Democracy and party dominance in Kenya and South Africa : a comparative study of the Kenya African National Union and the African National Congres
- Authors: Mwangi, Oscar Gakuo
- Date: 2013-08-15
- Subjects: Kenya African National Union African National Congress Political parties -- South Africa Political parties -- Kenya Democracy -- South Africa Democracy -- Kenya South Africa -- Politics and government Kenya -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2876 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008431
- Description: Kenya and South Africa can be described as dominant party systems, under the dominance of the Kenya African National Union CKANU) and the African National Congress CANC) respectively. A dominant party system is in essence a democracy. The spirit of democracy may, however, apparently be contradicted by the weight of party dominance, thus questioning the content of and prospects for democracy under party dominance in both Kenya and South Africa. The study is a comparative analysis of party dominance in Kenya and South Africa. The main objective is to exan1ine the relationship between party dominance and democracy in both countries. It seeks to find out how party dominance is reproducing itself and surviving the post 1990 transition processes in Kenya and South Africa. More importantly, the study also seeks to find out how party dominance impacts upon institutions that support or uphold democratization and subsequently democracy. The findings of the study demonstrate that party dominance has reproduced itself and survived the post-1990 period, and is also impacting upon democratization and democracy. The dominant parties take a similar trajectory in pursuit of dominance over the state and its apparatuses. However, they differ when it comes to their relationship with the civil society. That between KANU and civil society is antagonistic, as the ruling party seeks to augment political power through authoritarian dominance of the latter to, while that of the ANC and civil society is responsive, as the former seeks to enhance political stability in the country. The impact of party dominance upon institutions that support democracy takes similar and different trajectories in both countries. Similarities arise with respect to the detrimental impact upon institutions of the Executive that ensure accountability and transparency, evident in the increasing cases of corruption, nepotism and political patronage appointments. Similarly, there has been a detrimental impact upon the Legislature regarding parliamentary proceedings. Parliamentary committees and opposition parties are being rendered ineffective as organs of ensuring transparency and accountability, and are often subject to delegitimation. The impact of party dominance on the Judiciary, however, differs in both countries. In Kenya, the judiciary continues to suffer from excessive interference from the Executive and the ruling party, whereas in South Africa the judicial system remains largely independent with regard to the application of justice, despite constant criticisms from the dominant party. The study concludes that South Africa is, gradually, going the Kenyan way. If this condition is left unchecked there is the possibility that South Africa could eventually end up a psuedo-democracy like Kenya, where formal democratic political institutions such as multiparty elections, exist to mask the reality of authoritarian dominance. The thesis recommends that strengthening civil society organizations, opposition political parties, and state institutions in both countries to ensure greater accountability and transparency, will reverse this detrimental effect of party dominance. It also recommends meaningful constitutional reforms that will guarantee greater independence of these institutions, and the decentralization of governmental and political power to check and limit the powers of the dominant party. Also recommended are areas for further research. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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An analysis of selected World Trade Organisation agreements to determine whether they discriminate unfairly against developing economices
- Authors: Grimett, Leticia Anthea
- Date: 2013-07-29
- Subjects: World Trade Organization Foreign trade regulation General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Organization) Free trade -- Developing countries Foreign trade regulation -- Developing countries Competition, Unfair -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3718 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008368
- Description: The focus of this thesis is the question whether or not the WTO discriminates unfairly against developing economies. In the absence of a test of guidelines for detennining unfairness or fairness of WTO provisions or Agreements has been drawn up using welfare economic and constitutional law principles as a foundation. Unfairness is therefore determined by asking whether the provisions of each Agreement are rational, proportional, efficient and whether they prevent the abuse of power amongst states. In addition, the economic effects of the provisions of the selected Agreements have been analysed to determine whether the relevant provisions are welfare enhancing and conclusive to promoting growth and development within developing economies. The Agreements chosed for analysis are the Agreements on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMS), Trade-related Intellectual Property (TRIPS), Agriculture and Services (GATS). The dispute settlement and negotiating process, labour standards and the impact of decreasing most-favoured nation rates on developing economy competitiveness is also discussed. Application of the test has shown that the WTO provisions do not reflect the interests of all members. Even though most member states are developing economies, the3 Agreements constantly cater foe developed country concerns and interests. Where provision is made for developing country interests, it is the LDC's who are favoured, with nonnal developing economies being bound by the same provisions as the developed economies. A fonnal, as opposed to a substantive, defmition has been adopted by the WTO, with a result that the process of equality is placed above the outcomes. While concessions have been made to development, members have not gone for enough. A main reason for the imbalance can be attributed to the negotiating process, which is based upon concessionary bargaining and trade-off. Those states with greater economic power are therefore at an advantage as they have the leverage needed to influence the outcomes of negotiations and hence the provisions of the various Agreements. Even with the LDC's, the WTO has been found to discriminate unfairly against developing economies because it does not adequately address developing country concerns. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Synchronisation of breeding in populations of the brown mussel Perna perna on the South Coast of South Africa
- Authors: Ndzipa, Victoria
- Date: 2013-05-28
- Subjects: Mussels -- South Africa , Perna -- South Africa , Perna -- Breeding
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5830 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007857 , Mussels -- South Africa , Perna -- South Africa , Perna -- Breeding
- Description: The general biology and seasonality of breeding of intertidal populations of the brown mussel Perna perna in South Africa are reasonably well known, but we have little information on variability either within or among populations. Synchronous spawning offers adaptive advantages to externally breeding animals. Firstly, it enhances fertilization rates and therefore the species' reproductive fitness. Secondly, spawning can also be timed to coincide with environmental conditions conducive to larval settlement and development. In addition, synchronisation of spawning will influence the synchrony of settlement. Synchronisation of larval settlement, in turn, has implications for popUlation biology, as highly pulsed settlement is likely to lead to density-dependant mortality of recruits and uncoupling of adult/recruit densities, while poorly synchronised settlement will not. Generally, sea temperature and food availability are considered the key factors underlying the initiation and the duration of the breeding cycle of mussels. However, there are proximate local cues that trigger the proliferation, maturation and release of gametes. In this study, the hypothesis tested is that factors that control food availability affect gonad development and so influence synchrony among populations. Much of the published work on spawning is based on observations of the presence of larvae in the plankton, or on settlement. A more reliable method correlates the sequence of gonad development throughout the year with changes in length-weight relationships, using histology. This study is also designed to investigate temporal differences in the timing of the breeding cycle between sheltered and exposed sites along the south coast of South Africa by histological analysis of the reproductive tissue (the gonad) and by dry weight/shell length regreSSIOns. To do this, these two techniques were applied to six mussel populations at three III ocalities that were separated on scales of about 10-20km. Within each locality, two study sites were .dentified. One was exposed to strong wave action and one was sheltered. A few hundred meters ;eparated these sites. The first technique used length-weight regressions as an indication of mussel ~ondition. Abrupt decreases in the dry body weight of a hypothetical standard animal were taken to indicate periods of spawning. Regressions were assessed for samples of 40 mussels taken from each site at intervals of 4 weeks over 13 months. The results were analysed using a 3-way ANCOV A, with dry weight as the dependent variable, shell length as a covariate, and site, exposure and month, as independent variables. The second approach used the more reliable and detailed method of assessing the annual reproductive cycle using histological sections of the gonad. Histological sections of gonads from thirty female mussels, sampled monthly from each site, were examined in the laboratory. Each gonad was categorized into one of six arbitrary developmental stages based on ovary morphology. Synchrony in spawning was examined by comparison of gonad developmental stages of individuals within and among populations. The data were analysed by 3-way nested ANOV A with mean gonad index for each population as the dependent variable, month as an independent variable and exposure nested in site. The results obtained from both techniques showed strong synchronisation among different popUlations, regardless of the scales at which they were separated. The data also indicated good synchrony within populations and, again among populations, regardless of the degree of exposure. The results also indicated that the gonad condition varied significantly at each site, exposure level and month. However, there were significant interactions among these three factors. This means that on a broader seasonal scale the six mussel populations were reasonably synchronised, but on finer monthly scales, there were temporal differences in duration of gametogenic events. The implication is that ovary development is cued by environmental factor(s) that operate on scales of at least 7-20 km rather than more localised events that may affect food availablity either through aggregation of food (local hydrography at different localities) or food delivery to the shore (degree of wave action at different sites.) , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Involuntary consent
- Authors: Futter, Dylan Brian
- Date: 2013-05-24
- Subjects: Ignorance (Theory of knowledge) Responsiblity Free will and determinism Theory (Philosophy) Social ethics Blame
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2742 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007846
- Description: In this dissertation I take exception with a widely held philosophical doctrine, according to which agents are only blameworthy for the bad actions they have chosen to bring about. My argument strategy is to present cases in which agents are blamed for involuntary actions that are not in any way connected to their culpable and voluntary choices. These failures correspond, I suggest, to occasions of culpable ignorance where agents have been negligent or careless. More specifically, I claim that violations of natural duties of respect and consideration, and certain acquired role-type duties, are blamed without any voluntary consent. If my examples are persuasive, then the point is reached where a normative principle of 'voluntary consent' does not in fact coincide with people's actual practices and 'considered judgements'. In the final sections of the dissertation, I argue against the plausibility of keeping the principle and revising our judgements. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Rugby : more than just a game : a study of the cumulative effects of mild head injuries on high school rugby players
- Authors: Giai-Coletti, Cristina
- Date: 2013-05-24
- Subjects: Head -- Wounds and injuries -- Complications Rugby football injuries Brain -- Concussion -- Complications Neuropsychological tests
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3175 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007809
- Description: The present study comprises part of an ongoing research study investigating the effects 0 f cumulative mild head injuries 0 n Rugby Union p layers. The aim 0 f t he study was to ascertain whether there are neuropsychological effects of cumulative mild head injuries sustained during the rugby-playing careers of senior schoolboy rugby players. Participants were top-level rugby players from high schools in Grahamstown and Cape Town (n = 79) and non-contact sport controls of top-level field hockey players from the same schools (n = 58). Group mean comparisons across a battery of neuropsychological tests were carried out between the Total Rugby versus the Total Field Hockey group, and the Rugby Forwards versus the Rugby Backs group. Comparisons between Total Rugby versus Total Field Hockey revealed impaired performance by the rugby players on two tests of visuoperceptual tracking, namely Digit Symbol Substitution and Trail Making Test (Part A). For Rugby Forwards versus Rugby Backs, there were no consistent differences to support the expectation that forwards would perform worse than backs. Forwards performed more poorly than backs on WMS Associate Learning Subtest - Hard (Delayed Recall), whereas backs performed more poorly than forwards on Digits Backwards. This suggests that some individuals in the cohort were starting to exhibit verbal memory deficit, albeit not clearly in association with forward positional play. Overall, results of the present study provide tentative support for the hypothesis that school level rugby players are more susceptible to the effects of cumulative concussive and sub-concussive head injuries than are non-contact sport controls. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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South African women's literature and the ecofeminist perspective
- Authors: Ewing, Maureen Colleen
- Date: 2013-05-24
- Subjects: Ecofeminism in literature Ecology in literature Nature in literature South African fiction -- History and criticism Smith, Pauline, 1883-1959 Schreiner, Olive, 1855-1920 Matthee, Dalene, 1938-2005 Poland, Marguerite
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2287 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007808
- Description: A social-constructionist ecofeminist perspective argues that patriarchal society separates the human (or culture) from nature, which causes a false assumption that humanity possesses the right, as a superior species, to dominate nature. This perspective integrates the domination of nature with social conflicts, including but not limited to racial discrimination, gender oppression, and class hierarchies. Understanding how these various forms of oppression interrelate forms the main goal of an ecofeminist perspective. Since the nature-culture, female-male, and whitenonwhite conflicts resonate and interlock throughout South Africa's history, socialconstructionist ecofeminism is an indispensable perspective for analysing South African literature. This thesis takes a social-constructionist ecofeminist approach and applies it to four women authors that write about South African society between the years 1860-1900. This thesis includes the following authors and their works: Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) and two of her novels, The Story of an African Farm (1883) and From Man to Man (published posthumously in 1927); Pauline Smith (1882-1959) and her novel The Beadle (1926); Dalene Matthee (1938- ) and three of her novels, Circles in a Forest (1984), Fiela's Child (1986), and The Mulberry Forest (1987); and Marguerite Poland (1950- ) and one of her novels, Shades (1993). This thesis investigates two women from the time period (Schreiner and Smith) and two women from a late twentieth century perspective (Matthee and Poland) and compares how they depict the natural environment, how they construct gender, and how they interpret class and race power struggles. This thesis concludes that the social-constructionist perspective offers unique insights into these four authors. Schreiner's novels reveal her concerns about gender and racial conflicts in South Africa and her understanding of the nature-culture dichotomy as sustained by Social Darwinism. Smith offers insights into the complex power structures in a rural Afrikaans society that keep women and nonwhite races silent. Matthee writes nature as an active participant in her novels; the social and ecological conflicts emphasise the transformation of the Knysna area. Poland explores the racial tensions, gender conflicts, and environmental concerns that preceded the South African War. Schreiner, Smith, Matthee, and Poland make up a small cross-section of South African literature, but they provide a basis for further discussing the ecofeminist perspective within a South African context. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Geotectonic controls on primary diamond deposits : a review of exploration criteria
- Authors: Hannon, Camille
- Date: 2013-05-23
- Subjects: Diamonds , Geology, Structural , Diamond deposits , Kimberlite
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5047 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007810 , Diamonds , Geology, Structural , Diamond deposits , Kimberlite
- Description: The origin of diamonds, their preservation and transport to the surface have been important issues over the last decades after the acknowledgement that diamonds are xenocrysts in the host kimberlites and after the discovery of new transport media such as lamproites. Different types of diamonds -E-type diamonds, P-type diamonds- and different types of hosts - Eclogites, Peridotites- have been distinguished. Each type corresponds to particular formation criteria. Ecogitic Diamonds are mostly related to subduction processes, whereas more uncertainties remain regarding the formation of Peridotitic Diamonds. Komatiite extraction and subduction of graphite-bearing serpentinites have been proposed as the more likely processes involved in their formation. A typical mantle signature for diamonds implies a thick, cool, reduced lithosphere. The keel-shape model is the most popular. Archaean cratons are therefore the most promising exploration target and area selection will expect to follow the Clifford's Rule. However, the evidence of cratonic areas hidden under younger formations · through seismic profiles and the discovery of diamond structurally trapped outside their stability field, have increased the potential of diamondiferous areas. Preservation of diamonds inside the lithosphere requires that the mantleroot remains insulated against excessive reheating and tectonic reworking. Mantle-root friendly and mantle-root destructive structures are distinguished. Small-size cratons are usually the most promising exploration targets. Transport of diamonds to the surface is dependant on' the same criteria of preservation. Only kimberlites and lamproites have been recognized as efficient transport media. Their ascent to the surface is conditioned by a multitude of parameters, amongst them the nature of the magma, the speed of ascent, the presence of pre-existing structures in the crust and the availability of ground water in the near-surface environment. The origin of kimberlite magma probably lies near the transition zone. Mixtures of depleted asthenospheric · sources and metasomatically enriched and possibly subducted materials are likely to be at the origin of the different kimberlite magmas. Kimberlite magmatism correlates generally in time with global tectonic events, triggered by either plume activity or by subduction processes, depending of the tectonic school of thought. Kimberlite alignments have been interpreted as hotspot tracks, and kimberlite magmas as volatile-rich melts issued from the remaining plume tail. The plume head produces flood-basalts in an adjacent "thinspot" of the lithosphere, generally on the edges of the cratons. Kimberlite and lamproite ascent to the surface are unconditionally influenced by regional structures. Rift structures, ring structures, transform faults, suture zones and deep-seated faults have been mentioned as controlling or accompanying features of kimberlite magmatism. Nearsurface emplacement constraints are better understood and the ultimate shape of the intrusion(s) depends on the nature of the country rocks, the availability of ground water and the near-surface faulting pattern. The recent discovery of "fissure" kimberlites is one of the more important breakthroughs of the last decade. With a better understanding of the processes involved in diamond formation, preservation and of kimberlite emplacement, major diamond discoveries have recently increased on all the continents. Successful diamond exploration requires today an integration of all geophysical, petrologic, geochemical and structural information available. The particular study of the northwestern Australian lamproite and kimberlite fields, the Brazilian kimberlites, the easternNorth American kimberlite fields, the Lac de Gras kimberlite field, the South African rich kimberlite provinces, and the Yakutian kimberlite fields provide concrete examples of the geotectonic controls on primary diamond deposits. Area selection criteria based on the previous models and examples, are expected to yield to many more discoveries in the coming years. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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An analysis of the impact of democratization on debt-led growth : the Nigerian experience, 1970-2000
- Authors: Dinneya, Godson Eze
- Date: 2013-05-22
- Subjects: Debts, External -- Nigeria Nigeria -- Politics and government -- 1960- Nigeria -- Economic policy Nigeria -- Economic conditions -- 1960-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1074 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007807
- Description: The debt-for democracy hypothesis is that undemocratic governments were largely responsible for not only the accumulation but also poor management of externally sourced capital resources. External borrowing had therefore failed to lead to growth of the economies of debtor countries under undemocratic political leadership. Despite this explanation of the debt problem conventional empirical analyses of the debt-growth relationship did not include political institutional variables. This study investigates the relationship between democratization and debt-led growth, using Nigeria, a typical debtor country whose politics was dominated by 'undemocratic ' governance, as a case study. Two broad research questions are investigated namely, whether available data support a negative or positive contribution of debt to the growth of the Nigeria economy during the period 1970-2000; and ifso was there any link between the levels of democratization in Nigeria and debt-led growth. Using a census of major political events in Nigeria around four dimensions of democratization, four primary indices of democratization and one composite index were constructed for the period. Using the Taylor (1983) marginal conditions to gauge the contribution of external debt to the growth of the Nigerian economy, the study found that external debt is capable of playing a double edged sword on the performance of the economy. Positive contributions coincided with the periods when Nigeria's oil dominated foreign exchange revenues were robust, and/ or when debt management strategies were better articulated and vice versa. The analyses of the link between democratization and debt-led growth using both correlation and regression techniques, yielded different results in two definitional contexts of debt-led growth. When defined purely in terms of the Taylor marginal conditions for a positive contribution of debt to the economy of a borrowing nation, the results support the pessimist view that democratization impeded growth. On the contrary, when debt-led growth was defined in a broader sense to incorporate variables such as domestic savings and investment, foreign direct investments, public and private consumption and debt burden, there was strong evidence that debt-led growth performed beller at higher levels of democratization than other wise. The result using the narrow definition was found to be a direct consequence of the overriding influence of export performance in the Taylor conditions. With Nigeria's exports almost entirely dominated by extractive industry the result derived using the narrow definition confirmed the theoretical links between natural resource endowment and regime type on the one hand, and external capital and the nature of the host country 's industry on the other. In the first resource dependence allowed the political leadership to be more detached and less accountable to the electorate since they did not need to levy taxes. Secondly foreign investors concerned with security of their sunk investments in the extractive oil induslly in particular favoured continuity of powerfol regimes with less democratic content. In both findings one thing was common: democratization was associated more with those factors whose decreases affect growth positively than with those whose increases improve growth. The conclusion from this is that the impact of democratization is stronger with negative than with positive growth factors. In other words, while democratization may be supportive of growth its greater impact appears to be in limiting the factors that themselves limit growth. To benefit from the favourable impact of democratisation on debt-led growth therefore the study suggests that improvements in the democratisation process in Nigeria is needed It identifies political education as central to this improvement. A model is developed to show how improvements in the political institutional framework may trickle down, through an enabling environment that is capable of engendering growth-enhancing domestic and international responses to lead in the direction of debt-led growth.
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The suspension of mastery and the desire for imaginary : applying Jacques Lacan's theory of the imaginary to the beholder/image dialectic as realised in selected paintings by Lucy Cobern and Gerhard Richter
- Authors: Cobern, Lucy Rebecca
- Date: 2013-05-21
- Subjects: Lacan, Jacques, 1901-1981 -- Criticism and interpretation Richter, Gerhard, 1932- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3174 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007806
- Description: This dissertation seeks to explore the nature of the self/other, subject/object dialectic that can be found in Jacques Lacan's theory of the Minor Stage and his notion of Imaginary mastery, and how this relationship can be re-read in terms of a beholder/image relationship. What I seek to demonstrate in exploring the relationship between the beholder and the image is the staging of two opposing emotions, aggression and desire and the consequential tussle for mastery that arises from the self/other, and hence the beholder/image, dichotomy. I seek to explore the reasons why such a beholder/image relationship becomes ambivalent, due to veiled, obscured and fragmented images. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Versions of virginity : an exploration of university students' narrative accounts of first sexual experience
- Authors: Ebden, Tiffany
- Date: 2013-05-21
- Subjects: College students -- South Africa -- Sexual behavior Sexual intercourse -- Psychological aspects Virginity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3170 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007797
- Description: The research assumes a narrative constructionist and feminist perspective in order to explore stories concerning men and women's first sexual experience. Such a metatheoretical stance is concerned with the ways that lives are constructed and storied through language. There is a concern for the myriad voices, both personal and social, that speaks through individuals' stories and for the manner in which these voices are represented. Three men and three women were interviewed to elicit narratives of first sexual experience. The analysis of interview transcripts tells first sexual experience as a rite of passage described in terms of certain mythic elements. That is, the experience of first sex concerns three stages. Firstly the individual is detached from the experience of sex while still a virgin. Secondly the experience itself is one that is ineffable and diffuse. Thirdly the individual must make sense of the experience. Participants' experience could be characterised as containing elements of demonic, heavenly or earthly myths about sexual relationships: demonic elements concerned the base , physical and painful experiences of first sex; the myth of heavenly love emphasises the mental and emotional connection between partners; an earthly myth tells sex as a predestined meeting of two partners. The manner in which stories were constructed was different for male and for female participants, and these differences have implications for the power dynamics at play between genders in the context of sexual interaction, especially first sex. Further the research's storied and ritualised approach to these gender differences suggests the performative aspect of gender. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Religious nationalism and negotiation : Islamic identity and the resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflic
- Authors: De Villiers, Shirley
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Arab-Israeli conflict Palestinian Arabs -- Civil rights -- Israel Nationalism -- Middle East Religion and politics -- Middle East Jewish-Arab relations Nationalism -- Religious aspects -- Islam -- History -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2873 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007815
- Description: The use of violence in the Israel/Palestine conflict has been justified and legitimised by an appeal to religion. Militant Islamist organisations like Ramas have become central players in the Palestinian political landscape as a result of the popular support that they enjoy. This thesis aims to investigate the reasons for this support by analysing the Israel/Palestine conflict in terms of Ruman Needs Theory. According to this Theory, humans have essential needs that need to be fulfilled in order to ensure survival and development. Among these needs, the need for identity and recognition of identity is of vital importance. This thesis thus explores the concept of identity as a need, and investigates this need as it relates to inter-group conflict. In situating this theory in the Israel/Palestine conflict, the study exammes how organisations like Ramas have Islamised Palestinian national identity in order to garner political support. The central contention, then, is that the primary identity group of the Palestinian population is no longer nationalist, but Islamic/nationalist. In Islamising the conflict with Israel as well as Palestinian identity, Ramas has been able to justify its often indiscriminate use of violence by appealing to religion. The conflict is thus perceived to be one between two absolutes - that of Islam versus Judaism. In considering the conflict as one of identities struggling for survival in a climate of perceived threat, any attempt at resolution of the conflict needs to include a focus on needs-based issues. The problem-solving approach to negotiation allows for parties to consider issues of identity, recognition and security needs, and thus ensures that the root causes of conflicts are addressed, The contention is that this approach is vital to any conflict resolution strategy where identity needs are at stake, and it provides the grounding for the success of more traditional zero-sum bargaining methods. A recognition of Islamic identity in negotiation processes in Israel/Palestine may thus make for a more comprehensive conflict resolution strategy, and make the outcomes of negotiations more acceptable to the people of Palestine, thus undermining the acceptance of violence that exists at present.
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"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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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