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Mosby, Kim. "Frameworks of Recovery: Exploring the Intersection of Policy & Decision-Making Processes After Hurricane Katrina." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2017. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2421.
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This study seeks to understand how local and national newspaper articles and African American residents frame obstacles to returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It explores how recovery planning processes and policy changes influenced the decision-making processes of African Americans displaced to Houston through a content analysis of the media and qualitative interviews with displaced and returned residents. The study shows the media and participants framed disaster recovery policies as creating opportunities and gaps in assistance that varied by location. Participants described how policy decisions that created gaps in assistance compounded the difficulty of returning for working- and middle-class African Americans. The findings suggest planners and policy makers need to consider how disaster recovery policy changes may intersect to create obstacles that impede residents' ability to return and rebuild after disasters.
Contact Dr. Mosby at kmosby517@gmail.com.
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Stephenson, Richard Lawrence. "Information systems and policy processes in planning." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.325434.
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This thesis examines the use of information, particularly that of a technical kind, in decisions and policies in land use planning, and reports on empirical analysis on the making of development plan policies by local authority planning departments. The research examines the role of technical information in planning processes and starts by identifying different ideas put forward about the potential contribution of computerised systems to the provision of such information. It is concluded that the literature on decision processes in planning has a number of weaknesses in relation to how the use of information is understood. Research on the use of information in planning has found a complex picture which is at odds with many normative theories of planning. However, an empirically based theory of the use of technical information in planning, including that from computerised sources, is poorly developed. The thesis argues that the idea of a set of policy processes - structuring access, mode of debate and decision criteria in planning decisions - is a powerful analytical tool in understanding planning practice. Using this as a base, a conceptual framework relating these processes to information use is developed from the available literature and the findings from exploratory interviews. Through a set of six case studies oflocal authority planning departments the explanatory power of this framework is assessed. On the basis of this a refined framework is put forward and a final assessment made of it using a detailed analysis of the evolution and adoption of the policies in two development plans, the Wakefield Unitary Development Plan and the Lancashire Structure Plan. The research concludes that the use of technical information is heavily influenced by the regulatory nature of the British planning system, which places a focus on the justification of policies and gives greater importance to technical analysis in some situations than others. In development plan making the semi-judicial arena of the inquiry or examination in public is central. Information from computerised sources can playa distinctive role in planning but this is dependent on how it is incorporated into the policy processes through which decisions are made. Technical information and computerised analysis can play an important role in legitimating planning decision and shaping the evolution ofpolicies, but this can only be understood within a wider context of social and political processes.
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Dilday, Chester Daniel. "Developing reflective social policy decision-making through computer-simulation /." The Ohio State University, 1989. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487598303840861.
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Huisamen, Petronella. "Die effek van die besluitnemings- en lewensdoelkomponente van die SAPD se selfbestuur personeelkapasiteitsbouprogram / Petronella Huisamen." Thesis, North-West University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1518.
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Background: In 2003, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service gave instructions
that all the new student constables should undergo a personnel capacity-building programme as part of
their basic training. This led to the development of the Self-Management Programme by Police Social
Work Services. This programme IS, since July 2004, an integral part of the empowerment of more than
8000 recruits annually.
A comprehensive study into the short and long-term effects of the programme on recruits, as well as its
overall return on investment (ROI), was started in 2004. In this document, only the results that were
achieved with the measurement of the programme's decision-making and purpose-in-life components
will, however, be covered.
Objectives: The study had a twofold purpose. The first was to measure the short and long-term effect of
the Financial Management, Planning of Goals, Self-knowledge, Problem-solving and HIV/AIDS
Awareness modules on recruit's knowledge, attitude and behaviour. It, secondly, endeavoured to
measure the programme's return on investment coefficient.
Method: The study utilised an experimental research design, as well as focus groups and
triangulation. It involved an average of 400 experimental group respondents, 120 control group
members, 12 focus group participants and 14 presenters per module. A total of 23 questionnaires and a focus group schedule was designed and utilised in the generation of data.
Results: All five modules had a practical significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude and
behaviour and improved their personal and professional functioning considerably. The "decision-making"
and "purpose-in-life" components, as well as the programme as a whole, also produced a very
high return on investment. It, therefore, implies that the Self-Management Programme should be seen as
both a very effective capacity-building tool and a financial asset for the South African Police Service.<br>Thesis (Ph.D. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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Stuntz, Andrew W. (Andrew William). "Transit fare policy : use of automated data to improve incremental decision making." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119275.
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Thesis: S.M. in Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2018.<br>Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018.<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (pages 218-224).<br>Incremental changes in fare policy can have substantial and long-term impacts on transit ridership and revenue, but they are often driven by near-term revenue needs and determined within short time frames with limited analysis. This thesis proposes a procedural framework to organize analysis of incremental fare changes, linking exploration of current pricing strategies to estimation of behavioral parameters and modeling of fare change scenarios. Within this framework, empirical case studies are presented at two of the five largest transit agencies in the U.S. - the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). These agencies have increased the price of passes relative to pay-per-use fares in recent years, motivating three particular applications that make extensive use of automated fare collection (AFC) data: 1) differentiating employer-based, pre-tax, automatically-renewing pass sales from other pass sales, 2) estimating cost sensitivity of both ridership frequency and fare product choice using only recent experience at a single agency, and 3) incorporating fare product choice in a traditional elasticity spreadsheet model to predict impacts of fare change scenarios. Passes sold through employer programs and online are found to have lower use than other passes, contributing substantially to revenue while increasing ridership; expanding these programs or extending tax benefits to all transit commuters could further increase revenue and ridership. Individual-level AFC data are used to estimate fare-related behavioral parameters: resulting MBTA elasticity estimates of -0.7 for pay-per-use and -0.5 for employer-based passes are higher than current agency assumptions of -0.25 and -0.15, use of a CTA 30-day or 7-day pass appears to boost a customer's ridership by up to 11% or 21% (respectively), and a CTA product choice model is estimated without reliance on stated preference data. A CTA fare model combining product choice and elasticities predicts substantial switching between fare products when pass multiples are changed, and a simplified model illustrates that passes should be priced below revenue maximization to capture low-cost gains in ridership. The procedural framework in this thesis applies to all transit agencies, and the empirical applications are relevant to agencies that collect AFC data and offer multiple payment structures.<br>by Andrew W. Stuntz.<br>S.M. in Transportation<br>M.C.P.
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Winter, William E. "Development decision-making in St. Louis, MO institutions, incentives, and urban development /." Diss., St. Louis, Mo. : University of Missouri--St. Louis, 2006. http://etd.umsl.edu/r1221.
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Hussey, Laura Selena. "Social policy and social services in women's pregnancy decision-making political and programmatic implications /." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/3840.
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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2006.<br>Thesis research directed by: Government and Politics. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
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Olson, Jeremiah. "SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION AND POLITICAL DECISION MAKING IN THE AMERICAN PRISON SYSTEM(S)." UKnowledge, 2013. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/polysci_etds/5.
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With over two million inmates, the United States’ prison population is the largest in the world. Nearly one in one hundred Americans are behind bars, either in prisons or pre-trial detention facilities. The rapid growth in incarceration is well-documented. However, social science explanations often stop at the prison gates, with little work on treatment inside prisons. This black box approach ignores important bureaucratic decisions, including the provision of rehabilitative services and the application of punishment.
This dissertation offers a systematic analysis of treatment decisions inside the American prisons. I use a mixed methods approach, combining multiple quantitative datasets with environmental observation at four prisons, and original interviews of twenty-three correctional staff members. I offer the only large-n comparative analysis of American state prisons. Characteristics of the inmates as well as characteristics of staff are explored. I am able to analyze data at the state, facility and individual level. All of this is to answer a crucial and somewhat overlooked question; how do prison staff decide who should be punished and who should receive rehabilitative treatment?
I find that theories of social construction offer insight into the treatment of American prison inmates. Specifically, I find that socially constructed racial categories offer explanatory value for inmate treatment. Black and Hispanic inmates are less likely to receive important rehabilitative programs, including access to mental health and medical care. Black and Hispanic inmates are also more likely to receive punishment including the use of solitary confinement in administrative segregation units. I find, consistent with theories of representative bureaucracy that staffing characteristics also impact treatment decisions, with black and Hispanic staff members expressing lower preferences for punishment and prisons with higher percentages of black staff members utilize administrative segregation less.
I provide a historical overview of the changing social constructions of crime and prisons inside the United States, from colonial to present day America. I argue that the treatment of prisoners changes as our conception of crime changes. I discuss recent bipartisan attempts at prison reform and offer my own suggestions for reform of the American prison system.
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Munetsi, Dennis. "Cognitive Idiosyncrasies in USA’s Foreign Policy Decision-Making: : A Comparison of Obama’s and Trump’s Foreign Policy Decision Making Processes Regarding the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för globala politiska studier (GPS), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-45678.
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Decisions made by individuals representing states do not only impact citizens living within the state’s political jurisdiction, but also those from other political jurisdictions. The U.S. Executive’s role in global and international politics is quintessential case of how behaviors of individuals representing a state can shift the balance of power in the global political system. This study aimed to gain a new understanding into how this phenomenon occurs by analyzing the influence of personal characteristics on behaviors of individuals with executive decision-making powers. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was used as the case to understand which personal characteristics at the level of cognitive idiosyncrasies were present in Obama’s and Trump’s decision-making processes regarding the Act. The study was an interpretivist enquiry which analyzed speeches gathered using a discourse analysis method and analyzed through the lenses of the cognitive idiosyncrasy theoretical model. Results showed that there were cognitive idiosyncrasies of framing, anchoring, images, evoked set, cognitive consistency, availability of information, historical analogies and verbal styles present in both presidents’ behaviors. The study concluded that though personal characteristics influence decision-making, the extent of their influence varies depending on the individual’s experience, expertise, and interests in the foreign policy problem.
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Baldeh, Yero H. J. "Information support for district health care planning and decision making in The Gambia : a holistic approach." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 1997. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/21604/.
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This research builds upon a body of previous research on health informatics in developing countries. Early research on this area was motivated by a desire to understand the role of different health informatics applications for an effective and efficient health care delivery in developing countries. These applications range from the use of medical expert systems for clinical diagnosis to epidemiological systems at the central level. None of these looked at health information systems at the district level, especially in relation to the information needs of district health staff. Therefore, this research differs from earlier studies in three aspects. First, it looks at the planning and decision-making processes at the district level and how information support could play a crucial role in these processes. Second, it provides a critical evaluation of the existing vertical reporting systems, and through action-research demonstrates the use of an integrated health information system at the district level. Third, it applies multiple perspectives to analyse the research findings in relation to information support for district health care planning and decision making. These three perspectives are the functional perspective, organisational perspective, and the political perspective. To achieve this, the research: • uses a systemic approach to examine the health care system in The Gambia; • uses action-research to design, develop and implement an integrated district health information system in The Gambia; • uses an interpretive evaluation framework to evaluate the impact of the system development efforts in this research; • uses the theory of contextualism to reflect on the research findings over the three year period. Various themes emerged during the research. These themes would be introduced here as the contributions to knowledge arising from the completion of this research project. These include: • a demonstration of the suitability of using a systemic approach for the design, development and implementation of an integrated information system for district health care planning and decision making; • the development of a conceptual implementation framework suitable for the unique characteristics of developing countries; • a manifestation of the implications of an integrated information system for management development, decentralisation, intersectoral coordination and community participation at the district level; • suggestions for further work especially on the need to evaluate the socio-political impact of this research on the existing political and cultural structures in The Gambia.
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Faridy, Sohail Ahmad. "Decision-making, stakeholders and social sustainability in Pakistan : a case study of Karachi /." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B22284461.
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Kelly, Michael Patrick. "The implementation of policy : an examination of decision-making in practice; the erection of agricultural workers dwellings in North Devon." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.359800.
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Hall, Ralph P. 1975. "Understanding and applying the concept of sustainable development to transportation planning and decision-making in the U.S." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/34555.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, 2006.<br>Includes bibliographical references.<br>This research demonstrates that sustainable development is a multidimensional concept that should be approached in a transdisciplinary manner. Its objective has been to synthesize and integrate disparate and currently unconnected lines of thought that have not yet been applied in a systematic way to promote sustainable development and sustainable transportation. The primary contribution of this research is the theoretical development of a decision-support framework that identifies the tools and approaches that decision-makers could/should use to create policies and programs that transition society towards sustainability. These tools and approaches are either articulated or developed by the author throughout the dissertation. Specific ideas explored include a Rawlsian/utilitarian decision-making philosophy; a hybrid trade-off/positional analysis framework that is presented as an alternative to benefit-cost analysis; ecological vs. environmental economics; participatory backcasting; and ways to stimulate disrupting and/or radical technological innovation. To identify gaps that exist between theory and practice, the approach embodied in the proposed sustainable transportation decision-support framework is compared with current metropolitan transportation planning and decision-making processes in the U.S. The framework is then used to consider how the U.S. federal government might move the nation's transportation system towards sustainability.<br>by Ralph P. Hall.<br>Ph.D.
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Charron, Lianne. "How youth involved in child protection services are included in intervention planning and decision making." Thesis, McGill University, 2011. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=104769.
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Little is known about youth involved in child protection services and their inclusion in formal planning and decision-making. This study seeks to explore youths' experiences of planning and decisions made about their lives as well as map current child welfare legislation in two Canadian provinces. This study is divided into three types of data collection. The first includes a single case interview with a youth living in foster care. The second is an analysis of secondary data obtained from an agency satisfaction survey, which included 16 youth between 14 and 17 years of age. The third method involved mapping current child protection legislation in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Three main themes emerged from my individual interview: The meaning of participation and decision-making; Intervention planning; and The relationship with caseworker and agency. Secondary data from the agency's satisfaction survey provided further insight about youths' experiences of intervention planning and service provision. Most youth respondents were satisfied with the way they were involved in planning and with the relationship they had with service providers. Legislation was mapped according to different types of decisions, the criteria for inclusion and conditions in place for inclusion. This study is a stepping stone towards a greater understanding of youths' experiences with child protection services. As service providers, we need to develop more collaborative approaches to communicate and work with youth. Researchers, policy makers and professionals must continue to give meaning to young people, especially as active participants in their own lives.<br>II existe peu d'information au sujet des jeunes impliqués dans les services de protection de l'enfance ainsi que de leurs implications en termes de planification et de prises de décisions. Cette étude cherche à explorer l'expérience des jeunes face à la planification et les décisions qui ont un impact sur leurs vies ainsi que cartographier les lois courantes de la protection de l'enfance au Canada. Cette étude est divisée en trois types de collection de données. La première s'agit d'une étude de cas via l'entrevue d'un jeune en foyer d'accueil. La deuxième est une analyse de données secondaire provenant d'un sondage de satisfaction d'une agence externe incluant 16 jeunes âgés de 14 à 17 ans. La dernière méthode implique la cartographie des lois en protection d'enfance courantes dans les provinces de l'Ontario et du Québec Trois thèmes ont ressortit de l'entrevue avec l'individu : la signification de la participation et de la prise de décision; la planification d'intervention et; la relation avec l'agence et l'intervenant assigné au dossier. Bien que les données du sondage de satisfaction ne démontrent pas une différence statistique, on a su comprendre mieux au sujet de leurs expériences de la planification d'intervention et de la provision de services. La majorité des répondants étaient satisfaits avec leur implication et leurs relations avec le travailleur de dossier. La loi fut cartographiée selon le degré d'implication des jeunes dans les différents types de décisions, les critères d'implication et les conditions associées aux critères d'implication. Cette étude représente un premier pas et nous aide à mieux comprendre les expériences spécifiques de la planification et la prise de décisions. Les professionnelles doivent développés des approches collaboratives en ce qui attrait à la communication et le travaille avec les jeunes. Aussi, les chercheurs, les responsables politiques ainsi que les professionnelles doivent continuer à valoriser les jeunes, surtout comme participants actifs dans leurs propres vies.
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Allen, Martha Paralee. "A constructivist study of the decision-making process in permanency planning." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1993. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/688.
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Myrick, Darrell Royster. "The effect of the voting franchise on public policy decision making and provincial government spending for HIV/AIDS." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2007. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05272008-173701/.
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Fanning, Bryan Joseph. "Community activism, land use planning and the local state : a case study of the London Borough of Haringey." Thesis, Birkbeck (University of London), 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.286198.
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Williams, Thomas Wayne. "Sinking Poor Decision-Making with Best Practices: A Case Study of Artificial Reef Decision-Making in the Florida Keys." VCU Scholars Compass, 2006. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/838.
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The natural reefs of the world are experiencing higher use and pressures, resulting in anthropogenic impacts that are deteriorating many coral stands and creating poor water quality. The Florida Keys rely primarily on the reef system that surrounds the archipelago for their socioeconomic health and successful future. The Florida Keys shares the symbiotic relationship of the terrestrial and marine realms with many other states and countries and the experience of higher demand on the resource. Artificial reefs could provide a substitute to the natural reefs for commercial and recreational users. An increased demand for derelict vessels of the U.S. Navy and Maritime Administration has illustrated the popularity of their use as artificial reefs.Local decision-makers do not have the experience to apply to an artificial reef proposal and many rely on existing anecdotal data and "expert" testimony. A lack of evaluation criteria adds to the difficulties of determining if an artificial reef proposal is appropriate for their community. With little empirical data available in the literature and a lack of comprehensive pre and post deployment data completed, how does the decision-maker decide? This study seeks to determine if a method exists that provides criteria and best practices for evaluation of artificial reef projects. Although the study's focus is on artificial reefs, this matrix could be modified to apply to any project where similar dynamics apply. The matrix uses a disaggregate method modeled after the Goeller scorecard. The model provides a best practice's matrix developed through a meta-analysis of three existing artificial reef projects, a comprehensive literature review, and interviews with three decision-makers at different levels of participation. The matrix applies identified best practices and provides a scoring method that can assist the decision-making process. This study acknowledges the limitations of a research project such as this and realizes that many decisions in a political realm have variables not covered in a study of this scope. However, an identified lack of decision-making continuity demonstrates the need for such a study and the research provided within this study is an important first step.
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Tavanlar, Katrina D. (Katrina Domaoal) 1973. "Participation in policy and practice : conventional and deliberative roles for the public in water resources management and environmental decision-making." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70322.
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Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-75).<br>Public participation plays an important role in environmental decision making and policy formulation. Federal and state agencies charged with the responsibilities of determining laws to manage environmental problems are mandated to include participation in their regulatory rulemaking. In most cases, public participation takes place in conventional forums such as public hearings, meetings, and workshops. These forums have limited capacity for true deliberation or discussion between the public and the government agency. In this conventional view, the competency of the citizen in the participation process should be questioned. Because the public may be ill informed or have a limited knowledge of technical and political information, decision making and policy making should be left to experts. Despite the prevalence of these conventional models, alternative models to standard practice have arisen and are currently utilized. These models incorporate greater deliberation and take the form of citizen advisory committees and mediated consensus building processes. Alternative models of participation acknowledge that the citizenry, because of their unique knowledge of local conditions and intellectual capacity to generate and formulate ideas and solutions, are essential to decision making and policy formulation. The CALFED Bay-Delta Program, created specifically to address the pressing environmental and water management problems in the San Francisco/San Joaquin Bay-Delta, espoused the virtues of new and alternative approaches to dealing with decades-old controversies and conflicting interests. In this thesis, I have compared CALFED's policies and strategies for public participation with their actual practice. In seeking to reconcile policy with practice, I acknowledge that CALFED has attempted to engage the public. But despite the acknowledgement and emphasis on alternative approaches that seek to resolve conflict, CALFED's strategies, in practice, adhere to conventional approaches. Deliberation in both public outreach forums and citizen advisory committees has been limited. When deliberation has been realized in the CALFED process, it has been in small, sporadic events that incorporate highly structured and facilitated processes.<br>by Katrina D. Tavanlar.<br>M.C.P.
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Albert, Christian [Verfasser]. "Scenario-based landscape planning : influencing decision-making through substantive outputs and social learning / Christian Albert." Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek und Universitätsbibliothek Hannover (TIB), 2012. http://d-nb.info/1022753908/34.
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Case, Kelsey Kathryn. "From evidence to practice : the use of mathematical models to inform HIV programme planning and policy decision making." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/60855.
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From early in the HIV epidemic, mathematical models have been used to understand patterns of infection and the potential for spread and can be a valuable tool to help inform strategic decisions. This thesis aims to investigate the use of mathematical models to inform HIV programme planning and policy decision making. This is done by examining key mathematical models used for this purpose, generating recommendations to advance the utility of these models, and investigating their use in the policy environment. Quantitative and qualitative methods from epidemiology, political science and social science are used to provide an integrated global health perspective. Mathematical models are first used to investigate the long-term epidemiological implications of different policy decisions for HIV prevention and treatment in the countries most affected by HIV. Next, they are used at the national level in a country application to produce short-term projections of incidence within the population. The results from the second model are used to frame a discussion which arose at the international level regarding its use and formulates recommendations for improved use. Finally, a descriptive multi-case study investigation is conducted in Malawi and Zambia exploring the use of mathematical models in guiding national policy with respect to HIV interventions. A qualitative approach drawing on principles from grounded theory is used and a theoretical framework is developed to guide and provide structure for the investigations. This framework views research utilisation as a spectrum and considers a range of different types of use across this continuum. This chapter describes the use of modelling within the policy environment, the key stakeholders involved, and identifies the barriers, facilitators and conditions for use of modelling to inform programme planning and decision making. Taken together, this thesis progresses from global to local, taking modelling beyond the research arena and into the policy environment.
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Marielle, Gallardo, and Chakraborty Sweta. "DECISION-MAKING FOR AUTONOMOUS CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Inbyggda system, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-44250.
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Autonomous driving requires tactical decision-making while navigating in a dynamic shared space environment. The complexity and uncertainty in this process arise due to unknown and tightly-coupled interaction among traffic users. This thesis work formulates an unknown navigation problem as a Markov decision process (MDP), supported by models of traffic participants and userspace. Instead of modeling a traditional MDP, this work formulates a Multi-policy decision making (MPDM) in a shared space scenario with pedestrians and vehicles. The employed model enables a unified and robust self-driving of the ego vehicle by selecting a desired policy along the pre-planned path. Obstacle avoidance is coupled within the navigation module performing a detour off the planned path and obtaining a reward on task completion and penalizing for collision with others. In addition to this, the thesis work is further extended by analyzing the real-time constraints of the proposed model. The performance of the implemented framework is evaluated in a simulation environment on a typical construction (quarry) scenario. The effectiveness and efficiency of the elected policy verify the desired behavior of the autonomous vehicle.
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Kalashnyk, Leonid. "Environmental Decision-making in the Pskov Region of the Russian Federation." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2345.
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<p>The break-up of the Soviet Union handed down the Russian Federation a number of Soviet environmental legacies ranging from contaminated areas to the old bureaucratic procedures and outdated practices. In the post-Soviet years of transition to a free-market economy Russia began to face increasingly acute tension between environmental security and economic development, and the state’s ability to effectively pursue environmental policies deteriorated. Current environmental policy-makers are faced with a multitude of challenges that range from complicated environmental systems to the inconsistent legislative framework and resource deficiencies. Although researchers have paid some attention to these problems, environmental decision-making remains a poorly illuminated area and constitutes a theoretically challenging problem. This paper addresses the regional environmental decision-making process in the Russian Federation. Using the Pskov region on the border with Byelorussia and the two future EU members Estonia and Latvia as a case study, this paper seeks to supply a better understanding of how environmental decisions are made on the regional and local levels with a special focus on constraints affecting environmental policy-making. The study attempts to explain the environmental decision-making process in light of the two competing theories of decision- making, incrementalism and the bureaucratic politics model. It is primarily based on interviews made in the Pskov region in the autumn of 2002.</p>
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Webster, Wayne P. "The Influence of Philanthropy and Administrative Decision-making Models on a Liberal Arts College's Strategic Planning Process| A Case Study." Thesis, The George Washington University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3609047.
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<p> Private liberal arts colleges are uniquely American institutions whose very existence is due to the philanthropic generosity of individuals and organizations (Thelin, 2004). They receive little direct government support and rely on tuition revenues, endowment earnings, and philanthropy to balance their budgets, making them susceptible to shifts in the economy (Balderston, 1995). How these institutions plan for the future and how philanthropy factors into these plans was an important question to examine (Connell, 2006). This study addressed deficiencies in the literature by providing an in-depth view of how the constituencies of a singular four-year, private liberal arts college believed that philanthropy affected a strategic planning process and how administrative decision-making models were used during this process. </p><p> The following research questions were addressed: a.) How did philanthropy affect planning for capital projects within a strategic plan? b.) How did philanthropy affect the focus of current and future academic offerings of an institution? c.) How did philanthropic considerations affect the organizational structure which supports the fulfillment of the strategic plan? A total of 23 key informants were interview for this study and 58 pages of materials were reviewed. Using case study methodology provided practitioners and scholars with a deeper understanding of how philanthropy and strategic planning have a mutual influence upon one another. Also, exploring how decision-making models were utilized in this process provided an important insight into the practice of shared governance and decision-making at a liberal arts college. </p><p> It was evident during the case study of Selective College that philanthropy did play a role in facility planning, and the implementation of new value-added academic and co-curricular programs. The core mission, values, and academic focus of Selective College were not altered due to the influence of philanthropy during the strategic planning exercise. In addition, new administrative positions were created to increase philanthropic revenue. There was also a focus on increasing revenue through tuition and fees leading to investments in admissions and marketing efforts. A new form of institutional decision-making emerged during this study which allowed for feedback, but resulted in institutional leadership making final decisions with a focus on increasing revenues.</p>
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McMillan, Naya S. "The role of neighborhood residency in the decision to evacuate." Thesis, Birmingham, Ala. : University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. https://www.mhsl.uab.edu/dt/2010r/mcmillan.pdf.
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Graham, Farrah. "Making Sense of the Access Problem: A New Methodology for Analyzing the Postsecondary Education Decision." VCU Scholars Compass, 2008. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1643.
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This study is interested in defining new variables that contribute to the explanation of whether or not an individual applies to postsecondary institutions. Prior research has explained differences based on demographic variables, such as first generation status, income and race, and differences in information and social support that an individual possesses. While these variables have a significant effect on the decision, they do not completely explain why individuals decide to pursue postsecondary education. This research suggests that how an individual moves through the decision process, as well as how information is interpreted and used will have an effect on the ultimate decision outcome. The Sense-Making model (Dervin, 2003) is adapted here to define the differences in the decision process. A telephone survey was conducted with a randomly selected sample of 448 residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia asking them to describe their decision process regarding participating in postsecondary education based on the variables comprising the Sense-Making model. Stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the effect of the demographics-based and Sense-Making model variables on the likelihood that an individual applies to postsecondary education. The descriptive analysis of the survey findings indicated that respondents do not rely solely on a rational, information-based decision process. The resulting model produced by the stepwise process indicated that income and familiarity with postsecondary education had the strongest effects on the likelihood of applying, which is consistent with the existing literature. As for the Sense-Making variables, the analysis provided a set of variables whose presence makes a respondent less likely to apply. Feeling a lack of control over the decision outcome, perceiving information as not supportive to the process, using social support to make the decision and noting social support and school characteristics as a barrier all decreased the likelihood of respondents applying. The findings of the descriptive and predictive analysis defined the shortcomings of information and indicate that social support, like information, may not always facilitate the decision process. Recommendations are made to create information that is more supportive and will accurately portray the work necessary to prepare for postsecondary education and to create participatory programming to address misperceptions and acceptance of information. These findings provide the basis for additional research to define how information can support the decision process.
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Gasant, Mogamad Waheeb. "Group and interpersonal conflict at Rocklands Secondary School : an organisational analysis to ascertain the implications for policy making." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8470.
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Bibliography: leaves 162-171.<br>Change, whether organisational or societal, presents a fertile environment for the development of conflict. The probability of organisational conflict occurring in schools in South Africa is heightened by the fact that the country is in the throes of national political change. The main force influencing political events in the country, democratisation, maintains its prominence when one looks at the causes of organisational conflict in schools in the disadvantaged sectors of the South African society. Rocklands Secondary School, the area of the research, epitomises the South African situation With regard to the occurrence of organisational conflict in the context of the wider conflict taking place at all levels of society in the country. Although the traditional views of organisational conflict - as an occurrence that is evil and needs to be avoided - are evident at the school, a large percentage of the staff regard conflict as necessary but feel that it needs to be resolved.
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Parkin, Glenda. "Confusion, clarity, cohesion, disintegration : a study of curriculum decision-making in citizenship education /." Curtin University of Technology, Faculty of Education, 2002. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=12507.
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In the last decade, the Commonwealth Government has relied increasingly on policy-induced consortia to implement its education policy initiatives. The study focused on education policy pertaining to citizenship education, and specifically on the recommendations of the Civics Expert Group's 1994 report Whereas the people...Civics and Citizenship Education. The then Commonwealth Government called for policy-induced consortia to submit applications as a means to implement the report's recommendations. As a result, the Western Australian Consortium for Citizenship Education was formed. The Consortiums submission for a grant to assist teachers to prepare curriculum materials for citizenship education was successful. The study examined the decisions made by the Consortium members in relation to the curriculum materials project.The study was informed by an examination of literature pertaining to citizenship and citizenship education, the implementation of public policy, and group and curriculum decision-making. The review of the literature concerning the constructs of 'citizen' highlighted the contested nature of citizenship. In turn, this is reflected in the debates about the nature of citizenship education. As well, the literature review revealed many models of policy implementation and group curriculum decision-making do not adequately reflect the complexities and realities of group decision-making processes. The models often ignore the socio-political dynamics of the group, particularly in a policy-induced consortium, which exists for a specific and limited purpose, where members owe allegiance to their institutions rather than the consortium and where the consortium is accountable to a government department for the management of the project.A case study approach using qualitative methods was used. These methods and approaches are most likely to capture and interpret ++<br>the humanness of group decision-making. Moreover, they take into account the importance of the values each member of the Consortium brought to the group and recognise that each member constructed his/her meaning as a result of social interaction with other Consortium members.The case study focused on a detailed examination of the work of the Western Australian Consortium for Citizenship Education and especially on the sub-group of the Project Management Committee over eighteen months. The notion of 'critical decisions' was used to analyse the Consortium's decision-making. Each critical decision had significant consequences for the ongoing work of the Consortium. The nature of the Consortium's decision-making highlighted the overwhelming importance of social dynamics over curriculum decision-making.The intentions of the study were to build towards a more complete understanding of the socio-political nature of group curriculum decision-making; to contribute to theorising about the humanness of group curriculum decision-making; and to provide an informed perspective about the significance of the Commonwealth Government's intervention in education through the mechanism of policy-induced consortia.The thesis makes a contribution to the socio-political dimension of group curriculum decision-making in federations. It illustrates that curriculum policy delivery is a socio-political process focussing on interpersonal relationships rather than a rational or deliberative process based on educational outcomes.
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Li, Yiu-man, and 李耀文. "MPA dissertation: an analysis of the policy on the control of road-opening works in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31965003.
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Whatley, Steve Lynn. "Social processes of a professional licensing board deciding to establish mandatory continuing professional education." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1132802891.
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Ahsan, Mohammad Kamrul. "Sustainable development and environmentalism : an ethical framework for policy and decision making in developing countries with special reference to Bangladesh." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2012. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/41969/.
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There is a growing consensus that the currently dominant economic practices, which excessively rely on incessant profitability‘, fails appropriately to value ethical components of environmental problems: valuation of bearers of intrinsic value (e.g. all creatures), or again bearers of inherent and instrumental value (e.g. species and ecosystems). This has led to a systematic defect in relevant decision-making with diverse associated economic, social and environmental disbenefits. Although the UN formulation of sustainable development (as opposed to the currently dominant development paradigm) provides us with guidance on formulating an alternative framework for sustainable development, it involves some serious problems. Some of these problems suggest the need for revisions, while others seem fatal to the definitions as they stand. This study argues that a different revision, suggested by the basic needs approach, can surmount the various problems, and present and defend a revised definition accordingly. The revised account recognises economic inequality and social injustice as the underlying causes for environmental injustice and thus appropriately focuses on the principles of environmental justice. This conveys a framework for corresponding systemically the interconnectedness between the seemingly competing aspects of sustainable development, the dynamic flux between development needs and environmental limits. I defend Attfield‘s version of biocentric consequentialism, which supplies a strong theoretical basis for such an ethically informed and comprehensive policy framework for sustainable development. Furthermore, I tackle different approaches to security and argue that it is hardly possible to attain a sustainable future,while disregarding the human security view in its wider sense. The study examines in close detail the applicability of the proposed policy framework for sustainable development to developing countries, with special reference to Bangladesh. It offers a list of recommendations for Bangladesh and concludes that a sustainable future for Bangladesh (and developing countries at large) is for the most part reliant on the successful implementation of recommendations of the broad general kind made in this study.
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Ma, Siu-hung, and 馬笑虹. "A study of the policy advice mechanisms of the Hong Kong government." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31965428.
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Warrington, Camille. ""Helping me find my own way" : sexually exploited young people's involvement in decision-making about their care." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/608480.
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This thesis explores the role and relevance of the concepts of participation and service user involvement for work with sexually exploited children and young people. The central research questions are: how do young people at risk of, or affected by sexual exploitation, experience their rights to involvement in decision-making processes about their care? What is the meaning and value of the concept of participation from service users’ own perspectives? And what are the gains of involving these young people in decision-making processes about their care? The research involved in-depth qualitative interviews with twenty young service users and ten practitioners. Three theoretical frameworks underpin the study; a constructivist approach to childhood; sociological approaches to agency, and discourses of children’s participation rights. The analysis of data was informed by both narrative and grounded theory approaches. The thesis argues that young people’s perspectives on professional welfare, though rarely recorded or allowed to inform policy and best practice, shed new insight onto the efficacy and limitations of existing child protection practice with adolescents at risk of sexual exploitation. Consideration is given to how young people experience and respond to services, including their decisions about disengaging from or circumventing professional support. The thesis concludes that these demonstrations of agency and power, though often interpreted as deviant, are essentially rational and often protective. Through this lens young people’s agency is recognised as a resource rather than a problem. The thesis concludes by arguing that the ability of support services to protect young people affected by sexual exploitation is contingent on the degree to which they involve young people in decision-making about their care. Rather than standing in opposition to paternalistic approaches to protection, the narratives suggest that participation and empowerment are necessary conditions of a protective service, especially for those considered most marginalized or vulnerable.
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Botsis, Hannah. "Making public politics private: A narrative study of apartheid racial ideology and its effects on white teenage female sexual desire in post-apartheid South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7814.
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An effect of apartheid among the youth has been that transformation in educational institutions has largely not moved beyond artificial interaction. There is an obvious divide between public rhetoric of integration and private experience. A reason for this may be that the private realm is a fertile and productive space for the reproduction of prejudice, where desire is seemingly coded in private tastes and not political ideologies. Theoretically I examine how historical public discourses come to function as personal norms, expressed as personal desire not political ideology. Literature has shown that these racial ideologies function both to fetishize the Other in interracial relationships and to maintain the hegemony of whiteness in interracial contact. Through narrative interviews with a select group of white teenage girls from a mixture of schools in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, I analyse how historical power relations become an intimate part of our subject experience. Drawing on a psychoanalytical account of ideology I examine how their racial subjectivities are predicated on exclusionary logics that bar certain objects from being produced as desirable for them.
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Subasic, Kathleen. "Planning for the future : a grounded theory study of well older adults' decision-making regarding home modifications." Diss., NSUWorks, 2014. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_ot_student_dissertations/32.
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The purpose of this dissertation research was to understand the decision-making process that well older adults use when deciding whether to make a home modification. The researcher also sought to understand the views of well older adults concerning the use of home modification to prevent injury and declines in occupational performance. The researcher used the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model (Law et al., 1996) from occupational therapy and occupational science as the orienting framework.
A qualitative grounded theory approach based on that proposed by Strauss and Corbin (1998) was used to structure data collection and analysis. Participants were obtained using purposive and theoretical sampling and were interviewed by the researcher. The 19 participants in this study ranged in age from 65 to 89.
Findings from this study include a model of the decision-making process that well older adults used to plan for their futures related to home setting and modification and also a substantive grounded theory. The Theory of Home Modification Decision-Making: Well Older Adults is proposed and explained. Central to the theory are two decision-making processes, including the conditions that influence the decisions. These findings and the theory are discussed relative to the PEO model and existing occupational therapy and gerontology literature. The information gained from this study is beneficial to occupational therapists and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists to improve and expand their services to the well older adult population.
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Ozdoglar, Mehmet Rasit. "Assessment Of Criteria-rich Rankings For Decision Makers." Master's thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12611509/index.pdf.
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Environmental policymaking is a difficult issue for governments. It is desirable to have the decisions based on the results of quantitative and analytical studies. On the other hand, by their very nature, many such decisions have political aspects, whose subtleties are difficult to be captured by quantitative approaches alone. It is left to the political establishments to decide how best to allocate the efforts to improve environmental conditions. In this respect, evaluating the countries by generating environmental indices and the subsequent ranking of the countries with respect to those indices is a common practice. Perhaps the best known environmental sustainability index, the Environmental Performance Index-2008 (EPI-2008), is a composite index that comprises 6 core policy categories and 25 indicators.
While recognizing the qualitative aspects of such decision making, in order to support and guide the policymaking process, we develop analytical tools to assist the process. We carefully delineate our models to be limited only to the provable quantitative properties of the available objective data. However, such data are processed into more meaningful statements concerning the available options. Specifically, using EPI-2008, meaningful mathematical models that shed further light onto the country sustainability measures are developed.
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Sadiqi, Jawed. "Evaluating Social Housing Sustainability Policies in the Context of Local Government: A Public Value Perspective." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/17444.
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The demand for social housing has grown recently more than its supply,
particularly in the United Kingdom (UK). The existing literature addresses the
lack of a sustainability policy and its contribution to the lack of political intent
to support the achievement of social housing homeownership predominantly
under the Right-to-Buy. This research highlights that several government
projects have failed in the past to deliver satisfying outcomes for the public;
thus, their value to social housing tenants and public value has been largely
neglected. The main aim of this research project is to evaluate social housing
policies through the lens of public value that drives the decision-making
process and to construct a conceptual framework to enhance the
accountability and efficiency of social housing tenants in the context of local
government. This has been achieved through key research objectives and the
key citizens, barriers and recommendations have been explored to enlighten
social housing sustainability policy. This conceptual framework was tested in
UK local government authorities and with local citizens who had recently
started to address diverse sustainability factors in terms of social housing
policy. The result was a qualitative case study enquiry based on the use of
focus group-interviews, the vignettes approach and documentary evidence to
explore the validity of the conceptual framework as a tool for supporting the
decision-making process in this field. The findings obtained from the in-depth
case study provided an insight into the social housing evaluation criteria and
the influences of a sustainability policy from both a practical background and
an internal organisational perspective. The findings addressed the poor
affordability of a whole-life value of a property, insufficient funding due to
austerity, poor legal frameworks, poor governance, a lack of suitable designs
for social cohesion, poverty, the well-organized use of resources and
environmental protection.
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Poole, Kerry Dean. "Assessing Competing Demands and Charting a Course: A Phenomenological Study of Advanced Placement U.S. History Teachers' Decision Making and Course Planning." Scholar Commons, 2013. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5105.
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Florida has experienced some of the greatest growth of Advanced Placement (AP) programs in recent years and student scores on the AP exams have evolved into a highly significant metric in evaluating student proficiency and teacher and school effectiveness. Despite this growth, it is not well known how AP teachers make decisions about the content they teach, what learning activities they select, how much the AP exam influences their decision making, how they modify learning opportunities for diverse learners, and how they prepare their students for the College Board AP exam. This interpretive, phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of four AP U.S. History teachers whose students consistently achieve pass rates above the Florida average. The study examines how these teachers interpret competing environmental factors, construct meaning, and develop course plans and classroom environments for their students that lead to successful outcomes.
Four successful AP U.S. History teachers were selected from a large school district in central Florida and invited to participate in the study. Participants were purposefully selected to create a sample where all participants possessed the "intensity" characteristic of successful student performance but where variability in the high school settings and individual teacher demographics were maximized. Data collection consisted of a pre-interview survey, a classroom observation, and three one-hour semi-structured interviews for each participant. The four participants' data were used to construct interpretive phenomenological narratives to share the lived experiences of these successful AP teachers. Additionally, analysis of participant data yielded participant and inter-participant themes. Findings indicate that the successful teachers in this study were highly organized, developed supportive and caring classrooms, and designed their courses, in large part, based on their own personal beliefs about what a college experience should be like. While all teachers in this study reported considerable academic diversity in their individual classrooms, the greatest effects of academic diversity were seen when comparing teachers in different academically performing schools where teachers adapted their pacing, content, and methods to the academic skills of their students. The significant impact of the AP exam on all dimensions of teacher course planning and decision making was clearly evident throughout this study. Implications of these findings are that educators and administrators should select AP teachers carefully, recognize that the academic characteristics of students influence these classrooms, and be cognizant that they surrender a significant degree of control over content and skills taught in these types of classes. Furthermore, given the nature and size of the current AP program, policymakers and the College Board should examine whether they provide sufficient curricular-instructional guidance to teachers, students, and other stakeholders.
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Lord, William B. "An Evolutionary Perspective on Social Values." Water Resources Research Center. The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/310683.
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The incorporation of social and environmental objectives in water resources planning and management has been, and will continue to be, the result of several evolutionary processes. The most general of these processes is the evolution of rational-analytic thinking as a form of problem solving behavior. A second evolutionary process is the development of institutional and analytical procedures for making public decisions. The most specific process is the evolution of federal water resources planning procedures in the United States. These processes are examined, the changing institutional environment within which water resources planning and management occurs is characterized, and implications are drawn for future incorporation of social and environmental objectives.
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Rahnama, Roxanne. "Essays on the attitudes, behavior, and decision-making of income-constrained electricity consumers : implications for integrative grid and off-grid business model planning." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117795.
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Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, 2018.<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>Cataloged student-submitted from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (pages 116-126).<br>Electrification rates in a number of low income and developing countries have faced steady improvements in the last few decades, with impressive technological advancements in both the grid and off-grid sectors. There are nonetheless vast swaths of the planet - largely concentrated in India and sub-Saharan Africa - that continue to face troublesome gaps, along both extensive and intensive margins, in progress toward the goal of universal electricity access by 2030. In spite of widespread technical developments, growth of digital platforms for stakeholder engagement, and improvements in technocratic optimization tools for planning, stubborn challenges remain in the distribution sector of LIDCs, placing persistent constraints on equitable growth, private investment, and development for the 1.6 billion rural citizens living in the dark during an era of rapid urbanization. Attaching particular focus to India, which houses 300 million of the global energy poor, this thesis will argue that inadequate attention to consumer attitudes, behavior, and decision-making patterns perpetuates gridlocks in surpassing the final frontiers of global electrification. This overarching argument will be developed over a series of standalone, yet intellectually connected essays that derive from a mixture of applied political economy methods: first, an in-depth context analysis of electricity distribution in India will be introduced. The second essay extends beyond the Indian context and is largely organized as a state-of-knowledge paper that examines the complex relationship between ability-to-pay, willingness-to-pay, and welfare, and the ways in which nuanced socioeconomic, behavioral, and technical dynamics endogenously interact with these variables. In doing so, several hypotheses and case study analyses will be presented and deficiencies in this nascent literature which merit more academic engagement will be highlighted. The ultimate paper will conclude by offering different sets of consumer engagement and behavioral design recommendations that can advance an integrative approach to grid and off-grid business model planning. In holistically examining the complex nexus between electricity access and the consumer psyche, this thesis aims to provide deeper insights into the lives of the energy poor and advance a human-centered design approach to electrification planning in developing contexts.<br>by Roxanne Rahnama.<br>S.M. in Technology and Policy
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Lundgren, Anna. "The Openness Buzz : A Study of Openness in Planning, Politics and Political Decision-Making in Sweden from an Institutional Perspective." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Samhällsplanering och miljö, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-214434.
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In today’s society of increased globalization and digitalization openness has become a buzzword. This raises questions about what we mean by openness and how it is interpreted in various contexts. This thesis has two aims; to explore how openness is interpreted in planning, politics and political decision-making, and to develop an analytical tool to assess openness in different contexts. A new institutional theory framework that centers on the interplay between institutions and actors has been used, and three empirical case studies in a Swedish context were conducted to analyze how openness is interpreted in planning in metropolitan regions, in politics through the political parties and in political decision-making in the Stockholm region. The research concludes that openness in planning, politics and political decision-making is interpreted along two inter-linked narrative lines: ’openness to people’ and ’openness to knowledge, information and ideas’. It was more common to talk about peoples’ accessibility to public services and participation in different parts of society (’openness to people’) than to talk about issues of transparency and ’openness to knowledge, information and ideas’. The institutional framework shows how openness is interpreted at different institutional levels. To what degree openness is expressed at different institutional levels vary by context. In planning for instance, openness is mainly interpreted in terms of governance, whereas in politics and political decision-making, openness is interpreted in an inter-play between culture and norms, institutions, governance and practice. The institutional framework complementary context-specific theories and elaborated into an analytical model, was found useful to explain what mechanisms are at play when dealing with openness in planning, politics and political decision-making, and can be applicable in future research of openness in other geographical or organizational contexts.<br><p>QC 20170914</p>
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Kindle, Elias, Christina Sieber, and Michael Wzdulski. "Public Engagement and Participation in Municipalities : Adding Meaning to Planning and Decision Making Processes for a Collaborative Journey Towards Sustainability." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sektionen för ingenjörsvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2236.
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People shape the development of our society and the majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Given these circumstances, there is high value in supporting municipalities in their transition towards sustainability. Municipalities have the opportunity to engage directly with the general public by utilizing a participatory approach in planning and decision making. This thesis explores the conditions that enable and hinder municipalities from (i) engaging with the public and (ii) achieving effective and meaningful participation from their citizens. The findings of this study were incorporated into the Ideal Case for Strategic Integrated System Development (SISD), an outline for participatory and cross-sectoral planning towards sustainability in cities and nations. The research focused on developing the elements of engagement and participation in the Ideal Case for SISD, thereby adding depth to the suggested planning process and making it more relevant for engagement and sustainability practitioners.<br><p>sustainablecommunitiesstudy@gmail.com</p>
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Hubbard, Jeanne Darby. "Breaking Up is Hard to Do| A Qualitative Study of Parent Decision Making and Maintaining Social Capital in an Age of School Choice." Thesis, The George Washington University, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13425766.
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<p> Parent involvement in children’s education has long been accepted, as a positively linked variable in their children’s educational achievement, and it has been part of general education law in the United States since 1965. Parent Involvement research in public, private, home and charter school often focuses on student outcomes as the primary effect of parental involvement, but little research exists on the effect the decision to transfer schools has on the family’s social network or the effect of student mobility has on student outcomes (Fiel, Haskins, & Turley, 2013). Using the lens of Epstein’s Overlapping Spheres of Influence, this study sought to understand how parents see themselves in the role of education decision maker, the experiences that prompt them to transfer schools, and how their families relate to their communities during decision-making. Theories from Social Sciences disciplines were applied to provide depth to Epstein’s Spheres: Hoover-Dempsey’s Parent Role Construction, Blau’s Exchange Theory, and Simon’s Economic Theory of Bounded Rationality. Findings from this study suggest teachers, school administrators, and parents approach the education of children from priorities rooted in micro, macro, and meta ideals. Parents of middle and high school students find their need to release (launch is the term used in post-secondary education literature) their children to post high school life is often in conflict with secondary school policies that prioritize student self-advocacy over parental needs to provide, guide and rescue their children, when their children fail to negotiate on an adult level with school professionals. The study provides school leaders additional insight in to the dissonance where policies and practices may disconnect which may lead parents to pursue education channels outside of public education. The study findings also imply how school leaders and parents may find a way to work together with greater understanding or student needs, with attention to creating the best possible environments that support student learning.</p><p>
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賴穎鵬 and Wing-pang Lai. "Consensus building in planning in Hong Kong: a case study of Southeast Kowloon development." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B43894975.
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El-Sharkawi, Hossam K. "Development of a model to integrate patient, staff & doctor satisfaction attributes and predictors into senior level healthcare management decision-making & policy development." Thesis, City University London, 2000. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/8069/.
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This thesis addressesth e question of the significance or addedv alue derived from directly integrating client (defined as patients, doctors, and staff) satisfaction level predictors and attributes into senior level healthcare decision-making and policy development processes. It poses the questions: 1. Is satisfaction level measurement for patients, doctors and staff an important requirement for improved managerial efficiency and effectiveness? If so, then why? 2. Are the satisfaction attributes for each of these groups associated? What are the implications of such an association on senior managerial decision outcomes? 3. How to best integrate satisfaction predictors and attributes to improve decisionmaking and policy development? To address the above, the thesis proposes a unified model to allow for the utilisation of satisfaction study findings to inform both policy and decision-making processes. Through client satisfaction impact assessment (CSIA) methods, the model may permit healthcare managers to achieve higher levels of client loyalty, by better understanding, predicting and possibly influencing client needs, expectations and satisfaction. Modelling is a means that enables senior managers to simulate realistic scenarios while avoiding costly and/or unethical trial and error strategies. Therefore, modelling acts as a decision-aiding methodology. The model links health management decision-making process and frameworks with key attributes and predictors of user/patient, doctor and staff satisfaction, to show implications on the development of sound policy and decision outcomes, while avoiding pitfalls. It goes beyond simple measurements of satisfaction, by examining its multi-dimensional nature, decomposing it into constituent attributes, and investigating its predictors. Satisfaction attributes are viewed as an extension of people's needs and expectations. The data corroborates the work of other researchers as to the complexity of the concept of satisfaction and its expression. Data were collected through focus groups, household surveys, and exit questionnaires in the West Bank (Palestine) as a case study; the thesis outlines the need and practical methods to harmonise healthcare organisation policy setting and evolution with patient, staff and doctor expectations and beliefs, to the extent possible. The resulting synergy from this harmonisation would work to reduce some of the inherit uncertainty associated with decision outcomes by lowering the risk of dissonance between management and its main client groups (patients, staff, medical doctors). Dissonance, or position discrepancy, is viewed as a key contributing factor to reduced client satisfaction and increased decision uncertainty. From the organisational policy development perspective, the model reveals the significance satisfaction attributes and predictors of all three client groups (patients, staff, medical doctors) and subsequent decisions they make (observed behaviour) through the institutionalisation of systematic methods to incorporate vital information at policy levels. The determinants of these decisions are further analysed including beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and intentions to enhance the understanding of how these factors fit into decision-making and policy development processes. It further points to the consequences healthcare managers may encounter when the opposing needs and expectations (multi-attributes of satisfaction) on these groups are not closely examined.
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McWhorter, Elizabeth Beeler. "An invisible population speaks| Exploring college decision-making processes of undocumented undergraduates at a California State University campus." Thesis, Indiana University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3732254.
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<p> Approximately 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from American high schools annually, among them valedictorians and salutatorians. Only about 6,500 of these prospective future leaders go on to college. There are 50 different state-level immigrant-tuition policies, most of which severely limit undocumented students’ college/university and financial aid options. This study is situated in the state of California, whose Master Plan for Higher Education aims to grant college access to all Californians and whose favorable immigrant-tuition policies work toward that end; it could serve as a model for U.S. states with restrictive or neutral immigrant-tuition policies. To date, there is limited discussion of undocumented student college choice in the higher education literature. To explore how undocumented students navigate college decision-making in the U.S., this study uses the conceptual constructs of Perna’s (2006) contextual college choice model, Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) foundational choice model, and single-element models (chain enrollment and proximity). These frameworks and Dervin’s Sense-making Theory (1999-2014) helped me retrospectively explore the college choice of seven undocumented men and women attending a Bay Area Cal State University campus in 2013. </p><p> The study’s purpose warranted a qualitative research design and case study approach. I connected with interested students, shared my background, answered questions, and sent them my IRB-approved Study Information Sheet and demographic survey. We developed rapport over several months, engaging in a series of in-person interviews and other interactions. I kept field notes and journaled reflexively. I transcribed all 14 interview recordings via Dragon speech software, coded the transcripts and analyzed the data via MaxQDA data analysis software. </p><p> The findings revealed overarching themes related to: parental expectations and encouragement, habitus (e.g., gender & cultural traditions, birth order & responsibilities, home life), financial situation, K-14 context, higher education context, social context, and policy context. What distinguishes this study is the exploration of undocumented students’ college choice, inclusion of student voices, and implications for public policy and college enrollment professionals’ practice. It provides insight into how undocumented youth choose a college located in a state whose country values the common good and economic success yet is torn on its people’s higher education rights.</p>
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Voegel, Jacob Andrew. "AN EXPLORATORY EXAMINATION OF THE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING PROCESS OF ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEAHAVIOR LENS: A POLICY-CAPTURING APPROACH." OpenSIUC, 2016. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1232.
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Entrepreneurs face constraints that more mature organizations may not. These constraints cause unique pressures within entrepreneurship. Although ethics and entrepreneurship have individually received much attention in the academic literature, not enough research has investigated ethics within entrepreneurship. This study addresses the need of ethics research within entrepreneurship. Utilizing the theory of planned behavior, this research investigates the ethical decision making process of entrepreneurs. Not all ethical situations are created equally, and not all entrepreneurs are created equally. The ethical environment of any situation can be financially concerned or socially concerned. Likewise, entrepreneurs can be motivated by a private financial gain or a social impact. A multi-scenario approach known as policy-capturing is used to examine the relative importance entrepreneurs place on attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and self-identity when faced with a financial and a social ethical decision. The findings suggest that the environment does affect the ethical decision making process as defined by the relative importance of the variables. Within each environment, personal demographic variables of entrepreneurs were also found to affect their ethical decision making process. Such variables included entrepreneurial orientation, gender, love of money, financial security, spirituality/religiosity, idealism, and relativism. By considering the effects of the ethical environment along with the demographics of the entrepreneur, potential investors may be able to more accurately gauge investment opportunities. Implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and future research areas are discussed.
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Teater, Barbra A. "Residential mobility and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program factors predicting mobility and the residential decision-making process of recipients /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1164641312.
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Yew, Suet-yi Mary, and 姚雪儀. "The practice of permanency planning for child welfare cases in the Social Welfare Department." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31978770.
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Bowman, Gary. "An empirical analysis of a scenario-informed strategic planning process : a public sector case." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1978.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis lies at the nexus of scenario planning and strategy. Scenario planning is a foresight activity used extensively in strategic planning and public policy development to imagine alternative, plausible futures as means to understand the driving forces behind the uncertainties and possibilities of a changing environment. Despite significant application in both private and public sectors, and a growing body of academic and practitioner-orientated literature, little empirical evidence exists about how organisations actually use scenario planning to inform strategy. Moreover, the emerging Strategy-as-Practice (S-as-P) perspective, which has exposed strategy to more sociological pursuits, presented a way of conceiving and studying strategy not as something an organisation has, but rather as something people do. By examining the activities of scenario planning, understanding its use as an example of episodic, interactive strategizing, S-as-P provides a theoretical lens through which to perform a much-needed empirical analysis of the scenario-to-strategy process. A second goal of the thesis is to advance understanding of the S-as-P perspective by addressing recent criticisms as well as contributing to the growing body of practice-based research. The central research question which guides the thesis is, how does an organisation use scenario planning to inform the strategic planning process? To answer this question, the research vehicle is a single, in-depth case study of community planning in Fife, which extends from 1999 until April 2008. A detailed, longitudinal narrative of Fife’s scenario planning and strategy process is presented before using empirical evidence from the case to understand how an organisation manages the scenario planning process, how scenario planning affects policy development, and how cognitive processes manifest physically in an organisation. The thesis concludes that scenario planning created a sensemaking/sensegiving framework that provided structural and interpretive legitimacy which facilitated communicative activities and helped the Fife Partnership understand and improve the interconnectedness of Fife’s public services and community planning process. While contributing to the S-as-P research agenda, the investigation of the scenario-to-strategy process also revealed, and solidified, a number of criticisms that challenge the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical validity of the strategy-as-practice perspective.