Quantification of pre-competitive sleep/wake behaviour in a sample of South African cyclists
- Authors: Steenekamp, Travis
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sleep deprivation , Cyclists Health and hygiene South Africa , Sleep Physiological aspects , Performance , Performance anxiety
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59015 , vital:27408
- Description: The quantification of athlete pre-competitive sleep behaviour is of interest owing to the possibility that sleep loss may have a negative effect on health and performance. The purpose of this study was to monitor and quantify the sleep/wake patterns of South African cyclists prior to competitive races. A total of 336 cyclists, male and female and of differing competition levels, cycling in either the 2015 Tsogo Sun Amashova or the 2016 Telkom 94.7 Cycle Challenge completed an altered version of the Competitive Sports and Sleep Questionnaire. The questionnaire asked cyclists to report on precompetitive sleep over the past year. A subset of 92 cyclists also recorded a Core Consensus Sleep Diary for the three nights leading up to the races. The questionnaire showed that 67% of the cyclists reported worsened sleep at least once prior to competition within the past 12 months. The sleep diary found that the cyclists’ average sleep duration the night before the races was 6h19min (±1h38min), which was significantly less than two and three nights prior to the races. Sleep quality was also shown to deteriorate significantly the night before the races. The contributing factors leading to worsened pre-competitive sleep were the time the cyclists had to wake-up as well as perceived increases in sleep latency and awakenings after sleep onset. Anxiety was found to be the major cause of sleep disturbances. While females were found to be significantly more likely to report having experienced poorer sleep before competition in the past year, the sleep diary showed no difference in sleep the night before the races between the sexes. Females were significantly more likely to report instances of unpleasant dreams and waking up during the night. Again, the sleep diary data did not corroborate these findings. Females were also found to report significantly more accounts of nervousness or thoughts about competition as being the cause of sleep problems. There was no difference in sleep loss the night before competition when comparing competition-level groups. The only significant difference was that recreational cyclists were more likely to report sleeping in foreign environments as a cause of sleep disturbances. Despite a large percentage of cyclists experiencing pre-competitive sleep loss, over half (55%) perceived sleep loss to have no impact on their performance. Analysis of pre-sleep behaviour also revealed that the cyclists engaged in several practices that may have a negative effect on subsequent sleep. The vast majority of the cyclists (61%) indicated having no specific strategy to help them sleep the night before competition. Fifteen percent of cyclists reporting using media devices to help them fall asleep, a practice that has been shown to disrupt sleep. In conclusion, most cyclists, regardless of sex and level of competition experience precompetitive sleep loss attributed largely to anxiety but with the perception that this loss in sleep does not negatively impact their performance.
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Quantification of water resources uncertainties in two sub-basins of the Limpopo River basin
- Authors: Oosthuizen, Nadia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Hydrologic models -- Limpopo River Watershed , Water-supply -- Limpopo River Watershed , Water-supply -- Management , Sustainable development , Rain and rainfall -- Mathematical models , Runoff -- Mathematical models , Reservoirs -- Limpopo River Watershed
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63267 , vital:28388
- Description: The demand for water is rapidly growing, placing more strain on access to the resources and subsequently its management. For sustainable management, there is a need to accurately quantify the available water resources. Unfortunately, the data required for such assessments are frequently far from sufficient in terms of availability and quality, especially in southern Africa. In the absence of historical observed data, models are generally used to describe the different hydrological processes and generate data and information that will inform management and policy decision making. Ideally, any hydrological model should be based on a sound conceptual understanding of the processes in the basin and be backed by quantitative information for the parameterization of the model. Such data is however, often inadequate in many sub-basins necessitating the incorporation of the uncertainty related to the estimation process. Model parameter estimation and input data are significant sources of uncertainty that should be quantified. Also, in southern Africa water use data are unreliable because available databases consist of licensed information and actual use is generally unknown. In this study, the water resources of two sub-basins of the Limpopo River basin – the Mogalakwena in South Africa and the Shashe shared between Botswana and Zimbabwe – are estimated. The study assessed how uncertainties in the Pitman model parameterisation and input water use data affect the estimation of surface water resources of the selected sub-basins. Farm reservoirs and irrigated areas data from various sources were collected and used to run the Pitman model. Results indicate that the total model output uncertainty is higher for the Shashe sub-basin which is more data scarce than the Mogalakwena sub-basin. The study illustrates the importance of including uncertainty in the water resources assessment process to provide baseline data for decision making in resource management and planning. The study reviews existing information sources associated with the quantification of water balance components and gives an update of water resources of the sub-basin. The flows generated by the model at the outlet of the basin were between 22.6 Mm3 and 24.7 Mm3 per month when incorporating uncertainty to the main physical runoff generating parameters. The total predictive uncertainty of the model increased to between 22.2 Mm3 and 25.0 Mm3 when anthropogenic water use data such as small farm and large reservoirs and irrigation were included. The flows generated for Shashe was between 11.7 Mm3 and 14.5 Mm3 per month when incorporating uncertainty to the main physical runoff generating parameters. The predictive uncertainty of the model changed to 11.7 Mm3 and 17.7 Mm3 after the water use uncertainty was added. However, it is expected that the uncertainty could be reduced by using higher resolution remote sensing imagery.
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Regional value chains and development integration in the SADC Region: the case of the pharmaceutical industry
- Authors: Faydherbe, Sean
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pharmaceutical industry -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , Regional value chains (RVCs) , Global value chains (GVCs)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62906 , vital:28309
- Description: This thesis investigates how regional value chains (RVCs) can be used to further development integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region with a focus on the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The study is motivated by the apparent lack of attention given to the development of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Southern Africa, the region’s high disease burden and the identification of the industry as economically and socially important by the SADC (2015) Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (2017a) Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). At the same time, South Africa and other countries in the region are exploring alternative approaches to regional integration, given the failure or stagnation of numerous formal integration arrangements throughout Africa, which have often lead to polarised rather than balanced development. This thesis argues that the development of RVCs within SADC may be an effective tool for development integration in the region, particularly in sectors such as pharmaceuticals. The study employs a value chain framework for the analysis and discusses development integration options, drawing on the East Asian experience with RVCs and on case studies involving India in the case of the pharmaceutical industry. It provides a sector profile of the industry in South Africa, due to its dominant status in the region, and also of Zimbabwe, due to that country’s potential to become a pharmaceutical industry leader in the region once again. The thesis first explores the important theoretical aspects underlying value chain analysis, namely governance and upgrading, while also outlining the rise of global value chains (GVCs). It analyses the complex relationships between RVCs and GVCs, and RVCs and regional integration. From this it concludes that RVCs are a stepping stone to participation in GVCs and that RVCs should be promoted within a development integration framework through strong regional cooperation. Value chain analysis is applied to the entire pharmaceutical manufacturing industry with a focus on SADC. The thesis examines how the sector is evolving with manufacturing multinational corporations (MNCs) outsourcing production and setting up centres of excellence in regional production hubs. The study argues that with the application of recommended policies, RVCs in sectors such as pharmaceutical manufacturing may provide a tool for achieving balanced development in the region. However, the study also finds that the pharmaceutical industry in SADC lags a long way behind the rest of the world and that many countries and firms will need to begin at the bottom of the value chain, with formulation, in order to contribute to the development of RVCs. The thesis concludes with recommendations on what policies are needed to foster the growth and development of pharmaceutical RVCs in the SADC region. These include strengthening public procurement, providing incentives for investment into the industry, incremental production and incremental export volumes, as well as certainty and predictability around the regulatory and business environment. Further, policy should aim to construct synergies and linkages on the ground between health systems and industrial developments; regulate service links important to pharmaceutical manufacturing; develop a coherent regional policy agenda; remove unnecessary non-tariff barriers to trade in the region and, in line with development integration, implement trade policy along with trade infrastructure that is efficient and includes airports, rail, roads and ports, as well as effective access to the internet.
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Researching the development of a programme that merges mathematics and music in Grade R
- Authors: Stevenson-Milln, Carolyn
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mathematics Study and teaching (Elementary) Activity programs , Music and children , Music, Influence of , Music Africa , Action research in education
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61928 , vital:28084
- Description: This small-scale case study explores the potential for synergy between music and mathematics learning in early childhood education whereby music can be used to help enhance children’s mathematical proficiency. Informal observations of the young learners participating in an Early Number Fun programme initiated by the South African Numeracy Chair Project suggested that many children struggled to exercise executive functioning and self-regulated skills, and struggled also with fluency in basic numeracy concepts such as understanding pattern. This case study was set up to investigate the effect of the development and implementation of a programme in which African music and mathematics learning, (particularly in relation to pattern and sequencing) were blended. The study’s core aim was to contribute to strengthening learners’ executive function and self-regulated learning competencies, both of which are important to learners’ developing agency over their own learning. An Action-Research-embedded-in-Design-Research approach was employed. This allowed an iterative process in developing a new mode of learning through blending music and mathematics. The theory of enactivism provided a theoretical framework to the study. The basic assumptions of an enactive perspective are shared understanding and joint action through engagement (as exemplified through group interaction between learner and teacher, and learning through action). The programme was developed and implemented with ongoing refinements in two Grade R classrooms. Data collected through observation, interviewing, document analysis and the keeping of a reflective research journal, are qualitative in nature. Analysis of the data indicate that the use of African block notation, as a rhythmic medium was well within reach of the participating children, such that at the end of each 16 session intervention programme, learners at both research sites demonstrated their capacity to: • Focus their attention on one activity while a different activity was taking place alongside them. • Watch, listen and only then act. • Practise their numbers through play: to count out and to write up to 16 and beyond. • Notate, read and interpret rhythmic patterns through block notation and instrumentation. The findings suggest the intervention programme could be continued over a longer period for maximum benefit, possibly through following Grade R learners through to Grade 1. The findings further suggest that fun with rhythmic, number-based patterning can assist learners’ development of executive function and self-regulated learning skills.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Friday, 6 April at 09:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64590 , vital:28563 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_eNPkpqL8 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNB6ZTKWmGw , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqz7OftlW7M , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALxeywz_eYs
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 6 April at 09:30: Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Information Systems),Bachelor of Science (Software Development) Honours: Bachelor of Science Honours. Doctorate: PhD in Science.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Friday, 6 April at 14:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64601 , vital:28564 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNStZrvW8Y , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP7DFZ3duO8 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WtRxJcJOk0
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 6 April at 14:30: Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Economics, Bachelor of Business Science. Postgraduate Diplomas: Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Management. Master’s: Master of Business Administration, Master of Commerce, Master of Economics. Doctorate: PhD in Commerce.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Friday, 6 April at 18:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64613 , vital:28565 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhgKH7t5tjI , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kGoIyKKu0E , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2b-S9Dgt8 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WgUR8ZOfJ4
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 6 April at 18:30: Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Social Science. Honours: Bachelor of Arts Honours. Master’s: Master of Arts. Doctorate: PhD in Humanities following completion of Master of Arts.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Saturday, 7 April at 09:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64624 , vital:28566 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1inTS4jwWE , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPiJiLEQhsE , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kiZBy3D9SM , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVj1DRaA4uw , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvvRxNwFo-o
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 7 April at 09:30: Bachelor’s: Diploma in Fine Art, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Art. Honours: Bachelor of Social Science Honours. Master’s: Master of Fine Art, Master of Social Science. Doctorate: PhD in Humanities.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Thursday, 5 April at 14:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64579 , vital:28562 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W249OFk3Orc , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57N4HWWgao8 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo-GsMBjaGQ
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 5 April at 14:30: Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Laws. Honours: Bachelor of Commerce Honours, Bachelor of Economics Honours. Postgrad Diplomas: Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy, Postgraduate Diploma in Taxation. Master’s: Master of Science, Master of Science (Pharmacy), Master of Pharmacy, Master of Laws. Doctorate: Doctor of Pharmacy, PhD in Pharmacy, PhD in Law.
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Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Ceremony: 1820 Settlers' National Monument, Thursday, 5 April at 9:30
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64533 , vital:28556 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1nT--FXtBY , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUs1Jqredys , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay_ufZErTFA , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l31bTJ_M_Xo
- Description: Rhodes University 2018 Graduation Programme, 5 April at 9:30: Bachelor’s: Bachelor of Journalism, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Education. Postgraduate Diplomas: Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management, Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Journalism, Postgraduate Diploma in International Studies,Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education. Honours: Bachelor of Education Honours. Master’s: Master of Music, Master of Education. Doctorate:PhD in Education.
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Scale-specific processes underlying the genetic population structure of seabirds in the tropical western Indian Ocean
- Authors: Danckwerts, Daniel Keith
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Sea birds -- Indian Ocean , Sea birds -- Behavior -- Indian Ocean , Sea birds -- Mortality -- Indian Ocean , Sea birds -- Mortality -- Prevention , Sea birds -- Reproduction , Bird declines -- Indian Ocean , Sea birds -- Indian Ocean -- Effect of human beings on , Sooty tern , Red-footed booby , Pterodroma
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63944 , vital:28513
- Description: Global seabird populations have declined by 70%, since 1950, largely in response to human mediated threats. Identifying the pressures that the remaining populations face has therefore become a top priority. Many breeding colonies are now monitored annually, though others have been almost completely neglected. Considerable bias also exists towards higher latitude species, while fewer studies have been conducted on tropical groups. Beyond tracking population sizes, numerous knowledge gaps also exist that severely restrict conservation efforts. This includes the understanding of seabird meta-population structure and the processes underlying population divergence. The importance of these studies lies in the fact that the preservation of biodiversity requires the conservation of diversification processes. Generating this knowledge is therefore an important first step towards recognising responses to episodic disturbance and long-term environmental change, as well as recovery potential. In this context, the present study employed microsatellite analysis and ringing information to investigate the processes underlying the metapopulation structure of seabirds in the tropical western Indian Ocean. Three species were selected as proxies to cover a range of population sizes, distributional ranges, and intrinsic behavioural (e.g. migratory behaviour) and morphological (e.g. polymorphism) characteristics. These were the Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), and Barau’s Petrel (Pterodorma baraui). The overall objective was to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying divergence across a range of scales. Microsatellite information highlighted that genetic populations of the Red-footed Booby and Barau’s Petrel were weakly, though significantly, structured. For the Barau’s Petrel, this was supported by ringing information that indicated extreme colony fidelity. Some gene flow appears to occur among the breeding colonies of the Red-footed Booby, though the scale and frequency of this remains uncertain as banding information is insufficient at this stage. Nevertheless, though populations of both species were genetically structured, the processes underlying divergence were different. Extreme natal philopatry appears to have driven divergence between the two colonies of the Barau’s Petrel, while local selective forces (e.g. kleptoparasitism risk and/or selection against immigrants) appear to have isolated the three studied breeding colonies of the Red-footed Booby. Conversely, microsatellite information identified a total lack of genetic structure among breeding colonies of the Sooty Tern in the western Indian Ocean, and between colonies in the western Indian and Eastern Pacific Oceans. This accords with banding recoveries, which illustrate considerable inter-colony exchange of individuals among most islands of the Seychelles and between breeding colonies in the western Indian and West Pacific Oceans. The processes underlying the genetic population structure (or, in this case, lack thereof) in the Sooty Tern therefore appear to operate at extremely large scales. The species’ low natal philopatry and high dispersal capabilities, combined with an importance of social stimulation and a reliance on seasonally favourable marine conditions, appears to influence the decisions of where and when individual Sooty Terns choose to breed. Anthropogenic disturbance at breeding sites, particularly that related to egg harvesting activities, also appears to drive dispersal in the Sooty Tern. These results improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the genetic population structure in seabirds at low latitudes. However, numerous questions remain unanswered and warrant further study. Clear conservation implications were also identified for the three studied species. Nevertheless, caution should still be applied when extrapolating this information across other species.
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Schooling and institution quality linked to earnings in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Cuthbert, Carol
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Wages -- Effect of education on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education, Higher -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Equality -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62166 , vital:28134
- Description: Return to investment for tertiary education is not equal for all. Human Capital Theory imposes a linear pathway between education and earnings, that fails to recognise other sources of capital, ignores social returns and does not explain why socio-economic variables influence employability and earnings. Those returns, rather than simply incrementally delivering returns for additional years of education, are however heterogeneous across students, with field of study, gender and population group influencing earnings; and schooling type and university attended filtering whether one finds a job. This study utilises data from Rhodes University and the University of Fort Hare, illustrating the extreme positions within the South African education landscape, employing a Heckman selection to predict the returns on education. The regression is found to be partially successful in predicting a graduate’s ability to find a job, in the first instance, and thereafter their returns. It is crucial to analyse the heterogeneity of socio-economic parameters to understand aspects of the economy, and develop education policies to take advantage of this understanding, especially against the backdrop of the student protests being experienced in the country and the funding models proposed. Access to tertiary education, through policy inducement, such as the recent increase of the grant limit from R122 000 to R350 000, requires disaggregated returns to education to be investigated.
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Sepedi oral poetry with reference to kiba traditional dance of South Africa
- Authors: Maahlamela, Tebogo David
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Northern Sotho poetry , Northern Sotho poetry -- History and criticism , Folk songs, Northern Sotho , Sound poetry -- South Africa , Archival materials -- Conservation and restoration , Spiritualism in literature , Cultural appropriation , Folk poetry, Northern Sotho , Kiba traditional dance , Kiba poetry
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63209 , vital:28381
- Description: Previous studies show that contrary to other African languages of fewer speakers, written poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa’s transition from oral to written did not only lag behind, its development was also slow, with less intense treatment. However, this scarcity is not of the actual oral material, but rather its documented version. Vast untreated material at various repositories such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) library and the International Library of African Music (ILAM) are facing a risk of being lost due to limited resources and resourcefulness to digitalise them. Investigation of written poetry from 1906 to 2006 attests to the fact that in its written form, Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa poetry is still underdeveloped, dominated by “microwaved” collections aiming at nothing beyond meeting school prescription criteria. Calls have been made from the dominant South African poetry narrative that there are no innovative studies in the field of African languages, especially Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. Musicological studies show that contemporary jazz artists have adopted and adapted kiba poetry into jazz music, which resulted into classics of all times. Intensive studies were conducted on such poetic kiba-influenced jazz, but the primary source remains a grey area. The analysis of selected kiba poems shows that kiba poetry is the richest poetic form in the Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa with its creative and artistic merit exceeds all other genres. The study further reveals that kiba poetry is the heart of Bapedi/Basotho ba Leboa spirituality, a heart without which some faith institutions will remain incomplete. Furthermore, kiba poetry embodies, among others, poetic genres rarely explored in the South African poetry milieu such as “sound poetry” and poetry of special metrical schemes, of dramatic and devotional essence. Scholarly attention is, therefore, recommended on this repertoire to explore the field beyond this preliminary study, so as to save as many kiba poems as possible, which will enrich the dwindling written poetry milieu. Literary excellence of the treated poems attests to the fact that the artistic wealth of kiba poetry is worthy of attention, and it has potential to transform not only the face of poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa, but of the entire South African poetry landscape.
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Servant leadership: antecedent to Quality of Worklife of customer service frontline employees
- Authors: Bedser, Mark Bernard
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Call center agents Servant leadership Customer Service -- Quality control Employee morale Job satisfaction Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62144 , vital:28132
- Description: Contact Centre agents operate in closely monitored and highly controlled environments and their work consists of solving service requests or assisting customers with information on products or services. Consequently their work involves a great deal of emotional labour and stress. It is not surprising then, that the working environment of the Contact Centre is reported to have a negative impact on the levels of Quality of Worklife of Contact Centre agents, and that in the Contact Centre context, it is likely that low levels of Quality of Worklife exist. It is argued that it is important for organisations to be particularly aware of the Quality of Worklife perceptions of their employees should they want to address Quality of Worklife levels and benefit from the positive consequences of higher levels of the construct. Numerous variables are reported to play either an antecedent, moderating, mediating, or consequential role in relation to the Quality of Worklife construct. A systems model of Quality of Worklife is developed, which illustrates the inter-relationships of these variables and how they affect and are affected by the Quality of Worklife construct. It is argued that leadership is an important antecedent to Quality of Worklife, and this is the antecedent of interest in this study. It is proposed that it is not just any leadership that will contribute to an improved Quality of Worklife, particularly within a challenging context such as the Contact Centre environment. Rather, it is suggested that certain qualities of leaders will have a greater influence on Quality of Worklife. For example, leaders who focus on relationships and are caring - characteristics associated with servant leaders - are deemed more suitable for the Contact Centre context. The research also proposes that there are close associations between Servant Leadership and Trust, which in turn has the potential to affect Quality of Worklife positively. It is argued, therefore, that Trust mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife in the customer service frontline context. While there is a broad base of literature available on servant leadership that focuses on the senior or executive level of leadership, Van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) have argued that it is also relevant at the middle level of management and have validated an eight dimensional measure of servant leadership that is suitable for this management level. The Van Laar, Edwards and Easton (2007) Quality of Worklife model is also argued to be an appropriate model and measure of the Quality of Worklife construct, due to the robustness of the instrument design and the appropriateness of its underlying theory to the context of this research. Research has shown that leadership can have a significant relationship with Quality of Worklife. Moreover, a review of the literature on servant leadership reveals that trust, satisfaction, general well-being, and commitment to their jobs increases when employees are exposed to leadership behaviours associated with servant leadership. There is however, no evidence in the literature of any investigation of the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife, or of research investigating the partial mediating effects of Trust between these two constructs. Research was conducted to test this relationship. A survey questionnaire was administered amongst a sample of 555 Contact Centre agents, who were employed in eight different organisations. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures were conducted in STATA (V15.0), to test and validate the factor structure of Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife models. The research also produced a Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife structural equation model that supported the hypotheses of the relationships between the constructs. Mediation analysis confirmed Trust’s role as a mediator between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. The structural equation model confirmed that synergies between Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife exist, and that Trust partially mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. It is therefore argued that an increase in Servant Leadership behaviour by the manager or supervisor of frontline staff has a positive association with increases of Trust, as well as positive associations with Quality of Worklife experienced by employees in the frontline context. Moreover, it is also posited that the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife is partially mediated by Trust of the supervisor. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations made for management practice and further research.
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Slanting the light
- Authors: Marais, Shirley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63558 , vital:28440
- Description: Through my poetry I attempt to make sense of my encounters with myself by bringing to creative expression my experiences of and felt responses to people, places and situations. Among the poets who have had a significant influence on my work are Robert Berold, for his quiet assertion of intense, dramatic images; Frank O’Hara for his disciplined sense of mischief; Joan Metelerkamp for her meticulous attention to form and the way she makes a poem breathe; Robert Creeley for his ability to create free-floating meaning; and Mangaliso Buzani, for his fierce, honest poetics.
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Sociocultural and sociomaterial mediation of children’s connectedness-with-nature: a case study of Hobbiton
- Authors: Ward-Smith, Chesney Fenella
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental psychology South Africa Eastern Cape , Experiential learning South Africa Eastern Cape , Environmental education Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Nature study Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Outdoor education South Africa Eastern Cape , Ethnoecology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61918 , vital:28083
- Description: An increasingly large body of literature sees disconnection from nature as central to the convergent social-ecological crisis, rooted in anthropocentric ontologies. This study explored the potential for embodied, sociomaterial nature-based activities to engender shifts in children’s perceptions of, and sense of connectedness with, nature. Equally it explored how children’s socio-cultural-historical value positionings (SCHVP) mediated their perceptions of, and connectedness with, nature. The nature-based activities, spread over five-day camps, were located at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, a centre that has existed for decades to provide experiential learning and graded exposure to natural spaces, aiming to increase environmental knowledge and nature-connection. The experiences of two groups of children from wide-ranging socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were explored using interpretive case study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected children (aged 10-14) and the Hobbiton staff members who worked with them, as well as participant observation, data were collected and analysed thematically. This study was guided by a layered theoretical framework that included Deep Ecology as an under-labourer, and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a substantive, analytical framework. Interactions between participants’ SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature- based activities were analysed in relation to the children’s nature-perceptions and sense of Connectedness-With-Nature. The findings highlight both the importance of the children’s SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature-based activities in mediating their prior perceptions of, and connectedness with nature. The nature-based activities acted as a primary stimulus for developing environmental empathy, awareness and pro-environmental intentions. In essence, Hobbiton acted as a primary ‘seed planter’ towards greater feelings of Connectedness-With-Nature. However, recommendations are put forward for more decolonised, ethics-oriented and sociomaterial design of Hobbiton’s nature-based activities, with an emphasis on integrating children’s SCHVP into the pedagogical-design process in relation to the sociomaterial elements of the nature-based activities. Emically integrating the children’s multiplicities of knowing, doing, valuing and being into the pedagogical-design process could contribute to the decolonisation of nature-based experiences in such contexts cultural, socio and political diversity.
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Spatial variation in modelled hydrodynamic characteristics associated with valley confinement in the Krom River wetland: implications for the initiation of erosional gullies
- Authors: Schlegel, Philippa Kirsten
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Soil erosion South Africa Eastern Cape , Wetland management South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape) , Wetland conservation South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/58684 , vital:27356
- Description: Gully erosion is a significant and widespread feature of southern African wetlands, including the wetlands of the Krom River, Eastern Cape. Gully erosion in wetlands is consistently being viewed as a major contributing factor to wetland degradation and eventual collapse. Many gullies exist in the Krom River and Working for Wetlands has spent large sums of money to stabilise head-cuts with the expectation that further erosion would be halted and possibly avoided altogether. Observations in the Krom River wetlands have revealed that most gullies in the wetland are initiated where the width of the trunk valley has been reduced as a consequence of deposition by tributary alluvial fans that impinge on the trunk valley and reduce its width. The aim of this study was to examine variation in hydrodynamic characteristics for a range of discharges, as flow in the broad Kompanjiesdrif basin (~250 meters wide) is confined in a downstream direction to a width of less than 50 meters by a combination of a large impinging left bank tributary alluvial fan that coincides with a resistant bedrock lithology. The study was done by collecting topographical survey data using a Differential Global Positioning System in order to create a Digital Terrain Model with a suitable resolution. Flow was recorded using a Marsh-McBirney Model 2000 Flo-Mate as well as recording the flood extent for each flow condition; this was used in the calibration process of the model. Vegetation measurements were conducted in order to calculate a roughness value across the valley floor. A two-dimensional raster based flood inundation model, CAESAR-Lisflood and a one-dimensional hydraulic analysis model, HEC-RAS, were then used to simulate different parameters associated with variation in discharge, including flow velocity, water depth and stream power, thereby creating a better understanding of the hydraulic characteristics that may promote the formation of gullies in the wetland. Based on these hydraulic analyses it is evident that the effect of impinging alluvial fans on hydraulic characteristics such as flow velocity, water depth and stream power, may lead to the initiation of gullies within the Krom River wetland. This work improves understanding of the collapse of palmiet wetlands in steep-sided valleys within the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa, and can aid in wetland management.
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Stewardship and collaboration in multifunctional landscapes: a transdisciplinary enquiry
- Authors: Cockburn, Jessica Jane
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental management -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Ecosystem management -- South Africa , Social ecology -- South Africa , Interdisciplinary research
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61267 , vital:27998
- Description: Social-ecological sustainability challenges, from the local to the global level, are of increasing concern. Stewardship has been proposed as a means of dealing with these challenges, but how can it be achieved in practice? In South Africa, the concept is put into practice by practitioners working with local stewards to facilitate more sustainable and equitable management of ecosystem services across landscapes. This landscape approach requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders, as social-ecological processes function beyond the boundaries of individual farms or villages. The aim of this research was to investigate the practice of stewardship and collaboration in multifunctional landscapes in South Africa through a transdisciplinary enquiry. This was achieved using a methodological framework based on critical complexity, transdisciplinarity, and critical realism. This framework was applied through an inductive, mixed methods research design which involved stewardship practitioners, stewards, and other stakeholders in the research. Practitioners' understandings of the stewardship concept vary, yet they coalesce around the idea of responsible use and care of nature. Accordingly, the primary role of stewards is to interact with nature responsibly and carefully, balancing the use of ecosystem services for their own benefit with broader social- ecological interests and needs. Although the biodiversity stewardship tool dominates stewardship practice in South Africa, more integrated social-ecological initiatives are also emerging, often hand-in-hand with this approach. Practitioners working in these initiatives face multiple interacting and mutually reinforcing enablers and barriers that facilitate or hinder collaboration for stewardship. Individual and social-relational enablers are pivotal to long-term sustainability of initiatives, whilst deep-seated inequalities and mistrust are significant barriers to collaboration. Despite such challenges, practitioners are succeeding in fostering collaboration by operating as hubs in the landscape. They are actively building new relationships and networks among diverse stakeholders to address shared sustainability challenges. This results in a patchwork of collaborative stewardship activity across the landscape, suggesting that stewardship and collaboration are fundamentally relational processes and that pluralistic approaches to sustainability are needed in multifunctional landscapes. Moreover, by re-focusing stewardship on stewards, practitioners are finding innovative ways to enable farmers to appreciate and practice stewardship, addressing the conflict between agriculture and conservation. Drawing on these findings, a critical realist analysis revealed underlying generative mechanisms that help to explain the challenges encountered in collaborative efforts toward stewardship. These mechanisms included, amongst others: individual stewards' values, societal constraints on the ability of stewards to express care, conflict between agriculture and conservation due to dominant agricultural approaches and neoliberal economic policies, and the divided and unequal nature of South African society. Operationalising transdisciplinary research enabled meaningful engagement with practitioner partners, allowing for novel insights and unexpected findings to emerge from practice-based knowledge. Putting transdisciplinarity into practice revealed the dynamic and multi-faceted role that researchers can play in transdisciplinary research, highlighting the importance of relational knowledge and competencies. Existing support systems and incentives within universities need to be re-configured to enable postgraduate students to conduct engaged science in service of society. , Kuyanda ukuxhalatyiswa yimiceli mngeni yobudlewlane obuhlala buhleli bezentlalo nendalo, ekuhlaleni nakwihlabathi. Kuphakanyiswe umbono wobugosa-bumeli (ubuphathi bendalo, stewardship) ukuze kuhlangatyezwane nale miceli mngeni, kodwa iza kwenziwa njani le nto? EMzantsi Afrika le ngcamango iye yabekwa entsebenzweni ngabo banezakhono no bugcisa besebenza namagosa-bameli asekuhlaleni, benceda ekulawulweni ngendlela ehlala ihleli nelinganayo iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo kuyo yonke imihlaba. Le ndlela yokusebenzisa le mihlaba ifuna intsebenziswano phakathi kwabo bonke ababandakanyekayo, njengoko ubudlelwane bentlalo nendalo busebenza ngaphaya kwemida yomfama ngamnye okanye iilali. Injongo yoluhlolisiso ibikukuphanda ngoqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli nentsebenziswano yeemihlaba esebenza ngendlela ezininzi eMzantsi Afrika kubuzwa kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo olwazi(transdisciplinarity). Oku kwathi kwaphunyezwa ngenkqubo ehlola izinto ezahlukahlukeneyo kwimigangatho eyahlukeneyo, isekelwe kwingcamango enzulu kunoko kubonakala kuqondakalayo, kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo, nakulwazi lwesayensi nentlalo. Le nkqubo yenziwa kusetyenziswa inkqubo yokuqokelela ulwazi luze luhlalutywe, iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zokwenza uhlolisiso, ezazibandakandakanya abanezakhono zobugosa-bumeli, amagosa-bameli nabanye ababandakanyekileyo kolu hlolisiso. Ingcamango zabanezakhono zobubugosa-bumeli ziyohluka, kanti iingcamango zinye ngokuphathelele ukusetyenziswa nokukhathelela indalo yemvelo. Phofu ke, indima esisiseko yamagosa-bameli kukuphembelelana ngokufanelekileyo nangenkathalo nendalo, bethelekisa ukusebenzisa iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo ukuze zincede bona, kunye nomdla neemfuno eziphangaleleyo zobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo. Nakubeni isixhobo Sobugosa-Bumeli Bendalo Eyahlukeneyo Yezityalo Nezilwanyana (Biodiversity Stewardship) isesona sitshotsha phambili kuqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli eMzantsi Afrika, zikhona nezinye izixhobo ezivelayo eziqukwayo kwiphulo lobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo, ezisoloko zisebenza kakuhle neli lokuqala. Abanezakhono nabasebenza kula maphulo bajamelene neendidi zokuphembelelana, iingxaki ezahlukeneyo, izisombululo nezithinteli ezinceda okanye zonakalise intebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Isisombululo ngasinye nezo zayanyaniswa nentlalo zibaluleke gqitha kumaphulo azakuhlala ehleli, nakubeni ukungalingani okuzinze nzulu nokungathembani iyimiqobo ebelulekileyo kwintsebenziswano. Nangona ikhona le micelimngeni, abanezakhono bayaphumelela ekukhuliseni intsebenziswano ngokuthi basebenze kwiindawo ezithile kwimihlaba. Bakha unxulumano olutsha noqhagamishelwano nababandakanyekileyo ngokwahluka kwabo ukuze kusingathwe nemiceli mngeni yokugcina ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli. Oku kuye kwaphumela kwintsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli ethe yakho pha na pha kule mihlaba, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba ubugosa- bumeli nentsebenziswano ngokusisiseko yinkqubo enxulumeneyo, kwaye iindlela ezininzi zokwenza ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli ziyimfuneko kwimihlaba ekwenziwa izinto ezininzi kuyo. Ngapha koko, ngokuthi kuphindwe kunikelwe ingqalelo kubugosa-bumeli isiya kumagosa bameli, abanezakhono bafumana iindlela ezintsha zokunceda amafama axabise aze aqhelisele ubugosa-bumeli, ngolu hlobo kusingathwa ingxabano phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo. Xa sifunda koku, ukucamngca nzulu ngako kutyhile enye indlela eye yanceda ekucaciseni imiceli mngeni ekuhlangatyezwane nayo kwimigudu yentsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Ezi ndlela zibandakanya, phakathi kwezinye: indlela aziphatha ngayo amagosa-bameli, iingcinezelo yabahlali ekubeni amagosa-bameli abonakalise inkathalo, ukungavisisani phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo ngenxa yendlela ezongamelayo nezisetyenziswayo zolimo, nemigaqo-nkqubo yezoqoqosho elawulwa bucala, nokwahlukana, ukungalingani kwabantu baseMzantsi Afrika. Ukusebenzisa uhlolisiso lwamasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo kubangele ukufuthelana okunentsingiselo namaqabane abo banezakhono, oku kuvulele iingcamango ezinzulu nokufumana izinto ebezingalindelekanga kulwazi olusekelwe kuqheliselo. Ukubeka ulwazi lwamasebe ahlukeneyo entsebenzweni kutyhile iindima ezahlukeneyo okanye ezininzi ezidlalwa ngabahlolisisi kuhlolisiso lolwazi lwamasebe ohlukeneyo, kubalaseliswa ukubaluleka kolwazi olunxulunyaniswayo nozimiselo. Iinkqubo zenkxaso nezinye izinto ezincedayo ezikhoyo kwiyunivesiti kufuneka ziphinde zakhiwe ukuze zincede abafundi abenza uhlolisiso balwenze benomfutho wesayensi enceda abahlali.
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Still
- Authors: Hall, Leila
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63638 , vital:28450
- Description: This thesis is a novella in fragments set in contemporary Lesotho. It tells the story of a Mosotho woman in her 30s who has spent a long time living out of the country. She returns to search for a former lover who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. The nonlinear narrative follows her journey, exploring a range of themes, including sexuality, gender and class relations, memory and time, relationship to place, non-conformity and defiance in the face of societal pressure and conformism. The style of writing is inspired by a diverse range of writers, including Sonallah Ibrahim for his understated, sparse and minimalist prose, Tina May Hall for her ability to tell a story in fragmented vignettes, Noy Holland for her understanding of time as synchronous and non-linear, and Ayi Kwei Armah for his skill in evoking the feelings, textures and specificities of a place.
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Stories in watercolour
- Authors: Molefhe, Wame Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63552 , vital:28436
- Description: Expected release date-April 2020
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