"A dark revolt of being" abjection, sacrifice and the real in performance art, with reference to the works of Peter van Heerden and Steven Cohen
- Authors: Balt, Christine
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Cohen, Steven, 1962- Van Heerden, Peter Phelan, Peggy Kristeva, Julia Lacan, Jacques Performance art -- South Africa Abject art
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2132 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002364
- Description: This thesis is an exploration of some of the defining characteristics of performance art, and an investigation of how such characteristics relate to ritual. It highlights some key notions, such as that of the “Real” and the live, which are introduced in the first chapter. This chapter explores the theories of Peggy Phelan, Julia Kristeva and Jacques Lacan in its attempts to conceptualize the Real. It assesses how performance art as ritual attempts to revise traditional apparatuses of representation. It argues that, through a transgression of representation, performance art has the potential to challenge and revise established discourses on identity, culture and violence. The second chapter of this study is an attempt to provide a history and subsequent conceptualization of performance art, based on its exposition of the live. I have taken into consideration certain strategies that performance artists employ to evoke the live, referring specifically to the manipulation of the body. It is through abject encounters with the unsymbolizable “Real” that the performance artist reaches the borders of his/her subjective constitution, and performs a transformation of his/her identity that transcends the mechanisms of representation. The third chapter of this study attempts to find the connections that exist between performance art and sacrificial ritual. I will refer specifically to the theories of Rene Girard. Girard‟s notion of the “violent sacred” and its significance within sacrifice as an antidote to community crises will be explored in relation to collective transformation within the performance event. I choose to focus specifically on the role of the performer as surrogate victim/pharmakon, and the spectators/witnesses as part of the community. The fourth chapter explores how two South African performance artists, Steven Cohen (1961) and Peter van Heerden (1973), perform the abject body as the monster. Kristeva‟s notion of the abject will be examined in terms of the transformation of the individual performer as subject within performance art, and how, through the assumption of an “othered,” monstrous identity, the performer becomes the surrogate victim. The fifth chapter will entail an examination of Peter van Heerden‟s 6 Minutes. I will attempt to draw parallels between performance art and ritual through using this performance piece as a case study. I will focus on the strategies that Van Heerden implements to resist theatrical representation. 6 Minutes will be observed in terms of its link to sacrificial ritual, and it presentation of the live, and the Real. In light of these discoveries, I aim to locate performance art within politically-driven modes of art-making, and how such an endeavour relates to South African modes of theatre and performance.
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A case study of strategic leadership in the creation and development of a privately owned newspaper in Zambia
- Authors: Mungonge, Goliath
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Newspapers -- Zambia Strategic planning -- Zambia -- Case studies Mass media -- Zambia -- Case studies Journalism -- Zambia -- Case studies Newspaper publishing -- Zambia -- Case studies Press -- Zambia -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:734 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003854
- Description: Roles of various constituent elements of Strategic Leadership address deep and continuing issues relating to the creation and development of any organization. What is required to help firms successfully navigate the dynamics and uncertain environment in which they compete today to be successful is addressed. The founding in July 1991 of The Post, a privately owned Zambian newspaper, provided a unique opportunity to investigate the roles that various constituent elements of strategic leadership have played in its success. This is largely because much is already known about how state-owned media are managed, financed, and sustained by the state itself, which is fully involved in their re-capitalization and operating costs. The themes identified are at the heart of current debates about the capacity of private organizations to respond to new expectations, market realities, no state funding, globalization, technology, and a long list of other challenges so as to become market driven enterprises. The case of The Post is seen to present a story of an enduring publication in times of political, financial, social and other adversities and the research participants have no illusions about the success of the publication. The case study of The Post also gives useful insight into the many challenges and obstacles faced by the newspaper. It offers examples of determination, focused courage and innovation, complemented by strategic leadership. This was done by means of what emerged from the insight and experiences of the six research participants that were part of the founders of the newspaper and those associated with the development of the newspaper since its inception.
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A case study of strategy implementation at a major Eastern Cape component supplier company in the automotive industry
- Authors: Koyana, Gwyneth Puseletso
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Automobile industry workers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Industrial organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Strategic planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003855
- Description: A review of the literature on strategy implementation reveals that there is limited knowledge on how strategies should be implemented. This thesis focuses on a case study of strategy implementation at a major Eastern Cape component supplier company in the automotive industry, for purposes of establishing how the company implemented its strategies to become one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of automotive pressed metal body components in South Africa. Data collated from the company is analysed and discussed with a resultant description of how the research participants understood the process of strategy implementation within the research company during the period January 2006 to December 2007. Interviews were undertaken within the levels of top management, middle management and the operational employees. Interpretations were made of the constructs made by the research participants in their understanding of how the research company implemented its strategy to become one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of automotive pressed metal body components. It transpired from the findings of the research that the research company manufactured 70% of its products for one major client. During the manufacture of its products, the research company had to conform to the quality standards required by the main client. The main client was therefore offered the desired service at the best price. The strategy of the research company was to strive to be one of the best cost leaders in the manufacture of its products. It sought to do this by producing high quality products. Analysis is made of the strategic content, strategic context, operational processes and outcomes for the research company after the implementation of its strategy. It emerges in the case study that the strategy implementation factors cannot be considered separately in linear models but holistically, since one implementation factor may influence the others, resulting in a context and process based approach.
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A case study: exploring students' experiences of a participative assessment approach on a professionally-orientated postgraduate programme
- Authors: du Toit, Peter
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- South Africa Graduate students -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Case Studies Action research in education -- South Africa -- Case Studies Universities and colleges -- Graduate work -- South Africa -- Case Studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1432 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003313
- Description: The study was undertaken as the first cycle of an action research project. It presents a case study that explores the potential of the combined use of self-, peer-, and tutor-driven assessment in enhancing students’ learning in a professionally orientated postgraduate media management course. The study also explores how such a process can contribute to students developing the skills and dispositions required by autonomous learners and professionals. In approaching these questions the study draws directly on students’ own accounts of their experiences and contrasts these accounts with the growing body of literature on participative assessment in higher education that has emerged over the past decade. The study begins by exploring how action research can aid in the development of valuable insights into educational practice. It draws on educational theorists’ use of Habermas’s (1971, 1972 and 1974 in Grundy, 1987: 8) theory of knowledge constitutive interests in developing a conceptual framework against which assessment practice can be understood and argues against instrumental approaches to assessment. Set against a background of outcomes-based education, the study presents an argument for privileging the role of assessment in promoting learning above its other function. It contends that this function is undermined if students are excluded from direct involvement in assessment practice. Informed by research into participative assessment, the study presents a thick description of a particular approach used during the action research cycle and explores how students experienced this process. The findings of the study support theories favouring the involvement of students in their own assessment and suggest that such processes can contribute to meeting students’ present and future learning needs.
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A changing didacticism : the development of South African young adult fiction from 1985 to 2006
- Authors: Williams, Jenna Elizabeth
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-16
- Subjects: Didactic fiction, English -- History and criticism Young adult fiction, South African -- History and criticism South Africa -- In literature South Africa -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004293
- Description: This thesis endeavours to establish how political transformation in South Africa has impacted on the didactic function of locally produced young adult fiction between the years of 1985 and 2006. To this end, a selection of young adult novels and short stories are examined in relation to the time period during which they were written or are set, namely the final years of apartheid (from 1985 to the early 1990s), the period of transition from apartheid to democracy (approximately 1991 to 1997), and the early years of the twenty-first century (2000 to 2006). Chapter One provides a brief overview of publishing for the juvenile market in South Africa over the last century, noting how significant historical and political events affected both the publishing industry itself and the content of children's and young adult literature. This chapter also adumbrates the theoretical foundations of the study. The second chapter examines a selection of texts either written or set during the final years of the apartheid regime. This chapter establishes how authors during this period challenged notions of racial inequality and undermined the policies of the apartheid government, with varying degrees of success. The authors' methods in encouraging their (predominantly white) readers to question apartheid ideology are also interrogated. Those novels written after, but set during, the apartheid era are examined with the aim of determining their authors' didactic objectives in revisiting this period in their novels. Chapter Three explores how authors writing during the transition period aimed to encourage readers to participate in the building of a 'rainbow nation,' by portraying idealised modes of relating to the racial 'other.' While some of the authors examined in this chapter are optimistic, and even naïve, in their celebration of a newly established democracy, others are more cautious in suggesting that decades of oppression and separation can so easily be overcome. Chapter Four demonstrates how the freedoms afforded by a democratic society have prompted young adult authors to explore the possibilities of adapting the sub-genre of the teenage problem novel to suit a distinctly South African context. While some of these texts are not overtly didactic in nature, they confront the unique issues faced by a generation of South African teenagers raised in a democratic society, and in some cases challenge readers to reconsider their approach to such issues.
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A common analysis framework for simulated streaming-video networks
- Authors: Mulumba, Patrick
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Management , Streaming video , Mass media -- Technological innovations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4590 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004828 , Computer networks -- Management , Streaming video , Mass media -- Technological innovations
- Description: Distributed media streaming has been driven by the combination of improved media compression techniques and an increase in the availability of bandwidth. This increase has lead to the development of various streaming distribution engines (systems/services), which currently provide the majority of the streaming media available throughout the Internet. This study aimed to analyse a range of existing commercial and open-source streaming media distribution engines, and classify them in such a way as to define a Common Analysis Framework for Simulated Streaming-Video Networks (CAFSS-Net). This common framework was used as the basis for a simulation tool intended to aid in the development and deployment of streaming media networks and predict the performance impacts of both network configuration changes, video features (scene complexity, resolution) and general scaling. CAFSS-Net consists of six components: the server, the client(s), the network simulator, the video publishing tools, the videos and the evaluation tool-set. Test scenarios are presented consisting of different network configurations, scales and external traffic specifications. From these test scenarios, results were obtained to determine interesting observations attained and to provide an overview of the different test specications for this study. From these results, an analysis of the system was performed, yielding relationships between the videos, the different bandwidths, the different measurement tools and the different components of CAFSS-Net. Based on the analysis of the results, the implications for CAFSS-Net highlighted different achievements and proposals for future work for the different components. CAFSS-Net was able to successfully integrate all of its components to evaluate the different streaming scenarios. The streaming server, client and video components accomplished their objectives. It is noted that although the video publishing tool was able to provide the necessary compression/decompression services, proposals for the implementation of alternative compression/decompression schemes could serve as a suitable extension. The network simulator and evaluation tool-set components were also successful, but future tests (particularly in low bandwidth scenarios) are suggested in order to further improve the accuracy of the framework as a whole. CAFSS-Net is especially successful with analysing high bandwidth connections with the results being similar to those of the physical network tests.
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A comparative analysis of the divisia index and the simple sum monetary aggregates for South Africa
- Authors: Moyo, Solomon Simbarashe
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- South Africa , Money supply -- South Africa , Inflation finance -- South Africa , Index numbers (Economics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:945 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002679 , Monetary policy -- South Africa , Money supply -- South Africa , Inflation finance -- South Africa , Index numbers (Economics)
- Description: The effectiveness of monetary policy in achieving its macroeconomic objectives such as price stability and economic growth depend on the monetary policy tools that are implemented by the Central Bank. Monetary aggregates are one of the tools that have been used as indicators of economic activity and as intermediate targets to achieve these economic objectives. Until recently, monetary aggregates have been questioned and criticised on their usefulness in monetary policy. This has been attributed to the economic, financial and technological developments that have distorted the relationship between monetary aggregates and major macroeconomic variables. This study investigates the relevance of monetary aggregation by comparing the traditional simple sum and Divisia index monetary aggregates which was constructed for the first time for South Africa using the Tornquist-Theil method. The Polynomial Distributed Lag model is employed to compare the performance of these monetary aggregates using their relationship with inflation and manufacturing index. Furthermore, the aggregates are compared in terms of their controllability and information content. Overall, the study found a very strong relationship between inflation and all the monetary aggregates. However, more specifically the results suggested that the Divisia indices are superior to the simple sum in terms of predicting inflation. The evidence further suggests that the Divisia aggregates provide higher information about inflation than the simple sum aggregates. Regarding the controllability of the monetary aggregates, the findings suggest that the monetary authorities can hardly control the monetary aggregates using monetary base. Finally, the relationship between manufacturing index and all the monetary aggregates was very weak.
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A critical analysis of the management of climate change risk among short-term insurers in South Africa: evidence from company annual reports
- Authors: Banda, Musale Hamangaba
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Insurance companies -- South Africa -- Case studies Risk (Insurance) -- South Africa Risk management -- Evaluation -- South Africa Insurance companies -- South Africa -- Management South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991 -- Environmental aspects Climatic changes -- Risk assessment -- South Africa Disaster insurance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003943
- Description: This study investigates the extent to which South African short-term insurance companies manage climate change risk, as evidenced in their annual and sustainability reporting. The study context takes into account the fact that the world’s climate has been changing at a more accelerated rate since the early 1970s, causing disasters that have negatively affected world economies in the last ten years. Insurers, due to their huge financial resource base, long history of spurring innovation around risk and encouraging loss-reducing behaviour as well as high levels of vulnerability, have been identified as one industry that could lead societies in finding solutions to climate change risk. A key element of such a corporate resolve involves taking a leadership position which makes business sense for insurers. As such, this research analyses how innovative solutions to change-related problems could result in reduced exposure to climate change in line with corporate triple bottom line objectives. Based on a purposive sampling of short-term insurance companies operating in the South African market during the 2007 financial year, the study uses the companies’ annual and sustainability reports in order to critically assess evidence of climate change-related performance. The assessment is undertaken against the best practice indicators of climate change risk management, as defined by Ceres – a global researcher on climate change management in the business context. The data analysis is largely qualitative, consisting of a narrative presentation of the results and a conceptual application of the results to the triple bottom line which forms the theoretical framework of this study. The study finds that the South African short-term insurers were generally not living up to the climate change management ideals, in comparison to their multinational counterparts. For the South African short-term insurers, corporate strategic product innovation and planning was insignificant. Also negligible was board involvement, as well as CEO involvement, though in at least one case of the 4 local short-term insurance, there was evidence of extensive CEO involvement in climate change risk management. On the whole, these findings represent a lapse in corporate governance inasmuch as climate change risk management is concerned. Local short-term insurers generally performed well in the area of public disclosure, with their scores ranging from insignificant to extensive. In contrast, multinational short-term insurers’ performance with regard to climate change risk intervention ranged from insignificant tointegrated, across the five governance areas of board oversight, management execution, public disclosure, emissions accounting and strategic planning. As such, the study broadly recommends that short-term insurers in South Africa should make climate change part of their overall risk management strategies in order for them to remain competitive in an environment of increased climate change-related risk. More specifically, the research project recommends that the local insurers should proactively lead climate change mitigation measures through, for instance, investing in clean energy projects and incentivising their clients’ participation in the carbon market to prepare themselves for possible regulatory restrictions after the Copenhagen climate change conference planned for December 2009. This study also challenges insurers to help communities and as well as other businesses in their value chain to reduce their negative impacts on the world’s climate and to be more resilient against disasters which may arise from the high levels of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. Further, it recommends that insurers should create internal board and executive level climate change-related structures, as these will facilitate the integration of the proposed initiatives into their overall sustainability strategies. Above all, the study recommends that insurers should enhance the reporting of their climate change-related risk, opportunities and initiatives to improve their integrity.
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A critical assessment of the implementation of performance management in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Authors: Ngcelwane, Mnikeli Jackson
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Eastern Cape, South Africa) -- Administration Performance -- Management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Industrial Management Teams in the workplace -- Management Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:736 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003856
- Description: The transformation of all spheres of South African government to a more effective and efficient administration became a priority after the election of the country's first democratic government in April 1994. An important aspect of South Africa's democratisation was the promise by the new government to improve the lives of the people of this country, and provide a better life for all the citizens of South Africa. One of the most effective ways of achieving this goal is generally accepted to be the proper management and strengthening of the local government sphere. Local government is the sphere of government that is closest to the people, and generally the performance of National Government is assessed through the performance of municipalities. In strengthening local government, various pieces of legislation were developed since 1994 to ensure that the objectives of Section 152 of the Constitution are achieved. As a result of these imperatives, the Department of Provincial and Local Government introduced a White Paper on Local Government on 9 March 1998, with a vision of working towards a new developmental local government system. Various statutes emanated from this strategic framework, such as the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act No. 117 of 1998, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000 and the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act No. 56 of 2003. These legislative enactments endeavour to ensure that the local sphere of government is managed more strategically than previously, and is responsive to the needs of communities. Municipalities are expected to deliver efficient and affordable services to the local communities, and failure to do so could result in the recent spate of violent protest that has been recently experienced in various parts of the country. In order to measure the extent of service delivery to the communities, and to assess whether the objectives named in the municipality's Integrated Development Plan (IDP) document are being achieved, municipalities are compelled to implement performance management for all members of staff, political office bearers and service providers, in terms of the Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000. This thesis therefore looks at challenges faced by the Senior Management (i.e. Section 57 employees, Directors and Assistant Directors) in the implementation of performance management within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, during the first five years of their term in office (i.e. Senior Management appointed after 6 December 2000 local government elections), and recommending performance management steps as well as performance management model that can be used to cascade performance management amongst all levels of staff. This thesis begins by introducing the subject of performance management, briefly discussing the demarcation of the research, the research method utilised, the historical background of performance management, as well as the current status of performance management within the municipality. The introduction of the topic is followed by a theoretical overview of the subject of performance management. This is followed by the discussion of the research methodology followed when conducting this research study. The findings are discussed in detail after the research methodology, giving a synopsis of what the interviewees disclosed during the interview process. The last chapter provides a brief discussion of the findings, and discusses the recommended performance management steps and performance management model, that can be used by the municipality to cascade performance amongst all members of staff.
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A difficult equilibrium: torture narratives and the ethics of reciprocity in apartheid South Africa and its aftermath
- Authors: Pett, Sarah
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Apartheid -- South Africa -- History Torture -- South Africa Post-apartheid era -- South Africa Apartheid in literature Torture in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2194 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002236
- Description: This thesis takes the form of an enquiry into the development of the ―generic contours (Bakhtin 4) for the narration of torture in South Africa during apartheid and its aftermath. The enquiry focusses on the ethical determinations that underlie the conventions of this genre. My theoretical framework uses Adam Zachary Newton‘s conceptualization of narrative ethics to supplement Paul Ricoeur‘s writings on narrative identity and the ethical intention, thus facilitating the transfer of Ricoeur‘s abstract philosophy to the realm of literary criticism. Part I presents torture as a disruption of narrative identity and a defamiliarization of the intersubjective encounter. The existence of torture narratives thus attests to the critical role of narration in the reconstruction of the tortured person‘s identity and the re-establishment of benign frameworks of intersubjective communication. Literature‘s potential to act as a laboratory for the testing of the limitations of narrative identity and the resilience of ethical mores suggests that the fictional representation of torture also has an important role to play in this attempt at rehabilitation. Part II takes the form of a comparative analysis of non-fictional and fictional accounts of torture originating from apartheid South Africa. This shows that the ethical determinations underlying the narration of torture in South Africa range from intersubjective estrangement to a ―solicitude of reciprocity (Bourgeois 109). However, because the majority of these texts used the presentation of human rights abuses to galvanize international opposition to apartheid, the scope for experimentation was limited by the political exigencies of the time. Part III examines the stylistic and generic shifts in the narration of torture that accompanied South Africa‘s transition to democracy. It suggests that the discursive dominance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission replaced the fruitful—in literary terms—dialogue between authoritarianism and resistance that characterized the apartheid era with a monologic grand narrative of emotional catharsis, reconciliation and nation building. It also suggests that the ―truth-and-reconciliation genre of writing (Quayson 754) that shaped the literary milieu of the post-TRC period be seen in terms of a resurgence of the apartheid–era paradigms for the narration of human rights abuses that were repressed during the initial phase of democratic transition. By framing the TRC as a catalyst for individual journeys of self-discovery, these novels raise important questions about what it means to be a part of the ―new South Africa. In contrast to the majority of apartheid era literature, the novels of the post-TRC period privilege the literary prerogative over the political, and thus bring to fruition the experimental potential of the previous paradigm. In doing so, they not only go beyond solicitude to achieve an ―authentic reciprocity in exchange (Ricoeur, Oneself 191), but also initiate a process of long-awaited literary expansion, in which authors look beyond the limits of apartheid and begin to critically engage with the region‘s pre-apartheid history and its post-apartheid present.
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A feasibility study into the possibility of ionospheric propagation of low VHF (30-35 MHZ) signals between South Africa and Central Africa
- Authors: Coetzee, Petrus Johannes
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Communications, Military -- South Africa , Communications, Military -- Africa, Central , Digital communications -- South Africa , Digital communications -- Africa, Central , Signals and signaling -- South Africa , Signals and signaling -- Africa, Central , Artificial satellites in telecommunication -- South Africa , Artificial satellites in telecommunication -- Africa, Central , Shortwave radio
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5465 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005250 , Communications, Military -- South Africa , Communications, Military -- Africa, Central , Digital communications -- South Africa , Digital communications -- Africa, Central , Signals and signaling -- South Africa , Signals and signaling -- Africa, Central , Artificial satellites in telecommunication -- South Africa , Artificial satellites in telecommunication -- Africa, Central , Shortwave radio
- Description: The role of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has changed considerably in the last decade. The emphasis has moved from protecting the country's borders to peacekeeping duties in Central Africa and even further North. Communications between the peacekeeping missions and the military bases back in South Africa is vital to ensure the success of these missions. Currently use is made of satellite as well as High Frequency (HF) communications. There are drawbacks associated with these technologies (high cost and low data rates/interference respectively). Successful long distance ionospheric propagation in the low Very High Frequency (VHF) range will complement the existing infrastructure and enhance the success rate of these missions. This thesis presents a feasibility study to determine under what ionospheric conditions such low VHF communications will be possible. The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) was used to generate ionospheric data for the reflection point(s) of the signal. The peak height of the ionospheric F2 layer (hmF2) was used to calculate the required antenna elevation angle. Once the elevation angle is known it is possible to calculate the required F2 layer critical frequency (foF2). The required foF2 value was calculated by assuming a Maximum Useable Frequency (MUF) of 20% higher than the planned operational frequency. It was determined that single hop propagation is possible during the daytime if the smoothed sunspot number (SSN) exceeds 15. The most challenging requirement for successful single hop propagation is the need of an antenna height of 23 m. For rapid deployment and semi-mobile operations within a jungle environment it may prove to be a formidable obstacle.
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A fluvial geomorphological study of river rehabilitation in the Kouga region, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Pietersen, Adrian
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Fluvial geomorphology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Alien plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Kouga Riparian Rehabilitation Project , Stream conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Wattles (Plants) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Riparian restoration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Acacia mearnsii -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Kouga Region (South Africa) , Kouga River (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4887 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015228
- Description: The Kouga Riparian Rehabilitation Project (KRRP) is seen as a pilot rehabilitation project in the Kouga region that is heavily invaded with Acacia mearnsii along the riparian zones of many mountain streams. Clearing of these black wattles and re-planting of indigenous vegetation are imperative to rehabilitation efforts. In this context, two invaded catchments were identified - the Baviaans and the Heuningnes. The aim of this research is to characterise the effects that the woody alien invasive Acacia mearnsii has had on the river channel morphology of the Baviaans and Heuningnes Rivers. A desktop and initial field analysis of the relevant study area catchments was completed. This was followed by a comparison of the channel morphology of the various study channel reaches using fixed channel transects. Ecological resource quality objectives (RQOs) for river rehabilitation from a fluvial geomorphological viewpoint were then established. A long-term monitoring protocol to assess whether or not these RQOs will be achieved was recommended. Follow-up channel transects were measured post wattle clearance in the Baviaans and short-term (<2yrs) changes in channel form were described. Differences in terms of the effect of Acacia mearnsii on channel form were then interpreted by direct comparison and through statistical analysis. Results indicate a number of significant differences between those channels impacted by black wattle infestation and those channels seen as unimpacted and natural. Short-term changes (<2yrs) that occurred within the study period post Baviaans wattle clearance were shown to be minimal for channel form as well as for bed material. The lack of any clear relationship or explanation between channel form and other channel controls suggests vegetation as the primary control. Vegetation, specifically the invasive alien vegetation, is the key controlling variable acting on channel form in the two study catchments.
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A GIS assessment of development and land use change in the coastal zone of the Ndlambe and Ngqushwa local municipalities, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Palmer, Bronwyn Jane
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Ndlambe Municipality , Ngqushwa Municipality , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Coastal zone management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geographic information systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4836 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005511 , Ndlambe Municipality , Ngqushwa Municipality , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Coastal zone management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geographic information systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The coastal zone accommodates some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and offers a wide range of ecosystem goods and services; consequently it has become a focal point of human development. People are attracted to the coast because of access to resources, favourable climate, aesthetic appeal and potential for recreational activities. As pressure for utilisation and development increases, so does the need to manage the coastal system more effectively. This research focuses on the coastal zone of the Ndlambe and Ngqushwa local municipalities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, which are physically and environmentally similar, yet have distinct demographic and socio-economic differences. The research integrates information using GIS, from three time epochs, to determine where development and land use change is occurring. The Ndlambe Local Municipality displays high levels of formal development, while the Ngqushwa Local Municipality exhibits little formal development. These differences in development and land use are related to economic, social and legislative ‘drivers’ based on an adapted Driver-Pressure-State- Impact-Response model. The model identifies that development and land use changes lead to increased pressure on the natural system, which in turn leads to shifts in the natural state of the coastal zone, resulting in adverse impacts on the coastal zone. Changes in the natural functioning of the coastal zone highlight the need for a response in terms of changes in legislation governing coastal management and spatial planning. This research concludes that pressure for development in the coastal zone within the research site is beginning to increase and will adversely affect the coastal zone if not managed effectively. These two local municipalities have the opportunity to move forward and develop in such a way that allows for conservation and sound management of the coastal zone, which will ensure long-term sustainability within the coastal zones of the Ndlambe and Ngqushwa local municipalities
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A grid based approach for the control and recall of the properties of IEEE 1394 audio devices
- Authors: Foulkes, Philip James
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: IEEE 1394 (Standard) , Computer sound processing , Digital communications , Local area networks (Computer networks) , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Computational grids (Computer systems)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4594 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004836 , IEEE 1394 (Standard) , Computer sound processing , Digital communications , Local area networks (Computer networks) , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Computational grids (Computer systems)
- Description: The control of modern audio studios is complex. Audio mixing desks have grown to the point where they contain thousands of parameters. The control surfaces of these devices do not reflect the routing and signal processing capabilities that the devices are capable of. Software audio mixing desk editors have been developed that allow for the remote control of these devices, but their graphical user interfaces retain the complexities of the audio mixing desk that they represent. In this thesis, we propose a grid approach to audio mixing. The developed grid audio mixing desk editor represents an audio mixing desk as a series of graphical routing matrices. These routing matrices expose the various signal processing points and signal flows that exist within an audio mixing desk. The routing matrices allow for audio signals to be routed within the device, and allow for the device’s parameters to be adjusted by selecting the appropriate signal processing points. With the use of the programming interfaces that are defined as part of the Studio Connections – Total Recall SDK, the audio mixing desk editor was integrated with compatible DAW applications to provide persistence of audio mixing desk parameter states. Many audio studios currently use digital networks to connect audio devices together. Audio and control signals are patched between devices through the use of software patchbays that run on computers. We propose a double grid-based FireWire patchbay aimed to simplify the patching of signals between audio devices on a FireWire network. The FireWire patchbay was implemented in such a way such that it can host software device editors that are Studio Connections compatible. This has allowed software device editors to be associated with the devices that are represented on the FireWire patchbay, thus allowing for studio wide control from a single application. The double grid-based patchbay was implemented such that it can be hosted by compatible DAW applications. Through this, the double grid-based patchbay application is able to provide the DAW application with the state of the parameters of the devices in a studio, as well as the connections between them. The DAW application may save this state data to its native song files. This state data may be passed back to the double grid-based patchbay when the song file is reloaded at a later stage. This state data may then be used by the patchbay to restore the parameters of the patchbay and its device editors to a previous state. This restored state may then be transferred to the hardware devices being represented by the patchbay.
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A needs analysis for the implementation of a complementary course in mathematics education for teachers of mathematics in Namibia: a case study
- Authors: Ilukena, Alex Mbonabi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia -- Case studies Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Namibia -- Case studies Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Teacher educators -- Training of -- Case studies Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1677 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003560
- Description: After the introduction of the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD) in Namibia, a number of studies were conducted on how teachers, lecturers, stakeholders and the Namibian public perceived the BETD program and its implementation. However, very few studies focussed specifically on mathematics subject content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in the BETD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the need for a complementary course in mathematics education to address the lack of mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge in the Namibian BETD. The study involved five mathematics school teachers, two mathematics college lecturers in the Kavango educational region and a professor of mathematics education at the University of Namibia. These participants were purposefully selected because of their knowledge and experiences with various aspects of the BETD program. The motivation for conducting this study was to gain a better understanding of some of the issues that have been raised about the BETD program, particularly the perceived inadequacy of mathematical subject content and methodology since the inception of the program. The study adopts a qualitative approach in reporting participants’ reflections. The views of the focal educators and documents such as syllabi and course outlines were the main source of data. The findings indicate that despite the training that the three BETD mathematics graduates in this study received, the level of mathematics taught in a complementary course, such as an ACE, would clearly better equip mathematics teachers to teach proficiently and facilitate access to institutions of higher learning such as universities. The results of the study revealed that there was a need for the implementation of a complementary course to the BETD in mathematics education for teachers of mathematics in Namibia. This study also provided valuable insights into what such a course could look like.
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A picture's worth a thousand words: a case study of grade 10 English language educators teaching visual literacy
- Authors: Leask-Smith, Lyn Ann
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Visual literacy -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Case studies English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Case studies Teacher educators -- Training of -- Case studies English teachers -- Training of -- Case studies Teachers -- In-service training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1702 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003585
- Description: The aim of this research was to better understand teacher's beliefs about visual literacy and to explore how their beliefs influence their teaching practice. In order to investigate this, a case study was conducted that comprised of lesson observations and semi-structured interviews with two secondary school English home language educators. The backdrop to the research was the implementation of the new national curriculum for grade 10. The participants, though well educated and experienced teachers, felt their training had been inadequate in the area of teaching visual literacy and although they acknowledged the importance of visual literacy, it seemed to have a fairly low priority in their actual teaching practice. In particular, very little attention was given to the production of multimodal texts by learners. The reason for this low priority may be related to the requirements of the formal assessment programme as well as limited lesson time in which to cover an extensive curriculum. The research findings would seem to suggest a need for in-service training in this area as well as access to suitable learning support materials and teacher resources.
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A real time HF beacon monitoring station for South Africa
- Authors: Mudzingwa, Courage
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Radio , Shortwave radio , Radio and television towers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5486 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005272 , Radio , Shortwave radio , Radio and television towers
- Description: High frequency, HF (3 - 30 MHz), radio communications are greatly affected by ionospheric conditions. Both civilian and military users need reliable, real time propagation information to show at any time the feasibility of communicating to any part of the world on a particular frequency band. For this thesis, an automated receiving/monitoring station for the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF)/ International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) International Beacon Project was setup at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, HMO (34.42oS, 19.22oE) to monitor international beacons on 20 m, 17 m, 15 m, 12 m and 10 m bands. The beacons form a world wide multiband network. The task of monitoring the beacons was broken down into two steps. Initially the single band station, at 14.10 MHz, was installed and later it was upgraded to a multiband station capable of automatically monitoring all the five HF bands. The single band station setup involved the construction and installation of the half-wave dipole antenna, construction and installation of an HF choke balun; and the choice of Faros 1.3 as the appropriate monitoring software. The multiband monitoring station set-up involved the installation of an MFJ-1778 G5RV multiband antenna, construction and installation of a Communication Interface - V (CI-V) level converter and configuring the Faros 1.3 software to monitor the beacons on all five HF bands. Then a web page was created on the HMO space weather website (http://spaceweather.hmo.ac.za). Here, the real-time signal to noise ratio (SNR) and short path (SP)/long path (LP) plots are uploaded every 3 minutes, showing real time HF propagation conditions on the five HF bands. Historical propagation data are archived for later analysis. A preliminary data analysis was done to confirm the peration of the monitoring station. The archived data were analysed and compared to ICEPAC (Ionospheric Communications Enhanced Profile Analysis and Circuit) predictions. Results show that the real-time signal plots as well as the archive of historical signal plots, convey information on ropagation conditions to users in terms that are easy to interpret and understand.
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A situational analysis on the public participation processes in integrated water resources management in the Kat River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Naidoo, Merle
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: South Africa. Dept. of Water Affairs and Forestry , Water-supply -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water quality management -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water-supply -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Integrated water development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Rural development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4854 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005530 , South Africa. Dept. of Water Affairs and Forestry , Water-supply -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water quality management -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water-supply -- Government policy -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Integrated water development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley , Rural development -- South Africa -- Kat River Valley
- Description: Public participation in water management processes is one of the internationally recognised and adopted principles of Integrated Water Resource Management. The South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry aims to facilitate the decentralisation of water management powers to the local community level via the establishment of regional and local water management institutions, namely Catchment Management Agencies, Water User Associations and Catchment Forums. The National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998) acknowledges that the discriminatory laws and practices of the past have prevented equal access to water and the use of water resources. The contribution of water management institutions to social and economic development, in particular poverty eradication and food security, is mentioned in the water act. The participation of poor rural communities living in the Kat valley, an area where an elite minority reap the benefits of water use for agriculture, is the focus of this research. Their participation, perceptions and experiences are documented and explored to determine how the promulgation of post-apartheid water policy and legislation has affected their access to water. The results of this research are based on data collected from several methods including surveys, workshops and observation. Analysis of these data revealed the complicated and stagnant nature of participation from Kat valley rural communities in local water management initiatives and organisations. Existing water management organisations were not successful in stimulating poor people’s participation as they were unable to address their primary concerns, namely a secure source of potable water, employment and access to water for agricultural purposes. This thesis asserts that the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, as the custodian of South Africa’s water resources, has not taken on a supportive, accountable role in assisting marginalised communities with improving their access to water for domestic purposes and securing access to water rights for productive use. This, in turn, has led to dissatisfaction among these communities and a wariness of participatory activities that focus mainly on raising environmental awareness. The establishment of effective accountability relationships among all stakeholders, pro-poor water management structures and initiatives, as well as integrated and co-operative management of natural resources, are needed to revitalise the present participation of poor communities living in rural areas.
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A social and cultural history of Grahamstown, 1812 to c1845
- Authors: Marshall, Richard Graham
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Cities and towns -- Growth -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community development, Urban -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- Social aspects -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Social conditions -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Economic conditions -- 19th Century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002401
- Description: This thesis examines the development of Grahamstown from its inception in 1812 to the mid-1840s, paying particular attention to the social and cultural life of the town. It traces the economic development of the town from a military outpost to a thriving commercial settlement, noting the essential factor of the town's proximity to the Cape frontier in this process. The economic interaction between diverse groups in the town mirrors the social and cultural interaction which occurred between British settlers, Khoekhoe and Africans. The result of these interactions was the creation of a new, distinctively South African urban society and culture, despite the desire of the white settlers to reproduce a “typical” English environment in their new home. The conflict between attempts to anglicise the urban environment and the realities of Grahamstown's situation on a colonial frontier was reflected in the architecture and layout of the town. Attempts to recreate an English social environment also failed. New classes arose in the town in response to the economic opportunities available on the frontier. Although some settlers prospered, many did not, and the presence of an impoverished white working class undermines settler historians' picture of settler success and affluence. The poorest people in the town, though, were the increasing numbers of Khoekhoe and Africans who migrated from the surrounding countryside, and who were unequally incorporated into the urban community as a colonial labouring class. In response to these unique circumstances, white settlers in Grahamstown developed a powerful political and propaganda machine, which helped lay the foundations of a distinct settler identity in the eastern Cape.
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A study of employee satisfaction in two manufacturing facilities of General Motors South Africa
- Authors: Matutoane, Leanetse Paul
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: General Motors Corporation -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Job satisfaction -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Employee attitude surveys -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:766 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003887
- Description: Employed individuals spend a majority of their waking time at work. Therefore, within an individual’s working lifetime, most hours will be spent at work. Subsequently, theories abound purporting that humans are hedonistic beings. Considering that on average people spend most of their working lives in a working environment, it then stands to reason that people should endeavor to be satisfied at work if humans are always in pursuit of happiness. The questions arise as thus: what makes people satisfied at work, does being satisfied with the job result in less turnover, and is that the only reason that they would endeavor to prolong their employment, are older employees more satisfied with their jobs than younger employees, is a plant with an older workforce more satisfied than a similar plant with a younger workforce? This study attempts to find an answer to these and other related questions. It was conducted on employees of two plants of an automotive manufacturer based in Port Elizabeth, a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to collect the feelings of 92 employees in different shops and analyzed to check for differences in satisfaction levels. No significant differences were found between the plants, shops and age categories surveyed.
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