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A psychobiographical study of Theodore Robert Bundy

  • Authors: McGivern, Kelly Berene
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Psychology -- United States -- Biographical methods Serial murderers -- United States -- Biography
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11742 , vital:26964
  • Description: This study is a psychobiographical study aiming to explore and describe the life of Theodore Robert Bundy, a serial killer who confessed to approximately 30 homicides committed in various states of America between 1974 and 1978. The study used Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development to examine Bundy’s life and to understand his unique character and personality development. The subject was chosen based on interest value through purposive sampling and the study utilises a qualitative single case study approach. Archival data were collected from primary and secondary sources in order to enhance the trustworthiness and credibility of the study. All materials collected and analysed, were published and publically available. Data were analysed by first organising and reducing the information obtained, and then displaying it for a discussion of Bundy’s life. Themes of discussion centred around Bundy’s lack of resolution of psychosocial crises and the development of malignancies and maladaptations which impacted negatively on his later development and identity formation. The study emphasises the importance of psychobiographical research studies and the value of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development in understanding personality development. Recommendations for future research in this field were made in the hope of further uncovering and understanding personality and its development.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016

A qualitative study: educator-targeted bullying by learners in a high school in Port Elizabeth

  • Authors: Campher, Roelof Petrus
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Bullying in schools -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Educators -- Abuse of -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4709 , vital:20655
  • Description: This study explores the phenomenon of educator targeted-bullying (ETB) by learners as an educational problem in terms of the incidence, frequency, severity and the impact on effective teaching and learning in classrooms. Abuse or bullying in schools usually happens amongst learners or to learners targeted by educators. However, the phenomenon of educator abuse by learners is escalating, internationally as well as nationally, and is experienced by many educators, especially by those teaching in secondary schools. An extensive literature review on numerous research national and international studies reports on the fact that the bullying of educators in all its forms, including physical, verbal, emotional and cyber bullying, impacts negatively on the emotional and psychological well-being of educators who are also stressed by other work demands, resulting in ineffective teaching and learning experiences in schools. The over-arching purpose of this local study was to determine the impact of ETB by learners on the effectiveness of teaching and learning in classrooms. In addition, other aspects of ETB were examined, namely the types of bullying, its severity and frequency, and the emotional and psychological effects on educators’ general well-being as victims. The study was conducted in a private high school in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area, Eastern Cape, South Africa. A qualitative methodology was used and all the educators employed at this particular school took part in the study. Convenience sampling was thus applied in the selection of the participants and questionnaires and written narratives were used as data gathering instruments. Twelve educators completed questionnaires to gather information-rich qualitative data to investigate the abovementioned aspects of this study. Four educators wrote narratives on their experiences of ETB by learners in this school context. The results of this research provided valuable evidence that ETB by learners in this school has a distressing impact on the educators and their psychological well-being, impairing teaching quality and learning outcomes in classrooms and, ultimately, with adverse educational consequences for all learners. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the ecological systems theory of the developmental psychologist and theorist, Urie Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenner (1979) suggested that the process of human development is shaped and moulded by a person’s v environment and all the people and institutions that play a role in that environment. In my view, this theory may explain to some extent why some children are moulded and shaped as bullies as a result of the child’s exposure to and interaction with his/her environment. The main findings of this study include the fact that ETB is a serious phenomenon that an increasing number of educators are exposed to. It also appears that the incidences are becoming more severe and involve serious physical threats and bodily harm. Educators are also exposed to ETB on a regular basis, with many educators being bullied on a daily basis. It is clear that verbal abuse is the most prominent form of ETB leading to emotional damage, feelings of incompetence and reduced motivation to teach with innovation and enthusiasm. This in turn leads to the very concerning fact that ETB negatively affects successful teaching and learning in classrooms, adding more problems to an already embattled education system. Participants also provided some guidelines to reduce and possibly prevent ETB by learners. In doing so, these data can hopefully be used in the formulation of anti-bullying programmes for educators, which can result in safer working environments and more effective teaching and learning for learners.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016

A review of generalized linear models for count data with emphasis on current geospatial procedures

  • Authors: Michell, Justin Walter
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Spatial analysis (Statistics) , Bayesian statistical decision theory , Geospatial data , Malaria -- Botswana -- Statistics , Malaria -- Botswana -- Research -- Statistical methods
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:5582 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019989
  • Description: Analytical problems caused by over-fitting, confounding and non-independence in the data is a major challenge for variable selection. As more variables are tested against a certain data set, there is a greater risk that some will explain the data merely by chance, but will fail to explain new data. The main aim of this study is to employ a systematic and practicable variable selection process for the spatial analysis and mapping of historical malaria risk in Botswana using data collected from the MARA (Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa) project and environmental and climatic datasets from various sources. Details of how a spatial database is compiled for a statistical analysis to proceed is provided. The automation of the entire process is also explored. The final bayesian spatial model derived from the non-spatial variable selection procedure using Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation was fitted to the data. Winter temperature had the greatest effect of malaria prevalence in Botswana. Summer rainfall, maximum temperature of the warmest month, annual range of temperature, altitude and distance to closest water source were also significantly associated with malaria prevalence in the final spatial model after accounting for spatial correlation. Using this spatial model malaria prevalence at unobserved locations was predicted, producing a smooth risk map covering Botswana. The automation of both compiling the spatial database and the variable selection procedure proved challenging and could only be achieved in parts of the process. The non-spatial selection procedure proved practical and was able to identify stable explanatory variables and provide an objective means for selecting one variable over another, however ultimately it was not entirely successful due to the fact that a unique set of spatial variables could not be selected.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A review of local government performance from 2004 - 2008: Sakhisizwe Local Municipality

  • Authors: Dyani, Christopher Sidima
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6271 , vital:21064
  • Description: Loosely defined as “political units or instruments constituted by law (the peculiar or unique characteristics of which is their subordinate status to the central government) which have substantial control over local affairs and likewise have the power to tax” (Nyalunga, 2006: 15), local governments, and municipalities in particular, have been in existence since the early history of Anglo-Saxon England (post 1870). As political units, local governments have defined areas, defined populations, organised administrative structures and the authority to undertake and the power to carry out public activities within such defined areas (Nyulunga, 2006: 15). In the three-tiered form of government that is dominant world-wide, local government is the lowest sphere of government and, as such, “is often the first point of contact between an individual and a government institution” (Thornhill, 2008: 492). Although a number of different forms and structures of local government exist in the world, as it evolved, three critical matters defined the nature of local government in any particular country. Firstly, local government is defined by the extent of local self-government. Secondly, it is the autonomy and discretionary powers of the municipality and, thirdly, it is the extent to which the municipality is a momentous force in the lives of the people within a given area (Nyulunga, 2006: 16). Therefore, a consideration if these three defining factors provide clarity in terms of the nature of local government in a particular country. Due to the form of the South African state, which is a unitary state, South Africa established a system of local government aimed at governing various areas throughout the country. For the greater part of the country‟s history prior the 1994 democratic elections, what distinguished the South African local government system from the rest of the world was its relationship with the people it sought to govern. While in the majority of cases around the world municipalities were concerned with the welfare of all their citizens, in South Africa, the successive apartheid regimes worked tirelessly at the adoption and systematic enforcement of draconian policies that effectively brought misery to the majority of the South African population. Pieces of legislation, such as the various Natives Acts, the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, and the Group Areas Act, implemented through local government – the form of government closest to the people – ensured that South Africa experienced gross human rights violations, the economic exclusion of the majority of the populace, separate and unequal development and, in effect, an absolute monopoly of social, economic and political power by the white minority (Landsberg and Mackay, 2006: 1). Given the immediate impact municipal policies had on the people they sought to govern - this as a direct result of the proximity of this sphere of government to the people - it is not surprising that this level of government was the first casualty in the apartheid resistance campaign led by various liberation movements in the country. With systematic protests against various local government actions, coupled with boycotts of municipal rates and taxes, local government increasingly became detached from the population it served and consequently, was rendered dysfunctional. The election of F.W. De Klerk as the president of South Africa in 1989 proved to be a turning point in the historical trajectory of the country. Understanding the deleterious effects that the repressive policies had on the country‟s social structure, both economically and politically, De Klerk embarked on a road less travelled by opening channels for negotiation between government (and by extension the National Party) and the liberation movements in the country (particularly the African National Congress). As such, from 1990, various political organisations, such as the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) among others, which had, for many years, been banned on the basis of them being seen as terrorist organisations, were unbanned. This was accompanied by the unconditional release of political prisoners, including South Africa‟s first democratically elected President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. One of the key outcomes of the negotiations that took place in the early 1990s was the development of the Interim, or Transitional, Constitution, Act 200 of 1993. This was an important document in that it provided a „historic bridge‟ between the apartheid state and the democratic dispensation that millions of South Africans aspired to. Additionally, this document provided a framework for the continued governance of South Africa pending the country‟s first democratic elections. The continued governance that the Interim Constitution provided for meant balancing human rights and the continued existence of the state and/or government. This was an important matter, particularly for local government, in that “a fragmented and incoherent range of local authorities cannot be transformed in one process as the negotiators for a democratic system of government wanted to ensure continuity in service provision” (Thornhill, 2008: 494). The temporal reprieve provided by the Interim Constitution allowed the negotiators to deal with the details of what would be the post-apartheid local government system of South Africa. The democratic government that emerged after the watershed event of 1994, under the stewardship of Nelson Mandela, had the immediate task of dismantling the apartheid legacy that had defined the country for many years and moving the country closer to achieving the democratic promise of a better life for all citizens. Practically, and importantly for the transformation of local government, this meant instilling democratic values and principles that would ensure that local government was responsive to the needs of the people and that it remained accountable to the electorate (the Presidency, 2003: 11). The ideal of the incoming democratic government was to transform this sphere of government into one that would ensure inclusive growth and development and equitable redistribution of the wealth of the country such that all people would have equal opportunity for a better life. It is important to note that the elections that were held on 27 April 1994 were only national and provincial elections. Local government elections could not be held at this point, simply because the new constitutional dispensation had not been finalised (Thornhill, 2008: 495). All parties to the negotiations agreed that the process of finalising the Constitution would be done through a democratically elected Constitutional Assembly. It was only after the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996 (the Constitution), was finalised, that the first local government elections could be held.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A review of the Lukhanji Local Municipality's recruitment and retention policy

A review of the water service development plan and service delivery budget and implementation plan (SDBIP) alignment with performance management system in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality

  • Authors: Sali, Bongani Zandisile
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Sustainable urban development Environmental management Municipal services
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12755 , vital:39358
  • Description: In South Africa, the Constitution, 1996, the Municipal Structures Act,1998 (Act 117 of 1998), the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32 of 2000) and the Municipal Finance Management, 2003 (Act 56 of 2003) place municipalities at the forefront for providing basic services such as waste management, electricity, water, sanitation, roads and transport to the communities. The journey that the local government sphere in South Africa has taken over the last 22 years has not gone smoothly, in some respects it has been a bumpy ride one. A single, unified local government had to be established from the fragmented, undemocratic, unaccountable and racially divided local government system that was inherited. The constitutional and political structure of local government, its promise of democratic accountability, and the delivery of services to improve the lives of citizens has proven to be challenging in their implementation. Performance management was introduced in the local government sphere to improve performance by establishing a rational planning process based on the assumption that “business methods” would be more effective than traditional public administration approaches. There is a problem with municipalities such as the BCMM; the problem is that they operate their WSDP, SDBIP, IDP, budget and PMS in silos. The WSDP, SDBIP, IDP, budget and PMS must be aligned so that BCMM can be able to deliver basic services like water and sanitation. The study sought to review the Water Services Development Plan and Service Budget Implementation Plan Alignment with the Performance Management System in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Data was collected using interviews from a sample of participants comprising mainly of managers of the BCMM, revealed that most of the performance targets set in the financial years 2009 to 2015 were not achieved. The study came up with the following recommendations that there should be regular workshops, training of BCMM officials in the importance of the alignment of the WSDP and SDBIP with the performance management system in the BCMM. The PMS should contribute in the improvement of productivity, through achieving set targets and goals as planned. The processes must be fully integrated. Challenges facing BCMM in terms of alignment must be addressed. There is also a need for sound annual plans with targets (quarterly) that show how the annual targets will be achieved.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A River of Blood Flows: Lerato Shadi’s ‘Noka Ya Bokamoso’

  • Authors: Makandula, Sikhumbuzo
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147258 , vital:38609 , https://artthrob.co.za/2016/07/13/a-river-of-blood-flows-lerato-shadis-noka-ya-bokamoso/
  • Description: The title of Lerato Shadi’s show, ‘Noka Ya Bokamoso,’ which opened at National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, translates from Setswana to ‘a river of tomorrow.’ In the Albany gallery you encounter Shadi performing Mosako Wa Nako. She sits silently crocheting a ball of red wool into a scroll which unfurls with indecipherable writing. Shadi’s isolation from the rest of the artworks on the exhibition draws you closer, emphasising the rhythmic movement of her hands.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A rural xhosa woman's experience of marital satisfaction

  • Authors: Mavumengwana, Ziyanda
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Love -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychological aspects Marriage counseling -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Marital psychotherapy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11509 , vital:26933
  • Description: Satisfaction (fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations and needs or the pleasure derived from this) has been shown by studies to be manifested through various things, including marriage. It has been found that marriage and the satisfaction experienced are positively correlated to higher levels of happiness. Marital satisfaction (also referred to as marital quality and marital happiness) is defined as one's subjective evaluation of favourability towards one’s spouse and the marital relationship and the mental state of perceived gains and losses of the marriage. Research shows that the factors that affect marital satisfaction vary across cultures as well as geographic space within cultures, as well as gender. The present case study explored marital satisfaction as experienced by a Xhosa woman who resides in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study utilised an in-depth case study method and the subject was selected by purposive sampling. Thibaut and Kelley’s (1959) Interdependence Theory, in conjunction the life-cycle stages of marriage as proposed by Markey (2005), were used as a framework to understand dynamics that occur in the course of a marital relationship as well as the variations in satisfaction in the different stages of marriage. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and a content analysis approach proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was followed as a framework for data analysis. The findings of the present study are presented according to two broad groupings: 1) marital satisfaction arises from one’s state of mind, and 2) the participant provided lessons on dealing with issues that arise in marriage. These in turn permitted the identification of sub-themes connected to each main theme allowing recommendations for future research to be deduced.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A sharing platform for Indicators of Compromise

  • Authors: Rudman, Lauren , Irwin, Barry V W
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427831 , vital:72465 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barry-Ir-win/publication/327622961_A_sharing_platform_for_Indicators_of_Compromise/links/5b9a1ad1a6fdcc59bf8dfe51/A-sharing-platform-for-Indicators-of-Compromise.pdf
  • Description: In this paper, we will describe the functionality of a proof of concept sharing platform for sharing cyber threat information. Information is shared in the Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX) language displayed in HTML. We focus on the sharing of network Indicators of Compromise generated by malware samples. Our work is motivated by the need to provide a platform for exchanging comprehensive network level Indicators. Accordingly we demonstrate the functionality of our proof of concept project. We will discuss how to use some functions of the platform, such as sharing STIX Indicators, navigating around and downloading defense mechanisims. It will be shown how threat information can be converted into different formats to allow them to be used in firewall and Intrusion Detection System (IDS) rules. This is an extension to the sharing platform and makes the creation of network level defense mechanisms efficient. Two API functions of the platform will be successfully tested and are useful because this can allow for the bulk sharing and of threat information.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A situational survey of Siyazondla homestead food production programme and food security, poverty alleviation in selected communities of Nkonkobe local municipality of the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Bulelani, Phezisa
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/723 , vital:26491
  • Description: People living in rural areas are continually losing their value, dignity, ubuntu and rural nature of livelihood. Agriculture in these areas characterises the nature of rural livelihood. Traditionally, people living in rural areas were highly dependent on their production from gardens for food, income (barter exchange), and other social activities. Nowadays, that motive and interest is no longer operating at its full potential, so to revive that history and nature, household (homestead) production, certain programmes were introduced to greatly improved the standard of living of the poor, and it has proved to have an impact as it has generated income, and created food stability and employment through the project. Home gardens are there and can be used as the method and the strategy toward improvement and development of the people around the world, more especial to developing countries. Certain programmes that are initiated for acting against the challenges faced by rural people have failed to materialise and operate on their fully potential. The Siyazondla homestead food production programme is the one of the programmes practiced by the government of South Africa to act against such challenges, affecting especially poor people. This study was aimed at assessing the role of Siyazondla homestead food production programme in food security and poverty alleviation in selected communities of Nkonkobe local municipality of the Eastern Cape. It took the form of a case study in Msobomvu, Ngcothoyi and Binfield locations. The Nkonkobe local municipality is demarcated into five major areas: Middledrift, Alice, Seymour, Fort Beaufort and Balfour. The study sample was collected from beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Siyazondla programme. The sample size was 90 respondents, from which in one area, a 15 beneficiaries and anticipated non-beneficiaries were targeted. The target sample from each village was collected from 15 beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Many farmers from the study area benefited from the programme, though a limited number was targeted. Therefore, a probability sampling was applied and employed, where there were more than required number of beneficiaries of the programme and anticipated beneficiaries of the programme. The study was effectively and efficiently carried out and achieved with the use of personal interviewing of the recipients by use of questionnaires. The study was analysed by a computerised programme of analyses called SPSS v.2.1 and excel. The objectives of the study based on food security, poverty alleviation and reduction, and also improving nutritious status. The finding of the research clearly indicates the outcome of the programme on livelihood basis of the beneficiaries. Some of the objectives of the programme were achieved, such as food security and nutritious levels, whilst other objectives had shortcomings. The finding of the study also shows that programme, though had original benefits but also there are the anticipated and probable benefits of the programme Siyazondla, such as income, skill of farming, improving social status, and there are some possibilities when the programme is properly implemented. Though the majority of people are concentrated in rural areas, the programme on its own had shortcoming to meet needs of the whole population, as food insecurity, unemployment and poverty are taking its course. The programme on its own had shortcoming such as lack of adequate resource and as results, very few people benefited from the programme. Another shortcoming of the programme is the effectiveness of agricultural extension personnel to certain aspect such as marketing of farmers produce and proper monitoring and evaluation of the programme. Therefore, in the long run programmes of this nature are promising, there will be some development and improvement toward growth and better standards of livelihood. It is through this study that had to assess the structure, procedure, strategies implemented of the programme and impact of the programme to both beneficiaries and anticipated beneficiaries of the programme. Keywords: rural area, social challenges, home garden, home based food production and Siyazondla.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016

A situational survey of Siyazondla homestead food production proogramme and food security, poverty alleviation in selected communities of Nkonkobe Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Phezisa, Bulelani
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Food supply -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2392 , vital:27795
  • Description: People living in rural areas are continually losing their value, dignity, ubuntu and rural nature of livelihood. Agriculture in these areas characterises the nature of rural livelihood. Traditionally, people living in rural areas were highly dependent on their production from gardens for food, income (barter exchange), and other social activities. Nowadays, that motive and interest is no longer operating at its full potential, so to revive that history and nature, household (homestead) production, certain programmes were introduced to greatly improved the standard of living of the poor, and it has proved to have an impact as it has generated income, and created food stability and employment through the project. Home gardens are there and can be used as the method and the strategy toward improvement and development of the people around the world, more especial to developing countries. Certain programmes that are initiated for acting against the challenges faced by rural people have failed to materialise and operate on their fully potential. The Siyazondla homestead food production programme is the one of the programmes practiced by the government of South Africa to act against such challenges, affecting especially poor people. This study was aimed at assessing the role of Siyazondla homestead food production programme in food security and poverty alleviation in selected communities of Nkonkobe local municipality of the Eastern Cape. It took the form of a case study in Msobomvu, Ngcothoyi and Binfield locations. The Nkonkobe local municipality is demarcated into five major areas: Middledrift, Alice, Seymour, Fort Beaufort and Balfour. The study sample was collected from beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Siyazondla programme. The sample size was 90 respondents, from which in one area, a 15 beneficiaries and anticipated non- beneficiaries were targeted. The target sample from each village was collected from 15 beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Many farmers from the study area benefited from the programme, though a limited number was targeted. Therefore, a probability sampling was applied and employed, where there were more than required number of beneficiaries of the programme and anticipated beneficiaries of the programme. The study was effectively and efficiently carried out and achieved with the use of personal interviewing of the recipients by use of questionnaires. The study was analysed by a computerised programme of analyses called SPSS v.2.1 and excel. The objectives of the study based on food security, poverty alleviation and reduction, and also improving nutritious status. The finding of the research clearly indicates the outcome of the programme on livelihood basis of the beneficiaries. Some of the objectives of the programme were achieved, such as food security and nutritious levels, whilst other objectives had shortcomings. The finding of the study also shows that programme, though had original benefits but also there are the anticipated and probable benefits of the programme Siyazondla, such as income, skill of farming, improving social status, and there are some possibilities when the programme is properly implemented. Though the majority of people are concentrated in rural areas, the programme on its own had shortcoming to meet needs of the whole population, as food insecurity, unemployment and poverty are taking its course. The programme on its own had shortcoming such as lack of adequate resource and as results, very few people benefited from the programme. Another shortcoming of the programme is the effectiveness of agricultural extension personnel to certain aspect such as marketing of farmers produce and proper monitoring and evaluation of the programme. Therefore, in the long run programmes of this nature are promising, there will be some development and improvement toward growth and better standards of livelihood. It is through this study that had to assess the structure, procedure, strategies implemented of the programme and impact of the programme to both beneficiaries and anticipated beneficiaries of the programme.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016

A sociological analysis of the experiences of acceptance of Christian gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown

  • Authors: Sipungu, Thoko Andy
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3961 , vital:20573
  • Description: Buffington, Luibhéid, & Guy (2014: 1) argue that “in the contemporary world, our own sexuality and our sense of the sexualities of others colour all aspects of contemporary life, from interpersonal relations to foreign affairs.” In line with this statement, this study provides an account of how a person’s gay sexuality can possibly colour that person’s experience of acceptance by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. Samuel Hill (2008: 6) notes that there is an urgent need to create a dialectic between religious and secular discourse with regards to furthering our understanding of sexuality. Thus this thesis seeks to contribute to the body of scholarship that explores and discusses the disjuncture between one’s homosexual identity and one’s religious identity. Barton (2012: 2) notes that “gay people are often talked about but seldom listened to; rarely are they asked about their own oppression and the individuals and institutions oppressing them.” While adopting a qualitative approach utilising interviews to explore the stories of the respondents, this study applies Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus, social capital and symbolic violence in order to analyse the experiences of acceptance of gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. With regard to the use Bourdieu’s concepts in the analysis of the experiences, the following dimensions were considered: i) construction of a gay identity within the field of Christianity as represented by the MCSA in this context, ii) the impact the field has on the ‘gay habitus’, iii) Social capital as an advantageous strategy in constructing a gay identity within the church, and iv) symbolic violence that gay men experience within the church. In analysing the conditions of the acceptance that gay men receive within the church, this study also uses Jacques Derrida’s concept of hospitality.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A strategic analysis on the meaning of work: a focus on the fashion retail industry

  • Authors: Van Heerden, Lisle
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Retail trade -- South Africa Job satisfaction -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13936 , vital:27360
  • Description: The primary objective of this research study was to strategically analyse the meaning of work for fashion retail industry employees with the aim of developing a calling orientation to work.A sample of 84 fashion retail industry employees from Port Elizabeth, South Africa indicated their perception of callings in work; the pathways to callings in work and job satisfaction. Furthermore, fashion retail industry employees also indicated their use of job crafting techniques as a tool to foster meaningful work. This is one of the first studies conducted on callings in work in the fashion retail industry.Findings of the study indicated that although on average fashion retail industry employees are neutral about having a calling orientation to work, 24-27% indicated to having a calling orientation to work. Furthermore the study showed that there is a positive correlation between 1) transcendent guiding force; 2) value-driven behaviour and sense and meaning; 3) identification with one’s work and person-environment fit and a calling orientation to work. The study also indicated that the presence of a transcendent guiding force and job satisfaction are the two independent variables that are influential in achieving calling orientation to work for fashion retail industry employees of Port Elizabeth. Implications and recommendations from this study are outlined.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A study of factors enhancing truck driver retention at Tanker Services, Imperial Logistics, South Africa

  • Authors: Goss, Cayley Amy
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:868 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021250
  • Description: The aim of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the factors that enhance truck driver retention at Tanker Services, Imperial Logistics, South Africa. The specific objectives of the study were to (1) explore factors which influence the retention of truck drivers from the perspectives of immediate supervisors of these drivers at Tanker Services Branches in Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town; (2) to identify the means Tanker Services adopts in meeting factors influential to truck driver retention; and (3) to provide recommendations on how to successfully retain truck drivers in this logistics organisation in South Africa. The research methodology of this study involved interviewing ten immediate managers of truck drivers at Tanker Services, Imperial Logistics. Specifically, data was collected through the use of individual, in-depth and semi-structured interviews to investigate the most influential factors affecting truck driver retention. The results of this research outline factors important to the truck drivers at Tanker Services from the perspectives of their immediate supervisors - most of whom were previously truck drivers themselves. The findings of this research identified the general factors that affect Tanker Services Truck drivers as follows: formal and informal rewards, competitive compensation, a work environment of quality equipment, high safety standards and recreational facilities. Furthermore, interpersonal relations and company reputation were found most influential to truck drivers in this South African logistics context.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A study of lanthanide complexes with di-2-pyridyl ligands

  • Authors: Coetzee, Louis-Charl Cloete
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Rare earth metals
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4731 , vital:20659
  • Description: The ligands di(2-pyridyl) ketone (DPK) and cis-1,2 di(2-pyridyl) ethylene (DPE) are N,N,Odonor ligands that can undergo nucleophilic addition and become more flexible for coordination. The reaction between the lanthanide thiocyanate salt and DPK gave rise to seven novel complexes of the general formula [Ln(NCS)3(DPKOH)3], where Ln = La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy and Ho. 1H NMR spectroscopy verified that the ligand underwent nucleophilic addition upon coordination. This was further confirmed using UV-Vis spectroscopy which showed a shift in the absorption bands due to conjugation of electrons within the pyridyl ring upon coordination. UV-Vis spectroscopy was also utilised to test the covalent character of the neodymium and holmium complexes. X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy showed that three DPK ligands coordinated bidentately through a pyridinic nitrogen and a hydroxyl oxygen, while three isothiocyanato molecules completed the coordination environment around each metal. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction also revealed that these complexes are isostructural, ninecoordinate and the polyhedron which encloses each ion is of trigonal tricapped prismatic shape with D3h symmetry. Micro-analysis on all the complexes, except lanthanum and holmium confirmed the molecular formulae produced from the crystallographic data of each complex. The reaction between the lanthanide thiocyanate salt and DPE produced poor quality crystals which could not be detected by X-ray diffraction. The lanthanide salts used for this reaction were lanthanum, neodymium, europium, dysprosium and holmium. Upon coordination, conductivity measurements detected the presence of lanthanide ions in each solution. 1H NMR and IR spectroscopic studies showed that the ethylenic moiety of DPE underwent nucleophilic addition upon coordination. UV-Vis spectroscopy further confirmed nucleophilic addition upon coordination due to shifts in absorption bands. IR spectroscopy verified the possibility of a bidentate coordination to each metal through a pyridinic nitrogen and a hydroxyl oxygen as well as a monodentate coordination through isothiocyanato ligands. A micro-analysis on all the complexes provided the molecular formulae that can best fit each complex. The effect of the solvent molecules on the bonding parameters of the lanthanum complex was investigated. An analysis of the results produced from crystallographic data revealed the presence of intermolecular forces which interacted and stabilised the complex.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016

A study of the art object as performative

  • Authors: Minkley, Emma Smith
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Arts -- Miscellanea , Art objects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12042 , vital:27022
  • Description: My research project explores conventions in art-making and viewing via the notion of the performative art object. The performative (derived from J.L. Austin and Judith Butler’s formulations of the word) is here used predominantly as a term to denote a generative, experiential and iterative process (in this case outlined by art theorist Barbara Bolt) in which intuitive or playful actions of both artist and spectator dictate the route of research. The project, following an A/r/tographical cycle of theoriapraxis-poesis (or theory/research - doing/learning - art/making) as defined by Rita Irwin, thus investigates the relations inherent between artists, spectators or viewers, and objects, and how these may change according to the spaces they are conceived in; from art gallery to urban “non-art” environments. It deals with the inclusion of process or performativity within, or in relation to the art object and how this take on the traditionally static object may have the capacity to change how artworks are envisaged, and more significantly, how they are received, in terms of the effects they (in combination with the viewer) have on the world around them. Blurred in the context of performativity, the art object may become a means of documenting process and in a sense may act as a ‘prop’ for artistic research. This enquiry has involved the study of process and play, as related to creative practice, via a series of object-based events or interventions (including gallery exhibitions and other “non-art” events initiated by the artist outside of conventional art-related space) which have been documented and included in the theoretical research as a means of providing a first-hand narrative of theoretical ideas put into practice. Here Diana Taylor’s understanding of interrelated modes of storing and enacting knowledge as posed in the notion of the archive and repertoire has been utilised as a means of collecting and collating performative and ephemeral research. These events/interventions have further served as a means of gauging viewer interaction and participation, thus actively involving the viewer in the creative act. Jacques Rancière’s notion of the emancipated spectator is here utilised to activate the role of the viewer. In this regard, Martin Heidegger’s concept of handiness or handling serves as a means of “emancipating” spectators by encouraging tactile viewership. It is my intent to open up or reveal new modes of thinking or doing within the viewer when he or she enters a state of performative play within these events. Here the status of the art object is challenged and in this way has the potential to subvert or confront problematic repetitions, both in the identity of the viewer and the space occupied in each event.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A study of the influence of employee empowerment on organizational citizenship behaviours of teachers within Grahamstown independent senior schools

  • Authors: Johnston, Dean Allan
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:869 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021314
  • Description: This research investigates the influence of empowerment on organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB) of teachers within Independent Senior schools in Grahamstown. Teachers, as a schools driving force, contribute immensely to the education of its students as well as determine the success and effectiveness of the school as an educational institution. The nature of a teacher’s work, and indirectly the principal’s job of managing these teachers, is complex and difficult to define as there are only certain behaviours which can be contractually obliged from teachers. Further behaviours which are beneficial to the organisation, such as OCB, need to be induced via incentives or encouraged via certain behavioural management initiatives, such as increased levels of empowerment. It is important for schools to encourage their teachers to participate in such beneficial behaviours as not all behaviours can be dictated or managed through contractual limitations. Previous studies and literature reviewed suggest that OCB is an important variable that significantly influences a schools performance. Such studies and literature suggest that empowerment could induce greater levels of OCB. The concepts of OCB and empowerment are defined and discussed and a 58 item Questionnaire is formulated based on the two concepts, drawn mainly from Short and Rinehart (1992) and Bogler and Somech (2004). The Questionnaire is divided into two parts, firstly OCB and secondly empowerment. Each section of the Questionnaire is divided into the relevant categories and dimensions as prescribed by past literature. The first part determines the behaviours which the participants believe form part of a teachers ‘in-role’ behaviour, therefore also determines which behaviours the participants believe are ‘extra-role’ or OCB. The second part determines the participant’s perception of their empowerment in their own workplace. This research makes use of an online Questionnaire. The data is collected and described using averages, modes and medians. This data is organised in a manner which further allows for a Pearson correlation analysis test to be run. This test is used to establish the correlation relationship between the two variables in this research and the statistical significance of this relationship is analysed by observing the respective p-value. The conclusion is drawn that there exists four statistically significant positively correlated relationships between the empowerment dimension (decision making, status, self-efficacy and impact) and OCB. However there exists a weak positively correlated non-statistically significant relationship between empowerment and OCB. This suggests that empowerment as a whole does not greatly influence higher levels of OCB, however the four individual dimensions of empowerment do have a positive influence.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A study of the integration of technology in the school arts classroom

  • Authors: Sauls, Maxwell Martin
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Computer-assisted instruction , Educational technology , Computer managed instruction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7364 , vital:21342
  • Description: This study explores the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Educational Technology (ET) as an educational resource in the school Arts classroom. Many teachers lack the qualifications to teach the Performing Arts (PA) of the Curriculum and Policy Statement (CAPS). Therefore, teachers rely on curriculum documentation and textbooks to help guide planning of lessons and the execution thereof. Technology as a resource tool can assist teachers as they incorporate an overwhelming amount of content/concepts in lessons. In this way they could improve classroom practice in the PA disciplines. With the emergence of Operation Phakisa: ICT in Education (Department of Education [DoE] 2015), the researcher acknowledges that the integration of ET is unavoidable. Moreover, the research highlights the importance of engaging with the rising hegemony of ICT as the defining characteristic of the information society. Literature supporting the inclusivity of media and media-related resources in education are discussed. In addition, the literature review focuses on a wide variety of ET and concludes with the implementation of ET in a South African context. Teachers from the Foundation Phase (FP), Intermediate Phase (IP) and Senior Phase (SP), namely grade R – 7, were invited to participate in the study where they were observed during contact time drawing on technology to aid teaching pedagogy. The research design involved a qualitative inquiry with aspects of crystallization where the data was collected through observations, interviews and teacher’s self-assessment. The findings suggest that teachers received little or no training in one or more PA disciplines. The integration of technology in the teaching pedagogy led to an enhanced learning environment where the teacher could actively engage learners in meaningful activities. The findings furthermore revealed that the use of technology was not uniform and did not lead to neat conclusion. Instead the researcher found that a great deal of divergence in the use of technology. This divergence was found across art disciplines and the use of technology also differed among teachers. Finally, individual teachers also differed in their use of technology across the art disciplines that they taught. The learners benefited from the use of technology insofar as they displayed a better understanding of the concepts in subsequent lessons. Furthermore, by the end of the study, teachers had begun to implement the new teaching style in learning areas other than the PA.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A study on the role of the media in identity formation among isiXhosa speaking youth in Grahamstown with focus on SABC’s Yo TV

  • Authors: Mabusela, Pumeza
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3661 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021302
  • Description: This study explores the use of African languages, more specifically isiXhosa, in the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It does this by investigating the YO TV programme and its impact on identity formation amongst isiXhosa speaking youth. The research was conducted in Grahamstown which is located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Young isiXhosa speakers were used as participants for questionnaires and focus group interviews. The location of the study within the Eastern Cape was driven by the fact that Grahamstown consists of mainly isiXhosa speakers, and young people are a big part of the population. Secondly, the participants were chosen in order to look at how isiXhosa and the Xhosa culture are represented in the YO TV programme through the lenses of young people who speak the language, and whether the representation of these two aspects plays a role in the formation of their identity. The goals of the research were to explore the relationship between language and youth identity, and the role of television in the construction of this identity. The research looked at the SABC’s YO TV which is a youth programme targeting South African youth who speak different languages and the role it plays in constructing the identity of isiXhosa speaking youth in relation to language and culture. It also examined for what purpose isiXhosa was used in the YO TV programme. The study further identified and critically analysed the already existing strategies used by the SABC to promote African languages in youth programs. The study made several findings, one of these being that there is a relationship that exists between language, culture and identity. As a result of this relationship, this study found that when one of these aspects is less represented on television, it affects the other(s). Thus, little representation of isiXhosa on YO TV has an impact on the identity formation of young isiXhosa speakers as they believe that language and culture are a part of who they are, their identity. This study also discovered that institutions of power such as the media play a key role in affirming the identity of young people. They play a role in influencing the way young people reason and do things. This study argues that television programmes such as the YO TV programme must use African languages, as well as English because the use of African languages adds value to how young people perceive them. The use of African languages on television will contribute to their growth and development. Moreover, the use of these languages in the media contributes in identity construction of young African language speakers.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

A survey of employee preferences in the design of a performance management system

  • Authors: Keshave, Hiten
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:863 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021180
  • Description: This thesis begins with an introduction to performance management and the intended aim and objective of the research. Thereafter literature findings relative to performance management and performance management systems are discussed. In the review of literature, three processes that could be implemented in a performance management system were highlighted, namely; (1) the planning process, (2) the monitoring and development process, and (3) an annual summative and feedback process. Performance management functions deemed important to employees during each process of the performance management system were identified and discussed. Subsequent to the literature review, the research methodology was described and involved the implementation of quantitative research within a post-positivist paradigm in the form of a close-ended survey questionnaire. Analysis of the data involved a gap analysis and needs analysis. The gap analysis study was based on the opinion of management respondents in comparison to the opinion of non-management respondents. Results of the gap analysis were determined based on the calculation of an importance score for each sub-group. The needs analysis study was based on the overall opinion of all respondents, and results were determined based on the calculation of an overall importance score. In light of the literature review that was conducted to inform the questionnaire design, the survey results supported the literature review of each discussed performance management function with no evident contradictions. The results of the gap analysis and needs analysis were satisfactorily met for each performance management function. On the basis of these findings, it was assumed that all the performance management functions identified in the literature are important and could be implemented in the design of a performance management system. The results highlighted the importance of a performance plan and development plan to underpin the performance management system.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016
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