropriate utilisation of finite resources and preventing negative consequences. The aim of this research was to investigate aspects of medication wastage in Malta by applying mixed methods research and, by doing so, contribute original knowledge to this area. A systematic review was conducted to appraise critically, synthesize and present the available evidence on the possible causative factors associated with medication wastage and the effectiveness of any interventions focusing on wastage reduction as an outcome measure. Findings indicated that only one published paper reported a definition of medication wastage. The main factors contributing to wastage were ‘change in medication’, ‘patient's death’, ‘resolution of patient's condition’ and ‘passed expiry date’. Very few studies reported medication wastage as an outcome measure. The Delphi technique was applied to define ‘medication wastage’ and its contributory factors in the context of the Maltese population. A definition for medication wastage was generated with 86% of panellists agreeing/totally agreeing and sixty-one possible factors leading to wastage were identified by the panellists. The perspectives of the Maltese population, healthcare professionals and students on medication wastage were investigated through cross-sectional surveys. Results of questionnaires indicate lack of patient education and knowledge with the free healthcare system and the overstocking of medication by patients due to previous or potential out of stock situations as contributors to medication wastage. The beliefs and behaviours regarding medication wastage of the Maltese public and healthcare professionals were explored during focus groups. The theoretical domains framework was adopted to design the focus group guide and to interpret systematically the findings. Five key themes emerged which were proposed as solutions to minimise medication wastage: system effects, practitioner effects, patients effects, political effects and awareness and educational effects Research results and findings from all four phases will facilitate the systematic development of strategies and policies, with emphasis on prioritisation, with the aim of minimising medication wastage at all levels.

The purpose of this study was to examine some of the interrelationships between innovation in nursing education, professional attitudes and wastage from nursing. Five groups of students who participated in innovative nurse education courses in A.C.T. hospitals in the 1970's were surveyed by a self administered questionnaire which gathered biographical data as well as attitudinal information. Their responses were compared with those of students who had undertaken a traditional nursing course at an A.C.T. hospital in the same period. The findings of this study suggested that the instrument used may provide a better measure of satisfaction with nursing than of professional attitudes. One of the unexpected findings from the survey which suggested the need for further study was that many of those who had undertaken further nursing study indicating apparent commitment to continuing education in a chosen career would not encourage others to enter nursing. Another was that those who indicated greater career choice commitment may in fact be those who felt unable to obtain alternative employment. It was found that innovation in hospital based nurse education courses attracted different people and produced graduates with different attitudes to professional issues,who followed different career pathways compared to graduates of traditional nurse education courses. Innovative courses appear to have attracted older and better qualified entrants and to have increased the likelihood of graduates being promoted. Respondents from the innovative courses showed increased interest in continuing education and Professional Association activity than their control group colleagues. They were more frustated with the traditional role of the nurse as the selfless, dedicated worker and were less commited to their career choice, overall these findings perhaps indicated a level of dissatisfaction with nursing higher in the innovative course graduates than in the control group. These findings may support Brief's contention (1976) that expectations raised during the educational process, if not fulfilled, will lead to wastage. wastage from nursing was intimately linked with dissatisfaction with work conditions in nursing. Those who had permanently left nursing had more frequently left for work related reasons and undertaken non-nursing study than those who had left and returned or who had never left. Those who left for work related reasons were less likley to return and less likely to choose nursing again if given the chance than those who left for other reasons. Findings about the institutionalisation of innovation in nursing education were difficult to identify with certainty, since time lapse alone could explain many of the findings. Attitudes to the Professional Association were more favourabe in respondents from the later intakes into the innovative courses than from the earlier. Given the recent increases in industrial activity in nursing, this finding is consistent with time lapse. Later intakes also demonstrated greater commitment to continuing education than earlier. This too can probably be explained by the greater availability of such facilities in more recent times. In a period of shortages of nurses prepared to work in the health care facilities of Australia, and of changes in the educational preparation of nurses, the findings of this study relating to attitudes and wastage should be used as the basis for future workforce planning.