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Design considerations for a reliable and secure wireless network

  • Authors: Janse van Rensburg, Johanna , Irwin, Barry V W , Zhao, X G
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428199 , vital:72493 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Barry-Ir-win/publication/327622818_Design_considerations_for_a_reliable_and_secure_wireless_network/links/5b9a114792851c4ba81819fe/Design-considerations-for-a-reliable-and-secure-wireless-network.pdf
  • Description: Wireless Networks have become widely accepted in enterprise net-works and can no longer be considered an experimental technology. However users often experience performance problems due to poor designs. These problems can be attributed to the physical nature of wireless networks, the electromagnetic wave. As a wave propagates through the air it is susceptible to interference, reflection or refraction, to name a few, that changes the wave and ultimately the received signal. However the effect of these can be mitigated with the proper design of a wireless network. In this paper these design consideration will be in-troduced through discussion of visualization packages that aid in the design process. Furthermore we will take a look at the security consid-erations of wireless networks; as, surprisingly even with the ratification of 802.11 i for almost two years now; security is still considered one of the biggest challenges against implementing a wireless local area net-work.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Designing a lean manufacturing model for Johnson Controls SA

  • Authors: Andersson, Carl
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Production management -- South Africa , Just-in-time systems , Manufacturing resource planning
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8566 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/188 , Production management -- South Africa , Just-in-time systems , Manufacturing resource planning
  • Description: An increase in global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re – look at their facility from an output and quality standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive advantage must at all times support the organisation’s objectives. It is therefore vital that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the everchanging needs of its market. The main objective of this research was to identify possible approaches that Johnson Controls South Africa (JCI SA) could pursue when implementing a Lean Manufacturing model. In doing this it will improve JCI SA’s manufacturing efficiency and quality, thus giving the organisation a competitive edge over its opposition. The research presented an empirical study of how a Lean Manufacturing model should be implemented in JCI SA. A theoretical and empirical study was conducted on how to successfully implement Lean Manufacturing within an organisation. The main purpose was to establish a theoretical Lean Manufacturing model that the organisation can utilise as a strategic plan to become the global leader in its market place.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Designing for maintenance

  • Authors: Syce, Melvin
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Buildings -- Maintenance -- South Africa , Buildings -- Protection -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:9670 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/440 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011924 , Buildings -- Maintenance -- South Africa , Buildings -- Protection -- South Africa
  • Description: This treatise is a study of the methodology and the thought processes followed when buildings are designed, in order to determine to what extent, if any, designers consider the need for buildings to be maintained long after they walk off site and part with the project. The concept of taking future maintenance requirements into account as part of the design process is referred to as “designing for maintenance” (DFM). It can be assumed that, from a professional perspective, designers must keep the client’s needs in mind when designing. Facilities managers face the challenge of balancing a budget with maintaining a functional building – a dream building would be a maintenance-free building. Armed with the knowledge of DFM it is hoped that future buildings will be designed in a manner that will facilitate maintenance, thereby achieving significant savings on the life cycle costing of buildings. Buys (2004) suggests that designers should adopt a more open-minded approach toward maintenance during the design stages of buildings. Maintenance, with reference to access, methods, material and funding, could benefit from this approach, with a positive effect on the life cycle costing of a building. In order of priority when starting a building project, the design process is at the top of the list. Because this process happens right at the outset of a project, it is important to address the level of maintenance awareness that goes into designing, at this stage. The research concludes that one of the methods which could have a permanent effect on designers’ awareness of DFM would be to include it in the subjects taught at schools where designers are trained. This idea was discussed with a number of lecturers in this field and they were all in favour of this approach. There is a perception that built environment practitioners and professionals such as architects and contractors in the various fields related to the built environment, often engage in their particular task as if they exist in isolation from the project as a whole and from the rest of the project team. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that all built environment aspects are interwoven and interlinked, and that all are part of a larger context. With reference to the built environment as a whole, no action or element exists in isolation from a larger web of activity. The challenge, to nurture within students an awareness of the range and interconnectedness of elements and processes that contribute to the holistic idea, rests with the educators in the design fields, because it is clear that the final impact of any project relies to a large extent on what was specified by the designers in terms of materials and construction methods. The impact of the world’s six billion inhabitants on the environment is clearly a critical issue but does little to influence the actions of most design professionals. Documented experiences should serve as valuable tools to guide designers towards making more educated decisions on building design. Built environment professionals should educate themselves about the range of issues involved in the analysis, design and production of the built environment and the interaction between these factors.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Destined to come to blows?: race and constructions of “rational-intellectual” masculinity ten years after apartheid

  • Authors: Vincent, Louise
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141619 , vital:37990 , DOI: 10.1177/1097184X05277694
  • Description: In 1994, a democratic government came to power in South Africa for the first time in the country's history. But political transition is never a single event or moment. Rather, it is a continuous process that faces setbacks and contradictions. One of the questions we might ask about a society in transition is to what extent its gender order has changed or is changing. The present paper sets out to read the country's transformation drama through the lens of contested conceptions of South African masculinity. The article is focused on one particular version of masculinity which it terms “rational-intellectual man,” and the argument is that a legacy of racism and the persistence of racialized modes of reasoning continue to marginalise black men from this and other powerful, high-status forms of hegemonic masculinity.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Determining the critical success factors for implementing lean manufacturing in South Africa: a case study

  • Authors: Pitout, Callum John
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Production management -- South Africa , Manufacturing processes -- Control
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8915 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021082
  • Description: The lean manufacturing system that evolved in Japan since World War II has leapt across the globe to North America and Europe. The secret success of Japan’s manufacturing machine has been shared. In Europe and America, lean has been identified as a manufacturing best practice that should be adopted to ensure competitive manufacturing efficiency. Many success stories have been told of American companies adopting the Japanese lean tools and techniques. Now, South African manufacturers are implementing the lean manufacturing philosophy, some with more success than others. This research paper explores lean manufacturing implementations at two South African automotive component manufacturers and identifies the critical success factors that have driven the implementation process forward. Commitment from top company executives, extensive training, worker empowerment and other critical success factors for implementing lean manufacturing into a South African environment are identified as a result of the research conducted.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Determining the impact of emotional intelligence on organisational effectiveness

  • Authors: Paul, Stephanie
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Organizational effectiveness , Emotional intelligence
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8762 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/591 , Organizational effectiveness , Emotional intelligence
  • Description: Employees who are able to use their emotions intelligently can contribute meaningfully towards building an emotionally intelligent organisation, one in which everyone take responsibility for increasing his or her own emotional intelligence, for using it in relations with others, and for applying the skills of emotional intelligence to the organisation as a whole. The lack of emotional intelligence, however, undermines both an individual’s and a company’s growth and success. Expressing emotions within the workplace has for many years been considered inappropriate and irrelevant to business. This research study points to the fact that an overwhelming amount of research shows that not only are emotions very much a part if the work experience but, to a large degree, set the course that companies should follow. This research study firstly discusses the core components of emotional intelligence and its impact on individuals and how they relate to others. The study further focuses on the impact that emotional intelligence has on aspects that contribute to organisational effectiveness. This study suggests that emotional intelligence within companies could result in a situation where employees communicate with understanding and respect and where confidence and enthusiasm in the organisation are instilled. Knowing one’s own emotions and controlling them; recognizing emotions in others and managing them; and self-motivation are key dimensions of emotional intelligence covered in the theoretical perspective of emotional intelligence discussed in Chapter Two. This study points to the benefits of emotional intelligence as an indispensable element not only in creating a profitable business but also in leading a successful life. The findings discussed in Chapter Six indicate a reasonable level of emotional intelligence amongst employees at GMSA who participated in the survey. Recommendations from the study indicated a need for training in various aspects of emotional intelligence in order to derive the benefits of improved organisational effectiveness and profitability.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Developing a test for economic duress in the South African law of contract: a comparative perspective

  • Authors: Glover, Graham B
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/70832 , vital:29748 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC53694
  • Description: Until the recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision in Medscheme Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Bhamjee 2005 (5) SA 339 (SCA), the courts in South Africa consistently adopted the attitude that so-called 'economic duress' does not constitute a valid cause of action in our law of contract. In this sense, our law lags behind other jurisdictions, which have recognised for some time that threats of economic harm can be just as coercive as threats to person or property, especially in the modern commercial word. While the indication given in the Medscheme case that our law could develop to recognise cases of economic duress is a welcome one, the court's statement in this regard was merely obiter, and the court consequently undertook no analysis of the issue. In this article, an attempt is made to develop guidelines for dealing with such cases, in accordance with a more modern and coherent test for duress in contract generally. Much of the discussion involves comparative analyses of the authorities on economic duress in Anglo-American jurisdictions, since there is a dearth of authority on the point in South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Developing self-regulated learning through the use of meta-cognitive strategies in adventure-based activities

  • Authors: Galbraith, Ian William
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Lilyfontein School Adventure education Education -- South Africa -- Curricula Competency-based education -- South Africa Educational psychology Cognitive learning
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:1495 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003376
  • Description: This research investigates the benefits of adventure-based activities used as a learning experience at school level. In order to scientifically investigate these benefits the study is located at a school where an adventure-based programme is being developed as part of the school's curriculum. This programme consists of a range of adventure type experiences including, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, mountain biking, group dynamic activities, survival camps, ropes courses and adventure racing. At Lilyfontein School these activities form part of the Life Orientation and life Skill programmes from grade 1 to grade 11. Specialized and qualified staff are used to conduct some of these programmes. Adventure-based activities are rigorous and contain elements of risk which require problem solving, good decision making and sound emotional management. These aspects present both physical and mental challenges to any participant. This study postulates that learners engaged in these adventure type activities are faced with using meta-cognitive strategies to help them through these mental and physical challenges. In doing these activities regularly learners will develop meta-cognitive strategies that will enable them to become better self-regulated learners. A self-regulated learner is able to use meta-cognitive strategies like problem solving, decision making, selfevaluation, self-monitoring, self-reflective thinking or emotional control in life generally. The aim of this research is to conduct an on-going action research study of the adventure-based programmes to determine their worth for the learners at Lilyfontein School and consequently the future of such experiences in a school's curriculum. This forms the primary goal of this research. The secondary goal is to gather valid and reliable evidence required to make an argument for the School's Governing Body (SGB) and Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) to be able to substantiate decisions relating to any such future programmes. This research regards the school context as the activity system which forms a primary case study. In order to extract maximum information from this educational system, embedded case studies will be conducted and monitored. These embedded case studies will be made up of the following groups of people: firstly the learners engaged in a variety of adventure-based experiences, secondly the educators as they observe and perceive the consequences of these experiences, and thirdly the parents as they identifY possible influences of adventure-based experiences on the behaviours, beliefs or habits of their children. In this research study data collecting techniques are used to extract infonnation from the embedded cases. Infonnation is elicited from parents and educators through the use of questionnaires and interviews. For learners, narratives and interviews are used to get a more qualitative sense of their beliefs and feelings on adventure-based experiences. However, in order to capture and document the learners' use of metacognitive strategies as they engage in the rigours of an adventure-based activity a more empirical approach is used. This approach uses in-depth observation, recording and measuring of the learners in action. Video footage is used to record the learners' reactions as they battle with fear, mental-strength, fatigue and decision making to accomplish their goal during an adventure activity. This study claims that an adventure-based experience helps to mediate the learning that will develop selfregulatory strategies in a learner. The limited research in the adventure-based learning field and more significantly the lack of empirical evidence of how meta-cognitive strategies fonn a crucial component of adventure-based activities has meant that the researcher has developed his own recording, measuring and analytical tools to serve this end. He has chosen to use Engestrom's third generation Activity Theory model which provides a useful underlying theory as well as an analytical and interpretive framework for this study. The research was conducted over a period of three years. Findings are considered in relation to the National Curriculum Statement for the GET and FET bands to ensure its relevance in the school context to the National Department of Education's expectations for the Life Orientation curriculum. The empirical findings of this study at Lilyfontein School and their relevance to the curriculum content of the National Curriculum Statement ought to provide convincing data for very important curriculum policy decisions at Lilyfontein School and in the broader educational context.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Development and assessment of azithromycin paediatric suppository formulations

  • Authors: Mollel, Happiness
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Azithromycin , Pediatrics , Clinical pharmacology , Pharmacokinetics , Suppositories , Drugs -- Dosage forms
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:3774 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003252 , Azithromycin , Pediatrics , Clinical pharmacology , Pharmacokinetics , Suppositories , Drugs -- Dosage forms
  • Description: The use of the oral route of administration for the treatment of young children with antibiotics can at times be problematic since, factors such as nausea, vomiting, taste and/or smell, in addition to the challenges associated with the administration of suspensions, may contribute to poor patient compliance. In such cases, the use of the rectal route of administration may be appropriate. Therefore, suppositories containing 250 mg azithromycin (AZI) were manufactured and assessed for potential as an antibiotic suppository dosage form. Suppositories, containing AZI dihydrate were manufactured by the fusion method, using different grades of PEG, Witepsol® and Suppocire® bases. The rate and extent of AZI release was evaluated using USP apparatus I, and samples were analyzed using a validated HPLC method. Differences in the rate and extent of AZI release were observed with the greatest amount of AZI being released from PEG formulations. The rate and extent of AZI release from formulations manufactured using fatty bases were influenced by physicochemical properties, such as melting rate and hydroxyl value, of the bases. In addition drug partitioning appeared to favor the lipid phase and had a negative impact on AZI release characteristics. Two different formulation approaches were used in an attempt to increase the rate and extent of AZI release from fatty base formulations. The use of surfactants significantly increased AZI release from formulations manufactured with fatty bases with high hydroxyl values. The use of urea or Povidone K25 in combination with AZI as a physical mixture or solid dispersion did not increase the rate and extent of AZI release from the fatty suppositories, to any significant extent. The mechanism of drug release was evaluated using several mathematical models, including the Higuchi, Korsmeyer- eppas, Zero and, First order models. In addition, in vitro dissolution profiles were characterized by the difference and similarity factors, f1 and f2 and by use of the Gohel similarity factor, Sd. AZI release kinetics were best described by the Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models and the values of the release exponent, n, revealed that drug release was a consequence of the combined effects of AZI diffusion, rate of melting of the base and partitioning of the drug which can be considered to be anomalous release.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Development and assessment of propranolol sustained release dosage forms separately and in combination with hydrochlorothiazide

  • Authors: Chetty, Prakash
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:3749 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003227
  • Description: Hypertension is a chronic illness that is often undiagnosed and untreated leading to high mortality rates in South Africa. The use of diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide and beta blockers such as propranolol has been advocated as first line therapy for the treatment of hypertension. The study and use of controlled release dosage forms for the treatment of various disease states has gained wide interest over the past two decades. The use of controlled release systems offers improved therapeutic efficiency over conventional immediate release dosage forms, the use of which at times have often led to poor patient adherence and decreased therapeutic efficiencies. The current research objective was to develop a sustained release multi-source product for propranolol such that once daily dosing would be achieved. In addition, the sustained release product was developed using Inderal® LA 80mg capsules as a reference product. In addition the development of a suitable immediate release hydrochlorothiazide tablet was undertaken to produce a combination dosage form. The use of two different technologies, namely direct compression and wet granulation were employed to develop the sustained release dosage form. The release of propranolol from these dosage forms was assessed using USP apparatus 1 with quantitation of the relevant dissolution samples using a validated high performance liquid chromatographic method. The release profiles from the prototype and subsequent products were subjected to model independent and model dependent analyses in order to compare them to the innovator product and to elucidate the mechanisms of drug release respectively. Dissolution test results reveal that dosage forms prepared from wet granulation showed better rate retardation and more appropriate release profiles than those prepared by direct compression techniques. The subsequent model independent and model dependent analysis show that a dosage form that is comparable to the innovator product has been developed, with drug release occurring by a diffusion type mechanism.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Development and validation of a stability-indicating analytical method for the quantitation of oxytocin in pharmaceutical dosage forms

  • Authors: Chaibva, Faith A , Walker, Roderick B
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6349 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006030
  • Description: A single stability-indicating assay for oxytocin (OT) in pharmaceutical dosage forms using gradient elution over 21 min has been reported in the literature. Furthermore, published and compendial methods for the analysis of OT containing dosage forms also involve using HPLC with gradient elution and complicated mobile phases that include hydrophobic ion pairing agents. A simple isocratic and stability-indicating assay was developed and validated. The conditions are as follows, column: Phenomenex® C18 Hypersil, 5 μm packing, 4.6 mm × 150 mm with acetonitrile–phosphate buffer (pH 5; 0.08 M) (20:80) as the mobile phase with UV detection at 220 nm The method was found to be specific for OT in the presence of degradation products and chlorbutol (preservative) with an overall analytical run time of 16 min. Accuracy was determined to be 0.77–1.18% bias for all samples tested. Intra-assay precision (repeatability) was found to be 0.22–1.04%R.S.D. while the inter-day precision (intermediate precision) was found to be 1.27–1.68%R.S.D. for the samples studied. The calibration curve was found to be linear with the equation y = 1.81x + 0.02 and a linear regression coefficient of 0.9991 over the range 0.4–12.0 IU/ml. The LOD and the LOQ were determined to be 0.1 and 0.4 IU/ml, respectively. Syntocinon®, a commercially available dosage form of OT was assayed resulting in 100.5–106.6% recovery of the label claim and an average of 10.04 IU/ml.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Development of an employee management model to address conflict and discipline in SME's

  • Authors: Wren, Beverley
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Conflict management , Personnel management , Small business -- South Africa -- George
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8748 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/646 , Conflict management , Personnel management , Small business -- South Africa -- George
  • Description: The research problem addressed in this study is to determine what effect current labour legislation has on small and medium enterprises (SME’s), in particular with regard to handling conflict and disciplinary procedures in the workplace. To achieve this objective a literature study was undertaken to ascertain what labour relations practices are recommended and/or enforced by law. The literature study included a look at the effect of conflict on the workforce and the resultant cause and effect of the stress that conflict causes. The literature study was then used to develop a questionnaire to test the degree to which small to medium sized business managers, in the coastal city of George in the Western Cape, complied with the law and application of the necessary regulations governing labour relations. The empirical study results indicated a healthy adherence to labour legislation in general. The results indicated that the role-players, namely owners and managers of small to medium sized businesses, had valid arguments both for and against the weight of the labour legislation imposed on small businesses. Those businesses that had not indicated a strict adherence to regulation run the risk of costly fines and penalties being imposed on them. Such enterprises would do well to employ an independent consultant to “audit” and update employee records on a regular (6 monthly) basis. Failure to take the time to have all the correct documentation prepared could result in costly labour disputes and government intervention, which far outweighs the cost of a professional ensuring that all the necessary paperwork is correct and in place
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Diasporic consciousness and Bollywood : South African Indian youth and the meanings they make of Indian film

  • Authors: Boshoff, Priscilla A
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Motion pictures -- India , Youth -- South Africa -- Attitudes , East Indians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Motion picture industry -- India -- Mumbai
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3503 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006249 , Motion pictures -- India , Youth -- South Africa -- Attitudes , East Indians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Motion picture industry -- India -- Mumbai
  • Description: A particular youth identity in the South African Indian diaspora is being forged in a nexus o flocal and global forces . The globalisation of Bollywood and its popularity as a global media and the international commodification of the Indian exotic have occurred at the same time as the valorisation of 'difference' in the local political landscape. Indian youth, as young members of the South African Indian diaspora, are inheritors both of a conservative - yet adaptable - home culture and the marginalised identities of apartheid. However, the tensions between their desire to be recognised as both 'modern' South Africans and as ' traditional ' Indians create a space in which they are able to (re)create for themselves an identity that can encompass both their home cultures and the desires of a Westernised modernity through the tropes of Bollywood. Bollywood speaks to its diasporic audiences through representations of an idealised 'traditional yet modern' India. Although India is not a place of return for this young generation, Bollywood representations of successful diasporic Indian culture and participation in the globalised Bollywood industry through concerts and international award ceremonies has provided an opportunity for young Indians in South Africa to re-examine their local Indian identities and feel invited to re-identify with the global diasporas of India.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Discrimination against people with mental health problems in the workplace : a comparative analysis

Discursive space in the discourse of a woman school leader

  • Authors: Thawley, Sarah
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia Women school administrators -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia Discourse analysis
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1498 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003380
  • Description: Women in leadership has become an increasingly popular area of research within the field of Educational Leadership and Management. As women hold more leadership roles and responsibilities in education it is increasingly important this subject is researched to enrich our understanding and knowledge of an area in which there have been silences. This research is a case study of a woman school leader in Namibia. The purpose was to explore the language she used and the impact of the discourses emerging from the text. The discourses are explained, described and interpreted through a critical discourse analysis to examine the discursive space and its relationship to the organisation. A feminist post-structural framework provided the basis for the critical orientation of this research. The findings of this study indicate that the leader occupied a discursive space of multiple positions that perpetuated and reproduced the school’s organizational structure and culture. The significance of this study lies in the possibilities for future research. The use of a poststructural framework to critically analyze discourses, combined with the use of leadership and management theory provided a means by which to explore and understand the multiple positions a woman leader takes up. By analyzing the discursive space in a discourse researchers are able to explore new ways of examining women and leadership in education.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Disk 1 of 14

  • Authors: University of Fort Hare
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Social sciences
  • Type: Clipping Collection
  • Identifier: vital:12219 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006720 , University of Cape Town
  • Description: Period: 1971-1986
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Disk 2 of 14

Dismissal due to pregnancy

  • Authors: Ledwaba, Lesetsa Joel
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Sex discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Pregnant women -- Employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: vital:10190 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/433 , Sex discrimination in employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Pregnant women -- Employment -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
  • Description: Previously, our workplaces were characterised by serious hardships emanating from labour laws which did not always cater for all areas of the employment relationship. South African female employees were without a clear legitimate remedial right precluding any severe violation and infringement to their fundamental rights resulting from their pregnancy; a task they did not opt for in the first place, but was instead, naturally imposed on them as a result of their gender category. Undoubtedly, many female employees were victims of unfair discrimination. The legislature therefore saw it fit to democratise the workplace by making rapid statutory interventions. As a result, a number of significant changes in various spheres of our labour laws were brought in. Amongst the greatly notable valuable changes was the introduction of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. This piece of legislation has generally reformed our industrial society by bringing in the elimination of unfair discrimination and thereby enhancing the principle of equity in the workplace. The act has further touched a place within hearts of female employees for fear of discrimination as a result of their pregnancy status or any reasons related to their pregnancy. The act further codified Industrial Court decisions that were already established under the discrimination law jurisprudence from the Labour Relations Act 28 of 1956. The application of the provisions of the Act has made the employment relationship no longer to be a comfort zone for employers. These general changes to the law also impact on the dismissal law regime. The purpose of this treatise is to give an overview of the applicable legislation and contributions made by the Labour Courts in developing pregnancy dismissal and discrimination law. The Labour Courts have handed down few judgements that have helped in clarifying the provisions of both the current Labour Relations Act and the Employment Equity Act around the topic. One should hasten to say that this has never been a smooth process by the courts. It is further shown in this treatise that some of the court decisions were not well accepted in the light of other important considerations, such as the equality provisions of the Constitution. For the purpose of effectively dealing with this topic, this treatise contains a discussion of the historical context of discrimination law in the form of common-law position, and the discrimination law before the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. It then endeavours to identify the legislative provision of the Act when it comes to discrimination law provisions. At the same time the important court decisions that were made are identified and examined.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Does primary resource-based industrialisation offer an escape from underdevelopment?

  • Authors: Ali, Fatimah
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Comparative advantage (International trade) , Exports -- Africa, West , Exports -- Mauritius , Exports -- South Africa , Foreign trade promotion -- Mauritius , International trade , Primary commodities -- Africa , Human capital -- Economic aspects -- Africa , Natural resources -- Africa , Africa -- Commerce
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:1018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002753 , Comparative advantage (International trade) , Exports -- Africa, West , Exports -- Mauritius , Exports -- South Africa , Foreign trade promotion -- Mauritius , International trade , Primary commodities -- Africa , Human capital -- Economic aspects -- Africa , Natural resources -- Africa , Africa -- Commerce
  • Description: It is commonly believed about sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that the region has a comparative advantage in primary resources as reflected by its high share of primary exports to total exports. In acknowledging the region's comparative advantage, the study tries to put the determinants from the Wood and Mayer (1998, (999) (W-M) Heckscher-Ohlin based model in the context of two relatively diversified countries (South Africa and Mauritius) and two commodity-export-dependent countries of sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria and Cô̌̌te d'Ivoire). The study finds that the skill and land resource measures used in the W -M (1998, 1999) thesis do not explain why Nigeria, having a similar level of skill per worker ratio to South Africa, has not diversified. Further, Mauritius having relatively the highest skill per land ratio specialises in low-skill textiles and clothing, while South Africa specialises in the more human capital-intensive "other manufactures" group. The other measure, a low land per worker ratio that explains Mauritius' relatively higher share of manufacturing exports, also fails to apply to Nigeria. The thesis thus concludes that the W-M land and skill measures could only be rough proxies in determining comparative advantage in manufacturing exports. However, employing the Dutch disease hypothesis recognises the potential of land abundance as a natural resource, namely minerals in South Africa, oil in Nigeria, and cocoa in Cǒ̌te d'Ivoire. The Dutch disease is a dynamic process of structural economic and political development that will permit an understanding of why natural resource abundant countries do not have a comparative advantage in manufacturing, at least in the short to medium term. The study therefore investigates commodity dependence and the Dutch disease effects to examine whether primary resource- based industrialisation offers an escape from underdevelopment. It establishes that South Africa, a mineral resource rich country, diversified based on a broad mineral-energy-complex (MEC) reinforcing the notion that land abundant countries will first invest in capital- intensive primary resource processing. However, the thesis concludes that in Nigeria and Cǒ̌te d'Ivoire where external shocks are more predominant probably because of single commodity export reliance, the manufacturing sector lags behind more due to resource and spending effects that a natural resource boom generates in these economies.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Doing the twist: a test of Darwin's cross-pollination hypothesis for pollinarium reconfiguration

  • Authors: Peter, Craig I , Johnson, Steven D
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005975
  • Description: Mating success in plants depends largely on the efficiency of pollen dispersal. For hermaphrodite plants, self-pollination, either within or among flowers, can reduce mating opportunities because of pollen and ovule discounting and inbreeding depression. Self-pollination may be particularly detrimental in plants such as orchids and asclepiads that package each flower’s pollen into one or more pollinia which, together with accessory structures, comprise a pollinarium. Darwin proposed that physical reconfiguration of pollinaria serves as a mechanism for reducing the likelihood of self-pollination. To be effective, the time taken for pollinarium reconfiguration would need to exceed that spent by a pollinator on a plant. We investigated pollinarium reconfiguration (including pollinarium bending, pollinium shrinking and anther cap retention) in 19 species and found a strong positive relationship between reconfiguration time and the duration of pollinator visits. Reconfiguration times were also consistently longer than pollinator visit times. These results provide strong support for Darwin’s idea that this mechanism promotes cross-pollination. , Elsevier
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  • Date Issued: 2006
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