Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Work place change'

Forskning har visat att vilken typ av kontorsmiljö ett företag har påverkar medarbetarnas välmående och arbetstillfredsställelse. Det har även påvisats ett samband mellan arbetstillfredsställelse och de anställdas produktivitet. Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för hur införandet av ett aktivitetsbaserat kontor kan upplevas av de berörda medarbetarna och hur de upplever att deras arbetssätt, arbetstillfredsställelse och produktivitet förändrats. I aktivitetsbaserade kontor är alla arbetsplatser gemensamma och medarbetarna väljer arbetsplats beroende på typ av arbetsuppgift. Studien är utförd på ett stort industriföretag i Västsverige som infört aktivitetsbaserat arbetssätt. Datainsamlingen skedde genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med 10 tjänstemän vilka bestod av lika många män som kvinnor. Analysen gjordes genom en deduktiv innehållsanalys. Införandet av aktivitetsbaserat kontor har resulterat i ökad kommunikation och ökat samarbete mellan avdelningar och medarbetare. Medarbetarna upplever lika eller en ökad arbetstillfredsställelse och produktivitet i den nya miljön. Författaren upplever införandet av aktivitetsbaserat kontor som framgångsrikt.

This study explored employees' perceptions of organisational change as a stressor within a public sector work place undergoing significant change. A number of major stress-producing factors in that environment were examined and data collected of employees' perceptions of the nature of stress, changes in health status and data gathered of stress-related compensation claims. Data was also collected of employees' perceptions of effective strategies for coping with change from an individual and organisational perspective. The research design was a case study with embedded units of analysis incorporating elements of quantitative analysis. The method was chosen to flesh out the limited choices offered by many standard questionnaires. A case study approach and various categories of stress-related factors were selected measures to evaluate the perceived effects of work place change on stress levels. The eight females and three males, aged 27�50 were each interviewed for an hour for their perceptions of stress and reports of stress related illness, relationship changes and other reported changes�diet, sleep, heart disease, asthma, anxiety and headaches. Workplace changes to the Division were analysed, Departmental claims officers were interviewed and Comcare data analysed. Results show participants appeared to feel or experience "stress" in a way which they distinguished as different from feelings or experiences which were nonstressful states and they appeared able to separate these states and ascribe to each particular qualities. They also seemed able to identify that the stressful state occurred in response to some form of demands. Some subjects (36%) reported developing strategies for managing their stress. The majority of subjects (82%) believed work place change was inevitable and a number of subjects (45%) reported they believed implementation of change to be poorly managed, while some subjects (36%) perceived change impacting negatively on the work place. On the basis of the results, it would appear that a human resource management framework may enable more successful implementation of change in public sector organisations.

This thesis draws upon poststructuralist theory, case study methodology, and multiple research methods to explore children’s representations of distant places, particularly African places such as Ghana. It investigates the ways in which a particular group of children’s representations of Ghana can be understood as exemplifying an ‘exoticist’ way of thinking explored by Edward Said in his seminal studies Orientalism (1978) and Culture and Imperialism (1993), and it explores how and to what extent these representations shifted over the course of a unit of geography teaching on Ghana. The research agenda presented here thus focuses (as Said puts it) on the ‘ideas, ... forms, ... images and imaginings’ of contemporary geographies of otherness, and considers geography education furthermore as a form of ‘struggle over geography’ in which different approaches to distant places come into contact, with some approaches becoming more dominant than others. The findings from this thesis therefore help to illuminate contemporary challenges in geographical education regarding distant places, and African distant places in particular.

Strengthening the safety culture with the aim to build safe and healthy workplaces is in focus for many organizations. Safety and health is affected by various factors as for example systematic safety management, management focus, an informed culture, participation, involvement, social processes and empowerment. The studied mining company Boliden have had an extensive safety culture project at one of the units, the concentrator in Garpenberg. The aim of this study was to find out what activities and methods the unit has implemented and which of these that seem to have the greatest influence on improving the safety culture. There are few studies giving managers and organizations more of practical guidance and previous studies of safety culture in the mining industry is also rare. This qualitative study was conducted through analysis of company documents, participative observation and interviews. The result showed employees perception of a strengthened safety culture with changed safety behaviours, ownership in the organization, confidence to give feedback and entrepreneurs on track with safety. The project was also perceived to have led to stress in the organization, with lack of resources partly affected by the time taken to participate. The accident rate has also been decreased, from several accidents with absence per year, to 490 days without accidents with absence. The result also showed that the most influential factors seems to be the safety and health management system that is fully integrated with production and quality, the visualization on whiteboards, the daily steering meetings and the communication coming from them, the management clear safety focus, the unit’s teamwork with behaviours and values and the broad and continuing participation. Improvement suggestions from the interviewees were both more standardization and instructions but also that too detailed instructions are perceived negative, the analyse is that it can hinder creativity. Other suggestions were stepwise implementation and a wish for more time to stabilize the result of the project. A conclusion from the study is that the safety culture project seems to have made a great effect at the unit, strengthening the safety culture. An overall conclusion is that the unit seems to have both a system and a cultural approach, with the somewhat unique and innovative health and safety management system that govern for a systematic and sustainable way of working, with integrated reminders of safety behaviours. This may be the core affecting factor of what seems to have been a very successful project.
Att stärka säkerhetskulturen med målet att bygga säkra och hälsosamma arbetsplatser är i fokus för många organisationer. Säkerhet och hälsa påverkas av olika faktorer som till exempel systematisk säkerhetsarbete, fokus hos chefer och ledare, en informerad kultur, delaktighet, involvering, sociala processer och delegerat ansvar. Det studerade gruvbolaget Boliden har haft ett omfattande säkerhetskulturprojekt på en av enheterna, anrikningsverket i Garpenberg. Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på vilka aktiviteter och metoder som enheten har genomfört och vilka av dessa som verkar ha störst påverkan på en förstärkt säkerhetskultur. Det finns få studier som ger chefer och organisationer mer av en praktisk vägledning och tidigare studier av säkerhetskultur i gruvindustrin är också sällsynta. Denna kvalitativa studie genomfördes med analys av företagsdokument, deltagande observationer och intervjuer. Resultatet visade medarbetarnas upplevelse kring en stärkt säkerhetskultur med förändrade säkerhetsbeteenden, ägarskap i organisationen, trygghet att ge feedback och att entreprenörerna medverkar i säkerhetsarbetet. Projektet uppfattas också ha lett till stress i organisationen, med brist på resurser som delvis påverkas av den tid det tar att vara delaktig. Olycksstatistiken har också minskat, från flera olyckor med frånvaro per år, till 490 dagar utan olyckor med frånvaro. Resultatet visade också att de mest påverkande faktorerna verkar vara arbetsmiljöledningssystemet som är fullt integrerat med produktion och kvalitet, visualiseringen på whiteboards, de dagliga styrmötena och kommunikationen runt dessa, ledningens tydliga säkerhetsfokus, arbetet i grupperna kring beteenden och värderingar samt den breda och löpande delaktigheten. Förbättringsförslag från de intervjuade var både mer standardisering och instruktioner men också att för mycket detaljerade instruktioner upplevs negativt och kan minska den egna kreativiteten. Andra förslag var att gradvis implementera förändringarna och också en önskan om mer tid att stabilisera resultatet av projektet. En slutsats från studien är att säkerhetskulturprojektet verkar ha gjort stor effekt på enheten och stärkt säkerhetskulturen. En övergripande slutsats är att enheten har både ett system- och ett kulturellt angreppssätt, med det något unika och innovativa arbetsmiljöledningssystemet som ger ett systematiskt och hållbart sätt att arbeta med integrerade påminnelser om säkerhetsbeteenden. Detta kan vara det som haft störst bidrag till vad som verkar ha varit ett mycket framgångsrikt projekt.

Review ofDownside UP: How Art Can Change the Spirit of a Place. Produced and directed by Nancy Kelly. 56 min. New Day Films, 2002. Videocassette. http://www.newday.com (888)367-9154 (toll free). $95-$250.

The rapid growth of Louisiana's coastal restoration science and technology assets is paralleled by the growth of business resources to fulfill myriad project needs. Many institutions and organizations in Louisiana seek to further develop the state's research, education, engineering and related restoration assets into a globally competitive set of industries with exportable expertise and products that help the state capitalize on its water challenges. Globally, similar efforts are identified (and often branded) as water technology innovation clusters (or more simply water clusters). This paper explores the phenomenon of the development of water clusters by public-private partnerships and initiatives, nationally and internationally, in a comparative analysis with Louisiana.

The study examined minority persons’ views and experiences with Child Protective Services (CPS) in the community. This study used a qualitative design with face‑to‑face interviews with 12 participants in the community. This study used the “Post‑Positivist” data analysis, which is qualitative in evaluation and explained each participant’s subjective reality. The study found that most participants were satisfied with the results and were dissatisfied with the process in and of itself. Overall the study found that most participants felt that there was some sort of a disconnect with social workers in reference to cultural competency. Miscommunication between the social workers at agencies and parents could have played a significant role in why participants had these experiences. However, most participants felt that the agency helped with services that ultimately left the participants feeling a sense of awareness about the purpose of the agency. The study suggests that implementing a program that would allow the community to be informed of all the programs that Child Protective Services can provide be critical in aiding and empowering the members of the community and in helping reduce CPS caseloads significantly.

This study constructs themes and propositions about the experiences of youth participants in the fall 2013 Food Landscapes program at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the program, youth participated in cooking-based volunteerism with adults with disabilities and created short videos about their experiences. In this study, I analyzed pre- and post-program participant interviews, twice-weekly program observations, and facilitator reflections to understand how Food Landscapes affected youths’ conception of community engagement and communication strategies. This case study offers insight into how youth experience after-school programming of this design. Based on my findings, youth develop and rely upon a sense of togetherness in out-of-school programs. Togetherness as a bridge to commitment strengthens participation. Individually, youth need to form personal connections to and/or empathy with the content areas of the program in order to derive meaning, critically reflect, and problem solve. Furthermore, the youth articulated their perceptions of the community and the program by developing, organizing, and voicing their ideas of cooking/food, volunteering, and art making. By sharing research about the experiences of youth in after-school programming, organizations and educators can better construct, facilitate, and sustain youth participation and engagement.

As the impacts from anthropogenic climate change are felt around the globe, people are increasingly exposed to changes in weather, temperature, wildlife and vegetation patterns, and water and food quality and availability. These changes impact human health and well-being, and resultantly, climate change has been identified as the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century. Recently, the mental health impacts emerging from these changes are gaining increasing attention globally. Research indicates that changes in climate and environment, and the subsequent disruption to the social, economic, and environmental determinants of mental health, are causing increased incidences of mental health issues, emotional responses, and large-scale socio-psychological changes. Inuit in Northern Canada have been experiencing the most rapid climatic and environmental changes on the planet: increased seasonal temperatures; decreased snow and ice quality, stability, and extent; melting permafrost; decreased water levels in ponds and brooks; increased frequency and intensity of storms; later ice formation and earlier ice break-up; and alterations to wildlife and vegetation. These changes are decreasing the ability of Inuit to hunt, trap, fish, forage, and travel on the land, which directly disrupts their health, and is negatively impacting mental and emotional health and well-being. Through a multi-year, exploratory, qualitative case study conducted in Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada representing the first research to examine the mental and emotional health impacts of climate change within a Canadian Inuit context, Inuit indicated that climate change was impacting mental health through seven interrelated pathways: strong emotional responses; increased reports of family stress; increased reports of drug and alcohol usage; increased reports of suicide ideation and attempts; the amplification of previous traumas and mental health stressors; decreased place-based mental solace; and land-based mourning due to a changing environment. Data for this research was drawn from 85 in-depth interviews and 112 questionnaires conducted between October 2009 and October 2010. These findings indicate the urgent need for more research on climate-change-related mental health impacts and emotio-mental adaptive processes, for more mental health support to enhance resilience to and assist with the mental health impacts of climate change, and for more mitigation and adaptation policies to be implemented.
Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2008-2012); Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch's Climate Change and Health Adaptation in Northern First Nations and Inuit Communities Program (2010-2012); Nasivvik Centre for Inuit Health and Changing Environments (2009-2011); and the Nunatsiavut Government's Department of Health and Social Development (2010-2011).

A presente dissertação abordará as questões que se levantam quanto às Cláusulas de Mobilidade Geográfica. Esta temática insere-se na matéria do local de trabalho, em particular, na que reporta à transferência de local de trabalho, que encontra a sua base legal nos artigos 193.º a 196.º do CT. O estudo clarifica o conceito de “local de trabalho”, analisa as diferentes vicissitudes a que poderá estar sujeito e aponta possíveis caminhos, dando a conhecer as soluções apresentadas pela Doutrina e pela Jurisprudência. Sempre tendo como âncora os princípios mais elementares do nosso ordenamento jurídico procura-se aferir da admissibilidade das cláusulas de mobilidade geográfica, bem como os limites de fixação do seu conteúdo e quais as vias de controlo possíveis ao uso do poder que estas conferem ao empregador. Conclui ainda quais as perspetivas para as cláusulas de mobilidade geográfica, enquanto figura relevante em matéria laboral e como espelho da sua flexibilidade.
This dissertation will address issues that arise regarding the Clauses of Geographic Mobility. This thematic is part of the workplace matter, particularly in reporting transfers in the workplace, which finds its legal basis in Articles 193.º to 196.º of the Portuguese Labor Code. This thesis clarifies the concept of “workplace”, analyzes the different events that may be a subject of and indicates possible ways, stating the solutions presented by the Doctrine and Jurisprudence. Always having as an anchor the most elemental principles of our legal system, we seek to assess the acceptability of the clauses of geographic mobility, as well as fixing the limits of its content and which are the adequate routes to control the power that is given to the employer by this clauses. Also concludes which are the perspectives for the clauses of geographical mobility, as a major figure in labor and as a mirror of its flexibility.

Text in German with summaries in German and English
In dieser Forschungsarbeit geht es um die empirisch-theologische Erforschung von Chancen, Grenzen und Perspektiven missionaler Café-Kirchen aus der Sicht von Verantwortlichen entsprechender Projekte. Dabei spielen Fragen nach Theologie, Ekklesiologie und gelebter Spiritualität ebenso eine Rolle wie die konkreten Erfahrungen. Auf Grundlage einer missiologischen Perspektive (missionale Kirche, Fresh Expressions of Church) und einer soziologischen Perspektive (Sinus-Milieustudie, Third Places), die den aktuellen Forschungsstand berücksichtigen, werden durch zwölf qualitative Experteninterviews empirische Daten erhoben, die mit der Grounded Theory nach Strauss & Corbin analysiert werden. Anschließend werden die empirischen Ergebnisse mit den theoretischen Reflexionen in Beziehung gesetzt und missiologisch reflektiert. Durch die Untersuchung konnte gestgestellt werden, dass missionale Café-Kirchen große Chancen beinhalten, das Evangelium in relevanter Weise zu leben und auch theologisch als Kirche im Vollsinn definiert zu werden. Gleichzeitig gibt es jedoch Grenzen und Herausforderungen, die bedacht werden sollten, wenn diese Café-Kirchen auch zukünftig ihre missionale Relevanz behalten wollen.
The subject of this research paper is the empirical-theological exploration of the opportunities, challenges and perspectives of missional café churches from the viewpoint of the leaders of corresponding projects. With that, questions regarding theology, ecclesiology and lived spirituality play just as much of a role as tangible experience. On the basis of a missional perspective (missional church, fresh expressions of church) and a sociological perspective (Sinus-Milieu study, third places), which take the current state of research into account, empirical data will be obtained from twelve qualitative expert interviews; this data will then be analyzed using the Grounded Theory from Strauss & Corbin. Subsequently, the empirical results will be related to the theoretical reflections and deliberated from a missional perspective. The research lead to the conclusion that missional café churches have a great deal of potential to live out the Gospel in a relevant manner and to be defined theologically as a church in its full sense. On the other hand however, there are limits and challenges that ought to be considered, if these café churches are to maintain their missional relevance in the future.
Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
M. Th. (Missiology)