An investigation of how enquiry-based fieldwork develops action competence in Grade 12 Geography: a Namibian case study
- Authors: Simasiku, Frederick
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Competency-based education -- Namibia -- Hardap Geography -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Hardap Student-centered learning -- Namibia -- Hardap Active learning -- Namibia -- Hardap Environmental education -- Namibia -- Hardap Environmental education -- Activity programs -- Namibia -- Hardap
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1629 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003511
- Description: The goal of the study was twofold: firstly to investigate and describe how senior secondary school geography teachers were implementing enquiry-based learning through fieldwork. Secondly, to investigate and document how enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners in a geography classroom. In order to address the first goal, a survey questionnaire was utilised to generate descriptive data from a sample of seven geography teachers in the Hardap region of Namibia. Although teachers engaged learners with enquiry-based fieldwork learning activities it is suggested, based on the findings of data of this goal, that teachers face severe limitations in terms of integrating environmental learning into the geography curriculum. The main limitations of the teachers include: limited practical knowledge of and training in how to teach fieldwork skills; a lack of teaching resource materials; time constraints; heavy personal loads; and lack of school support for environmental education. In addressing the second goal an enquiry-based fieldwork learning unit was planned and implemented in the researcher’s classroom. Observation, focus group interviews, and audio records of learning interactions, were used as data generation methods for this cycle of the study. An indicator framework for identifying action competence in learners was constructed as a data analysis tool. In terms of the findings of goal two it is evident that enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners. Six overarching benefits of this type of learning were identified in this study, namely: - It empowered learners to develop contextual knowledge and understanding of issues that they investigated. - It facilitated commitment thus motivated learners to take indirect action. - It promoted social interaction and group cohesion amongst learners thus enhanced their decision-making ability for problem-solving and action taking. - It elicited emotional responses and a greater understanding of learners’ own and others’ attitudes and values towards issues. - It fostered critical thinking thus permitted learners to envisage a future based on their learning experiences. - It enabled learners to plan and take indirect action during the learning process. Based on the research findings, some lessons learned are presented in an attempt to contribute to the effective implementation of enquiry-based fieldwork at the classroom level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Simasiku, Frederick
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Competency-based education -- Namibia -- Hardap Geography -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Hardap Student-centered learning -- Namibia -- Hardap Active learning -- Namibia -- Hardap Environmental education -- Namibia -- Hardap Environmental education -- Activity programs -- Namibia -- Hardap
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1629 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003511
- Description: The goal of the study was twofold: firstly to investigate and describe how senior secondary school geography teachers were implementing enquiry-based learning through fieldwork. Secondly, to investigate and document how enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners in a geography classroom. In order to address the first goal, a survey questionnaire was utilised to generate descriptive data from a sample of seven geography teachers in the Hardap region of Namibia. Although teachers engaged learners with enquiry-based fieldwork learning activities it is suggested, based on the findings of data of this goal, that teachers face severe limitations in terms of integrating environmental learning into the geography curriculum. The main limitations of the teachers include: limited practical knowledge of and training in how to teach fieldwork skills; a lack of teaching resource materials; time constraints; heavy personal loads; and lack of school support for environmental education. In addressing the second goal an enquiry-based fieldwork learning unit was planned and implemented in the researcher’s classroom. Observation, focus group interviews, and audio records of learning interactions, were used as data generation methods for this cycle of the study. An indicator framework for identifying action competence in learners was constructed as a data analysis tool. In terms of the findings of goal two it is evident that enquiry-based learning through fieldwork facilitated the development of action competence amongst learners. Six overarching benefits of this type of learning were identified in this study, namely: - It empowered learners to develop contextual knowledge and understanding of issues that they investigated. - It facilitated commitment thus motivated learners to take indirect action. - It promoted social interaction and group cohesion amongst learners thus enhanced their decision-making ability for problem-solving and action taking. - It elicited emotional responses and a greater understanding of learners’ own and others’ attitudes and values towards issues. - It fostered critical thinking thus permitted learners to envisage a future based on their learning experiences. - It enabled learners to plan and take indirect action during the learning process. Based on the research findings, some lessons learned are presented in an attempt to contribute to the effective implementation of enquiry-based fieldwork at the classroom level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
An investigation of enabling and constraining factors affecting the supply and demand of specific biodiversity scarce skills to the biodiversity sector
- Authors: Mckrill, Leanne Joy
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University , GreenMatter (South Africa) , CATHSSETA (South Africa) , Labor demand -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Employees -- Supply and demand -- South Africa , Wildlife veterinarians -- Supply and demand -- South Africa , Freshwater ecology -- Employees -- Supply and demand -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2067 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020837
- Description: This study is situated within the context of the emerging South African Biodiversity Sector and focuses on the supply of and demand for scarce skilled biodiversity professionals. It does so through investigating the transition a young biodiversity professional makes from a higher education institution to the workplace by drawing attention to the factors encountered or perceived to be encountered during this development. The study forms part of a research programme established between Rhodes University, GreenMatter and the Culture Arts Tourism Hospitality Sport Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), which seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to "green" skills development and retention within the South African biodiversity sector. It is a qualitative study, comprising nested case studies within two larger case studies of scarce skills – those of wildlife veterinarians and freshwater ecologists – as identified by the biodiversity priority scarce skills list (SANBI & Lewis Foundation, 2012). The study is supported by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems theory and underpinned by the principles of basic critical realism and emergence (Archer, Bhaskar, Collier, Lawson, & Norrie, 1998). Data was generated through a range of data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The aim of these methods was to enable a greater understanding of the factors influencing transitioning and the unique transitions of selected individuals. Findings revealed that the transitions of the participants, although unique to each of them, included the following commonalities: exposure to biodiversity at an early stage in an individual's life paved the way for the development and nurturing of an interest or passion in biodiversity; experience gained prior to entry into the workplace is a powerful enabling factor; the presence or absence of a mentor can be pivotal in the transition of an individual; the gap in knowledge pertaining to demand side or workplace information is a large constraining factor; workplace dynamics affect the demand for, and eventual supply of, biodiversity professionals; the presence of human capital development strategies and structures is beneficial to the individual's transition, and the overall ecosystemic development of an individual has an effect on the supply of specific scarce-skilled individuals to the workforce. This study demonstrates that through the employment of nested case studies, similar research focussing on other scarce skills within the biodiversity sector, as per the GreenMatter Priority Skills List of 2012, can be produced, which would help to address the knowledge gaps pertaining to scarce skills, as indicated by the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (2010).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Mckrill, Leanne Joy
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University , GreenMatter (South Africa) , CATHSSETA (South Africa) , Labor demand -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Employees -- Supply and demand -- South Africa , Wildlife veterinarians -- Supply and demand -- South Africa , Freshwater ecology -- Employees -- Supply and demand -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2067 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020837
- Description: This study is situated within the context of the emerging South African Biodiversity Sector and focuses on the supply of and demand for scarce skilled biodiversity professionals. It does so through investigating the transition a young biodiversity professional makes from a higher education institution to the workplace by drawing attention to the factors encountered or perceived to be encountered during this development. The study forms part of a research programme established between Rhodes University, GreenMatter and the Culture Arts Tourism Hospitality Sport Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), which seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to "green" skills development and retention within the South African biodiversity sector. It is a qualitative study, comprising nested case studies within two larger case studies of scarce skills – those of wildlife veterinarians and freshwater ecologists – as identified by the biodiversity priority scarce skills list (SANBI & Lewis Foundation, 2012). The study is supported by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems theory and underpinned by the principles of basic critical realism and emergence (Archer, Bhaskar, Collier, Lawson, & Norrie, 1998). Data was generated through a range of data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The aim of these methods was to enable a greater understanding of the factors influencing transitioning and the unique transitions of selected individuals. Findings revealed that the transitions of the participants, although unique to each of them, included the following commonalities: exposure to biodiversity at an early stage in an individual's life paved the way for the development and nurturing of an interest or passion in biodiversity; experience gained prior to entry into the workplace is a powerful enabling factor; the presence or absence of a mentor can be pivotal in the transition of an individual; the gap in knowledge pertaining to demand side or workplace information is a large constraining factor; workplace dynamics affect the demand for, and eventual supply of, biodiversity professionals; the presence of human capital development strategies and structures is beneficial to the individual's transition, and the overall ecosystemic development of an individual has an effect on the supply of specific scarce-skilled individuals to the workforce. This study demonstrates that through the employment of nested case studies, similar research focussing on other scarce skills within the biodiversity sector, as per the GreenMatter Priority Skills List of 2012, can be produced, which would help to address the knowledge gaps pertaining to scarce skills, as indicated by the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (2010).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their role against a thiazolekinase enzyme from Plasmodium falciparum
- Yao, Jia
- Authors: Yao, Jia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Silver , Nanoparticles , Thiazoles , Plasmodium falciparum , Antimalarials , Malaria -- Chemotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4168 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020894
- Description: Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease, caused by the protozoan Plasmodium genus, is the greatest health challenges worldwide. The plasmodial vitamin B1 biosynthetic enzyme PfThzK diverges significantly, both structurally and functionally from its counterpart in higher eukaryotes, thereby making it particularly attractive as a biomedical target. In the present study, PfThzK was recombinantly produced as 6×His fusion protein in E. coli BL21, purified using nickel affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography resulting in 1.03% yield and specific activity 0.28 U/mg. The enzyme was found to be a monomer with a molecular mass of 34 kDa. Characterization of the PfThzK showed an optimum temperature and pH of 37°C and 7.5 respectively, and it is relatively stable (t₁/₂=2.66 h). Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by NaBH₄/tannic acid, and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The morphologies of these Ag nanoparticles (in terms of size) synthesized by tannic acid appeared to be more controlled with the size of 7.06±2.41 nm, compared with those synthesized by NaBH₄, with the sized of 12.9±4.21 nm. The purified PfThzK was challenged with Ag NPs synthesized by tannic acid, and the results suggested that they competitively inhibited PfThzK (89 %) at low concentrations (5-10 μM) with a Ki = 6.45 μM.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Yao, Jia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Silver , Nanoparticles , Thiazoles , Plasmodium falciparum , Antimalarials , Malaria -- Chemotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4168 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020894
- Description: Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease, caused by the protozoan Plasmodium genus, is the greatest health challenges worldwide. The plasmodial vitamin B1 biosynthetic enzyme PfThzK diverges significantly, both structurally and functionally from its counterpart in higher eukaryotes, thereby making it particularly attractive as a biomedical target. In the present study, PfThzK was recombinantly produced as 6×His fusion protein in E. coli BL21, purified using nickel affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography resulting in 1.03% yield and specific activity 0.28 U/mg. The enzyme was found to be a monomer with a molecular mass of 34 kDa. Characterization of the PfThzK showed an optimum temperature and pH of 37°C and 7.5 respectively, and it is relatively stable (t₁/₂=2.66 h). Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by NaBH₄/tannic acid, and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The morphologies of these Ag nanoparticles (in terms of size) synthesized by tannic acid appeared to be more controlled with the size of 7.06±2.41 nm, compared with those synthesized by NaBH₄, with the sized of 12.9±4.21 nm. The purified PfThzK was challenged with Ag NPs synthesized by tannic acid, and the results suggested that they competitively inhibited PfThzK (89 %) at low concentrations (5-10 μM) with a Ki = 6.45 μM.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The impact of good news and bad news on South Africa’s sectoral stock return volatility: an asymmetric GARCH analysis
- Authors: Muzinda, Edmond Toreva
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6425 , vital:21108
- Description: This study explores the impact of good news and bad news on South Africa’s sectoral stock return volatility using an asymmetric GARCH analysis. Understanding the different impact of news on stock return volatility in different economic sectors has important implications for investors’ risk management practices, portfolio allocation strategies and asset pricing. The study employs data of daily closing prices for nine sectors and three benchmark indices for the period 2nd January 1997 - 17th August 2016. The data was split into sub-samples of pre-, during and post-global financial crisis, as well as the overall sample period. The incorporation of sub-samples was to help explain the outcomes of the overall sample period. To capture the different impact of good news and bad news on stock return volatility for each sector, asymmetric GARCH models namely, TGARCH and EGARCH were employed. The findings from this study revealed that volatility asymmetry was present in all sectors and benchmark indices of South African equity market. Bad news had more impact on stock return volatility for all sectors except the Oil and Gas sector, than good news of the same magnitude. In the Oil and Gas sector, good news was found to have an amplified effect on return volatility compared with bad news of the same magnitude. High volatility persistence was also found to be present in the Consumer goods, Financials, Industrials, All-share index and Mid-cap index. High differential impact of good and bad news were found in the Industrials, Financials, Basic materials, Consumer goods and the All-share index. Since the main objective of this study was to provide explanations of volatility asymmetry found in the South African sectors, the following were proposed as possible explanations of the findings. Within sectors, volatility asymmetry was explained by financial leverage, the role of the media, loss-averse investors and the behaviour of traders (overconfidence and extrapolation bias). Volatility asymmetry across sectors was explained by information flow, the uneven distribution of information by the media, investor sentiments, investor expectations and trading volumes. Overall, the results indicate that the stock return volatility of individual sectors of the South African equity market is driven mainly by bad news (except for Oil and Gas) and that leverage effects exist in all the sectors and in the benchmark indices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Muzinda, Edmond Toreva
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6425 , vital:21108
- Description: This study explores the impact of good news and bad news on South Africa’s sectoral stock return volatility using an asymmetric GARCH analysis. Understanding the different impact of news on stock return volatility in different economic sectors has important implications for investors’ risk management practices, portfolio allocation strategies and asset pricing. The study employs data of daily closing prices for nine sectors and three benchmark indices for the period 2nd January 1997 - 17th August 2016. The data was split into sub-samples of pre-, during and post-global financial crisis, as well as the overall sample period. The incorporation of sub-samples was to help explain the outcomes of the overall sample period. To capture the different impact of good news and bad news on stock return volatility for each sector, asymmetric GARCH models namely, TGARCH and EGARCH were employed. The findings from this study revealed that volatility asymmetry was present in all sectors and benchmark indices of South African equity market. Bad news had more impact on stock return volatility for all sectors except the Oil and Gas sector, than good news of the same magnitude. In the Oil and Gas sector, good news was found to have an amplified effect on return volatility compared with bad news of the same magnitude. High volatility persistence was also found to be present in the Consumer goods, Financials, Industrials, All-share index and Mid-cap index. High differential impact of good and bad news were found in the Industrials, Financials, Basic materials, Consumer goods and the All-share index. Since the main objective of this study was to provide explanations of volatility asymmetry found in the South African sectors, the following were proposed as possible explanations of the findings. Within sectors, volatility asymmetry was explained by financial leverage, the role of the media, loss-averse investors and the behaviour of traders (overconfidence and extrapolation bias). Volatility asymmetry across sectors was explained by information flow, the uneven distribution of information by the media, investor sentiments, investor expectations and trading volumes. Overall, the results indicate that the stock return volatility of individual sectors of the South African equity market is driven mainly by bad news (except for Oil and Gas) and that leverage effects exist in all the sectors and in the benchmark indices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention
- Authors: Koloko, Mojalefa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Somalia -- Politics and government -- 1991- , Somalia -- History -- 1991- , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- United States , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- 1991- , Military assistance, American -- Somalia , Extrajudicial exeutions -- Somalia , Shabaab (Organization)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657 , vital:29125
- Description: This study examines the nature of the United States intervention in Somalia, specifically the use of drone strikes that first targeted the militant Sunni Islamist transnational group, al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, and now target the Somali organisation, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin, commonly known as al-Shabaab. The use of drone strikes in the US led war on terror has raised concerns about sovereignty as the extra-judicial killings are conducted without the consent of the concerned states. Furthermore, drone strikes also raise questions about the processes of liberal intervention as the US conducts them without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is argued in this study that what is understood to be the “golden era” of liberal interventionism is a legacy of the post-Cold War unipolar dominance of the United States in global governance and security. It is argued that US unipolarity was accompanied by a shifting perception regarding the security position of weak states, whose weakness becomes understood as a source of global insecurity. This perception that so called “weak” and “fragile” states are sources of threats is a departure in International Relations theory, because the discipline is historically preoccupied with studying the actions of powerful states and their consequence for the global order. It is argued that the discourse on the war on terror, and its focus on “failed states” as breeding grounds for alleged terrorists, represents the height of the repositioning of less powerful states from a peripheral status in IR analysis and practice, to their current position that are now being represented as core sources of threat to international peace and security. Through life history interviews with Somali nationals in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, South Africa, the study examines the consequences of US actions from the eyes of Somali people. The findings of this study show that despite all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the war on terror, the manner in which it is conducted, as well as the tactics that it employs, the majority of Somali participants showed an overwhelming support for the US intervention. Participants expressed support for the US extra-judicial killings because they are understood to undermine al-Shabaab strength which is a major source of insecurity. The study also shows that the lack of necessary collaboration between the US intelligence and the Somali ground forces has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths, which participants fear can be used by al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalise more Somalis. The study also shows that most Somalis resent the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia because Kenya and Ethiopia are seen as 10 pursuing national interests that are not invested in Somali peace and stability. The study concludes that US extra-judicial killings have failed to constrain the actions of al-Shabaab. Somalis expressed that the leadership of current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, holds the unique possibilities of creating national unity that rises above clan divisions and the radical Jihadist ideology of al-Shabaab.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Koloko, Mojalefa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Somalia -- Politics and government -- 1991- , Somalia -- History -- 1991- , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- United States , Somalia -- Foreign relations -- 1991- , Military assistance, American -- Somalia , Extrajudicial exeutions -- Somalia , Shabaab (Organization)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657 , vital:29125
- Description: This study examines the nature of the United States intervention in Somalia, specifically the use of drone strikes that first targeted the militant Sunni Islamist transnational group, al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, and now target the Somali organisation, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin, commonly known as al-Shabaab. The use of drone strikes in the US led war on terror has raised concerns about sovereignty as the extra-judicial killings are conducted without the consent of the concerned states. Furthermore, drone strikes also raise questions about the processes of liberal intervention as the US conducts them without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is argued in this study that what is understood to be the “golden era” of liberal interventionism is a legacy of the post-Cold War unipolar dominance of the United States in global governance and security. It is argued that US unipolarity was accompanied by a shifting perception regarding the security position of weak states, whose weakness becomes understood as a source of global insecurity. This perception that so called “weak” and “fragile” states are sources of threats is a departure in International Relations theory, because the discipline is historically preoccupied with studying the actions of powerful states and their consequence for the global order. It is argued that the discourse on the war on terror, and its focus on “failed states” as breeding grounds for alleged terrorists, represents the height of the repositioning of less powerful states from a peripheral status in IR analysis and practice, to their current position that are now being represented as core sources of threat to international peace and security. Through life history interviews with Somali nationals in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, South Africa, the study examines the consequences of US actions from the eyes of Somali people. The findings of this study show that despite all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the war on terror, the manner in which it is conducted, as well as the tactics that it employs, the majority of Somali participants showed an overwhelming support for the US intervention. Participants expressed support for the US extra-judicial killings because they are understood to undermine al-Shabaab strength which is a major source of insecurity. The study also shows that the lack of necessary collaboration between the US intelligence and the Somali ground forces has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths, which participants fear can be used by al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalise more Somalis. The study also shows that most Somalis resent the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia because Kenya and Ethiopia are seen as 10 pursuing national interests that are not invested in Somali peace and stability. The study concludes that US extra-judicial killings have failed to constrain the actions of al-Shabaab. Somalis expressed that the leadership of current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, holds the unique possibilities of creating national unity that rises above clan divisions and the radical Jihadist ideology of al-Shabaab.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Hidden presences in the spirituality of the amaXhosa of the Eastern Cape and the impact of Christianity on them
- Authors: Mtuze, P T
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Spirituality -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Missions -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Missionaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Christianity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- History , Christianity and culture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTh
- Identifier: vital:1296 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015612
- Description: This thesis is an attempt to reopen the debate on the whole question of inculturation in Southern Africa especially in light of the fact that we are now in a multi-lingual and multi-religious state. It is an attempt to rehighlight the plight of the spirituality of the amaXhosa people over the last century when missionary and imperial onslaught relegated it to the doldrums. This plunged the amaXhosa in a crisis that has left them directionless, to put it mildly. This is said because the total onslaught destroyed their self-respect and their identity and begs the question as to whether their acceptability to God was contingent on renouncing their culture especially the hidden presences - Qamata, the living-dead and the notion of evil spirits. It is precisely because of these misconceptions regarding African culture and spirituality that the thesis has a strong expository and apologetic bias primarily aimed to address, and put into proper perspective, the significance of the Supreme Being, the living-dead and the evil spirits in African culture. The issues are discussed within the broader socio-historical context. The thesis is basically comparative in that it uses Celtic spirituality and the approach of the early Celtic church to the question of inculturation as its point of departure and as a foil against which the preposterous actions of the church in Africa should be seen. This comparative element is also reflected in the unmistakable `dichotomy’ of Western religion and African spirituality, or better still, lack of spirituality, that was so fervently maintained by the missionaries and the colonialists alike. It is for this reason that I concur with Chidester (1996:xiv) that `the study of religion must find itself, once again, on the frontier’. The study is informed by this approach right through. It should be stressed, from the outset, that the idea is not comparison in order to satisfy our curiosity, nor is it comparison in order to try to authenticate and vindicate the beleaguered African culture. The central idea of the study is to expose the absurdity of the policies of the past century in this regard. The myth of the pure blooded Christianity is confronted, if not exploded. Several examples of both inculturation and continuities between Christianity and other faiths such as the Jewish founding faith are given. The subtheme of cultural domination subtly spans the whole study culminating in Chapter Four where the blacks begin to appropriate some of the Christian symbols and the whites also begin to assimilate African concepts such as ubuntu.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Mtuze, P T
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Spirituality -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Xhosa (African people) -- Religion , Missions -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Missionaries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Christianity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- History , Christianity and culture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTh
- Identifier: vital:1296 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015612
- Description: This thesis is an attempt to reopen the debate on the whole question of inculturation in Southern Africa especially in light of the fact that we are now in a multi-lingual and multi-religious state. It is an attempt to rehighlight the plight of the spirituality of the amaXhosa people over the last century when missionary and imperial onslaught relegated it to the doldrums. This plunged the amaXhosa in a crisis that has left them directionless, to put it mildly. This is said because the total onslaught destroyed their self-respect and their identity and begs the question as to whether their acceptability to God was contingent on renouncing their culture especially the hidden presences - Qamata, the living-dead and the notion of evil spirits. It is precisely because of these misconceptions regarding African culture and spirituality that the thesis has a strong expository and apologetic bias primarily aimed to address, and put into proper perspective, the significance of the Supreme Being, the living-dead and the evil spirits in African culture. The issues are discussed within the broader socio-historical context. The thesis is basically comparative in that it uses Celtic spirituality and the approach of the early Celtic church to the question of inculturation as its point of departure and as a foil against which the preposterous actions of the church in Africa should be seen. This comparative element is also reflected in the unmistakable `dichotomy’ of Western religion and African spirituality, or better still, lack of spirituality, that was so fervently maintained by the missionaries and the colonialists alike. It is for this reason that I concur with Chidester (1996:xiv) that `the study of religion must find itself, once again, on the frontier’. The study is informed by this approach right through. It should be stressed, from the outset, that the idea is not comparison in order to satisfy our curiosity, nor is it comparison in order to try to authenticate and vindicate the beleaguered African culture. The central idea of the study is to expose the absurdity of the policies of the past century in this regard. The myth of the pure blooded Christianity is confronted, if not exploded. Several examples of both inculturation and continuities between Christianity and other faiths such as the Jewish founding faith are given. The subtheme of cultural domination subtly spans the whole study culminating in Chapter Four where the blacks begin to appropriate some of the Christian symbols and the whites also begin to assimilate African concepts such as ubuntu.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
A survey of organizational culture and organizational performance in a manufacturing company
- Authors: Dom, Veliswa Virginia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Factories -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Analysis of variance , Shift systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employees -- Rating of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Competing Values Framework (CVF)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61861 , vital:28069
- Description: The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between organizational culture and organizational performance in a manufacturing company. This company supplies metal products to the motor vehicle manufacturing industry, where the quality and quantity of parts produced is of paramount importance, since the buyers of these products are quality conscious. The organization has three production shifts that rotate each week. Anecdotal observations are that irrespective of the time that a shift operates over the course of the month, the different shifts tend to perform at different levels in terms of quality and quantity of output. This study therefore sought to investigate if these differences between shifts are statistically significant, and if so, whether these shifts also have differences in organizational culture. Components of organizational culture include values, norms, beliefs, attitudes, principles and expectations that give the organization a unique personality and differentiate it from other organizations. While the literature indicates that qualitative or quantitative approaches can be used in organizational culture research, this research adopted the quantitative approach, making use of the Competing Values Framework (CVF). The CVF is a four-category organizational culture typology established by Cameron and Quinn (2006). The framework is based on two dimensions: stability or flexibility of the organization, and external or internal focus. In this research, the CVF was used as a measurement tool to evaluate organizational culture. In order to determine differences in organizational culture between shifts, a survey was undertaken (N=138) which measured employee perceptions pertaining to the existing organizational culture of each of the three production shifts at the company. Secondly, differences in performance between the shifts were examined by using the performance data for a three-month period for each shift in terms of quantity and quality. This data was obtained from the management of the production process at the company. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA to analyse the differences between the shifts. The findings indicated that the dominant existing organizational culture at the company under investigation is a clan culture. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant difference between the cultures of all the three shifts at the manufacturing company. The results also indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the quantity and quality of production between the three shifts. In conclusion, the research indicated there are differences in culture and in performance, but given the nature of the data, it was not possible to statistically analyse the relationship between shift culture and performance. However, it is conceivable that cultural differences between shifts may be contributing to performance differences. With regards to further research, it is recommended that this research be extended to other branches of the manufacturing company in other regions, in order to determine whether there are any significant differences in culture and performance between these branches and their shifts. Research could also be extended to other South African organizations to create a sufficiently large sample of shift and/or business units, so as to be able to do statistical analysis of the relationship between culture and performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Dom, Veliswa Virginia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Factories -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Analysis of variance , Shift systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employees -- Rating of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Competing Values Framework (CVF)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61861 , vital:28069
- Description: The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between organizational culture and organizational performance in a manufacturing company. This company supplies metal products to the motor vehicle manufacturing industry, where the quality and quantity of parts produced is of paramount importance, since the buyers of these products are quality conscious. The organization has three production shifts that rotate each week. Anecdotal observations are that irrespective of the time that a shift operates over the course of the month, the different shifts tend to perform at different levels in terms of quality and quantity of output. This study therefore sought to investigate if these differences between shifts are statistically significant, and if so, whether these shifts also have differences in organizational culture. Components of organizational culture include values, norms, beliefs, attitudes, principles and expectations that give the organization a unique personality and differentiate it from other organizations. While the literature indicates that qualitative or quantitative approaches can be used in organizational culture research, this research adopted the quantitative approach, making use of the Competing Values Framework (CVF). The CVF is a four-category organizational culture typology established by Cameron and Quinn (2006). The framework is based on two dimensions: stability or flexibility of the organization, and external or internal focus. In this research, the CVF was used as a measurement tool to evaluate organizational culture. In order to determine differences in organizational culture between shifts, a survey was undertaken (N=138) which measured employee perceptions pertaining to the existing organizational culture of each of the three production shifts at the company. Secondly, differences in performance between the shifts were examined by using the performance data for a three-month period for each shift in terms of quantity and quality. This data was obtained from the management of the production process at the company. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA to analyse the differences between the shifts. The findings indicated that the dominant existing organizational culture at the company under investigation is a clan culture. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant difference between the cultures of all the three shifts at the manufacturing company. The results also indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the quantity and quality of production between the three shifts. In conclusion, the research indicated there are differences in culture and in performance, but given the nature of the data, it was not possible to statistically analyse the relationship between shift culture and performance. However, it is conceivable that cultural differences between shifts may be contributing to performance differences. With regards to further research, it is recommended that this research be extended to other branches of the manufacturing company in other regions, in order to determine whether there are any significant differences in culture and performance between these branches and their shifts. Research could also be extended to other South African organizations to create a sufficiently large sample of shift and/or business units, so as to be able to do statistical analysis of the relationship between culture and performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Competition and segmentation : an analysis of wage determination and labour adjustments in manufacturing industry
- Authors: McCartan, Patrick John
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Labour supply , Labour market , Competition , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:927 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001453
- Description: The thesis itself proceeds according to the following outline. Chapter One is concerned with the neoclassical theory of the labour market. Three particular models are surveyed all of which attempt to explain wage differentials and labour adjustments within a competitive equilibrium framework. The basic model of the labour market which rests upon the marginal productivity theory of labour demand, the utility-maximising approach to labour supply and the competitive theory of market equilibrium is dealt with first.This is followed by an outline of human capital theory which emphasises the crucial role played by education and training in determining individual earnings . Finally, attention is focused on disequilibrium wage models of adjustment which account for wage dispersion in terms of the amount and quality of information available to transactors in the labour market.(Introduction, p. 3-4)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: McCartan, Patrick John
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Labour supply , Labour market , Competition , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:927 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001453
- Description: The thesis itself proceeds according to the following outline. Chapter One is concerned with the neoclassical theory of the labour market. Three particular models are surveyed all of which attempt to explain wage differentials and labour adjustments within a competitive equilibrium framework. The basic model of the labour market which rests upon the marginal productivity theory of labour demand, the utility-maximising approach to labour supply and the competitive theory of market equilibrium is dealt with first.This is followed by an outline of human capital theory which emphasises the crucial role played by education and training in determining individual earnings . Finally, attention is focused on disequilibrium wage models of adjustment which account for wage dispersion in terms of the amount and quality of information available to transactors in the labour market.(Introduction, p. 3-4)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Small town South Africa: the historical geography of selected Eastern Cape towns and current development initiatives within them
- White, Richard Charles Crookes
- Authors: White, Richard Charles Crookes
- Date: 2004 , 2013-06-03
- Subjects: Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Population -- Statistics , Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:4805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003288 , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Population -- Statistics , Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Description: Small towns can be seen as the fundamental building blocks of tbe urban system. Through time, some of these towns have lost the primary reason for their existence. Some towns that have been declining or stagnating include old mining and industrial towns, such as Indwe in the Eastern Cape or Welkom in the Free State. Some towns have also changed the main focus of tbeir economy, for example, from that of mining to that of tourism, as in the case of Utrecht in Kwa-Zulu Natal (Nel, 2002). In light of the above, this thesis seeks to critically evaluate what has happened in selected small towns in the Eastern Cape. The research investigated a number of towns in the Eastern Cape, looking at the history and influence of colonisation, population dynamics, education levels, employment opportunities, migration and the influence of capitalism on the economic and social structure of the town, as well as tbe evolution of its economy. The research sample consisted of interviews witb local historians, community leaders, development agencies and individuals who were benefiting from tbe various development initiatives/project in the towns. These interviews, in conjunction with the literature identified, were conducted in the selected small towns, assessing whether development was succeeding and, in conclusion, identifying witb reference to the study sites, what was learnt. The research process generated a number of lessons that need to be taken into consideration when attempting social and economic upliftment in small towns. These include: the need for leadership, support from the local population and the need for financial assistance to support and uplift the community. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: White, Richard Charles Crookes
- Date: 2004 , 2013-06-03
- Subjects: Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Population -- Statistics , Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:4805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003288 , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Cities and towns -- South Africa -- Population -- Statistics , Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Description: Small towns can be seen as the fundamental building blocks of tbe urban system. Through time, some of these towns have lost the primary reason for their existence. Some towns that have been declining or stagnating include old mining and industrial towns, such as Indwe in the Eastern Cape or Welkom in the Free State. Some towns have also changed the main focus of tbeir economy, for example, from that of mining to that of tourism, as in the case of Utrecht in Kwa-Zulu Natal (Nel, 2002). In light of the above, this thesis seeks to critically evaluate what has happened in selected small towns in the Eastern Cape. The research investigated a number of towns in the Eastern Cape, looking at the history and influence of colonisation, population dynamics, education levels, employment opportunities, migration and the influence of capitalism on the economic and social structure of the town, as well as tbe evolution of its economy. The research sample consisted of interviews witb local historians, community leaders, development agencies and individuals who were benefiting from tbe various development initiatives/project in the towns. These interviews, in conjunction with the literature identified, were conducted in the selected small towns, assessing whether development was succeeding and, in conclusion, identifying witb reference to the study sites, what was learnt. The research process generated a number of lessons that need to be taken into consideration when attempting social and economic upliftment in small towns. These include: the need for leadership, support from the local population and the need for financial assistance to support and uplift the community. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
An investigation into the nature of grade 4 learners’ evolving mathematics learning dispositions: a case study of 3 learners participating in an after school mathematics club
- Authors: Hewana, Diliza Ronald
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Case studies , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Psychological aspects , After-school programs -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Students -- Attitudes -- Case studies , Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1983 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013140
- Description: Through a qualitative case study approach this research investigated the nature of three Grade 4 learners’ mathematical learning dispositions. It further explored how these dispositions evolve within the context of their participation in a weekly after school mathematics club over time. Of particular significance the research drew on the dispositional frameworks of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) and Carr & Claxton (2002) and pointed to ways in which these framework can be usefully brought together to provide a richer picture of learning dispositions. Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) framework of mathematical proficiency involves five interrelated strands of which productive disposition is the fifth strand and largely underresearched (Graven, 2012). This strand is defined as ‘the tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell, 2001, p. 131). Carr & Claxton (2002) similarly argue for the importance of learning dispositions and point to the importance of resilience, playfulness and resourcefulness as three key indicators. The research outlines findings of the three case study learners in terms of data obtained from a questionnaire and interview about students’ learning dispositions. The interview asked learners various questions including for example, complete the sentence ‘Maths is…’, describe an effective learner of mathematics and say what you do if you don’t know an answer. The instrument was first administered orally and learners were asked to write their answers (in May 2012) and a year later it was administered as an interview by the club facilitator (in May 2013). While there is the limitation of comparison due to the different ways in which learners responded in 2012 (written) and 2013 (oral) the shifting nature of responses in certain respects provides some indication of shifts towards increasingly productive dispositions. Additionally the research analysed detailed transcripts of video recordings of several club sessions over a five-month period. Findings suggest ways of extending dispositional frameworks and that learners have restricted dispositions particularly in terms of sense making and resourcefulness across time. The findings also suggest shifts in dispositions over time especially in terms of seeing steady effort as paying off.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Hewana, Diliza Ronald
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Case studies , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Psychological aspects , After-school programs -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Students -- Attitudes -- Case studies , Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1983 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013140
- Description: Through a qualitative case study approach this research investigated the nature of three Grade 4 learners’ mathematical learning dispositions. It further explored how these dispositions evolve within the context of their participation in a weekly after school mathematics club over time. Of particular significance the research drew on the dispositional frameworks of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) and Carr & Claxton (2002) and pointed to ways in which these framework can be usefully brought together to provide a richer picture of learning dispositions. Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) framework of mathematical proficiency involves five interrelated strands of which productive disposition is the fifth strand and largely underresearched (Graven, 2012). This strand is defined as ‘the tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell, 2001, p. 131). Carr & Claxton (2002) similarly argue for the importance of learning dispositions and point to the importance of resilience, playfulness and resourcefulness as three key indicators. The research outlines findings of the three case study learners in terms of data obtained from a questionnaire and interview about students’ learning dispositions. The interview asked learners various questions including for example, complete the sentence ‘Maths is…’, describe an effective learner of mathematics and say what you do if you don’t know an answer. The instrument was first administered orally and learners were asked to write their answers (in May 2012) and a year later it was administered as an interview by the club facilitator (in May 2013). While there is the limitation of comparison due to the different ways in which learners responded in 2012 (written) and 2013 (oral) the shifting nature of responses in certain respects provides some indication of shifts towards increasingly productive dispositions. Additionally the research analysed detailed transcripts of video recordings of several club sessions over a five-month period. Findings suggest ways of extending dispositional frameworks and that learners have restricted dispositions particularly in terms of sense making and resourcefulness across time. The findings also suggest shifts in dispositions over time especially in terms of seeing steady effort as paying off.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The evaluation of environmental reporting by publicly listed South African banks
- Authors: Oduro-Kwateng, George
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Environmental reporting -- South Africa Banks and banking -- South Africa Social responsibility in banking -- South Africa Social responsibility of business -- South Africa Environmental protection -- South Africa Environmental economics -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa -- Environmental aspects Environmental management -- South Africa Climatic changes -- South Africa Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies Global Reporting Initiative Standard Bank Limited Nedbank ABSA Bank
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:740 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003860
- Description: Recently, bankers have come to realise that banking operations, especially corporate lending, affect and are affected by the natural environment and that consequently, the banks might have an important role to play in helping to raise environmental standards. Although the environment presents significant risks to banks, in particular environmental credit risk, it also perhaps presents profitable opportunities. Stricter environmental regulations have forced companies to invest in environmentally friendly technologies and pollution control measures and in tum generated lending opportunities for bankers. This research examines the corporate practices of three of the four dominant banks in South Africa with respect to the environment, focusing on issues of climate change and environmental risk management by way of reporting and disclosure to all stakeholders. The emphasis on environmental reporting by South African banks has been reinforced by the latest release of the King III Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa. Global governance requires that the triple-bottom line should be applied in all corporate undertakings due to globalisation and trade liberalisation; however, the banking sector has responded poorly to the clarion call. The false view that the banks have no significant relationship with environmental degradation is being disproved. Environmental management is a huge and massive reconstruction of what has gone wrong with nature by human influence. The South African banks have had to face with the challenging tasks of reporting on the direct and mostly the indirect impacts of their environmental activities. Based on the three sampled banks which incidentally had greater percentages of the market capitalizations, the banks have fairly performed in environmental reporting. For example, Standard Bank (SA) Ltd has just signed the Equator Principles in 2007 implying corporate lending was done in 2007 without any respect to environmental impact assessments by corporate borrowers. Consequently, environmental reporting was not done to facilitate informed decision-making by stakeholders mostly shareholders and the communities where borrowers tun businesses. The objective of this research study is to investigate the extent and quantity of/voluntary environmental disclosures in the annual and sustainability reports of the banks listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The periods examined were those subsequent to the release of the Exposure Draft Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) issued in 1999. Using content analysis to focus on the environmental aspects, the research study compared three annual reports and three sustainability reports of 2007 year for the three sampled banks in order to evaluate reporting practices in the period surrounding this intervention. The results suggest a trend to triple bottom-line reporting and the extent and quantity of environmental information, albeit in specific categories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Oduro-Kwateng, George
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Environmental reporting -- South Africa Banks and banking -- South Africa Social responsibility in banking -- South Africa Social responsibility of business -- South Africa Environmental protection -- South Africa Environmental economics -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa -- Environmental aspects Environmental management -- South Africa Climatic changes -- South Africa Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies Global Reporting Initiative Standard Bank Limited Nedbank ABSA Bank
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:740 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003860
- Description: Recently, bankers have come to realise that banking operations, especially corporate lending, affect and are affected by the natural environment and that consequently, the banks might have an important role to play in helping to raise environmental standards. Although the environment presents significant risks to banks, in particular environmental credit risk, it also perhaps presents profitable opportunities. Stricter environmental regulations have forced companies to invest in environmentally friendly technologies and pollution control measures and in tum generated lending opportunities for bankers. This research examines the corporate practices of three of the four dominant banks in South Africa with respect to the environment, focusing on issues of climate change and environmental risk management by way of reporting and disclosure to all stakeholders. The emphasis on environmental reporting by South African banks has been reinforced by the latest release of the King III Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa. Global governance requires that the triple-bottom line should be applied in all corporate undertakings due to globalisation and trade liberalisation; however, the banking sector has responded poorly to the clarion call. The false view that the banks have no significant relationship with environmental degradation is being disproved. Environmental management is a huge and massive reconstruction of what has gone wrong with nature by human influence. The South African banks have had to face with the challenging tasks of reporting on the direct and mostly the indirect impacts of their environmental activities. Based on the three sampled banks which incidentally had greater percentages of the market capitalizations, the banks have fairly performed in environmental reporting. For example, Standard Bank (SA) Ltd has just signed the Equator Principles in 2007 implying corporate lending was done in 2007 without any respect to environmental impact assessments by corporate borrowers. Consequently, environmental reporting was not done to facilitate informed decision-making by stakeholders mostly shareholders and the communities where borrowers tun businesses. The objective of this research study is to investigate the extent and quantity of/voluntary environmental disclosures in the annual and sustainability reports of the banks listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The periods examined were those subsequent to the release of the Exposure Draft Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) issued in 1999. Using content analysis to focus on the environmental aspects, the research study compared three annual reports and three sustainability reports of 2007 year for the three sampled banks in order to evaluate reporting practices in the period surrounding this intervention. The results suggest a trend to triple bottom-line reporting and the extent and quantity of environmental information, albeit in specific categories.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Progestin receptor heterogeneity in a breast cancer cell line
- Authors: Levy, Anita Rochelle
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Breast -- Cancer , Hormone receptors , Cancer cells -- Growth -- Regulation , Progesterone -- Receptors , Cellular control mechanisms
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4039 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004100 , Breast -- Cancer , Hormone receptors , Cancer cells -- Growth -- Regulation , Progesterone -- Receptors , Cellular control mechanisms
- Description: Anti-oestrogens act via the oestrogen receptor whether they compete with the hormone for binding to the receptor and therefore interfere with DNA binding or inhibit transcriptional activity. These receptors exist as a large 85 complex and/or a small 45 form on sucrose density gradients. High performance ion-exchange chromatography has confirmed that the oestrogen and progestin complex is present in various isoforms. Progestin receptor heterogeneity could be influenced by the presence of oestrogens and anti-oestrogens in the culture media of hormone-dependent neoplastic cells. Cell culture methods offer the opportunity to test effects of specified components in repeated experiments on a homogeneous population of cells. MCF-7 and T47-D human breast cancer cell lines were conditioned to grow in a serum-free environment. There was no difference in cell proliferation rates, nor in their oestrogen or progestin receptor levels when compared to the same cells grown in conventional media. Receptors were present mainly in the large molecular 85 form. Both the MCF-7 and T47-D breast cancer cells showed an increase in proliferation rate with the addition of oestrogen or diethylstilbestrol. There was a corresponding loss of progestin receptor levels and an alteration in the high performance ion-exchange isoforms. Flow cytometry confirmed differences in the S-phase components of the cells following exposure to oestrogens. The proliferation rates of the cell lines as well as their progestin receptor levels decreased when treated with tamoxifen or the hydroxylated tamoxifen. There were marked changes on high performance ion-exchange chromatography profiles. DNA ploidy and S-phase showed signs of toxicity and there was an increase in cellular debris. The MCF-7 and T47-D human breast cancer cell line retained response to antioestrogen saturation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
- Authors: Levy, Anita Rochelle
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Breast -- Cancer , Hormone receptors , Cancer cells -- Growth -- Regulation , Progesterone -- Receptors , Cellular control mechanisms
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4039 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004100 , Breast -- Cancer , Hormone receptors , Cancer cells -- Growth -- Regulation , Progesterone -- Receptors , Cellular control mechanisms
- Description: Anti-oestrogens act via the oestrogen receptor whether they compete with the hormone for binding to the receptor and therefore interfere with DNA binding or inhibit transcriptional activity. These receptors exist as a large 85 complex and/or a small 45 form on sucrose density gradients. High performance ion-exchange chromatography has confirmed that the oestrogen and progestin complex is present in various isoforms. Progestin receptor heterogeneity could be influenced by the presence of oestrogens and anti-oestrogens in the culture media of hormone-dependent neoplastic cells. Cell culture methods offer the opportunity to test effects of specified components in repeated experiments on a homogeneous population of cells. MCF-7 and T47-D human breast cancer cell lines were conditioned to grow in a serum-free environment. There was no difference in cell proliferation rates, nor in their oestrogen or progestin receptor levels when compared to the same cells grown in conventional media. Receptors were present mainly in the large molecular 85 form. Both the MCF-7 and T47-D breast cancer cells showed an increase in proliferation rate with the addition of oestrogen or diethylstilbestrol. There was a corresponding loss of progestin receptor levels and an alteration in the high performance ion-exchange isoforms. Flow cytometry confirmed differences in the S-phase components of the cells following exposure to oestrogens. The proliferation rates of the cell lines as well as their progestin receptor levels decreased when treated with tamoxifen or the hydroxylated tamoxifen. There were marked changes on high performance ion-exchange chromatography profiles. DNA ploidy and S-phase showed signs of toxicity and there was an increase in cellular debris. The MCF-7 and T47-D human breast cancer cell line retained response to antioestrogen saturation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
The use of tax incentive measure in conjunction with carbon taxes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve economic growth: a comparative study with lessons for South Africa
- Authors: Poole, Richard
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Elasticity (Economics) , Substitution (Economics) , Carbon taxes , Carbon taxes -- South Africa , Greenhouse gas mitigation , Greenhouse gas mitigation--South Africa , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- (1992). Protocols, etc. -- 1997 Dec. 11 , Kyoto Protocol , Substitution elasticity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:875 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001607 , Elasticity (Economics) , Substitution (Economics) , Carbon taxes , Carbon taxes -- South Africa , Greenhouse gas mitigation , Greenhouse gas mitigation--South Africa , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- (1992). Protocols, etc. -- 1997 Dec. 11
- Description: In 1997 industrialized nations, the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, met in Kyoto, Japan to sign a treaty (the “Kyoto Protocol”) in terms of which industrialized nations would be required to reduce their greenhouse gas emission by at least five percent below 1990 levels by the end of the “first commitment period” 2008-2012. South Africa is not regarded as an industrialized nation, but nonetheless acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. The literature reviewed in the present research reveals that, although idealistic, the Kyoto Protocol has been problematic. Fourteen meetings of the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol between 1997 and 2011 have achieved little more than to repeatedly defer and redefine Kyoto obligations. This research was undertaken to document the existing environmental taxation policies employed in selected international jurisdictions with a view to providing a framework for environmental tax policy formation in South Africa to assist this country in meeting its “greenhouse gas” emission targets, while at the same time promoting economic growth. A doctrinal research methodology was adopted in this study as it mainly analysed and interpreted legislation and policy documents and therefore the approach was qualitative in nature. An extensive literature survey was performed to document the various environmental policies that have been legislated in the selected jurisdictions. Comparisons were drawn with proposed tax policy measures for South Africa. The literature indicates that in the selected international jurisdictions carbon taxes achieved less-than-optimal results, largely due to political and industry-competitive agendas. With South Africa planning to introduce a carbon tax, it is submitted that the implementation of a carbon tax regime in isolation will be counter-productive, given South Africa’s economic profile. On the basis of the literature reviewed, it was concluded that South Africa should consider “recycling” carbon tax revenues within the economy to fund a broad-based tax incentive regime that will stimulate the change to non-carbon energy whilst promoting growth through sustainable development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Poole, Richard
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Elasticity (Economics) , Substitution (Economics) , Carbon taxes , Carbon taxes -- South Africa , Greenhouse gas mitigation , Greenhouse gas mitigation--South Africa , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- (1992). Protocols, etc. -- 1997 Dec. 11 , Kyoto Protocol , Substitution elasticity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:875 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001607 , Elasticity (Economics) , Substitution (Economics) , Carbon taxes , Carbon taxes -- South Africa , Greenhouse gas mitigation , Greenhouse gas mitigation--South Africa , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- (1992). Protocols, etc. -- 1997 Dec. 11
- Description: In 1997 industrialized nations, the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, met in Kyoto, Japan to sign a treaty (the “Kyoto Protocol”) in terms of which industrialized nations would be required to reduce their greenhouse gas emission by at least five percent below 1990 levels by the end of the “first commitment period” 2008-2012. South Africa is not regarded as an industrialized nation, but nonetheless acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. The literature reviewed in the present research reveals that, although idealistic, the Kyoto Protocol has been problematic. Fourteen meetings of the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol between 1997 and 2011 have achieved little more than to repeatedly defer and redefine Kyoto obligations. This research was undertaken to document the existing environmental taxation policies employed in selected international jurisdictions with a view to providing a framework for environmental tax policy formation in South Africa to assist this country in meeting its “greenhouse gas” emission targets, while at the same time promoting economic growth. A doctrinal research methodology was adopted in this study as it mainly analysed and interpreted legislation and policy documents and therefore the approach was qualitative in nature. An extensive literature survey was performed to document the various environmental policies that have been legislated in the selected jurisdictions. Comparisons were drawn with proposed tax policy measures for South Africa. The literature indicates that in the selected international jurisdictions carbon taxes achieved less-than-optimal results, largely due to political and industry-competitive agendas. With South Africa planning to introduce a carbon tax, it is submitted that the implementation of a carbon tax regime in isolation will be counter-productive, given South Africa’s economic profile. On the basis of the literature reviewed, it was concluded that South Africa should consider “recycling” carbon tax revenues within the economy to fund a broad-based tax incentive regime that will stimulate the change to non-carbon energy whilst promoting growth through sustainable development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
The critical natural capital of the Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa : harnessing local action for biodiversity conservation
- Authors: Hagen, Brett
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Natural resources -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Biodiversity conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Ecosystem services -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental protection -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental degradation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Restoration ecology -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4753 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007075 , Natural resources -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Biodiversity conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Ecosystem services -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental protection -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental degradation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Restoration ecology -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Description: Globally, ecosystems provide services of almost twice the value of global gross national product (Costanza et al., 2006). The Buffalo City Municipality (BCM), South Africa contains biodiversity of national and international importance (Pierce, 2003; Pierce et al., 2005). Despite this, the municipality continues to experience loss of both urban and rural biodiversity (Buffalo City Municipality, 2006a). This study sought to determine the status of biodiversity, and the potential for ecosystem services to contribute to conservation, within the BCM. Biodiversity features, including ecosystem type, species of special concern and biodiversity processes, were identified and mapped using a GIS to produce a biodiversity priority index for the BCM. Current transformation status was then mapped to determine the level of ecosystem degradation within the BCM. Priority biodiversity areas as well as individual biodiversity features were spatially overlain against current transformation status and protected areas and analysed using a GIS to determine the level of degradation and protection of BCM biodiversity. In total 3.5 % of total BCM biodiversity was protected. Of the 24 ecosystem types, 11 (45%) had less than 1% under protection, while 16 (67%) had less than five percent protected. Not restorable areas, thus completely lost to biodiversity conservation, comprised just less than a quarter of the total BCM area while un-impacted areas comprised just 12.3%. Twenty five ecosystem services were identified as being provided by intact natural ecosystems within the BCM. The natural capital providing these services was identified and mapped to produce an ecosystem service index (ESI) using a GIS. This ecosystem service index and the biodiversity priority index were overlain to determine their level of correlation. Overall ESI correlation with priority biodiversity was weak although several individual ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, showed correlation. Using the above data layers an implementation plan and conservation framework was proposed to assist the coordination of local conservation action within the BCM. It is concluded that ecosystem services are a potentially useful tool for conservationists at the local level seeking to ensure that biodiversity has relevance to and receives protection from broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Hagen, Brett
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Natural resources -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Biodiversity conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Ecosystem services -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental protection -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental degradation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Restoration ecology -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4753 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007075 , Natural resources -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Biodiversity conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Ecosystem services -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental protection -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Environmental degradation -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Restoration ecology -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Description: Globally, ecosystems provide services of almost twice the value of global gross national product (Costanza et al., 2006). The Buffalo City Municipality (BCM), South Africa contains biodiversity of national and international importance (Pierce, 2003; Pierce et al., 2005). Despite this, the municipality continues to experience loss of both urban and rural biodiversity (Buffalo City Municipality, 2006a). This study sought to determine the status of biodiversity, and the potential for ecosystem services to contribute to conservation, within the BCM. Biodiversity features, including ecosystem type, species of special concern and biodiversity processes, were identified and mapped using a GIS to produce a biodiversity priority index for the BCM. Current transformation status was then mapped to determine the level of ecosystem degradation within the BCM. Priority biodiversity areas as well as individual biodiversity features were spatially overlain against current transformation status and protected areas and analysed using a GIS to determine the level of degradation and protection of BCM biodiversity. In total 3.5 % of total BCM biodiversity was protected. Of the 24 ecosystem types, 11 (45%) had less than 1% under protection, while 16 (67%) had less than five percent protected. Not restorable areas, thus completely lost to biodiversity conservation, comprised just less than a quarter of the total BCM area while un-impacted areas comprised just 12.3%. Twenty five ecosystem services were identified as being provided by intact natural ecosystems within the BCM. The natural capital providing these services was identified and mapped to produce an ecosystem service index (ESI) using a GIS. This ecosystem service index and the biodiversity priority index were overlain to determine their level of correlation. Overall ESI correlation with priority biodiversity was weak although several individual ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, showed correlation. Using the above data layers an implementation plan and conservation framework was proposed to assist the coordination of local conservation action within the BCM. It is concluded that ecosystem services are a potentially useful tool for conservationists at the local level seeking to ensure that biodiversity has relevance to and receives protection from broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
NetwIOC: a framework for the automated generation of network-based IOCS for malware information sharing and defence
- Authors: Rudman, Lauren Lynne
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Malware (Computer software) , Computer networks Security measures , Computer security , Python (Computer program language)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60639 , vital:27809
- Description: With the substantial number of new malware variants found each day, it is useful to have an efficient way to retrieve Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) from the malware in a format suitable for sharing and detection. In the past, these indicators were manually created after inspection of binary samples and network traffic. The Cuckoo Sandbox, is an existing dynamic malware analysis system which meets the requirements for the proposed framework and was extended by adding a few custom modules. This research explored a way to automate the generation of detailed network-based IOCs in a popular format which can be used for sharing. This was done through careful filtering and analysis of the PCAP hie generated by the sandbox, and placing these values into the correct type of STIX objects using Python, Through several evaluations, analysis of what type of network traffic can be expected for the creation of IOCs was conducted, including a brief ease study that examined the effect of analysis time on the number of IOCs created. Using the automatically generated IOCs to create defence and detection mechanisms for the network was evaluated and proved successful, A proof of concept sharing platform developed for the STIX IOCs is showcased at the end of the research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Rudman, Lauren Lynne
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Malware (Computer software) , Computer networks Security measures , Computer security , Python (Computer program language)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60639 , vital:27809
- Description: With the substantial number of new malware variants found each day, it is useful to have an efficient way to retrieve Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) from the malware in a format suitable for sharing and detection. In the past, these indicators were manually created after inspection of binary samples and network traffic. The Cuckoo Sandbox, is an existing dynamic malware analysis system which meets the requirements for the proposed framework and was extended by adding a few custom modules. This research explored a way to automate the generation of detailed network-based IOCs in a popular format which can be used for sharing. This was done through careful filtering and analysis of the PCAP hie generated by the sandbox, and placing these values into the correct type of STIX objects using Python, Through several evaluations, analysis of what type of network traffic can be expected for the creation of IOCs was conducted, including a brief ease study that examined the effect of analysis time on the number of IOCs created. Using the automatically generated IOCs to create defence and detection mechanisms for the network was evaluated and proved successful, A proof of concept sharing platform developed for the STIX IOCs is showcased at the end of the research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
An investigation of the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8 : a case study using surface area and volume
- Authors: Chiphambo, Shakespear M E K
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Measurement -- Study and teaching -- Research Mathematics -- Education (Secondary) -- Study and teaching Teaching -- Aids and devices -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003540
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8. The study focuses on how the use of physical manipulatives promotes learners' mathematical proficiency in relation to the five strands of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001). The basis of the research is a case study in the interpretive paradigm involving 18 out of a cohort of 270 Grade 8 learners in the school where I teach. The data was collected using a range of methods including: (i) baseline assessment tasks, first piloted using 7 Grade 8 learners and then given to the target group; (ii) an intervention programme with intervention tasks; (iii) a post-intervention task; (iv) observations during the intervention; and (v) individual interviews. The results of the baseline assessment and the post-intervention tasks were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. My research findings indicate an overall improvement of the performance after learners engaged in using physical manipulatives. The average mark of the learners in the baseline assessment task was 23% and after the intervention programme the average mark was 31 %. The responses from the learners interviewed showed that they were motivated and that the use of physical manipulatives assisted them in understanding the concepts of measurement, in particular surface area and volume. The results of my study thus reveal that the use of physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics has a positive role to play in learners' understanding of surface area and volume at the Grade 8 level. The fmdings of this case study support other research regarding the importance of using physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics. They align with other findings that assert that manipulatives are essential mediating tools in the development of the conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematical concepts, clarifying and helping learners to visualize abstract mathematical concepts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Chiphambo, Shakespear M E K
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Measurement -- Study and teaching -- Research Mathematics -- Education (Secondary) -- Study and teaching Teaching -- Aids and devices -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003540
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of physical manipulatives in the teaching and learning of measurement in Grade 8. The study focuses on how the use of physical manipulatives promotes learners' mathematical proficiency in relation to the five strands of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001). The basis of the research is a case study in the interpretive paradigm involving 18 out of a cohort of 270 Grade 8 learners in the school where I teach. The data was collected using a range of methods including: (i) baseline assessment tasks, first piloted using 7 Grade 8 learners and then given to the target group; (ii) an intervention programme with intervention tasks; (iii) a post-intervention task; (iv) observations during the intervention; and (v) individual interviews. The results of the baseline assessment and the post-intervention tasks were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. My research findings indicate an overall improvement of the performance after learners engaged in using physical manipulatives. The average mark of the learners in the baseline assessment task was 23% and after the intervention programme the average mark was 31 %. The responses from the learners interviewed showed that they were motivated and that the use of physical manipulatives assisted them in understanding the concepts of measurement, in particular surface area and volume. The results of my study thus reveal that the use of physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics has a positive role to play in learners' understanding of surface area and volume at the Grade 8 level. The fmdings of this case study support other research regarding the importance of using physical manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics. They align with other findings that assert that manipulatives are essential mediating tools in the development of the conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematical concepts, clarifying and helping learners to visualize abstract mathematical concepts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
“The Hellenistic ruler cult and Ptolemy I’s quest for legitimacy”
- Authors: Ntuli, Sihle
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6097 , vital:21031
- Description: Alexander III died suddenly in Babylon in 323 BC. With Philip III Arrhidaeus in a mentally deficient state and Alexander IV not being of age, Alexander died without a suitable heir. The task of succeeding one of the most storied legacies in the ancient world was left to the generals of Alexander III. On his deathbed, Alexander was asked who should lead the Macedonians, of which he allegedly replied “the strongest”. Thus began the process of selecting the individual who would succeed Alexander the Great, which ended up becoming a contentious task due to Macedonian succession customs. Subsequently the ‘Successors’ quarrelled over who should succeed Alexander as the true successor. The wars of the Successors are founded on an issue of legitimacy that qualifies the notion of the strongest. Being deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great meant the opportunity to continue a period of Macedonian dominance following the reigns of Philip II and Alexander III. Alexander III is hailed as one of the most extraordinary individuals of the ancient world with his imperial campaigns being widely documented, political stability being pinpointed as one of the Macedonian strong points during the period of their dominance. The ruler cult is a point of reference for the explaining the relative political stability throughout the reign of Alexander the Great. The ruler cult can be understood as a sociopolitical construct that hybridized the notion of the ruler with that of a religious leader. The oriental influence of Alexander’s campaigns in Asia would inform the customs and practices of the divine ruler. The Macedonians’ ability to establish a presence in foreign territories made such a social construct a necessity in the task of centralizing of minds for political stability. Alexander’s rendition of the cult informed the formalized Ptolemaic ruler cult. The similarities and differences of the renditions help us to understand this political tool that Ptolemy I required in order to be deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great. The following will be an investigation into whether Ptolemy I is able to attain legitimacy, firstly as a successor to Alexander the Great, secondly as Pharaoh of Egypt.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ntuli, Sihle
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6097 , vital:21031
- Description: Alexander III died suddenly in Babylon in 323 BC. With Philip III Arrhidaeus in a mentally deficient state and Alexander IV not being of age, Alexander died without a suitable heir. The task of succeeding one of the most storied legacies in the ancient world was left to the generals of Alexander III. On his deathbed, Alexander was asked who should lead the Macedonians, of which he allegedly replied “the strongest”. Thus began the process of selecting the individual who would succeed Alexander the Great, which ended up becoming a contentious task due to Macedonian succession customs. Subsequently the ‘Successors’ quarrelled over who should succeed Alexander as the true successor. The wars of the Successors are founded on an issue of legitimacy that qualifies the notion of the strongest. Being deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great meant the opportunity to continue a period of Macedonian dominance following the reigns of Philip II and Alexander III. Alexander III is hailed as one of the most extraordinary individuals of the ancient world with his imperial campaigns being widely documented, political stability being pinpointed as one of the Macedonian strong points during the period of their dominance. The ruler cult is a point of reference for the explaining the relative political stability throughout the reign of Alexander the Great. The ruler cult can be understood as a sociopolitical construct that hybridized the notion of the ruler with that of a religious leader. The oriental influence of Alexander’s campaigns in Asia would inform the customs and practices of the divine ruler. The Macedonians’ ability to establish a presence in foreign territories made such a social construct a necessity in the task of centralizing of minds for political stability. Alexander’s rendition of the cult informed the formalized Ptolemaic ruler cult. The similarities and differences of the renditions help us to understand this political tool that Ptolemy I required in order to be deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great. The following will be an investigation into whether Ptolemy I is able to attain legitimacy, firstly as a successor to Alexander the Great, secondly as Pharaoh of Egypt.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The role of drinking fathers in later contradictions and choices in the lives of married women
- Authors: Meyer, Jennifer Anne
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Adult children of alcoholics -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002527 , Adult children of alcoholics -- Psychology
- Description: This qualitative, interpretive research sought to elicit explanations for certain contradictions and choices in the lives of four married women who were autonomous and assertive in their careers, yet non-assertive and compliant in their married lives. Such contradictions appeared both in their projected stories and semi-structured interviews. It had been expected that these projected stories would reveal autonomy and assertiveness, in line with the white, middle-class, feminist values of the subjects, but they had not. Explanations for these apparent contradictions were attributed to the effects of being children of alcoholic fathers. While the subjects' socialisation and vulnerability to family ideology provided certain explanations for the presence of such contradictions, an object relations account of the unconscious need to resurrect an ideal father and repair the generic family provided a more probable explanation,and accounted for their traditional gender role behaviour as ideal wives in spite of their non-traditional, feminist behaviour outside of marriage.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
- Authors: Meyer, Jennifer Anne
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Adult children of alcoholics -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3018 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002527 , Adult children of alcoholics -- Psychology
- Description: This qualitative, interpretive research sought to elicit explanations for certain contradictions and choices in the lives of four married women who were autonomous and assertive in their careers, yet non-assertive and compliant in their married lives. Such contradictions appeared both in their projected stories and semi-structured interviews. It had been expected that these projected stories would reveal autonomy and assertiveness, in line with the white, middle-class, feminist values of the subjects, but they had not. Explanations for these apparent contradictions were attributed to the effects of being children of alcoholic fathers. While the subjects' socialisation and vulnerability to family ideology provided certain explanations for the presence of such contradictions, an object relations account of the unconscious need to resurrect an ideal father and repair the generic family provided a more probable explanation,and accounted for their traditional gender role behaviour as ideal wives in spite of their non-traditional, feminist behaviour outside of marriage.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
A social and cultural history of Grahamstown, 1812 to c1845
- Authors: Marshall, Richard Graham
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Cities and towns -- Growth -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community development, Urban -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- Social aspects -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Social conditions -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Economic conditions -- 19th Century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002401
- Description: This thesis examines the development of Grahamstown from its inception in 1812 to the mid-1840s, paying particular attention to the social and cultural life of the town. It traces the economic development of the town from a military outpost to a thriving commercial settlement, noting the essential factor of the town's proximity to the Cape frontier in this process. The economic interaction between diverse groups in the town mirrors the social and cultural interaction which occurred between British settlers, Khoekhoe and Africans. The result of these interactions was the creation of a new, distinctively South African urban society and culture, despite the desire of the white settlers to reproduce a “typical” English environment in their new home. The conflict between attempts to anglicise the urban environment and the realities of Grahamstown's situation on a colonial frontier was reflected in the architecture and layout of the town. Attempts to recreate an English social environment also failed. New classes arose in the town in response to the economic opportunities available on the frontier. Although some settlers prospered, many did not, and the presence of an impoverished white working class undermines settler historians' picture of settler success and affluence. The poorest people in the town, though, were the increasing numbers of Khoekhoe and Africans who migrated from the surrounding countryside, and who were unequally incorporated into the urban community as a colonial labouring class. In response to these unique circumstances, white settlers in Grahamstown developed a powerful political and propaganda machine, which helped lay the foundations of a distinct settler identity in the eastern Cape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Marshall, Richard Graham
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Cities and towns -- Growth -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community development, Urban -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- History -- Social aspects -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Social conditions -- 19th Century Grahamstown (South Africa) -- Economic conditions -- 19th Century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2549 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002401
- Description: This thesis examines the development of Grahamstown from its inception in 1812 to the mid-1840s, paying particular attention to the social and cultural life of the town. It traces the economic development of the town from a military outpost to a thriving commercial settlement, noting the essential factor of the town's proximity to the Cape frontier in this process. The economic interaction between diverse groups in the town mirrors the social and cultural interaction which occurred between British settlers, Khoekhoe and Africans. The result of these interactions was the creation of a new, distinctively South African urban society and culture, despite the desire of the white settlers to reproduce a “typical” English environment in their new home. The conflict between attempts to anglicise the urban environment and the realities of Grahamstown's situation on a colonial frontier was reflected in the architecture and layout of the town. Attempts to recreate an English social environment also failed. New classes arose in the town in response to the economic opportunities available on the frontier. Although some settlers prospered, many did not, and the presence of an impoverished white working class undermines settler historians' picture of settler success and affluence. The poorest people in the town, though, were the increasing numbers of Khoekhoe and Africans who migrated from the surrounding countryside, and who were unequally incorporated into the urban community as a colonial labouring class. In response to these unique circumstances, white settlers in Grahamstown developed a powerful political and propaganda machine, which helped lay the foundations of a distinct settler identity in the eastern Cape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
An investigation into the relationship between adolescent parasuicide, depressive illness and associated risk factors
- Authors: Read, Gary Frank Hoyland
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Youth -- Suicidal behavior , Depression in adolescence
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3116 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004615 , Youth -- Suicidal behavior , Depression in adolescence
- Description: This study aimed at investigating the relationship between adolescent parasuicide, depressive illness and associated risk factors. Reports worldwide indicate that suicidal behaviour in this age group has risen 150% over the past 20 years, whilst the rate for suicide in adults and the elderly has remained the same (Deykin et al, 1985; Neiger & Hopkins, 1988; Sudak, Ford & Rushforth, 1984a). In South Africa statistics confirm similar trends with regard to attempted and completed suicide. Statistics reveal that a high local incidence of adolescent suicide attempters are seen at psychiatric units. One pilot study recorded 187 adolescent suicide attempters during a three month period. This study was based on the hypothesis that the incidence of depressive illness in adolescent suicide attempters is higher than is generally accepted and that this condition often goes unrecognised and is misdiagnosed because it manifests differently with acting out behaviour and "masked" symptomatology. A random sample of suicide attempters between the ages of 13 - 25 who presented at C23 (psychiatric emergencies) Groote Schuur Hospital following a suicide attempt were assessed. 100 subjects were seen over a period of three months. The research procedure comprised a comprehensive assessment incorporating a semi-structured interview, self-report and objective rating scales for depression as well as instruments designed to assess the general health of each subject and their level of suicide intent. The depressive inventories used have been validated for use in this age group and were designed to elicit the associated features of adolescent depression. If warranted, a clinical diagnoses was given based on DSM 1V criteria. This diagnosis was substantiated by information from the research instruments which formed part of the assessment process. A high incidence of clinical disorders was diagnosed in the sample (86%). Depressive illness was found to be a significant risk factor for suicidal behaviour with 68% of the subjects suffering from an affective disorder and 21% reporting depressive symptoms. This study shows that the correlation between parasuicide and depressive illness is high enough to suggest that all suicidal behaviour in this age group should be taken seriously as parasuicide in itself is often a reliable indicator of an underlying depressive condition. Additional risk factors for adolescent parasuicide identified in this study correlated well with the findings of similar research studies. Psychiatric co-morbidity, especially substance use (42%) and cluster B personality factors (54%), were high and served to increase an individual's vulnerability to suicide risk. Psychosocial factors such as sexual abuse (28%) and physical abuse (37%) were also identified as high risk factors for adolescent suicidal behaviour. Individuals at risk for depression and suicidal behaviour typically came from broken homes which were disrupted and unsupportive. Family members were frequently abusing alcohol and 67% of the subjects reported the presence of psychiatric illness in the family. The preferred method of suicide attempt was an overdose (90%). These attempts were generally unplanned and impulsive with no disclosure prior to the event. Intent was usually high at the time of the act. It is only through identifying the risk factors specific to the developmental concerns of this age group and acknowledging the role of depressive illness in adolescent suicidal behaviour that effective preventative measures can be devised.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Read, Gary Frank Hoyland
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Youth -- Suicidal behavior , Depression in adolescence
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3116 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004615 , Youth -- Suicidal behavior , Depression in adolescence
- Description: This study aimed at investigating the relationship between adolescent parasuicide, depressive illness and associated risk factors. Reports worldwide indicate that suicidal behaviour in this age group has risen 150% over the past 20 years, whilst the rate for suicide in adults and the elderly has remained the same (Deykin et al, 1985; Neiger & Hopkins, 1988; Sudak, Ford & Rushforth, 1984a). In South Africa statistics confirm similar trends with regard to attempted and completed suicide. Statistics reveal that a high local incidence of adolescent suicide attempters are seen at psychiatric units. One pilot study recorded 187 adolescent suicide attempters during a three month period. This study was based on the hypothesis that the incidence of depressive illness in adolescent suicide attempters is higher than is generally accepted and that this condition often goes unrecognised and is misdiagnosed because it manifests differently with acting out behaviour and "masked" symptomatology. A random sample of suicide attempters between the ages of 13 - 25 who presented at C23 (psychiatric emergencies) Groote Schuur Hospital following a suicide attempt were assessed. 100 subjects were seen over a period of three months. The research procedure comprised a comprehensive assessment incorporating a semi-structured interview, self-report and objective rating scales for depression as well as instruments designed to assess the general health of each subject and their level of suicide intent. The depressive inventories used have been validated for use in this age group and were designed to elicit the associated features of adolescent depression. If warranted, a clinical diagnoses was given based on DSM 1V criteria. This diagnosis was substantiated by information from the research instruments which formed part of the assessment process. A high incidence of clinical disorders was diagnosed in the sample (86%). Depressive illness was found to be a significant risk factor for suicidal behaviour with 68% of the subjects suffering from an affective disorder and 21% reporting depressive symptoms. This study shows that the correlation between parasuicide and depressive illness is high enough to suggest that all suicidal behaviour in this age group should be taken seriously as parasuicide in itself is often a reliable indicator of an underlying depressive condition. Additional risk factors for adolescent parasuicide identified in this study correlated well with the findings of similar research studies. Psychiatric co-morbidity, especially substance use (42%) and cluster B personality factors (54%), were high and served to increase an individual's vulnerability to suicide risk. Psychosocial factors such as sexual abuse (28%) and physical abuse (37%) were also identified as high risk factors for adolescent suicidal behaviour. Individuals at risk for depression and suicidal behaviour typically came from broken homes which were disrupted and unsupportive. Family members were frequently abusing alcohol and 67% of the subjects reported the presence of psychiatric illness in the family. The preferred method of suicide attempt was an overdose (90%). These attempts were generally unplanned and impulsive with no disclosure prior to the event. Intent was usually high at the time of the act. It is only through identifying the risk factors specific to the developmental concerns of this age group and acknowledging the role of depressive illness in adolescent suicidal behaviour that effective preventative measures can be devised.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996