"From the inside": how to attribute emotions to others
- Authors: Mitova, Velislava Atanasova
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Emotions (Philosophy) , Theory (Philosophy)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2741 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007661 , Emotions (Philosophy) , Theory (Philosophy)
- Description: I argue that a specific version of Theory theory is necessary and sufficient for attributions and predictions of others' emotions. Theory theory is the view that we attribute and predict others' mental states on the basis of a (tacit) body of generalisations about mental states, their situational input, and behavioural output. Theory's antagonist, Simulation theory, is the view that we ascribe mental states to others by simulating - or running ' off-line ' - their doxastic, emotional, and contextual situations. My argument for Theory's necessity and sufficiency develops in three stages: First, I show that some version of Theory is necessary for predictions of all mental states on the basis of the ascriber's knowledge of the subject's other mental states. The linchpin of the arguments here consists of considerations from relevant similarity between the ascriber's and the subject's mental states. Simulation cannot provide criteria for such similarity, and so, I argue, predictions must advert to Theory. Second, I develop a sui generis model of emotions, according to which (i) emoticns' necessary objects and typical causes are concern-based construals; and (ii) emotions qua attitudes are (a) complex states embedded in a narrative structure, (b) characterised in terms of their object, their expressive behaviour, and their phenomenology. Third, I show that, considering the nature of the objects of emotions, some Theory is necessary for emotion-predictions and -attributions. Moreover, I develop a version of Theory, based on my analysis of emotions and narrative structures, and argue that this version of Theory is both necessary and sufficient for emotion-predictions and -attributions.
- Full Text:
6-Hydroxymelatonin protects against cyanide induced oxidative stress in rat brain homogenates
- Authors: Maharaj, Deepa S , Walker, Roderick B , Glass, Beverley D , Daya, Santylal
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: vital:6405 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006478
- Description: Both 6-hydroxymelatonin and N-acetyl-N-formyl-5-methoxykynurenamine are photodegradants and enzymatic metabolites of melatonin and are known to retain equipotent activity against potassium cyanide-induced superoxide generation compared to melatonin. It is not clear whether one or both of these metabolites is responsible for this effect. The present study therefore investigates the possible manner in which 6-hydroxymelatonin protects against oxidative stress induced by cyanide in rat brain homogenates. We examined the ability of 6-hydroxymelatonin to scavenge KCN-induced superoxide anion generation as well as lipid peroxidation. In addition, we also examined the effect of this indole on lactate dehydrogenase activity (LDH) as well as mitochondrial electron transport using dichlorophenol–indophenol as an electron acceptor. The results of this study show that 6-hydroxymelatonin significantly reduces KCN-induced superoxide anion generation, which is accompanied by a commensurate reduction in lipid peroxidation. Partial reversal of the KCN-induced reduction in mitochondrial electron transport is accompanied by a similar reversal of mitochondrial LDH activity blunted by KCN. It can thus be proposed that 6-hydroxymelatonin is potentially neuroprotective against KCN-induced neurotoxicity.
- Full Text:
A comparative analysis of Java and .NET mobile development environments for supporting mobile services
- Authors: Zhao, Xiaogeng
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-23
- Subjects: Microsoft .NET , Java (Computer program language) , Mobile computing , Wireless communication systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4578 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003064 , Microsoft .NET , Java (Computer program language) , Mobile computing , Wireless communication systems
- Description: With the rapid development of wireless technologies, traditional mobile devices, such as pagers and cellular phones, have evolved from a purely communications and messaging-oriented medium to one that supports mobile data communication in general and acts as an application platform. As shown in a recent survey conducted by MDA, easy access to the present-day wireless Internet has resulted in mobile devices gaining more and more attention and popularity. The growth of and demand for mobile Web applications is expected to increase rapidly in the near future, as a range of software companies and mobile device manufacturers release increasingly accessible tools for creating mobile Web application and services. From a variety of possible development environments of this kind, the author has selected and examined two leading contenders, the J2ME and the Microsoft .NET mobile Web application development environments. This document reports the product life cycle of pilot mobile web applications, designed and implemented in each host environment in tum. A feature-by-feature investigation and comparison of the J2ME and .NET environments was carried out, covering the range of issues necessary for a complete mobile Web application development life cycle. The resulting analysis addresses features and efficiencies of the application development environment and the target deployment environment, the degree to which the resultant services are compatible on a variety of platforms, and the ease with which applications can be designed to be extensible. The thesis offers an objective evaluation of the J2ME and the .NET mobile development environments, which highlights their strengths and weaknesses, and suggests guidelines for designing, creating, and deploying high quality mobile Web applications. The research uncovers no clear winner across all categories assessed. J2ME currently favours situations in which bandwidth is limited and client side processing power is relatively sufficient, it exerts the processing power of mobile devices over distributed network environments. .NET requires a less constrained network throughput, but performs adequately on clients with more limited processing power, supports a more diverse target platform range, and offers a more efficient, in terms of development time, development environment. Both technologies are likely to receive significant user support for some time. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
A Comparative Study of mLAN and CobraNet Technologies and their use in the Sound Installation Industry
- Authors: Klinkradt, Bradley , Foss, Richard
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427331 , vital:72431 , https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=12593
- Description: This paper highlights the two interconnection technologies of CobraNet and mLAN, and provides a comparative study of these technologies and their applicability to the sound installation industry, through a discussion of constraints inherent within such an installation. Issues such as the adherence to standards, costs, latency, speed, connection management, and the control and monitoring of devices are explored.
- Full Text:
A comparison of depressed and non-depressed mothers' speech to two-month old infants in a South African peri-urban settlement
- Authors: Gulle, Gillian Julie
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Postpartum depression Postpartum depression -- South Africa Mother and infant Mother and infant -- South Africa Speech perception in infants
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3172 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007801
- Description: Research shows that maternal depression has adverse effects on mother-infant attachment and subsequent infant development (Cogill, Caplan, Alexandra, Robson & Kumar, 1986). The mechanisms through which this comes about are unclear. Murray & Cooper (1997) suggest an impaired pattern of mother-infant communication is responsible. Within this, Murray proposes that maternal speech may be a key factor. This study constitutes a preliminary exploration into the mechanisms through which maternal depression effects mother-infant interaction in South Africa. 147 predominantly Xhosa-speaking mother-infant dyads that took part in a broader epidemiological study on post-partum depression in Khayelitsha (Cooper, Tomlinson, Swartz, Woolgar, Murray & Molteno, 1999) made up the subjects. Maternal depression was assessed according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV (SCID). Maternal speech recorded from standard, five-minute, face-to -face mother-infant interactions was translated and analysed according to a coding system developed by Murray (Murray, Kempton, Woolgar & Hooper, 1993). The speech of depressed mothers to their two month old infants was compared to the speech of non-depressed mothers on dimensions of focus, affect and agency, and the role of infant gender was assessed. Results revealed no significant group differences for depression. Maternal speech to male infants was found to hold significantly less ascription of agency than to female infants. Findings suggest that maternal speech may be too narrow a marker of maternal depression in this context and that broader indices are needed. It is recommended that future research control for measures of social adversity, factor in cultural and language particularities, and consider contextual aspects of mother-infant interaction / attachment processes, in investigating the mechanisms through which post-partum depression leads to negative infant outcome in the developing world.
- Full Text:
A critical analysis of governance and management in Zimbabwe's colleges of technical and vocational education: issues for revitalisation
- Authors: Mbizvo, Washington T
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Zimbabwe Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Administration Vocational education -- Zimbabwe Technical education -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1469 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003350
- Description: This research was carried out in order to gain a better understanding of the practice of governance in a technical or vocationally oriented college and the critical role played by the principal as a college manager within the governance system in which industrialists and head office are also key players. Conceptual literature relating to issues of governance and management within the education scenario is examined. The wider issues of governance are critically analysed in the context of power and control mechanisms initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education as the responsible authority for the colleges. The influence of the industrial sector as the consumers of skilled labour force is analysed through college advisory councils set up in terms of the relevant pieces of legislation. The research is qualitative and takes the form of three case studies of technical and vocational colleges in Zimbabwe. Data were collected through multiple methods from varied sources with a view to ensuring triangulation. The multiple-case design enabled me to dig beneath the surface of what apparently happens in these organisations and unearth issues and concerns at the wider governance and management levels. Views and experiences of participants are captured and explained through in-depth interviews, observations and documentary sources. Results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature allowing grounded theory to emerge. The research highlights the roles of key players in governance and the issues of relationships among these actors. What emerges is a desperate situation of ineffectiveness, problematic processes in governance and poor responsiveness of these colleges to the labour market demands. The potential for generalisability and transferability is discussed in the report and possible corrective intervention strategies are recommended. The thesis demonstrates that managers of these colleges and indeed senior officers in head office who are at the centre of governance and will need transformational leadership development in order for them to come to terms with such things as people’s feelings, abandoning ‘outdated’ policies, managing change, and handling communication effectively. Various strategies for revitalisation of governance and management in technical and vocational colleges are suggested.
- Full Text:
A critical analysis of the coverage of Uganda's 2000 referendum by The New Vision and The Monitor newspapers
- Authors: Wakabi, Wairagala
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: National Resistance Movement (Uganda) , New Vision (Uganda) , Monitor (Uganda) , Democracy -- Uganda , Political participation -- Uganda , Mass media -- Political aspects -- Uganda , Press and politics -- Uganda , Freedom of the press -- Uganda , Uganda -- Politics and government -- 1979-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3492 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002947 , National Resistance Movement (Uganda) , New Vision (Uganda) , Monitor (Uganda) , Democracy -- Uganda , Political participation -- Uganda , Mass media -- Political aspects -- Uganda , Press and politics -- Uganda , Freedom of the press -- Uganda , Uganda -- Politics and government -- 1979-
- Description: On July 29 2000, Uganda held a referendum to decide whether to continue with the ruling Noparty Movement system or to revert to the Multi-party platform. This research entails a qualitative content analysis of the role the media played in driving debate and understanding of the referendum and its role in the country’s democratisation process. The research is informed by Jurgen Habermas’s public sphere paradigm as well as the sociological theory of news production. The research covers Uganda’s two English dailies – The New Vision and The Monitor, examining whether they provided a public sphere accessible to all citizens and devoid of ideological hegemony. It concludes that the newspapers were incapable of providing such a sphere because of the structural nature of Ugandan society and the papers’ own capitalistic backgrounds and ownership interests. The research concludes that such English language newspapers published in a country with a low literacy rate and low income levels, can only provide a public sphere to elite and privileged sections of society. A case is then made that multiple public spheres would be better suited to represent the views of diverse interest groups.
- Full Text:
A critical investigation of managing the standards development process for the life insurance industry in Namibia
- Authors: Kaimu, Himeesora Irene
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Life insurance -- Management -- Namibia Insurance -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1481 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003362
- Description: The development of standards for education and training is regarded as a very important activity by many countries. Any country that sets standards for education and training is trying to define its training system and avoid duplication of training by providers who do not see eye to eye. National standards are public documents accessible to anyone interested in education and training. Namibia introduced standards setting as a core activity of administering the National Qualifications Framework in 1996 after the passing of the Namibia Qualifications Act by parliament. This research attempts to gain an understanding of how the process of developing standards for the Life Assurance Sector in Namibia was managed by focusing on the experiences of three persons who took part in the process of developing the said standards. The case study approach enabled me to gain considerable insight into management issues that may have influenced the process of developing these specific standards. The findings illuminate the management and leadership issues which characterised the process for the LA Industry. Several management issues emerge as key elements in the process. These include: A strong emphasis on transformational leadership through clear vision crafting; empowerment through emancipatory thinking; OD features such as problem solving and effective communication; the importance of organisational structure; the concept of a learning organisation and benchmarking as well as collegiality. This research explores the relationship between management thinking generally, and the management of the standards development process in particular.
- Full Text:
A digital watermarking scheme for Bezier surfaces
- Authors: Chadwick, J , Bangay, Shaun D , Wentworth, Peter E
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/432769 , vital:72898 , https://www.cs.ru.ac.za/research/groups/vrsig/pastprojects/046watermarking/paper01.pdf
- Description: Owners and vendors are increasingly publishing their materials in digital form. Because such materials can be exactly copied, a mechanism is required that will protect the legitimate owners of these works, by providing proof of original ownership. Digital watermarking has now become one accepted method of establishing ownership of digital materials. The owner of a work embeds a pattern, called a digital watermark, in the content. This embedded watermark is normally undetectable, but its presence can be demonstrated by the owner of the work or his agent, thereby proving ownership. Digital watermarking has been used for many types of multimedia content, primarily audio, video and flat images. Recently, interest has been shown in applying digital watermarking schemes to 3D surfaces, in various formats. In this paper, we examine a method whereby a digital watermark can be embedded in a Bezier surface. A prototype watermarking method for such surfaces is presented, with some experimental results, and a discussion of directions for future research.
- Full Text:
A lightwave 3d plug-in for modeling long hair on virtual humans
- Authors: Patrick, Deborah , Bangay, Shaun D
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/432953 , vital:72916 , https://doi.org/10.1145/602330.602360
- Description: Multimedia applications today make use of virtual humans. Generating realistic virtual humans is a challenging problem owing to a number of factors, one being the simulation of realistic hair. The difficulty in simulating hair is due to the physical properties of hair. The average human head holds thousands of hairs, with the width of each hair often smaller than the size of a pixel. There are also complex lighting effects that occur within hair. This paper presents a LightWave 3D plug-in for modeling thousands of individual hairs on virtual humans. The plug-in allows the user to specify the length, thickness and distribution of the hair, as well as the number of segments a hair is made up of. The plug-in is able to add hairs to a head model, which the user then modifies to define a hairstyle. The hairs are then multiplied by the plug-in to produce many hairs. By providing a plug-in that does most of the work and produces realistic results, the user is able to produce a hairstyle without modeling each individual strand of hair. This greatly reduces the time spent on hair modeling, and makes the possibility of adding realistic long hair to virtual humans reasonable.
- Full Text:
A neural network based ionospheric model for the bottomside electron density profile over Grahamstown, South Africa
- Authors: McKinnell, L A
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Neural networks (Computer science) Ionospheric electron density -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5477 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005262
- Description: This thesis describes the development and application of a neural network based ionospheric model for the bottomside electron density profile over Grahamstown, South Africa. All available ionospheric data from the archives of the Grahamstown (33.32ºS, 26.50ºE) ionospheric station were used for training neural networks (NNs) to predict the parameters required to produce the final profile. Inputs to the model, called the LAM model, are day number, hour, and measures of solar and magnetic activity. The output is a mathematical description of the bottomside electron density profile for that particular input set. The two main ionospheric layers, the E and F layers, are predicted separately and then combined at the final stage. For each layer, NNs have been trained to predict the individual ionospheric characteristics and coefficients that were required to describe the layer profile. NNs were also applied to the task of determining the hours between which an E layer is measurable by a groundbased ionosonde and the probability of the existence of an F1 layer. The F1 probability NN is innovative in that it provides information on the existence of the F1 layer as well as the probability of that layer being in a L-condition state - the state where an F1 layer is present on an ionogram but it is not possible to record any F1 parameters. In the event of an L-condition state being predicted as probable, an L algorithm has been designed to alter the shape of the profile to reflect this state. A smoothing algorithm has been implemented to remove discontinuities at the F1-F2 boundary and ensure that the profile represents realistic ionospheric behaviour in the F1 region. Tests show that the LAM model is more successful at predicting Grahamstown electron density profiles for a particular set of inputs than the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). It is anticipated that the LAM model will be used as a tool in the pin-pointing of hostile HF transmitters, known as single-site location.
- Full Text:
A New Connection Management Architecture for the Next Generation of mLAN
- Authors: Foss, Richard , Fujimori, J I
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427376 , vital:72434 , https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=12539
- Description: mLAN is a networking technology based on the IEEE 1394 standard that allows for the transport of audio and music control data between audio devices. In the original implementation of mLAN, software within each mLAN node hosted by an audio device contained high level plug abstraction and connection management software. mLAN-B is the next generation mLAN architecture that splits the connection management function between workstation and device. The high level connection management and plug abstraction capability resides on the workstation, while a thin low level connection management capability is left on the device. This approach reduces cost and complexity on the device side and ensures that mLAN systems can be easily upgraded.
- Full Text:
A new public sphere?: outstanding issues
- Authors: Wasserman, Herman , de Beer, Arrie
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/159142 , vital:40272 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC146261
- Description: It is widely accepted that a healthy public sphere is a necessity for democracy, and that the media can facilitate debate in this sphere. In the years since democratisation in South Africa, the media's freedom to fulfil this role has been jealously guarded.
- Full Text:
A note on mapping propolis deposits in Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis) colonies
- Authors: Ellis, James D , Hepburn, H Randall
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451805 , vital:75078 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32532
- Description: Propolis is a mixture of plant-derived substances, and sometimes wax, collected by most Apis mellifera subspecies for use as caulking and entrance-reducing material and as a colony sealant and sterilant (Ruttner 1988; Schmidt and Buchmann 1992; Hepburn and Radloff 1998). Additionally, it is used in honey bee defense against colony invaders, particularly Aethina tumida Murray (small hive beetles) (Hepburn and Radloff 1998; Neumann et al. 2001; Ellis 2002).
- Full Text:
A Performance Comparison of Web Development Technologies to Distribute Multimedia across an Intranet
- Authors: Swales, D , Sewry, David , Terzoli, Alfredo
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427501 , vital:72443 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo-Ter-zoli/publication/237337386_A_Performance_Comparison_of_Web_Development_Technologies_to_Distribute_Multimedia_across_an_Intranet/links/0c9605298fdf33d7c0000000/A-Performance-Comparison-of-Web-Development-Technologies-to-Distribute-Multimedia-across-an-Intranet.pdf
- Description: In recent years the World Wide Web has transformed into a dynamic, interactive medium, exposing a proliferation of on-line services that dis-tribute large quantities of multimedia. This has increased awareness of the need to select an appropriate Web programming technology when creating Webbased services. This paper compares three dynamic Web programming technologies from the point of view of performance in multimedia distribution. In particular, this paper examines Sun Microsys-tem’s Java Server Pages (JSP), Microsoft’s Active Server Page’s (ASP) and the more recent ASP .NET. The comparison is based on testing applications that distribute multiple images from an Oracle 9i database to Web-enabled clients. Previous research conducted by Oracle indi-cates that JSP and the underlying Java platform outperform ASP. The results in this paper, however, do not agree with Oracle’s statement as JSP tends to be marginally slower than ASP.
- Full Text:
A phenomenological investigation of a female leader's perceptions and experience of discrimination in the work place
- Authors: Mabovula, Nonceba
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex discrimination against women , Sex discrimination in employment , Women -- Employment , Sexual division of labor , Women -- Economic conditions , Sex role in the work environment , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1699 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003582 , Sex discrimination against women , Sex discrimination in employment , Women -- Employment , Sexual division of labor , Women -- Economic conditions , Sex role in the work environment , Leadership in women
- Description: Women are now making their mark in virtually every economic sector including traditionally male strongholds of engineering, heavy transport, construction and manufacturing. Probably the most spectacular progress by women has been in the public sector. Many women now have voting rights, follow careers which demand that they work outside of the home, enjoy professional status equal to their male compatriots, occupy top leadership positions in their societies and, furthermore, fulfil their traditional roles of wife and mother. The present study is an attempt to explore a female eader’s perceptions and experience of discrimination in her place of work. The problem has been that although there have been significant changes in women’s increased representation in recent years, it is believed that women who succeed in obtaining top management posts still have to deal with unfair barriers. These need to be more carefully explored and understood. In this study I focus on one female leader’s perceptions and experiences of leadership in an institution of higher learning. The advantages and disadvantages of such a small case study are discussed later. A phenomenological approach was used for obtaining information pertaining to the phenomenon “female leadership”, because phenomenology does offer ways of understanding not offered by other research methodologies. It enables the researcher to enter the lived world of the researched, and understand events and perceptions from a fresh point of view. A semi-structured interview was used to allow the respondent freedom to elaborate on responses in whatever manner she wished. The results obtained indicate that women are in a life-world in which, apart from the general experiences shared with their male counterparts, they are also exposed to many other forms of discrimination. Some of these are subtle, and result from years of socialisation into perceived gender role expectations. I hope that what I have discovered may help to contribute to the small but growing body of literature that seeks to understand women leaders’ experiences, and perhaps in time play a role in enhancing their relative position in education and society at large.
- Full Text:
A phenomenological study of how South African entrepreneurs experience and deal with ethical dilemmas
- Authors: Robinson, David Alan
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa Business ethics -- South Africa Decision making -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1175 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002791
- Description: This research sets out to examine how entrepreneurs experience and deal with ethical dilemmas. An entrepreneur is defined as a person who creates something of value and assumes the risk of establishing and managing a business around it. An ethical dilemma comes about when the entrepreneur must choose between alternatives and where the morally correct choice is unclear. This may be due to conflicting personal values or loyalties, tensions arising out of the realization that the moral action is not in line with his self-interest, cross-cultural conflict, or moral ambiguity. Because of the nature of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur typically lives with ever-present threats arising from limited resources, competition, and the risk of business failure. His actions must simultaneously ensure survival, maximize profit, limit risk, counter threats, optimize the use of resources, and reward him with a feeling of satisfaction. It is hardly surprising that conflicting priorities sometimes ensue. It is also widely believed that these entrepreneurial pursuits supersede the more general need to act in morally appropriate ways. This is a phenomenological study, based on interviews with seven entrepreneurs in established service-oriented ventures. They were asked to describe their business, any dilemmas they have experienced, how they were handled, and what challenges they experience as entrepreneurs in South Africa today. Using phenomenology as my vehicle for data collection and analysis, I sought to enter the lived-worlds of my participants to discover the essence of how ethical dilemmas are experienced in the entrepreneurial milieu. The study’s findings reflect that each entrepreneur has a distinctive world-view, which is represented by a complex mosaic of virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism and metaethical perspectives. The permutations are numerous, thus negating the possibility of typecasting entrepreneurs. Instead this research introduces the reader to aspects of entrepreneurial reality such as the complexity of cultural diversity, the freedom to limit the amount of personal energy given to business, and the existence of a more sensitive, searching inner soul beneath the apparent hard-nosed business-oriented public image. While examining entrepreneurial dilemmas in depth, this research introduces the dilemma drum as a tool to portray the argument form of any dilemma by making explicit the ethical component inherent in every business decision and facilitating its effective resolution in a non-prescriptive way. The findings identify certain individual characteristics of participant entrepreneurs that are unlike anything in the mainstream literature, dispelling notions of the entrepreneur as a societal misfit, an essential innovator with vision and flair, or a compulsive risk-taker, while confirming success as the key motivator rather than money per se, the importance of significant others, and the influence of culture and gender. They provide fresh insights into the psyche of the entrepreneur, which include: the existence of inner conviction - marrying the concept of goal-directedness with that of making a contribution to society; exercising the virtues in order to support a delicate balance between business and ethical imperatives; learning to respect energy flow; an alternative morality based on attracting and allowing benevolent or serendipitous events to happen naturally and redefining success as ‘being able to create what is needed as and when needed’; focusing one’s energy on the telos; developing a personal marketing formula suited to a culturallydiverse society; and the anxiety associated with being out-there on one’s own. The general statement, which is ultimately distilled from the seven situated descriptions, introduces a theory of entrepreneurial ethics that presents a new and different view of the lived-world of entrepreneurship, consisting of: Firstly, the key components of entrepreneurial success – having clear goals, energy, making a contribution to society, being connected, getting others on board, and work as an extension of self; secondly, what drives entrepreneurs – goal-orientation, sense of personal excitement, inner conviction, autonomy, and external recognition of success; thirdly, the entrepreneurial ethic – concern for credibility, commitment to service, contributing to quality of life; fourthly, the nature of entrepreneurial dilemmas - conflicting responsibilities, authenticity and credibility, risk and expansion, and awareness of diversity; fifthly, how entrepreneurs deal with ethical issues in their own distinctive ways – by holding fast to authentic virtues, bowing to community expectations, avoiding friction, adopting a ‘come-what-may’ or ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude, or pursuing a higher purpose where both parties benefit; sixthly, entrepreneurs’ world -views – beliefs, goals, ways of deriving satisfaction, virtuous behaviour; pen-ultimately, the challenges facing entrepreneurs in South Africa – overcoming the legacies of apartheid, containing crime, fostering an acceptable business ethic, and facilitating reconciliation between ethnic groups; and lastly, finding the power within – that illusive entrepreneurial spirit – self-reliance, looking beyond immediate obstacles, grasping opportunities, and understanding serendipity.
- Full Text:
A proposed prioritization system for the management of invasive alien plants in South Africa
- Authors: Robertson, Mark P , Villet, Martin H , Fairbanks, Dean H K , Henderson, L , Higgins, Simon I , Hoffmann, John H , Le Maitre, David C , Palmer, Anthony R , Riggs, I , Shackleton, Charlie M , Zimmermann, Helmuth G
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6911 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011872
- Description: Every country has weed species whose presence conflicts in some way with human management objectives and needs. Resources for research and control are limited, so priority should be given to species that are the biggest problem. The prioritization system described in this article was designed to assess objectively research and control priorities of invasive alien plants at a national scale in South Africa. The evaluation consists of seventeen criteria, grouped into five modules, that assess invasiveness, spatial characteristics, potential impact, potential for control, and conflicts of interest for each plant species under consideration. Total prioritization scores, calculated from criterion and module scores, were used to assess a species' priority. Prioritization scores were calculated by combining independent assessments provided by several experts, thus increasing the reliability of the rankings. The total confidence score, a separate index, indicates the reliability and availability of data used to make an assessment. Candidate species for evaluation were identified and assessed by several experts using the prioritization system. The final ranking was made by combining two separate indices, the total prioritization score and the total confidence score. This approach integrates the plant's perceived priority with an index of data reliability. Of the 61 species assessed, those with the highest ranks (Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata and Opuntia ficus-indica) had high prioritization and high confidence scores, and are thus of most concern. Those species with the lowest ranks, for example, Harrisia martinii, Opuntia spinulifera and Opuntia exaltata, had low prioritization scores and high confidence scores, and thus are of least concern. Our approach to ranking weeds offers several advantages over existing systems because it is designed for multiple assessors based on the Delphi decision-making technique, the criteria contribute equally to the total score, and the system can accommodate incomplete data on a species. Although the choice of criteria may be criticized and the system has certain limitations, it appears to have delivered credible results.
- Full Text:
A review of the Kalahari group: an aid to Kimberlite exploration in this medium
- Authors: Williams, Clint
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-23
- Subjects: Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4916 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003216 , Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Description: The Kalahari Group sediments cover vast portions of the Archean Kaapvaal and Congo cratons that are considered highly prospective for economic kimberlites. In southern Africa, the term Kalahari refers to a structural basin, a group of Cretaceous to recent terrestrial continental sediments and an ill-defined desert, all of which have been grouped together as the Mega Kalahari by Thomas and Shaw (1993). The Mega Kalahari grouping includes sediments stretching from South Africa in the south to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the north, and from eastern Namibia to western Zimbabwe. This sand sea, at 2.5 million km², is the largest on earth and presents significant obstacles and challenges to the kimberlite explorationist attempting to locate bedrock-hosted diamondiferous kimberlite bodies. The Mega Kalahari sediments represent an ancient depositional environment with a complex history in which the stratigraphy and age of the deposits are not particularly well constrained or understood. Low fossil content, limited exposure, poor differentiation of the dominant surficial Kalahari Sand and a limited comprehension of an extensive duricrust suite has delayed the understanding of the sedimentological and environmental history of the basin. This sequence of sediments has accumulated and evolved through fluvio-deltaic, aeolian and groundwater processes, with characteristics due to primary deposition and subsequent modification being difficult to distinguish. Deposition in the Kalahari Basin has been subject to tectonic influences, changes in drainage directions and source areas of sediments, river capture and numerous large and small climatic fluctuations both in the basin and surrounding areas. It bears the imprint of recurring cycles during which the same sediments were reworked, sometimes by different agencies, all of which exacerbate attempts to correlate sedimentary units across the sequence. The Mega Kalahari is a series of contiguous Phanerozoic sedimentary basins situated within the African Superswell. The Superswell has dominated the gross geomorphology of southern Africa and contributed significantly to the present character of the Mega Kalahari and the evolution of the drainage systems. Overall, the tectonic framework established in southern Africa by the division of Gondwanaland led to the creation of a dual drainage system, with the hingeline acting as a watershed between a coastally-orientated exoreic system and an endoreic system draining into the interior. Deposition of sediments started in the late Cretaceous. Neo-tectonic activity expressed in the rifting in central Botswana, further influenced sedimentation rates and exerted a strong control over paleo-drainage directions. This revIew presents the complexities of the Kalahari cover sequence. The most Important geomorphological and sedimentary factors to be considered when designing and implementing kimberlite exploration programs within the Mega Kalahari environment are outlined and discussed. New data from exploration drilling programs are presented on the thickness of the Kalahari within portions of northern Namibia, western Zambia and Botswana. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
A situation analysis of sex education and communication and the implications thereof for HIV/AIDS prevention work
- Authors: Mankayi, Andiswa
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007447 , Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Description: This study explores the history of sex communication and education over a period of fifty years (1950 to the present), in a deep rural area of the Eastern Cape. It describes patterns of sex communication between peers, between siblings, between children and parents and between young people and other non-familial agencies within communities. Communication trends are traced from the period before contraception was introduced, through to the introduction of female birth control methods into the HIV/AIDS era where the focus has been on attempting to introduce condoms. Twelve semi-structured interviews and two four-person focus groups were conducted to gather information on how the participants acquired information about sexuality and their responses to the same. The findings of the present study suggest that the widespread use of injectable contraceptives has had a marked effect on the sexual culture of the community under investigation. It has led to the collapse of the regulatory practices which were previously in place. This in turn has significantly affected the sexual communication and negotiation context. Furthermore, it has had a determining influence on male involvement in sexual reproductive health matters and has created a poor context for the adoption of condoms as a prophylactic. There were no major changes in the sexual communication context within families and within communities in that education has always been limited to instructions to avoid pregnancy. Of note was a culture of collusion between adults and children surrounding sexuality, which absolved the parties involved in addressing sexuality. These factors are understood have mediated response to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and need to be taken into consideration in the development of sex communication and education programmes.
- Full Text: