Moving towards an African identity: a personal vision for the future of Rhodes University
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 2006-10-04
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:572 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006129
- Description: [From text] There is no doubt that the past two decades have brought radical changes to tertiary education throughout the world. In essence, this was the consequence of the commoditisation of knowledge. The past three decades have seen the emergence of the knowledge-based economy. Knowledge is replacing physical and tangible assets as the key driver of wealth creation and economic growth. How national governments responded to this became critical. Generally, as in the case of Britain, the transition was driven by governments anxious to precipitate their economies into the new era. At the same time, the prohibitive costs of offering free or heavily subsidised tertiary education became a fiscal burden seen as untenable in a post-Keynesian, neo-liberal environment where ‘small government is beautiful’. Often, the transition was successful beyond their expectations because of the ease with which tertiary funding was slashed without serious protest from academics or political constituencies. However, the transition has not only threatened the traditional role and perception of universities in society, it has catapulted many economies onto developmental paths that now challenge the traditional concepts of society, nation, and in particular, the university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006-10-04
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 2006-10-04
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:572 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006129
- Description: [From text] There is no doubt that the past two decades have brought radical changes to tertiary education throughout the world. In essence, this was the consequence of the commoditisation of knowledge. The past three decades have seen the emergence of the knowledge-based economy. Knowledge is replacing physical and tangible assets as the key driver of wealth creation and economic growth. How national governments responded to this became critical. Generally, as in the case of Britain, the transition was driven by governments anxious to precipitate their economies into the new era. At the same time, the prohibitive costs of offering free or heavily subsidised tertiary education became a fiscal burden seen as untenable in a post-Keynesian, neo-liberal environment where ‘small government is beautiful’. Often, the transition was successful beyond their expectations because of the ease with which tertiary funding was slashed without serious protest from academics or political constituencies. However, the transition has not only threatened the traditional role and perception of universities in society, it has catapulted many economies onto developmental paths that now challenge the traditional concepts of society, nation, and in particular, the university.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006-10-04
Witwatersrand genesis: a comparative study of some early gold mining companies, 1886-1894
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Gold mines and mining -- South Africa -- History Gold mines and mining -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand -- History Ferreira Gold Mining Company (Firm) Witwatersrand Gold Mining Company (Firm) Simmer and Jack Gold Mining Company (Firm) Wemmer Gold Mining Company (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1029 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003725
- Description: Preface: For anyone standing on the ridge of the Witwatersrand on a spring day in September 1886 the sight immediately to the south represented a hive of activity and hope. Nearly a hundred years later ample evidence stretches away on both sides of the watershed to confirm the fulfilment of those early sentiments. It is, nevertheless, all too easy to ignore the struggles and failures which marked the beginnings of the world's greatest gold field in the light of its subsequent abundant success. Only when attention is turned to the individual companies formed to exploit the discovery does the true picture emerge of the lack of adequate technological and managerial knowledge amongst the early pioneers and of the financial frailty of their companies. The object of this thesis is to shed light on these beginnings by reviewing the histories of four of the earliest companies established to work the main reef. The approach adopted is to scrutinize the material available with a view to determining the motivations and actions of the managements of the various companies with regard to their economic environment, whether within or without the individual company. Clearly, the availability of information is a major determinant of the success of any such venture and this was particularly so in the case of the companies considered. With the exception of the Barlow Rand Limited holding of the H. Eckstein and Company Archives, which offers an integral coverage of that firm's dealings with the emerging industry, and which is certainly the most comprehensive source of information available to the researcher, little material relating to specific gold mining companies has survived. Under these circumstances it was necessary to rely heavily for information on the local press. These newspapers proved an invaluable source in this regard. As a mining camp with a limited capacity for generating newsworthy incidents, the newspapers of early Johannesburg found an eager readership for information about the industry which lay at the heart of the community. For their part, the managements of the various mining companies found in the pages of the local press an outlet for intelligence both true and false; the press was a useful vehicle for the publication of directors' and annual reports to meet a wider audience, but similarly it could be and was used to disseminate 'spectacular' reports calculated to influence the status of a company's stock on the local share market. As a research source the press has thus to be approached with caution but its value, if the warning is heeded, is in no way diminished. Beyond these two sources the next most valuable accumulation of data on the early industry is "The Gold Fields Collection" housed in the Cory Library for Historical Research at Rhodes University. As a collection it is far from complete and it is to be hoped that the donors will in future see fit to augment it with further material as this becomes available. It neverthess proved an invaluable source for the investigation of at least one of the companies of the study and for a general background to the industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Gold mines and mining -- South Africa -- History Gold mines and mining -- South Africa -- Witwatersrand -- History Ferreira Gold Mining Company (Firm) Witwatersrand Gold Mining Company (Firm) Simmer and Jack Gold Mining Company (Firm) Wemmer Gold Mining Company (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1029 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003725
- Description: Preface: For anyone standing on the ridge of the Witwatersrand on a spring day in September 1886 the sight immediately to the south represented a hive of activity and hope. Nearly a hundred years later ample evidence stretches away on both sides of the watershed to confirm the fulfilment of those early sentiments. It is, nevertheless, all too easy to ignore the struggles and failures which marked the beginnings of the world's greatest gold field in the light of its subsequent abundant success. Only when attention is turned to the individual companies formed to exploit the discovery does the true picture emerge of the lack of adequate technological and managerial knowledge amongst the early pioneers and of the financial frailty of their companies. The object of this thesis is to shed light on these beginnings by reviewing the histories of four of the earliest companies established to work the main reef. The approach adopted is to scrutinize the material available with a view to determining the motivations and actions of the managements of the various companies with regard to their economic environment, whether within or without the individual company. Clearly, the availability of information is a major determinant of the success of any such venture and this was particularly so in the case of the companies considered. With the exception of the Barlow Rand Limited holding of the H. Eckstein and Company Archives, which offers an integral coverage of that firm's dealings with the emerging industry, and which is certainly the most comprehensive source of information available to the researcher, little material relating to specific gold mining companies has survived. Under these circumstances it was necessary to rely heavily for information on the local press. These newspapers proved an invaluable source in this regard. As a mining camp with a limited capacity for generating newsworthy incidents, the newspapers of early Johannesburg found an eager readership for information about the industry which lay at the heart of the community. For their part, the managements of the various mining companies found in the pages of the local press an outlet for intelligence both true and false; the press was a useful vehicle for the publication of directors' and annual reports to meet a wider audience, but similarly it could be and was used to disseminate 'spectacular' reports calculated to influence the status of a company's stock on the local share market. As a research source the press has thus to be approached with caution but its value, if the warning is heeded, is in no way diminished. Beyond these two sources the next most valuable accumulation of data on the early industry is "The Gold Fields Collection" housed in the Cory Library for Historical Research at Rhodes University. As a collection it is far from complete and it is to be hoped that the donors will in future see fit to augment it with further material as this becomes available. It neverthess proved an invaluable source for the investigation of at least one of the companies of the study and for a general background to the industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
The agricultural development of the 1820 settlement down to 1846
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 1975
- Subjects: Agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- History Agricultural colonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape British settlers of 1820 (South Africa) Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- History -- 1795-1872
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1060 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007519
- Description: Preface: The arrival of the 1820 Settlers in South Africa and their impact on the political and social life of the Cape Colony has been well covered by historical research. This work is an attempt to illuminate yet another area in which their impact was felt. The failure of the settlement scheme under which these people were introduced into the colony has tended to detract from the importance which agriculture played in the early years of their residence in South Africa. The failure of the first crops may well have ended the attempts by many to establish themselves on the land but for others it was the beginning of a process of adaptation to the agricultural conditions of a new country. In this they were remarkably successful and within a decade the English farming community of the eastern frontier was prospering. The theme of this work traces the progress of these farmers through the initial period of crop failures, which condemned the settlement in the eyes of many, and through the ensuing years and later misfortune, the Sixth Frontier war of 1834-35. Both these setbacks were very significant in moulding the development of agriculture as practised by these farmers. In the past, historians have tended to over-estimate the reverse suffered by these farmers during this frontier war. The seemingly paradoxical questions raised by the rapid recovery of this community after the war have been left largely unanswered. Some attempt is made in the pages which follow to shed new light on this issue. In the first three chapters of this work the letters written by Thomas Philipps to his family in Britain form the chief source of information. Much of this correspondence has already found wider publication in a volume edited by Arthur Keppel-Jones, but there are significant omissions, particularly with regard to Philipps' commentary on agricultural matters. Unfortunately, this series of letters ends in 1830, and the chief sources for the latter period of this work are the various entries made) on agricultural matters, in the Graham's Town Journal, together with the farm diary of James Collett, another frontier farmer. From these, and various other works, it has been possible to trace the major developments of this farming community.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1975
- Authors: Webb, Arthur (Arthur C M)
- Date: 1975
- Subjects: Agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- History Agricultural colonies -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape British settlers of 1820 (South Africa) Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- History -- 1795-1872
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1060 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007519
- Description: Preface: The arrival of the 1820 Settlers in South Africa and their impact on the political and social life of the Cape Colony has been well covered by historical research. This work is an attempt to illuminate yet another area in which their impact was felt. The failure of the settlement scheme under which these people were introduced into the colony has tended to detract from the importance which agriculture played in the early years of their residence in South Africa. The failure of the first crops may well have ended the attempts by many to establish themselves on the land but for others it was the beginning of a process of adaptation to the agricultural conditions of a new country. In this they were remarkably successful and within a decade the English farming community of the eastern frontier was prospering. The theme of this work traces the progress of these farmers through the initial period of crop failures, which condemned the settlement in the eyes of many, and through the ensuing years and later misfortune, the Sixth Frontier war of 1834-35. Both these setbacks were very significant in moulding the development of agriculture as practised by these farmers. In the past, historians have tended to over-estimate the reverse suffered by these farmers during this frontier war. The seemingly paradoxical questions raised by the rapid recovery of this community after the war have been left largely unanswered. Some attempt is made in the pages which follow to shed new light on this issue. In the first three chapters of this work the letters written by Thomas Philipps to his family in Britain form the chief source of information. Much of this correspondence has already found wider publication in a volume edited by Arthur Keppel-Jones, but there are significant omissions, particularly with regard to Philipps' commentary on agricultural matters. Unfortunately, this series of letters ends in 1830, and the chief sources for the latter period of this work are the various entries made) on agricultural matters, in the Graham's Town Journal, together with the farm diary of James Collett, another frontier farmer. From these, and various other works, it has been possible to trace the major developments of this farming community.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1975
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