Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Area specialization'

Heritage tourism is a fast growing sector in the recreation arena. Research into multiple aspects of heritage tourism has increased during the last few decades as it has been recognized as a distinct form of tourism and promoted around the globe. This study was conducted in an effort to better understand multiple aspects of heritage tourism in the Bear River Heritage Area of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho. The following aims to provide Bear River Heritage Area leadership with baseline data on their visitors and build upon the base of literature in the areas of recreation specialization, and importance-performance analysis. Attempts to apply the recreation specialization continuum in the context of heritage tourism were relatively unsuccessful in this case. Potential problems with applying recreation specialization to heritage tourism are discussed and implications for future studies are explored. In addition, emerging trends in importance-performance research are applied to respondent ratings of attribute importance and satisfaction in order to provide the best possible suggestions for Bear River Heritage Area management improvements and build upon existing research. Specifically, traditional importance-performance analysis is compared to analyses that incorporate grand means, segmentation, and confidence intervals.

På ingenjörsutbildningar får studenter fördjupa sina kunskaper i programmets senare del i form av specialinriktningar eller valbara kurser. Detta är något som inte är tillgängligt för studenter som läser till sjöingenjör vid Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar men något som infördes på sjöingenjörsutbildningen vid Chalmers Tekniska Högskola 2009. Studiens syfte är att undersöka intresset för valbara kurser på 7,5 högskolepoäng (hp) vardera för sjöingenjörsstudenter vid Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar. En enkätstudie svarade på frågorna om vilka ämnesområden som var av intresse, hur många kurser eleven ville läsa, när under utbildningen önskas kursen läsas, om intresset för valbara kurser saknas och i så fall varför. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att de ämnesområden som är av störst intresse för studenterna på grundnivå är offshore/oljerigg och landkurser. På fördjupningsnivå är el- och reglerteknik samt maskinteknik önskvärda. Studien visade att studenterna vill läsa två valbara kurser under utbildningens sista termin. Det går inte att få ett svar på varför studenterna inte vill införa valbara kurser p.g.a. stor spridning av svaren.
In engineering courses, students deepen their knowledge in the later part of the program in form of specializations or elective courses. This is something that is not available to students who study for marine engineer at Kalmar Maritime Academy, a situation that has been present at Chalmers University of Technology since 2009. The purpose of the study is to explore the interest in elective courses of 7.5 credits apiece for marine engineer students at Kalmar Maritime Academy. A questionnaire study was carried out to ascertain as to wheather which topics were of interest, how many courses the student wanted to read, the durability of the course, if interest in the elective course was missing, and if so why. The survey results showed that the subjects of most interest to students at the bachelor level were offshore/oil rig and ashore courses. At the advanced level, electric and control engineering together with mechanical engineering were desirable. The study showed that students want to read two elective courses during the last term. A result cannot be obtained as to why students do not wish to introduce elective courses, this can be attributed to the large spread of responses.

Tese de Doutoramento em Urbanismo, com a especialização em Urbanismo apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Doutor.
As alterações do contexto físico, económico e político, ocorridas desde a segunda metade do século XX, vieram potenciar as transformações no território metropolitano de Lisboa e a emergência de filamentos metropolitanos (áreas urbanas especializadas). Estas, produto de processos de infraestruturação e densificação metropolitana, caracterizam-se pela ocupação de áreas periféricas ao centro consolidado, em localizações estratégicas da rede rodoviária e elevado grau de especialização funcional. O resultado consiste num sistema urbano polinucleado, com a existência de áreas de grande concentração de atividades económicas ligadas ao sector terciário e quaternário e, simultaneamente, o abandono e a posterior reestruturação das áreas industriais periféricas. De forma a analisar o processo subjacente ao seu aparecimento e consolidação, exploram-se as transformações que se verificaram, os principais motores e as consequências da especialização do território. Com o objectivo de identificar e tipificar as formações urbanísticas emergentes, descodificar as suas lógicas espaciais e os seus processos de formação/transformação, propõe-se a seguinte estrutura metodológica: - Enquadramento conceptual e comparativo das transformações do território metropolitano de Lisboa; - Análise das novas configurações urbanas especializadas a nível funcional e da sua correlação com o território metropolitano; - Operacionalização das dinâmicas identificadas e tradução em princípios de atuação exportáveis para realidades semelhantes.
ABSTRACT: The changes in the physical, economic and political context that occurred since the second half of the twentieth century have contributed to the transformations of Lisbon metropolitan territory and the emergence of metropolitan filaments (specialized urban areas). These areas are the product of metropolitan infrastructuration and densification, and are characterized by their peripheral location, in strategic points of the mobility network and a high degree of functional specialization. The result is a polynuclear urban system with areas of great concentration of economic activities related to the tertiary sector and, simultaneously, the abandonment and afterwards the restructuring of peripheral industrial areas. In order to analyze the process underlying its emergence and consolidation, the research focuses on the transformations, the main drivers and the consequences of the territorial specialization. The following methodological structure is applied with the goal of identifying and typifying the emerging urban formations, as well as decoding their spatial logics and the formation / transformation processes: - Conceptual and comparative framework of the transformations occurred in Lisbon metropolitan territory; - Analysis of the new specialized urban forms and their correlation with the metropolitan territory; - Operationalization of the identified dynamics and translation into guidelines applicable to similar realities.
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Domestic Variability and the Emergence of Complexity at TiwanakuThe character of the ancient settlement of Tiwanaku has been a subject of debate for the past half century. Despite general acknowledgement that Tiwanaku influenced vast regions of the south-central Andes for several hundred years, the problem of whether or not Tiwanaku was an "empty" pilgrimage site or a densely populated urban center, and if urban, the constitution of its resident populations, remain compelling questions. This paper addresses these questions by presenting the results of extensive excavations in several residential sectors of the Tiwanaku site. Discussion of comparative spatial architectural and artifactual data emphasizes several intersecting patterns in the changing nature of residential organization during the Tiwanaku IV phase (AD 500-800), during which the site expanded into a major political and religious center. Comparative evidence indicates that during this phase Tiwanaku expanded into a densely populated urban center. This evidence emphasizes notable patterns of spatial order and stylistic uniformity across the site, pointing to the creation and dissemination of a common "state culture". Residential patterns were also characterized by traditional markers of social complexity, including marked status differentiation and specialized craft production. At the same time, these residential areas remained mutually differentiated in local social affiliations with group identity, indicating that the urban center developed out of and remained grounded in a fundamental segmentary social order. These results offer a unique perspective into the distinctive nature of pristine Andean urbanism and social complexity.
Las características del antiguo asentamiento de Tiwanaku han suscitado discusiones desde hace más de medio siglo. Pese a aceptar, por lo general, que Tiwanaku ejerció una gran influencia sobre vastas regiones de los Andes surcentrales durante varios siglos, se mantiene el problema de decidir si Tiwanaku fue un lugar de peregrinaje "vacío" o un centro urbano densamente poblado y, aun al aceptar la condición urbana, quedan preguntas difíciles. El presente trabajo trata de estos temas por medio de la presentación de los resultados de excavaciones intensivas en varios sectores residenciales del sitio de Tiwanaku. Se discuten y se comparan los datos espaciales, arquitectónicos y de artefactos, así como se enfatizan varios patrones cruzados en la naturaleza cambiante de la organización residencial durante la fase Tiwanaku IV (500-800 d.C.), en la cual el sitio se convirtió en un gran centro político y religioso. Evidencias comparativas muestran que Tiwanaku fue un centro urbano densamente poblado durante esta misma fase. Estas evidencias subrayan la presencia de notables patrones de orden espacial y de uniformidad estilística a través del sitio, lo cual apunta hacia la creación y difusión de una "cultura estatal" compartida. Los patrones residenciales también se caracterizan por marcadores tradicionales de complejidad social, que incluyen una marcada diferenciación de status y producción artesanal especializada. Al mismo tiempo, estas mismas áreas residenciales mantenían sus diferencias en cuanto a filiaciones sociales locales y la identidad de grupo. Lo que indica que el centro urbano se desarrolló sobre la base de un orden social segmentado. Estos resultados ofrecen una perspectiva única hacia la naturaleza distintiva del urbanismo andino prístino y la complejidad social.

Die historischen Stadtzentren (Downtowns) ländlicher Kleinstädte in den USA unterlagen in den letzten Jahrzehnten des 20. Jahrhunderts einem allgemeinen ökonomischen Niedergang und verloren ihre ursprünglich zentrale Funktion, primäre Einzelhandelsstandorte einer Stadt und ihres Umlands zu sein. Ursachen dafür sind vor allem in der Entstehung attraktiver Einzelhandelsstandorte am Stadtrand zu suchen. Ein genereller ökonomischer Aufschwung der Stadtzentren konnte trotz vielfältiger Bemühungen um eine Revitalisierung bisher nicht erreicht werden. Allerdings bestehen Anzeichen eines in erster Linie qualitativen Wandels und einer Spezialisierung ihrer Einzelhandelsfunktion. Auf der Grundlage des Forschungsstands wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Einzelhandel in Stadtzentren ländlicher Kleinstädte untersucht. Dadurch soll der in der Literatur angedeutete, aber weder vertiefend beschriebene noch beurteilte Wandel umfassend charakterisiert werden. Folgende Ziel- und Aufgabenstellungen sind damit verbunden: Erstens sollen der Einzelhandel in den Stadtzentren beschrieben und Typen des Einzelhandels abgeleitet werden. Zweitens geht es um die Kennzeichnung von Einflussfaktoren der Entwicklung unter Herausstellung des Wirkens von Stakeholdern. Drittens sollen Schlussfolgerungen zum funktionalen und strukturellen Wandel der Stadtzentren gezogen werden. Im Besonderen wird die Entwicklung des Arts and Crafts Einzelhandels berücksichtigt, der ein im weiteren Sinne kunsthandwerklich orientiertes Warensortiment mit dekorativem Charakter vorhält. Aus Voruntersuchungen kann von einer hohen Bedeutung dieses Einzelhandelssegments ausgegangen werden. Die konzeptionellen Grundlagen dieser Arbeit werden durch die Diskussion standorttheoretischer Ansätze sowie durch die Analyse der Literatur zur Entwicklung des Einzelhandels und der Stadtzentren in den USA gelegt. Daraus werden Annahmen zur Entwicklung des Einzelhandels und der Stadtzentren als Ausgangspunkte der empirischen Untersuchung abgeleitet. Diese besteht aus drei Teilen. Erstens wird eine auf ganz Ohio bezogene Untersuchung zur Lage des Einzelhandels in ländlichen Kleinstädten durchgeführt. Zweitens geht es um die Analyse des Downtown-Einzelhandels in ausgewählten Städten Ohios. Drittens werden im Rahmen von Fallstudien die Strukturen und Einflussfaktoren der Entwicklung zweier Stadtzentren untersucht. Die Methoden der Datenerhebung umfassen Kartierungen, leitfadengestützte Experteninterviews, teilstandardisierte Befragungen von Händlern sowie Dokumenten- und Datenanalysen. Im Hinblick auf den Downtown-Einzelhandel ist festzuhalten, dass (1) kleine Betriebsformen vorherrschen und Filialen von Mehrbetriebsunternehmen weitgehend fehlen, (2) Anzeichen der weiteren Ausdünnung traditionell in Downtown ansässiger Branchen bestehen, (3) zahlreiche Kleinstbetriebe mit geringwertigem Warensortiment (marginal business) vorkommen, (4) der Anteil des spezialisierten Einzelhandels hoch, aber ein weiteres Wachstum unsicher ist und (5) sich der Arts and Crafts Einzelhandel in den Stadtzentren konzentriert. Aus der Untersuchung von mehr als 100 Betrieben werden neun Typen des Einzelhandels in den Stadtzentren abgeleitet. Die Typenbildung erfolgt zunächst anhand der Sortimentsbreite sowie der Zugehörigkeit zum Arts and Crafts bzw. sonstigen Einzelhandel. Darüber hinaus werden Merkmale des Qualitätsniveaus (Low Quality Stores), der Absatzwege (Delivery Stores), der ökonomischen Rationalität (Self-Realization Stores) und der Betriebsgröße (Downtown Anchor Stores) als Vergleichsdimensionen herangezogen. Im Resultat der Untersuchung von Einflussfaktoren der Einzelhandelsentwicklung können als grundlegend benannt werden: (1) die entscheidende Bedeutung lokaler Faktoren, (2) die bestimmende Funktion des Wettbewerbs als Barriere der Entwicklung, (3) die hohe Bedeutung von Kostenfaktoren und der Kostenminimierung, (4) die grundsätzliche Präferenz der Konsumenten für Standorte mit größerer Angebotsvielfalt und (5) die dezidierte Rolle von Stakeholdern. Die letzte Aussage wird durch die Beschreibung und Beurteilung besonderer Entwicklungsfaktoren weiter untersetzt. Dazu zählen die Tätigkeit von Downtown-Managern, das Wirken privater Investoren sowie das Engagement der kommunalen Politik und Verwaltung für die Entwicklung der Stadtzentren. Schlussfolgerungen zum strukturellen und funktionalen Wandel der Stadtzentren als Einzelhandelsstandorte betreffen (1) die Gefahr der wirtschaftlichen Marginalisierung der Stadtzentren, (2) die Bestätigung einer fortgeschrittenen Standortspezialisierung, (3) die Funktion des Stadtzentrums als „Experimentierfeld“ für den nicht-filialisierten Einzelhandel mit lokalem Ursprung, (4) die Ausrichtung physischer Strukturen an historischen Vorbildern und (5) die weitgehende Stabilität soziokultureller Funktionen von Downtown. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zu Einzelhandelstypen und Einflussfaktoren werden schließlich aufgegriffen, um stabilisierende und destabilisierende Effekte für die Standortentwicklung zu beurteilen
Historic town centers (downtowns) of rural small cities in the U.S. underwent a process of economic downgrading in the later decades of the 20th century. In consequence, they lost their originally central function as being the primary retail location of a small town and its surroundings. Reasons for this development, particularly, can be found in the emergence of attractive shopping centers at the suburban edge. In spite of manifold revitalization activities, a true and overall economic recovery of downtown cannot be stated. However, there are signs of further change in downtown, mainly linked to qualitative transitions and to the specialization of its retail functions. On the basis of the current state of research this dissertation aims at a comprehensive analysis of downtown retail in rural small cities. Potential developments and changes that have only been mentioned in the literature will be characterized in detail. Three objectives and tasks are connected to this statement: First, the downtown retail shall be described in detail and types of retail businesses shall be derived. Second, impact factors shall be identified, specifically considering impacts of stakeholder activities. Third, conclusions shall be drawn with regard to the functional and structural change of downtown as a retail location. Special attention of this dissertation is connected to the emergence and possible growth of arts and crafts retail businesses selling goods with mainly decorative character. This interest originates from previous research, naming the importance of arts and crafts retail as a possible growth segment of downtown retail. The conceptual foundation of this dissertation contains a discussion on location theory as well as analyses of empiric and further theoretic studies on the development of retail and downtowns in the U.S. In a preliminary conclusion, assumptions are drawn as starting points for the empiric part of this study. The empiric research contains: first, a survey on the location of retail businesses in rural and exurban small cities throughout Ohio; second, an analysis of downtown retail in several chosen small cities in Ohio; and third, an examination of detailed case studies on the structures and development factors of two Ohio small city downtowns. Methods of data collection contain mapping, expert interviews, semi-structured surveys of retail businesses, and data analysis. From the characterization of downtown retail it can be concluded that there are: (1) high percentages of small retail formats in downtown and almost no chain stores, (2) clear indications of further decreasing “traditional” downtown trade-lines, (3) high percentages of very small “marginal businesses” with assortments of lower value, (4) high percentages of specialized retail stores but without considerable signs of further growth, and (5) concentrations of arts and crafts shops in downtown. Furthermore, nine different types of downtown retail businesses can be derived from an investigation of more than 100 stores. For this purpose, downtown businesses are rated by the range of products they offer and by their belonging to arts and crafts or other retail sectors. In addition, further dimensions lead to special types of downtown retail considering specific characteristics of retail stores such as the quality level (“low quality store”), the means of distribution (“delivery store”), questions of economic rationality (“self-realization store”) and the size of a store (“downtown anchor store”). The analysis of impact factors identifies the importance of: (1) local factors against non-local factors causing differences among downtowns, (2) competition as a barrier for downtown retail development, (3) cost factors and the minimization of costs for downtown stores, (4) the consumers’ general preferences for larger locations with a wider range of supplies, and of (5) stakeholder activities as being decisive for downtown development. The latter fact receives further attention in this research by assessing specific constellations of stakeholder activities. Among them are the effects of downtown manager action, the impact of private investors, and the commitment of local administration and politics to downtown. Conclusions on the structural and functional change of downtown as commercial location pertain to (1) the danger of marginalization of downtown’s economic role, (2) the affirmation of an advanced specialization of downtown locations, (3) the incubator or laboratory function of downtown for locally-based retail, (4) the orientation of physical structures towards historic ideals, and (5) the widely stable situation of socio-cultural functions of downtown. Finally, the types of downtown retail and impact factors that have been generated in this dissertation are subject to further assessments. They are rated with regard to potential effects on the stabilization or destabilization of downtown’s role as a commercial location

Die historischen Stadtzentren (Downtowns) ländlicher Kleinstädte in den USA unterlagen in den letzten Jahrzehnten des 20. Jahrhunderts einem allgemeinen ökonomischen Niedergang und verloren ihre ursprünglich zentrale Funktion, primäre Einzelhandelsstandorte einer Stadt und ihres Umlands zu sein. Ursachen dafür sind vor allem in der Entstehung attraktiver Einzelhandelsstandorte am Stadtrand zu suchen. Ein genereller ökonomischer Aufschwung der Stadtzentren konnte trotz vielfältiger Bemühungen um eine Revitalisierung bisher nicht erreicht werden. Allerdings bestehen Anzeichen eines in erster Linie qualitativen Wandels und einer Spezialisierung ihrer Einzelhandelsfunktion. Auf der Grundlage des Forschungsstands wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Einzelhandel in Stadtzentren ländlicher Kleinstädte untersucht. Dadurch soll der in der Literatur angedeutete, aber weder vertiefend beschriebene noch beurteilte Wandel umfassend charakterisiert werden. Folgende Ziel- und Aufgabenstellungen sind damit verbunden: Erstens sollen der Einzelhandel in den Stadtzentren beschrieben und Typen des Einzelhandels abgeleitet werden. Zweitens geht es um die Kennzeichnung von Einflussfaktoren der Entwicklung unter Herausstellung des Wirkens von Stakeholdern. Drittens sollen Schlussfolgerungen zum funktionalen und strukturellen Wandel der Stadtzentren gezogen werden. Im Besonderen wird die Entwicklung des Arts and Crafts Einzelhandels berücksichtigt, der ein im weiteren Sinne kunsthandwerklich orientiertes Warensortiment mit dekorativem Charakter vorhält. Aus Voruntersuchungen kann von einer hohen Bedeutung dieses Einzelhandelssegments ausgegangen werden. Die konzeptionellen Grundlagen dieser Arbeit werden durch die Diskussion standorttheoretischer Ansätze sowie durch die Analyse der Literatur zur Entwicklung des Einzelhandels und der Stadtzentren in den USA gelegt. Daraus werden Annahmen zur Entwicklung des Einzelhandels und der Stadtzentren als Ausgangspunkte der empirischen Untersuchung abgeleitet. Diese besteht aus drei Teilen. Erstens wird eine auf ganz Ohio bezogene Untersuchung zur Lage des Einzelhandels in ländlichen Kleinstädten durchgeführt. Zweitens geht es um die Analyse des Downtown-Einzelhandels in ausgewählten Städten Ohios. Drittens werden im Rahmen von Fallstudien die Strukturen und Einflussfaktoren der Entwicklung zweier Stadtzentren untersucht. Die Methoden der Datenerhebung umfassen Kartierungen, leitfadengestützte Experteninterviews, teilstandardisierte Befragungen von Händlern sowie Dokumenten- und Datenanalysen. Im Hinblick auf den Downtown-Einzelhandel ist festzuhalten, dass (1) kleine Betriebsformen vorherrschen und Filialen von Mehrbetriebsunternehmen weitgehend fehlen, (2) Anzeichen der weiteren Ausdünnung traditionell in Downtown ansässiger Branchen bestehen, (3) zahlreiche Kleinstbetriebe mit geringwertigem Warensortiment (marginal business) vorkommen, (4) der Anteil des spezialisierten Einzelhandels hoch, aber ein weiteres Wachstum unsicher ist und (5) sich der Arts and Crafts Einzelhandel in den Stadtzentren konzentriert. Aus der Untersuchung von mehr als 100 Betrieben werden neun Typen des Einzelhandels in den Stadtzentren abgeleitet. Die Typenbildung erfolgt zunächst anhand der Sortimentsbreite sowie der Zugehörigkeit zum Arts and Crafts bzw. sonstigen Einzelhandel. Darüber hinaus werden Merkmale des Qualitätsniveaus (Low Quality Stores), der Absatzwege (Delivery Stores), der ökonomischen Rationalität (Self-Realization Stores) und der Betriebsgröße (Downtown Anchor Stores) als Vergleichsdimensionen herangezogen. Im Resultat der Untersuchung von Einflussfaktoren der Einzelhandelsentwicklung können als grundlegend benannt werden: (1) die entscheidende Bedeutung lokaler Faktoren, (2) die bestimmende Funktion des Wettbewerbs als Barriere der Entwicklung, (3) die hohe Bedeutung von Kostenfaktoren und der Kostenminimierung, (4) die grundsätzliche Präferenz der Konsumenten für Standorte mit größerer Angebotsvielfalt und (5) die dezidierte Rolle von Stakeholdern. Die letzte Aussage wird durch die Beschreibung und Beurteilung besonderer Entwicklungsfaktoren weiter untersetzt. Dazu zählen die Tätigkeit von Downtown-Managern, das Wirken privater Investoren sowie das Engagement der kommunalen Politik und Verwaltung für die Entwicklung der Stadtzentren. Schlussfolgerungen zum strukturellen und funktionalen Wandel der Stadtzentren als Einzelhandelsstandorte betreffen (1) die Gefahr der wirtschaftlichen Marginalisierung der Stadtzentren, (2) die Bestätigung einer fortgeschrittenen Standortspezialisierung, (3) die Funktion des Stadtzentrums als „Experimentierfeld“ für den nicht-filialisierten Einzelhandel mit lokalem Ursprung, (4) die Ausrichtung physischer Strukturen an historischen Vorbildern und (5) die weitgehende Stabilität soziokultureller Funktionen von Downtown. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zu Einzelhandelstypen und Einflussfaktoren werden schließlich aufgegriffen, um stabilisierende und destabilisierende Effekte für die Standortentwicklung zu beurteilen.
Historic town centers (downtowns) of rural small cities in the U.S. underwent a process of economic downgrading in the later decades of the 20th century. In consequence, they lost their originally central function as being the primary retail location of a small town and its surroundings. Reasons for this development, particularly, can be found in the emergence of attractive shopping centers at the suburban edge. In spite of manifold revitalization activities, a true and overall economic recovery of downtown cannot be stated. However, there are signs of further change in downtown, mainly linked to qualitative transitions and to the specialization of its retail functions. On the basis of the current state of research this dissertation aims at a comprehensive analysis of downtown retail in rural small cities. Potential developments and changes that have only been mentioned in the literature will be characterized in detail. Three objectives and tasks are connected to this statement: First, the downtown retail shall be described in detail and types of retail businesses shall be derived. Second, impact factors shall be identified, specifically considering impacts of stakeholder activities. Third, conclusions shall be drawn with regard to the functional and structural change of downtown as a retail location. Special attention of this dissertation is connected to the emergence and possible growth of arts and crafts retail businesses selling goods with mainly decorative character. This interest originates from previous research, naming the importance of arts and crafts retail as a possible growth segment of downtown retail. The conceptual foundation of this dissertation contains a discussion on location theory as well as analyses of empiric and further theoretic studies on the development of retail and downtowns in the U.S. In a preliminary conclusion, assumptions are drawn as starting points for the empiric part of this study. The empiric research contains: first, a survey on the location of retail businesses in rural and exurban small cities throughout Ohio; second, an analysis of downtown retail in several chosen small cities in Ohio; and third, an examination of detailed case studies on the structures and development factors of two Ohio small city downtowns. Methods of data collection contain mapping, expert interviews, semi-structured surveys of retail businesses, and data analysis. From the characterization of downtown retail it can be concluded that there are: (1) high percentages of small retail formats in downtown and almost no chain stores, (2) clear indications of further decreasing “traditional” downtown trade-lines, (3) high percentages of very small “marginal businesses” with assortments of lower value, (4) high percentages of specialized retail stores but without considerable signs of further growth, and (5) concentrations of arts and crafts shops in downtown. Furthermore, nine different types of downtown retail businesses can be derived from an investigation of more than 100 stores. For this purpose, downtown businesses are rated by the range of products they offer and by their belonging to arts and crafts or other retail sectors. In addition, further dimensions lead to special types of downtown retail considering specific characteristics of retail stores such as the quality level (“low quality store”), the means of distribution (“delivery store”), questions of economic rationality (“self-realization store”) and the size of a store (“downtown anchor store”). The analysis of impact factors identifies the importance of: (1) local factors against non-local factors causing differences among downtowns, (2) competition as a barrier for downtown retail development, (3) cost factors and the minimization of costs for downtown stores, (4) the consumers’ general preferences for larger locations with a wider range of supplies, and of (5) stakeholder activities as being decisive for downtown development. The latter fact receives further attention in this research by assessing specific constellations of stakeholder activities. Among them are the effects of downtown manager action, the impact of private investors, and the commitment of local administration and politics to downtown. Conclusions on the structural and functional change of downtown as commercial location pertain to (1) the danger of marginalization of downtown’s economic role, (2) the affirmation of an advanced specialization of downtown locations, (3) the incubator or laboratory function of downtown for locally-based retail, (4) the orientation of physical structures towards historic ideals, and (5) the widely stable situation of socio-cultural functions of downtown. Finally, the types of downtown retail and impact factors that have been generated in this dissertation are subject to further assessments. They are rated with regard to potential effects on the stabilization or destabilization of downtown’s role as a commercial location.

This Master Thesis is the research done in the country of Rwanda. The project leads to study the climate of this country in order to establish whether this climate could be used to produce energy from air and to implement the first wind turbine for serving the nation.   After an introduction about the historical background of wind power, the thesis work deals with assessment of wind energy potential of Rwanda in focusing of the most suitable place for wind power plants. The best location with annual mean wind speed, the rate of use of turbine with hub height for an annual production per year, the mean wind speeds for 6 sites of Rwanda based on ECMWF for climatic data for one year at relief of altitude of 100m and coordinates are reported too.   The result of energy produced and calculations were done based on power hitting wind turbine generator in order to calculate Kinetic energy and power available at the best location to the measurement over the period of 12 months, that could be hoped for long term.   With help of logarithmic law, where wind speed usually increases with increasing in elevation and the desired wind speeds at all 6 sites were used. The annual energy production was taken into account at the best site with desired wind speed at the initial cost of turbine as well as the cost of energy (COE).However, with comparison of the tariff of EWSA, the price of Wind designed in this Research per kWh is cheaper and suitable for people of Rwanda.

I WISH TO PUBLISH MY THESIS

Nursing students in South Africa are exposed to various clinical environments as part of the prescribed curriculum (SANC, 2008). These clinical environments not only positively or negatively influence nursing students but also greatly influence their decisions regarding future specialization. This relationship between the influence of the clinical environment and the decision to apply at a specific hospital was established by Andrews et al. (2005:147), but little is known about how it affects the decision of nursing students to specialize in a specific area. According to the South African Nursing Council‟s statistical data, an additional qualification in operational theatre is one of the least qualifications applied for (SANC, 2012b). This indicates that not many nursing students choose, for example, the theatre as a specialization area when their studies are completed. In light of this evidence, this study aimed to explore the influence that the clinical environment has on the decision of nursing students to specialize in a specific area. An explorative and descriptive design, which is qualitative in nature, was followed to conduct this study. The data collection was conducted in two phases. Phase one: Nursing students‟ experiences after exposure to theatre as a clinical environment were explored by means of reflective essays. Data was analysed according to the principles of Tesch as described in Creswell (1994:154). Meetings between the researcher and an experienced co-coder resulted in consensus regarding the findings. Three main themes and eleven sub themes were identified and provided clarity on the influence of the clinical environment on nursing students. Phase two, consisting of two focus group discussions facilitated by an expert in focus group facilitation, was completed to validate the findings from the reflective essay. This data was transcribed, analysed and the findings validated by the existing data from phase one. Conclusions drawn from this study were that the clinical environment does influence the students‟ decision to specialize in operating theatre, but many choose not to specialize in theatre due to personal preferences.
MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

碩士
國立中山大學
海洋資源學系
81
In past years, most of Taiwan costal land are used in industry, aquaculture and farming, The recreational activity are increase in some aspects,such as environmental protection, recreational quantity and quality. In past researches are major in satisfacation, perception, demand, experience etc. This article focuss on various of receational activies specialization and environmental preference of costal area, and take the Nanwan costal area of kenting National Park as an example. The survey methods are behavior observation and questionaire in studying area. The results are: (1) Recreational specialization are "1-3 days period", "2-5 persons" and "by cars" take the most part of visitors. (2) The reasons of people come here are scenery beautiful. (3) The recreational experience are "near the nature." (4) Satisfication are affected majorly by shower room, traffic convenience and enough parking area. (5) Environmental preference are "keeping the nature scenery". We can also use carrying capacity and strategic marketing in costal area management.

During 2002/2003 units in the South African Police Service, such as the Stock Theft Unit in Kimberley were closed which was followed with the closure of the Stock Theft Unit in Postmasburg the next year. Both these units are situated within the Diamondfield police area in the Northern Cape Province. At the time the closure of these units elicited varied reactions from the farmers' community, the general public and members of the SAPS. This lead to the question what the effect of the closure had on the trust in the police by the farmers' community and whether it had an effect on the fear of crime which lead, in turn to the non-reporting of crime and even vigilantism. In this study the principles of community policing are studied to determine whether they can be used to address the problem caused by the closure of the units. The current application of community policing in the South African Police Service is discussed as it is implemented through sector policing and Community Police Forums (CPF) and through other applications thereof. In addition, specialization as manifested in the investigation and detection of crime and especially stock theft by the Stock Theft Units (STU), are discussed. In the study stock theft statistics from neighbouring states in Africa, as well as those of Australia and Scotland are compared with those of South Africa. The South African situation is further divided into national, provincial and area levels. In the contexts of the Diamondfield Area it was broken down to jurisdictions areas of the Stock Theft Units in order to draw conclusions and comparisons. In the Diamondfield Area the area previously serviced by the Stock Theft Unit Kimberley are compared with that of the Stock Theft Unit Postmasburg. Questionnaires were distributed among the farmers' community, using a proportional stratified random sampling method; subsequently focus group interviews were held with members of the closed Stock Theft Unit Kimberley. This was triangulated by a focus group interview with members of the Stock Theft Unit Postmasburg, as well as with individual interviews with an influential representative of the farmers' community at both area and provincial level, and the National Head of the Stock Theft Unit of the South African Police Service. The SARA model (Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment), was used to evaluate the results of the questionnaires and to interpret the research in order to make recommendations how to address the identified problems. Lastly, an implementation plan was drawn up to facilitate the process of addressing the identified problems.
CRIMINOLOGY
MTECH: POLICING

碩士
開南大學
觀光運輸學院碩士在職專班
104
Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship among the Recreation Specialization, the Flow Experience and Well-being of Yoga participants in Taoyuan area. There were 450 questionnaires distributed by convenience sampling method, 351 returned and valid questionnaires are collected. The instruments included Demographical Variables, Recreation Specificational Scale, Flow Experience Scale and Well-being Scale. The collected data are analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Stepwise Regression Analysis, using SPSS 22.0 statistical software. The results of this study indicate: 1. Participants of Yoga had a lower medium degree of Recreation Specification, but a higher medium degree of Flow Experience and Well-being. 2. The difference in level of gender had no significant effects on Recreaion Specification. While in level of ages, occupation, education, marriage, wages, participant age, classroom types, hours of exercise per month and practice days per month had significant effects. 3. The difference in level of gender and marriage had no significant effects on Flow Experience.While in level of ages, occupation, education, wages, participant age, classroom types, hours of exercise per month and practice days per month had significant effects. 4. Both the Recreation Specification and the Flow Experience of Yoga had positively predictive on Well-being. It means the higher Recreation Specification or the Flow Experience, the higher Well-being would be. Therefore we could increase Well-being by raising Recreation Specification or Flow Experience. Key words: Yoga, Recreation Specification, Flow Experience, Well-being

Since the beginning of the 20th century human land use changed drastically in Central Europe. These changes included: homogenization of the landscape mosaic, intensification of agriculture, urbanization and land abandonment. In turn, these changes affected bird species and perhaps most significantly manifested in population decline of open habitat birds. Therefore, it is important to investigate sites, which were not affected by the changes mentioned above, such as military training areas (MTAs) - places dedicated to training of armed forces. Previous studies have shown that MTAs seem to host remarkably high bird diversity and abundant populations of bird species of conservation concern. This may be caused by two major factors. First, closure of MTAs to all human activies besides military training spared them of the landscape changes mentioned above. Second, the military training itself produces a very heterogeneous habitat mosaic that allows coexistence of many species with different ecological requirements. To my knowledge, no study compared bird assemblages between MTAs and surrounding landscape directly. At the same time, such data are crucial to assess the value of MTAs for bird conservation reliably and, as a consequence, they enable to think more deeply about mechanism generating this value....

A study of the subject interests of LIS students in Singapore was carried out via a questionnaire survey of students and graduates of the master of science (MSc) information studies program at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as well as survey of applications to the program. Cluster analysis was performed on the questionnaire data. The respondents were clustered based on the elective subjects that they selected in the questionnaires. For both sets of data, two distinct clusters were found - a library-oriented cluster and an information technology (IT)/information management-oriented cluster. In each cluster, further sub-clusters were found that correspond to known specializations in the field. An analysis of the relationship between the clusters and the areas of specialization selected by respondents indicated some ways of improving the areas of specialization defined in the MSc program. The cluster analyses were found to yield useful results and provided a better understanding of the students' interests and how the interests were structured.

碩士
正修科技大學
休閒與運動管理所
104
Background: In recent years, Taiwan's population camping substantial growth, the country's famous recreation areas, camping sites like mushroomed have been established, through camping activities bring significant benefits of education or recreation, camping will be expected to become a modern leisure development. Purpose: To investigate the relationships among leisure benefits (LB), recreation specialization (RS), and recreational environmental preference (REP) of campers. Methods: The objects were the campers at Liouguei main camping areas in Kaohsiung City. The study adoptes convenience sampling technique, a total of 500 questionnaires (445 valid questionnaires) were distributed. After removing the invalid questionnaires, the effective rate was 89%. After completion of questionnaire data, it performed with SPSS 19.0 in this study. The study used a lot of statistical methods, such as t-test, ANOVA, and the correlation analysis. Results: 1. RS: The high school group was significantly higher than the universities group, and the married group was significantly higher than the unmarried group, too. 2. REP: The high school group was significantly greater than the universities group. 3. There were significantly correlations among LB, RS, and REP. Conclusion: These results suggested that LB, RS, and REP of campers at Liouguei camping areas in Kaohsiung City might have the correlations with each other.

This Master Thesis is the research done in the country of Rwanda. The project leads to study the climate of this country in order to establish whether this climate could be used to produce energy from air and to implement the first wind turbine for serving the nation.   After an introduction about the historical background of wind power, the thesis work deals with assessment of wind energy potential of Rwanda in focusing of the most suitable place for wind power plants. The best location with annual mean wind speed, the rate of use of turbine with hub height for an annual production per year, the mean wind speeds for 6 sites of Rwanda based on ECMWF for climatic data for one year at relief of altitude of 100m and coordinates are reported too.   The result of energy produced and calculations were done based on power hitting wind turbine generator in order to calculate Kinetic energy and power available at the best location to the measurement over the period of 12 months, that could be hoped for long term.   With help of logarithmic law, where wind speed usually increases with increasing in elevation and the desired wind speeds at all 6 sites were used. The annual energy production was taken into account at the best site with desired wind speed at the initial cost of turbine as well as the cost of energy (COE).However, with comparison of the tariff of EWSA, the price of Wind designed in this Research per kWh is cheaper and suitable for people of Rwanda.

Rwanda has considerable opportunities development energy from hydro sources, methane gas, solar and peat deposits. Most of these energy sources have not been fully exploited, such as solar, wind and geothermal. As such wood is still being the major source of energy for 94 per cent of the population and imported petroleum products consume more than 40 per cent of foreign exchange. Energy is a key component of the Rwandan economy. It is thus recognized that the current inadequate and expensive energy supply constitutes a limiting factor to sustainable development. Rwanda’s Vision 2020 emphasizes the need for economic growth, private investment and economic transformation supported by a reliable and affordable energy supply as a key factor for the development process. To achieve this transformation, the country will need to increase energy production and diversify into alternative energy sources. Rwandan nations don’t have small-scale solar, wind, and geothermal devices in operation providing energy to urban and rural areas. These types of energy production are especially useful in remote locations because of the excessive cost of transporting electricity from large-scale power plants. The application of renewable energy technology has the potential to alleviate many of the problems that face the people of Rwanda every day, especially if done so in a sustainable manner that prioritizes human rights.