A proposed prioritization system for the management of invasive alien plants in South Africa
- Robertson, Mark P, Villet, Martin H, Fairbanks, Dean H K, Henderson, L, Higgins, Simon I, Hoffmann, John H, Le Maitre, David C, Palmer, Anthony R, Riggs, I, Shackleton, Charlie M, Zimmermann, Helmuth G
- Authors: Robertson, Mark P , Villet, Martin H , Fairbanks, Dean H K , Henderson, L , Higgins, Simon I , Hoffmann, John H , Le Maitre, David C , Palmer, Anthony R , Riggs, I , Shackleton, Charlie M , Zimmermann, Helmuth G
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6911 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011872
- Description: Every country has weed species whose presence conflicts in some way with human management objectives and needs. Resources for research and control are limited, so priority should be given to species that are the biggest problem. The prioritization system described in this article was designed to assess objectively research and control priorities of invasive alien plants at a national scale in South Africa. The evaluation consists of seventeen criteria, grouped into five modules, that assess invasiveness, spatial characteristics, potential impact, potential for control, and conflicts of interest for each plant species under consideration. Total prioritization scores, calculated from criterion and module scores, were used to assess a species' priority. Prioritization scores were calculated by combining independent assessments provided by several experts, thus increasing the reliability of the rankings. The total confidence score, a separate index, indicates the reliability and availability of data used to make an assessment. Candidate species for evaluation were identified and assessed by several experts using the prioritization system. The final ranking was made by combining two separate indices, the total prioritization score and the total confidence score. This approach integrates the plant's perceived priority with an index of data reliability. Of the 61 species assessed, those with the highest ranks (Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata and Opuntia ficus-indica) had high prioritization and high confidence scores, and are thus of most concern. Those species with the lowest ranks, for example, Harrisia martinii, Opuntia spinulifera and Opuntia exaltata, had low prioritization scores and high confidence scores, and thus are of least concern. Our approach to ranking weeds offers several advantages over existing systems because it is designed for multiple assessors based on the Delphi decision-making technique, the criteria contribute equally to the total score, and the system can accommodate incomplete data on a species. Although the choice of criteria may be criticized and the system has certain limitations, it appears to have delivered credible results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Robertson, Mark P , Villet, Martin H , Fairbanks, Dean H K , Henderson, L , Higgins, Simon I , Hoffmann, John H , Le Maitre, David C , Palmer, Anthony R , Riggs, I , Shackleton, Charlie M , Zimmermann, Helmuth G
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6911 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011872
- Description: Every country has weed species whose presence conflicts in some way with human management objectives and needs. Resources for research and control are limited, so priority should be given to species that are the biggest problem. The prioritization system described in this article was designed to assess objectively research and control priorities of invasive alien plants at a national scale in South Africa. The evaluation consists of seventeen criteria, grouped into five modules, that assess invasiveness, spatial characteristics, potential impact, potential for control, and conflicts of interest for each plant species under consideration. Total prioritization scores, calculated from criterion and module scores, were used to assess a species' priority. Prioritization scores were calculated by combining independent assessments provided by several experts, thus increasing the reliability of the rankings. The total confidence score, a separate index, indicates the reliability and availability of data used to make an assessment. Candidate species for evaluation were identified and assessed by several experts using the prioritization system. The final ranking was made by combining two separate indices, the total prioritization score and the total confidence score. This approach integrates the plant's perceived priority with an index of data reliability. Of the 61 species assessed, those with the highest ranks (Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata and Opuntia ficus-indica) had high prioritization and high confidence scores, and are thus of most concern. Those species with the lowest ranks, for example, Harrisia martinii, Opuntia spinulifera and Opuntia exaltata, had low prioritization scores and high confidence scores, and thus are of least concern. Our approach to ranking weeds offers several advantages over existing systems because it is designed for multiple assessors based on the Delphi decision-making technique, the criteria contribute equally to the total score, and the system can accommodate incomplete data on a species. Although the choice of criteria may be criticized and the system has certain limitations, it appears to have delivered credible results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A qualitative analysis of the need-satisfying experiences of the customers of a niche-restaurant
- Authors: Burger, John Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Consumer satisfaction , Diners restaurant -- Marketing , Customer loyalty
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech (Marketing)
- Identifier: vital:10767 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/260 , Consumer satisfaction , Diners restaurant -- Marketing , Customer loyalty
- Description: Tradition dictates that marketing decision-makers remain accurately aligned with the dynamic and vacillating need structures of the target markets they serve. To comply with this caveat, a time-honoured and largely unchallenged philosophy of customer orientation has been applied. Theory further strongly contends that if such a business stance is vigilantly and diligently applied, any firm is bound to gain a competitive edge in the market place. A weakness in the above marketing mindset is the perception that when a spectrum of business elements are orchestrated and focussed on customers, target audience members will automatically be satisfied and return their patronage. This so-called marketing concept has undergone major reevaluations over the past decades, and it is now becoming ever more prevalent to witness varied permutations of new marketing architecture evolving in literature and practice. The unit of analysis selected for this research study is a niche restaurant that flouts many of the rudimentary traditional rules of marketing and iconoclastically succeeds despite all counter-logic. What such organisations have been practicing, albeit unknown to themselves, is a new way of business - a stance that has only recently been taken seriously by academics, writers and marketing professionals. These intuitive marketers are succeeding in niche businesses, despite going against the tide of the ingrained paradigm mindsets of conventional marketing stalwarts. Such niche business people have discovered is that there is more to satisfying consumer needs than simply honing in and understanding what the basic needs of designated audiences are. A growing band of new age marketers have been challenging orthodox marketing philosophy. Tofler, the visionary futurist, alluded to a host of unarticulated psychic consumer needs that would emerge as society drifted into a clinical and dispassionate ‘new’ millennium. In a world geared to instant gratification, fast-paced living and mechanistic social interactions, jaded consumers seek recognition as individuals (Tofler, 1970). They quest for inclusion rather than exclusion. They need a place to feel safe and find solace. Hence, it is now clear that simply attempting to satisfy the fundamental dimensions of consumers’ needs is no longer sufficient. Consumers rather seek the fulfilment of an holistic band of experience dimensions. Increasingly, phrases such as “winning consumer hearts and minds” are entering the vocabulary of marketers on a regular basis. The present vogue is to isolate and then include a range of intangible elements that are embodied in the process of satisfying customers needs. However, despite a growing awareness of the significance of mental-need satisfiers, in the specific domain of this investigation there is sparse evidence in literature of the mechanics of such novel thinking. The study unit is a second generation restaurant where many of the hollowed cornerstones of conventional marketing are inadvertently flouted. Different sets of rules of engagement seem to apply to their customers, who are also their most ardent advocates. A unique philosophy and business ethos also appears to prevail. In the study, the idiosyncratic characteristics which socially and competitively differentiate such a business were identified, explored and expiated. The constituents were then harmonised in an effort to establish what ‘it’ was that magnetically attracted patrons back despite the owner’s unintentional dismissive predisposition towards fundamental theory. As a result of this in-depth qualitative study, an holistic model encompassing all of the dimensions of a dining out experience at a niche restaurant have been proposed. Consequently the pillars upon which a sustained, enduring, loyal staunch customer base can be bed-rocked have been identified. Further, for the study unit, a typology of its diner corpse has been developed. The owners of the establishment under investigation have succeeded to provide an intimate family haven for their patrons. They, and their diners have collectively given strong, descriptive voice to the psychogenic need satisfying elements that have always existed, but to date have been unarticulated and unrecorded. This thesis brings the milieu of the iconoclast niche restaurant marketing practitioner to life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Burger, John Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Consumer satisfaction , Diners restaurant -- Marketing , Customer loyalty
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech (Marketing)
- Identifier: vital:10767 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/260 , Consumer satisfaction , Diners restaurant -- Marketing , Customer loyalty
- Description: Tradition dictates that marketing decision-makers remain accurately aligned with the dynamic and vacillating need structures of the target markets they serve. To comply with this caveat, a time-honoured and largely unchallenged philosophy of customer orientation has been applied. Theory further strongly contends that if such a business stance is vigilantly and diligently applied, any firm is bound to gain a competitive edge in the market place. A weakness in the above marketing mindset is the perception that when a spectrum of business elements are orchestrated and focussed on customers, target audience members will automatically be satisfied and return their patronage. This so-called marketing concept has undergone major reevaluations over the past decades, and it is now becoming ever more prevalent to witness varied permutations of new marketing architecture evolving in literature and practice. The unit of analysis selected for this research study is a niche restaurant that flouts many of the rudimentary traditional rules of marketing and iconoclastically succeeds despite all counter-logic. What such organisations have been practicing, albeit unknown to themselves, is a new way of business - a stance that has only recently been taken seriously by academics, writers and marketing professionals. These intuitive marketers are succeeding in niche businesses, despite going against the tide of the ingrained paradigm mindsets of conventional marketing stalwarts. Such niche business people have discovered is that there is more to satisfying consumer needs than simply honing in and understanding what the basic needs of designated audiences are. A growing band of new age marketers have been challenging orthodox marketing philosophy. Tofler, the visionary futurist, alluded to a host of unarticulated psychic consumer needs that would emerge as society drifted into a clinical and dispassionate ‘new’ millennium. In a world geared to instant gratification, fast-paced living and mechanistic social interactions, jaded consumers seek recognition as individuals (Tofler, 1970). They quest for inclusion rather than exclusion. They need a place to feel safe and find solace. Hence, it is now clear that simply attempting to satisfy the fundamental dimensions of consumers’ needs is no longer sufficient. Consumers rather seek the fulfilment of an holistic band of experience dimensions. Increasingly, phrases such as “winning consumer hearts and minds” are entering the vocabulary of marketers on a regular basis. The present vogue is to isolate and then include a range of intangible elements that are embodied in the process of satisfying customers needs. However, despite a growing awareness of the significance of mental-need satisfiers, in the specific domain of this investigation there is sparse evidence in literature of the mechanics of such novel thinking. The study unit is a second generation restaurant where many of the hollowed cornerstones of conventional marketing are inadvertently flouted. Different sets of rules of engagement seem to apply to their customers, who are also their most ardent advocates. A unique philosophy and business ethos also appears to prevail. In the study, the idiosyncratic characteristics which socially and competitively differentiate such a business were identified, explored and expiated. The constituents were then harmonised in an effort to establish what ‘it’ was that magnetically attracted patrons back despite the owner’s unintentional dismissive predisposition towards fundamental theory. As a result of this in-depth qualitative study, an holistic model encompassing all of the dimensions of a dining out experience at a niche restaurant have been proposed. Consequently the pillars upon which a sustained, enduring, loyal staunch customer base can be bed-rocked have been identified. Further, for the study unit, a typology of its diner corpse has been developed. The owners of the establishment under investigation have succeeded to provide an intimate family haven for their patrons. They, and their diners have collectively given strong, descriptive voice to the psychogenic need satisfying elements that have always existed, but to date have been unarticulated and unrecorded. This thesis brings the milieu of the iconoclast niche restaurant marketing practitioner to life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A review of the Kalahari group: an aid to Kimberlite exploration in this medium
- Authors: Williams, Clint
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-23
- Subjects: Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4916 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003216 , Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Description: The Kalahari Group sediments cover vast portions of the Archean Kaapvaal and Congo cratons that are considered highly prospective for economic kimberlites. In southern Africa, the term Kalahari refers to a structural basin, a group of Cretaceous to recent terrestrial continental sediments and an ill-defined desert, all of which have been grouped together as the Mega Kalahari by Thomas and Shaw (1993). The Mega Kalahari grouping includes sediments stretching from South Africa in the south to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the north, and from eastern Namibia to western Zimbabwe. This sand sea, at 2.5 million km², is the largest on earth and presents significant obstacles and challenges to the kimberlite explorationist attempting to locate bedrock-hosted diamondiferous kimberlite bodies. The Mega Kalahari sediments represent an ancient depositional environment with a complex history in which the stratigraphy and age of the deposits are not particularly well constrained or understood. Low fossil content, limited exposure, poor differentiation of the dominant surficial Kalahari Sand and a limited comprehension of an extensive duricrust suite has delayed the understanding of the sedimentological and environmental history of the basin. This sequence of sediments has accumulated and evolved through fluvio-deltaic, aeolian and groundwater processes, with characteristics due to primary deposition and subsequent modification being difficult to distinguish. Deposition in the Kalahari Basin has been subject to tectonic influences, changes in drainage directions and source areas of sediments, river capture and numerous large and small climatic fluctuations both in the basin and surrounding areas. It bears the imprint of recurring cycles during which the same sediments were reworked, sometimes by different agencies, all of which exacerbate attempts to correlate sedimentary units across the sequence. The Mega Kalahari is a series of contiguous Phanerozoic sedimentary basins situated within the African Superswell. The Superswell has dominated the gross geomorphology of southern Africa and contributed significantly to the present character of the Mega Kalahari and the evolution of the drainage systems. Overall, the tectonic framework established in southern Africa by the division of Gondwanaland led to the creation of a dual drainage system, with the hingeline acting as a watershed between a coastally-orientated exoreic system and an endoreic system draining into the interior. Deposition of sediments started in the late Cretaceous. Neo-tectonic activity expressed in the rifting in central Botswana, further influenced sedimentation rates and exerted a strong control over paleo-drainage directions. This revIew presents the complexities of the Kalahari cover sequence. The most Important geomorphological and sedimentary factors to be considered when designing and implementing kimberlite exploration programs within the Mega Kalahari environment are outlined and discussed. New data from exploration drilling programs are presented on the thickness of the Kalahari within portions of northern Namibia, western Zambia and Botswana. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Williams, Clint
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-23
- Subjects: Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4916 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003216 , Kimberlite -- Kalahari Desert , Sedimentation and deposition -- Kalahari Desert
- Description: The Kalahari Group sediments cover vast portions of the Archean Kaapvaal and Congo cratons that are considered highly prospective for economic kimberlites. In southern Africa, the term Kalahari refers to a structural basin, a group of Cretaceous to recent terrestrial continental sediments and an ill-defined desert, all of which have been grouped together as the Mega Kalahari by Thomas and Shaw (1993). The Mega Kalahari grouping includes sediments stretching from South Africa in the south to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the north, and from eastern Namibia to western Zimbabwe. This sand sea, at 2.5 million km², is the largest on earth and presents significant obstacles and challenges to the kimberlite explorationist attempting to locate bedrock-hosted diamondiferous kimberlite bodies. The Mega Kalahari sediments represent an ancient depositional environment with a complex history in which the stratigraphy and age of the deposits are not particularly well constrained or understood. Low fossil content, limited exposure, poor differentiation of the dominant surficial Kalahari Sand and a limited comprehension of an extensive duricrust suite has delayed the understanding of the sedimentological and environmental history of the basin. This sequence of sediments has accumulated and evolved through fluvio-deltaic, aeolian and groundwater processes, with characteristics due to primary deposition and subsequent modification being difficult to distinguish. Deposition in the Kalahari Basin has been subject to tectonic influences, changes in drainage directions and source areas of sediments, river capture and numerous large and small climatic fluctuations both in the basin and surrounding areas. It bears the imprint of recurring cycles during which the same sediments were reworked, sometimes by different agencies, all of which exacerbate attempts to correlate sedimentary units across the sequence. The Mega Kalahari is a series of contiguous Phanerozoic sedimentary basins situated within the African Superswell. The Superswell has dominated the gross geomorphology of southern Africa and contributed significantly to the present character of the Mega Kalahari and the evolution of the drainage systems. Overall, the tectonic framework established in southern Africa by the division of Gondwanaland led to the creation of a dual drainage system, with the hingeline acting as a watershed between a coastally-orientated exoreic system and an endoreic system draining into the interior. Deposition of sediments started in the late Cretaceous. Neo-tectonic activity expressed in the rifting in central Botswana, further influenced sedimentation rates and exerted a strong control over paleo-drainage directions. This revIew presents the complexities of the Kalahari cover sequence. The most Important geomorphological and sedimentary factors to be considered when designing and implementing kimberlite exploration programs within the Mega Kalahari environment are outlined and discussed. New data from exploration drilling programs are presented on the thickness of the Kalahari within portions of northern Namibia, western Zambia and Botswana. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A situation analysis of sex education and communication and the implications thereof for HIV/AIDS prevention work
- Authors: Mankayi, Andiswa
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007447 , Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Description: This study explores the history of sex communication and education over a period of fifty years (1950 to the present), in a deep rural area of the Eastern Cape. It describes patterns of sex communication between peers, between siblings, between children and parents and between young people and other non-familial agencies within communities. Communication trends are traced from the period before contraception was introduced, through to the introduction of female birth control methods into the HIV/AIDS era where the focus has been on attempting to introduce condoms. Twelve semi-structured interviews and two four-person focus groups were conducted to gather information on how the participants acquired information about sexuality and their responses to the same. The findings of the present study suggest that the widespread use of injectable contraceptives has had a marked effect on the sexual culture of the community under investigation. It has led to the collapse of the regulatory practices which were previously in place. This in turn has significantly affected the sexual communication and negotiation context. Furthermore, it has had a determining influence on male involvement in sexual reproductive health matters and has created a poor context for the adoption of condoms as a prophylactic. There were no major changes in the sexual communication context within families and within communities in that education has always been limited to instructions to avoid pregnancy. Of note was a culture of collusion between adults and children surrounding sexuality, which absolved the parties involved in addressing sexuality. These factors are understood have mediated response to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and need to be taken into consideration in the development of sex communication and education programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Mankayi, Andiswa
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3147 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007447 , Sex instruction , Safe sex in AIDS prevention , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Prevention
- Description: This study explores the history of sex communication and education over a period of fifty years (1950 to the present), in a deep rural area of the Eastern Cape. It describes patterns of sex communication between peers, between siblings, between children and parents and between young people and other non-familial agencies within communities. Communication trends are traced from the period before contraception was introduced, through to the introduction of female birth control methods into the HIV/AIDS era where the focus has been on attempting to introduce condoms. Twelve semi-structured interviews and two four-person focus groups were conducted to gather information on how the participants acquired information about sexuality and their responses to the same. The findings of the present study suggest that the widespread use of injectable contraceptives has had a marked effect on the sexual culture of the community under investigation. It has led to the collapse of the regulatory practices which were previously in place. This in turn has significantly affected the sexual communication and negotiation context. Furthermore, it has had a determining influence on male involvement in sexual reproductive health matters and has created a poor context for the adoption of condoms as a prophylactic. There were no major changes in the sexual communication context within families and within communities in that education has always been limited to instructions to avoid pregnancy. Of note was a culture of collusion between adults and children surrounding sexuality, which absolved the parties involved in addressing sexuality. These factors are understood have mediated response to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and need to be taken into consideration in the development of sex communication and education programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A solution community: ways that work
- Authors: du Toit, Peter
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/159112 , vital:40268 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC146301
- Description: It begins in the Southern African country of Zambotswa in a place called Anytown. Population: 540 000. The owner-editor of the Anytown Farmers' Weekly (AFW) has died and the Big Media Company, with its substantial assets across the country, has bought out his struggling paper.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: du Toit, Peter
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/159112 , vital:40268 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC146301
- Description: It begins in the Southern African country of Zambotswa in a place called Anytown. Population: 540 000. The owner-editor of the Anytown Farmers' Weekly (AFW) has died and the Big Media Company, with its substantial assets across the country, has bought out his struggling paper.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A strategy for the implementation of e-business and e-commerce to achieve a competitive advantage in the textile industry
- Authors: Futcher, Shane Henry
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Electronic commerce , Competition , Textile industry
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10886 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/140 , Electronic commerce , Competition , Textile industry
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was to determine what is required for e-business and e-commerce to have an impact on the Textile Industry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan. To achieve this objective, a literature study was done to identify what strategies were needed and how e-business and e-commerce would enhance the relationships between the organisations, suppliers and customers. An empirical study was conducted to ascertain what the managers within the Textile Industry know about e-commerce and e-business and the role they have or could play within their industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Futcher, Shane Henry
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Electronic commerce , Competition , Textile industry
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10886 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/140 , Electronic commerce , Competition , Textile industry
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was to determine what is required for e-business and e-commerce to have an impact on the Textile Industry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan. To achieve this objective, a literature study was done to identify what strategies were needed and how e-business and e-commerce would enhance the relationships between the organisations, suppliers and customers. An empirical study was conducted to ascertain what the managers within the Textile Industry know about e-commerce and e-business and the role they have or could play within their industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A study of the powers of the Swazi monarch in terms of Swazi law and custom past, present and the future
- Authors: Khoza, Phumlile Tina
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Kinship -- Africa Swazi (African people) -- Social life and customs Customary law -- Swaziland Constitutional law -- Swaziland Swaziland -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3702 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004723
- Description: The thesis covers the branches of law known as Constitutional law and Customary law. It focuses on the powers of the Swazi monarch, which are based on a combination of the received Western law and Swazi custom. For the purposes of this study, therefore, Swazi law and custom shall be taken to include both the statutory law and the yet unwritten customary law. Swaziland is black Africa's only remaining traditional monarchy, ruled as it is by the Ngwenyama, an indigenous institution, whose origin is derived from custom. The resilience of this ancient system of government in a continent where modernisation and constitutional democracy among other factors have led to its extinction is phenomenal, particularly because some commentators have described traditionalism in modern Africa as an "embarrassing anachronism.' In Swaziland the monarchy continues to be a vibrant system and the nation is currently engaged in a process of not only codifying the customary law but also of drafting the constitution of the country. One of the key areas of concern is the question of the distribution of power between the monarch and the people under the proposed constitution. Traditionalists are of the view that the powers that the King currently exercises should remain intact as they are a reflection of the Swazi law and custom. Progressives, on the other hand, are of the view that the current position makes the King an absolute monarch and are thus proposing a change from an absolute to a constitutional monarch. In other words they want some kind of checks and balances in the envisaged system of government. The study will show that the constitutional evolution of Swaziland and the exigencies of synthesising modern and traditional systems of governance have over the years obscured the true nature of the powers of the monarch in terms of Swazi custom. Thus before we can consider whether the future of the monarchy in Swaziland depends on the harmonisation of modern and traditional systems of governance, it is necessary to revisit the past to determine the powers of the monarch in their embryonic form, for it is from this period that we can extrapolate the powers of the Ngwenyama in terms of Swazi custom. The thesis has been arranged as follows: The first chapter will review the precolonial political system of Swaziland with a view to establishing whether monarchical authority was founded on command or consensus. The various theories, which seek to explain the foundations of the monarchical system of government, will be outlined. The second chapter will focus on European influence on the Swazi traditional system of government. The third chapter will be an analysis of the powers of the monarch under the 1968 independence constitution. The fourth chapter will focus on the effect of the repeal of the 1968 independence constitution by the Monarch. The fifth chapter will focus on the constitutional reforms under the reign of king Mswati III. The sixth and last chapter focus on proposals for reform. The research method used was in the main, an analysis of relevant legal principles as contained in textbooks, legislation, journals, the scant case law that is available in this area of the law and other relevant materials. A comparative survey of ancient African kingdoms will be done, with emphasis on those Kingdoms, which later became British colonial possessions. It is hoped that this comparative analysis will help explain the evolution of these traditional structures alongside modern governmental institutions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Khoza, Phumlile Tina
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Kinship -- Africa Swazi (African people) -- Social life and customs Customary law -- Swaziland Constitutional law -- Swaziland Swaziland -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3702 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004723
- Description: The thesis covers the branches of law known as Constitutional law and Customary law. It focuses on the powers of the Swazi monarch, which are based on a combination of the received Western law and Swazi custom. For the purposes of this study, therefore, Swazi law and custom shall be taken to include both the statutory law and the yet unwritten customary law. Swaziland is black Africa's only remaining traditional monarchy, ruled as it is by the Ngwenyama, an indigenous institution, whose origin is derived from custom. The resilience of this ancient system of government in a continent where modernisation and constitutional democracy among other factors have led to its extinction is phenomenal, particularly because some commentators have described traditionalism in modern Africa as an "embarrassing anachronism.' In Swaziland the monarchy continues to be a vibrant system and the nation is currently engaged in a process of not only codifying the customary law but also of drafting the constitution of the country. One of the key areas of concern is the question of the distribution of power between the monarch and the people under the proposed constitution. Traditionalists are of the view that the powers that the King currently exercises should remain intact as they are a reflection of the Swazi law and custom. Progressives, on the other hand, are of the view that the current position makes the King an absolute monarch and are thus proposing a change from an absolute to a constitutional monarch. In other words they want some kind of checks and balances in the envisaged system of government. The study will show that the constitutional evolution of Swaziland and the exigencies of synthesising modern and traditional systems of governance have over the years obscured the true nature of the powers of the monarch in terms of Swazi custom. Thus before we can consider whether the future of the monarchy in Swaziland depends on the harmonisation of modern and traditional systems of governance, it is necessary to revisit the past to determine the powers of the monarch in their embryonic form, for it is from this period that we can extrapolate the powers of the Ngwenyama in terms of Swazi custom. The thesis has been arranged as follows: The first chapter will review the precolonial political system of Swaziland with a view to establishing whether monarchical authority was founded on command or consensus. The various theories, which seek to explain the foundations of the monarchical system of government, will be outlined. The second chapter will focus on European influence on the Swazi traditional system of government. The third chapter will be an analysis of the powers of the monarch under the 1968 independence constitution. The fourth chapter will focus on the effect of the repeal of the 1968 independence constitution by the Monarch. The fifth chapter will focus on the constitutional reforms under the reign of king Mswati III. The sixth and last chapter focus on proposals for reform. The research method used was in the main, an analysis of relevant legal principles as contained in textbooks, legislation, journals, the scant case law that is available in this area of the law and other relevant materials. A comparative survey of ancient African kingdoms will be done, with emphasis on those Kingdoms, which later became British colonial possessions. It is hoped that this comparative analysis will help explain the evolution of these traditional structures alongside modern governmental institutions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A study of the structural geology of the Witteberg Group and lowermost Karoo Supergroup, Darlington Dam, Jansenville District, Eastern Cape
- Goossens, Angelique Emily Maria
- Authors: Goossens, Angelique Emily Maria
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Folds (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Faults (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geology, Structural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11071 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/291 , Folds (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Faults (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geology, Structural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: A number of outcrops of the Witteberg Group and lowermost Karoo Supergroup rocks were studied in the area south of the Darlington Dam, Jansenville District, with the aim of documenting structural characteristics of the area. All lithologies are folded with fold styles varying from gentle to near isoclinal (based on interlimb angle). Fold axes are either sub-horizontal or plunging at gentle to moderate angles whereas axial planes dip gently to vertically (predominantly steep to sub-vertical). Folds verge predominantly towards the north but where southward verging they are associated with faulting or strongly folded areas. Folds plunge gently to the east-southeast and west-northwest. The area consists of a large anticlinorium with both first and second order folds occurring. Eastwest striking faults occur in the study area and are classified as normal, reverse and thrust faults. A study of the joint sets shows that there are four dominant joint directions, namely 18o, 33o, 97o and 107o (in order from least to most important). An interpretation of the tectonic history is presented in which the relationships between faults and folds show that faults formed during and after folding. Folding, and reverse and thrust faulting, occurred during the compressional events that formed the Cape Fold Belt, whereas the normal faults formed during the relaxation of these compressional forces or during the break-up of Gondwana.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Goossens, Angelique Emily Maria
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Folds (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Faults (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geology, Structural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11071 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/291 , Folds (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Faults (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Geology, Structural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: A number of outcrops of the Witteberg Group and lowermost Karoo Supergroup rocks were studied in the area south of the Darlington Dam, Jansenville District, with the aim of documenting structural characteristics of the area. All lithologies are folded with fold styles varying from gentle to near isoclinal (based on interlimb angle). Fold axes are either sub-horizontal or plunging at gentle to moderate angles whereas axial planes dip gently to vertically (predominantly steep to sub-vertical). Folds verge predominantly towards the north but where southward verging they are associated with faulting or strongly folded areas. Folds plunge gently to the east-southeast and west-northwest. The area consists of a large anticlinorium with both first and second order folds occurring. Eastwest striking faults occur in the study area and are classified as normal, reverse and thrust faults. A study of the joint sets shows that there are four dominant joint directions, namely 18o, 33o, 97o and 107o (in order from least to most important). An interpretation of the tectonic history is presented in which the relationships between faults and folds show that faults formed during and after folding. Folding, and reverse and thrust faulting, occurred during the compressional events that formed the Cape Fold Belt, whereas the normal faults formed during the relaxation of these compressional forces or during the break-up of Gondwana.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Action research case studies of participatory materials development in two community contexts in Zambia
- Authors: Lupele, Justin Kalaba
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Community development -- Zambia -- Case studies Environmental education -- Zambia -- Case studies Sustainable development -- Zambia -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1417 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003298
- Description: This research reports on two action research case studies of participatory materials development in two rural community contexts in Zambia, namely Chiawa and Nalusanga. It aims to explore and articulate the relationships between community-based environmental education and participatory materials development in the WWF Zambia Education Project context; clarify participatory materials development processes by identifying the roles of different ‘actors’ in these processes and identify and analyse the contextual and other factors that may influence development and use of environmental education materials in rural communities. These aims were explored by means of a number of action research cycles of inquiry in the two communities. The study also articulates the significance of considering ambivalent globalising influences such as international conferences, debates, overseas development aid, national policies and how these shape and influence materials development work in a local context. In order to gain more insight into the local contexts, I developed contextual profiles on the two communities. These capture the contextual factors that influenced the participatory materials development processes. They include issues such as language, ethnicity, literacy, power relations and the local social economy, amongst others. Although this study has been predominately guided by the socially critical orientation to research and education, I have drawn on aspects of other research orientations. I have also explored some of the emerging critiques of the socially critical orientation. The findings of this study reveal the different roles participants can play in participatory materials development; participatory materials development processes as a learning process; the dynamics of participation in an African context; the role of language and literacy in materials development; the need for open-ended process models of learning amongst adult learners and the importance of merging expert and local knowledge in participatory materials development. This study opens up possibilities for further exploration of participatory materials development processes within the WWF ZEP context and beyond.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Lupele, Justin Kalaba
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Community development -- Zambia -- Case studies Environmental education -- Zambia -- Case studies Sustainable development -- Zambia -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1417 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003298
- Description: This research reports on two action research case studies of participatory materials development in two rural community contexts in Zambia, namely Chiawa and Nalusanga. It aims to explore and articulate the relationships between community-based environmental education and participatory materials development in the WWF Zambia Education Project context; clarify participatory materials development processes by identifying the roles of different ‘actors’ in these processes and identify and analyse the contextual and other factors that may influence development and use of environmental education materials in rural communities. These aims were explored by means of a number of action research cycles of inquiry in the two communities. The study also articulates the significance of considering ambivalent globalising influences such as international conferences, debates, overseas development aid, national policies and how these shape and influence materials development work in a local context. In order to gain more insight into the local contexts, I developed contextual profiles on the two communities. These capture the contextual factors that influenced the participatory materials development processes. They include issues such as language, ethnicity, literacy, power relations and the local social economy, amongst others. Although this study has been predominately guided by the socially critical orientation to research and education, I have drawn on aspects of other research orientations. I have also explored some of the emerging critiques of the socially critical orientation. The findings of this study reveal the different roles participants can play in participatory materials development; participatory materials development processes as a learning process; the dynamics of participation in an African context; the role of language and literacy in materials development; the need for open-ended process models of learning amongst adult learners and the importance of merging expert and local knowledge in participatory materials development. This study opens up possibilities for further exploration of participatory materials development processes within the WWF ZEP context and beyond.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Africa: Media
- Authors: Garman, Anthea
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158752 , vital:40225 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC146281
- Description: Those are our twin concerns as we move into this new moment in human history which is being called the "Information Society" or the "Information Age".
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Garman, Anthea
- Date: 2003
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158752 , vital:40225 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC146281
- Description: Those are our twin concerns as we move into this new moment in human history which is being called the "Information Society" or the "Information Age".
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of digital photojournalistic practices: a study of the Sowetan's photographic department
- Authors: Allan, Christopher
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sowetan (Johannesburg, South Africa) , Photojournalism -- South Africa , Photography -- Digital techniques , Photojournalists -- South Africa , Photojournalism -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3496 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003071 , Sowetan (Johannesburg, South Africa) , Photojournalism -- South Africa , Photography -- Digital techniques , Photojournalists -- South Africa , Photojournalism -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Description: Photojournalism in South Africa is in the process of undergoing a shift from an analogue past to a fully digital future. This shift to digital has already been completed by many of the newspapers in the United States of America and Europe, and the new technology is seen to have made fundamental differences in the way that journalists do their job. This thesis attempts to explore the differences brought about, as well as the problems experienced by the photographic department at the Sowetan newspaper as a result of the shift to digital. How the development of technology has affected the photojournalist throughout is focused upon in a brief history of photojournalism and examples of how technology has shaped different aspects of journalism in both a positive and negative manner is considered. Exactly what digital photography is, how it has been integrated into American Photographic departments and the changes that the new technology has prompted are also explained. The manipulation of images in the past as well as the relative ease of digital manipulation are covered and concerns are raised about the future implications of digital manipulation. By conductlng participant observation and holding interviews, research data was compiled which allowed conclusions to be drawn about the impact that the shift to digital had had on the Sowetan photographic department. Intentional and unintentional consequences were expected and revealed in the research. The job of the photojournalist and photographic editor was found to have changed but perhaps not as dramatically as expected. Third world factors such as crime, poverty and lack of education were discovered to have resulted in problems that differed noticeably from those experienced by American and European photographic departments. Some expected difficulties were not experienced at all, while other major obstacles, specifically the repairs that must constantly be made to the digital cameras, continue to hamper the operations of the new digital department. Some understanding of the problems that might be encountered by future photojournalism departments that are considering making the shift to digital are arrived at, in the hope that they may be foreseen and overcome.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of digital photojournalistic practices: a study of the Sowetan's photographic department
- Authors: Allan, Christopher
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sowetan (Johannesburg, South Africa) , Photojournalism -- South Africa , Photography -- Digital techniques , Photojournalists -- South Africa , Photojournalism -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3496 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003071 , Sowetan (Johannesburg, South Africa) , Photojournalism -- South Africa , Photography -- Digital techniques , Photojournalists -- South Africa , Photojournalism -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Description: Photojournalism in South Africa is in the process of undergoing a shift from an analogue past to a fully digital future. This shift to digital has already been completed by many of the newspapers in the United States of America and Europe, and the new technology is seen to have made fundamental differences in the way that journalists do their job. This thesis attempts to explore the differences brought about, as well as the problems experienced by the photographic department at the Sowetan newspaper as a result of the shift to digital. How the development of technology has affected the photojournalist throughout is focused upon in a brief history of photojournalism and examples of how technology has shaped different aspects of journalism in both a positive and negative manner is considered. Exactly what digital photography is, how it has been integrated into American Photographic departments and the changes that the new technology has prompted are also explained. The manipulation of images in the past as well as the relative ease of digital manipulation are covered and concerns are raised about the future implications of digital manipulation. By conductlng participant observation and holding interviews, research data was compiled which allowed conclusions to be drawn about the impact that the shift to digital had had on the Sowetan photographic department. Intentional and unintentional consequences were expected and revealed in the research. The job of the photojournalist and photographic editor was found to have changed but perhaps not as dramatically as expected. Third world factors such as crime, poverty and lack of education were discovered to have resulted in problems that differed noticeably from those experienced by American and European photographic departments. Some expected difficulties were not experienced at all, while other major obstacles, specifically the repairs that must constantly be made to the digital cameras, continue to hamper the operations of the new digital department. Some understanding of the problems that might be encountered by future photojournalism departments that are considering making the shift to digital are arrived at, in the hope that they may be foreseen and overcome.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of factors that inhibit small and medium enterprises from exporting their products to South Africa's most important trading partners
- Muller, Franciscus Fredricus
- Authors: Muller, Franciscus Fredricus
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Export marketing -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10932 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/197 , Export marketing -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was concerned with the identification of factors that inhibit Small and Medium Enterprises from exporting their products to South Africa’s most important trading partners. To achieve this objective, a theoretical study was conducted to establish what literature reveals to be the most important trading partners, and the problems which businesses experience when they export their products to these destinations from the Eastern Cape. The information obtained in the literature study was analysed, and, in order to resolve the main problem, the research questionnaire was divided into four parts. • Part 1 consisted of biographical questions. • Part 2 consisted of questions aimed at establishing the reasons why organisations embarked on exporting. • Part 3 was concerned with what the respondents perceived as barriers to their export operations. • Part 4 was concerned with strategic decisions and the minimising of risk. The empirical results obtained indicate that, although inhibiting factors are a reality in exporting, these remain secondary to general market forces of supply and demand. It was shown that inhibiting factors do not play as big a role in the export process as the literature suggests.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Muller, Franciscus Fredricus
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Export marketing -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10932 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/197 , Export marketing -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was concerned with the identification of factors that inhibit Small and Medium Enterprises from exporting their products to South Africa’s most important trading partners. To achieve this objective, a theoretical study was conducted to establish what literature reveals to be the most important trading partners, and the problems which businesses experience when they export their products to these destinations from the Eastern Cape. The information obtained in the literature study was analysed, and, in order to resolve the main problem, the research questionnaire was divided into four parts. • Part 1 consisted of biographical questions. • Part 2 consisted of questions aimed at establishing the reasons why organisations embarked on exporting. • Part 3 was concerned with what the respondents perceived as barriers to their export operations. • Part 4 was concerned with strategic decisions and the minimising of risk. The empirical results obtained indicate that, although inhibiting factors are a reality in exporting, these remain secondary to general market forces of supply and demand. It was shown that inhibiting factors do not play as big a role in the export process as the literature suggests.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of the effective management of growth in a selected business in the body-in-white automotive industry, to improve employee relations
- Authors: Southwood, Paul Harcourt
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Personnel management -- South Africa , Career development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/198 , Personnel management -- South Africa , Career development -- South Africa
- Description: Body-In-White business forms part of the automotive industry. The industry is highly specialized and usually operates under tremendous pressure due to the competition within the industry as a result of an oligopolistic market, limited resources, short lead times and the contractual nature of the industry. The selected business has grown steadily over the last five years in terms of the number of employees that have been employed. It is said that employees are a business’s most important asset. How effectively a business is managed during growth and the relationship management has with the employees during that period are critical to a business in maintaining a competitive advantage. Effective management and sound employee relations could ensure the longterm profitability and sustainability of the business. This paper is intended to analyse the selected business to determine how effectively the business is managed and the state of employee relations within the business. Various aspects to effective management and employee relations are presented through a literature study in order to identify the means required to manage effectively and to promote and maintain sound employee relations. A two-pronged approach was undertaken in the applied research. Firstly, a survey with the aid of a structured questionnaire was undertaken among the management of the selected business to gather information. A second survey also with the aid of a structured questionnaire was undertaken among all the employees. The purpose of the two different questionnaires was to make an analysis of the business and to determine whether management and the employees held the same views, or differed on related topics. Mostly management indicated that managerial effectiveness is critical to remaining competitive. Employees indicated that management does not plan and organise an orderly workflow and that employees rely on their overtime remuneration. There was a general agreement by management and employees that more than one person attends to human resource related issues. Effective human resource planning is not enforced to maintain a motivated workforce, as human resource policies and procedures do not pay special attention to employee relations. Among the main findings, the study revealed that while there are some aspects of effective management lacking in the business, the business is mostly managed effectively. However, not enough attention is paid to effective human resource management, as training and development programs for management and employees are lacking and certain human resource issues need to be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Southwood, Paul Harcourt
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Personnel management -- South Africa , Career development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10933 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/198 , Personnel management -- South Africa , Career development -- South Africa
- Description: Body-In-White business forms part of the automotive industry. The industry is highly specialized and usually operates under tremendous pressure due to the competition within the industry as a result of an oligopolistic market, limited resources, short lead times and the contractual nature of the industry. The selected business has grown steadily over the last five years in terms of the number of employees that have been employed. It is said that employees are a business’s most important asset. How effectively a business is managed during growth and the relationship management has with the employees during that period are critical to a business in maintaining a competitive advantage. Effective management and sound employee relations could ensure the longterm profitability and sustainability of the business. This paper is intended to analyse the selected business to determine how effectively the business is managed and the state of employee relations within the business. Various aspects to effective management and employee relations are presented through a literature study in order to identify the means required to manage effectively and to promote and maintain sound employee relations. A two-pronged approach was undertaken in the applied research. Firstly, a survey with the aid of a structured questionnaire was undertaken among the management of the selected business to gather information. A second survey also with the aid of a structured questionnaire was undertaken among all the employees. The purpose of the two different questionnaires was to make an analysis of the business and to determine whether management and the employees held the same views, or differed on related topics. Mostly management indicated that managerial effectiveness is critical to remaining competitive. Employees indicated that management does not plan and organise an orderly workflow and that employees rely on their overtime remuneration. There was a general agreement by management and employees that more than one person attends to human resource related issues. Effective human resource planning is not enforced to maintain a motivated workforce, as human resource policies and procedures do not pay special attention to employee relations. Among the main findings, the study revealed that while there are some aspects of effective management lacking in the business, the business is mostly managed effectively. However, not enough attention is paid to effective human resource management, as training and development programs for management and employees are lacking and certain human resource issues need to be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of the factors that influence effectiveness in information technology student project teams
- Authors: Patrellis, Yiota
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Information Technology)
- Identifier: vital:10800 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/199 , Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Description: More and more organizations are making use of teamwork. Effective teams are also important from an Information Technology (IT) perspective, since teamwork forms an integral part of all software development activities. It is therefore extremely important that IT students are able to work together as an effective team. These statements lead to the following questions – How can IT student project teams be effective and what obstacles need to be overcome in order to ensure effectiveness? This dissertation reports on an exploratory study of second and third year IT project teams and exposes factors that lead to ineffectiveness. Firstly, the problems experienced by the groups seem to have the largest detrimental effect on effective team functioning. Secondly, the project mark is also affected by the priority issue that is associated with the particular task. Thirdly, the issues of time management, communication, conflict management, compromise, social loafing and group cohesion also play an important role in team effectiveness. This dissertation sets out to prove that the key to "effectiveness" lies in empowering the student to deal with all possible dilemmas that may be faced when working in teams in the tertiary team situation. The benefits of these actions will hopefully lead to the realization of “effectiveness” in the tertiary team situation and ultimately, in the student’s work environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Patrellis, Yiota
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Information Technology)
- Identifier: vital:10800 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/199 , Information technology -- Management , Project management , Teams in the workplace , Organizational effectiveness
- Description: More and more organizations are making use of teamwork. Effective teams are also important from an Information Technology (IT) perspective, since teamwork forms an integral part of all software development activities. It is therefore extremely important that IT students are able to work together as an effective team. These statements lead to the following questions – How can IT student project teams be effective and what obstacles need to be overcome in order to ensure effectiveness? This dissertation reports on an exploratory study of second and third year IT project teams and exposes factors that lead to ineffectiveness. Firstly, the problems experienced by the groups seem to have the largest detrimental effect on effective team functioning. Secondly, the project mark is also affected by the priority issue that is associated with the particular task. Thirdly, the issues of time management, communication, conflict management, compromise, social loafing and group cohesion also play an important role in team effectiveness. This dissertation sets out to prove that the key to "effectiveness" lies in empowering the student to deal with all possible dilemmas that may be faced when working in teams in the tertiary team situation. The benefits of these actions will hopefully lead to the realization of “effectiveness” in the tertiary team situation and ultimately, in the student’s work environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An analysis of the potential for the marketing of ostrich meat in S.A
- Wessels, Philippus Lodewikus
- Authors: Wessels, Philippus Lodewikus
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Ostriches -- South Africa , Ostrich products industry -- South Africa , Meat industry and trade -- South Africa , Marketing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10930 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/202 , Ostriches -- South Africa , Ostrich products industry -- South Africa , Meat industry and trade -- South Africa , Marketing
- Description: The research program addressed in this study was to do an analysis of the potentials of the marketing of ostrich meat in the South African market. Being the world leader in the ostrich industry, the research’s emphasis was to establish reasons why the meat industry does not explore the South African meat market. To achieve this object, a literature study to determine the key components of the current situation was undertaken and used as a theoretical model to analyse the current situation in the market as well as in the ostrich industry. In addition to the literature study, an empirical study was conducted to identify some critical issues that have an influence on the potential of the domestic market. The survey method used, based on the key components gained from the literature study, consisted of an in-depth scan of the macro-environment and thorough investigation of the target industry. The investigation involved using the Internet and World Wide Web, print media, personal interviews and telephonic interviews. The result of the literature study was finally combined with the results of the empirical study and some recommendations were made. The recommendations were applicable to the ostrich industry in so far that implementing some plans for the meat industry can have serious consequences for the other products of the ostrich industry
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Wessels, Philippus Lodewikus
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Ostriches -- South Africa , Ostrich products industry -- South Africa , Meat industry and trade -- South Africa , Marketing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10930 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/202 , Ostriches -- South Africa , Ostrich products industry -- South Africa , Meat industry and trade -- South Africa , Marketing
- Description: The research program addressed in this study was to do an analysis of the potentials of the marketing of ostrich meat in the South African market. Being the world leader in the ostrich industry, the research’s emphasis was to establish reasons why the meat industry does not explore the South African meat market. To achieve this object, a literature study to determine the key components of the current situation was undertaken and used as a theoretical model to analyse the current situation in the market as well as in the ostrich industry. In addition to the literature study, an empirical study was conducted to identify some critical issues that have an influence on the potential of the domestic market. The survey method used, based on the key components gained from the literature study, consisted of an in-depth scan of the macro-environment and thorough investigation of the target industry. The investigation involved using the Internet and World Wide Web, print media, personal interviews and telephonic interviews. The result of the literature study was finally combined with the results of the empirical study and some recommendations were made. The recommendations were applicable to the ostrich industry in so far that implementing some plans for the meat industry can have serious consequences for the other products of the ostrich industry
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An assessment of bait availability, utilization and management guidelines in Eastern Cape estuaries
- Authors: Jooste, Jakobus Gerrit
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Upogebia african -- Effects of sediments on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Fishing baits -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11073 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/334 , Upogebia african -- Effects of sediments on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Fishing baits -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Aspects around the management of benthic soft sediment bait organisms, with special focus on the mud prawn (Upogebia africana) of eastern Cape estuaries was investigated. The recreational linefishery of the Gamtoos estuary was described, and compared to previous studies. Target fish species was identified, and a large dependency on bait sourced from estuaries needed for the capture of these species was noted, especially for spotted grunter (Pomadasys commersonnii). A comparison between bait use, success and the natural diet of target fish species was also made. The structure and distribution of sediments in the old channel mud banks was described and compared with historical data. The influence of sediments on mud prawn distribution was investigated, but no significant interactions were found at the study site. The impacts of once-off pumping and digging events, and monthly trampling on the sediments and mud prawn population was studied over a 7-month period. Initial removal rates as well as recovery time varied significantly between the two collection methods, while the largest decline in prawn numbers (to zero) with no recovery visible after seven months was caused by trampling. All disturbances caused some alteration in sediment composition, but not to such an extent that the sediments became unfavorable for mud prawns. Trampling did, however, result in the compaction of sediments to such a degree that prawns could not construct burrows. Issues around current removal quotas of bait species as well as the creation of a small-scale commercial (SSC) bait selling operation at Swartkops estuary were critically evaluated, and suggestions for the future removal rates of mud prawns based on production export calculations were made. The distribution, size, sex ratios and number of gravid females occurring along a tidal gradient as well as along horizontal gradient of the mud bank during growth (January – March) and reproductive (September – October) periods was investigated. Changes in the distribution of females between the two study periods were significant, while the distribution of reproductively active females were closely linked to the low water mark (Lower tidal levels). Females occurring in this zone were also significantly larger than females occurring towards the back of the study site. Some minor changes along the horizontal gradient were also observed. The sediment compos ition of the mud bank was found not to play a role in this distribution, leading to the suggestion that exposure to ebb and flood tide currents could influence female prawn distributions. Management recommendations based on these observations were made.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Jooste, Jakobus Gerrit
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Upogebia african -- Effects of sediments on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Fishing baits -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11073 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/334 , Upogebia african -- Effects of sediments on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Estuarine ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Fishing baits -- Conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Aspects around the management of benthic soft sediment bait organisms, with special focus on the mud prawn (Upogebia africana) of eastern Cape estuaries was investigated. The recreational linefishery of the Gamtoos estuary was described, and compared to previous studies. Target fish species was identified, and a large dependency on bait sourced from estuaries needed for the capture of these species was noted, especially for spotted grunter (Pomadasys commersonnii). A comparison between bait use, success and the natural diet of target fish species was also made. The structure and distribution of sediments in the old channel mud banks was described and compared with historical data. The influence of sediments on mud prawn distribution was investigated, but no significant interactions were found at the study site. The impacts of once-off pumping and digging events, and monthly trampling on the sediments and mud prawn population was studied over a 7-month period. Initial removal rates as well as recovery time varied significantly between the two collection methods, while the largest decline in prawn numbers (to zero) with no recovery visible after seven months was caused by trampling. All disturbances caused some alteration in sediment composition, but not to such an extent that the sediments became unfavorable for mud prawns. Trampling did, however, result in the compaction of sediments to such a degree that prawns could not construct burrows. Issues around current removal quotas of bait species as well as the creation of a small-scale commercial (SSC) bait selling operation at Swartkops estuary were critically evaluated, and suggestions for the future removal rates of mud prawns based on production export calculations were made. The distribution, size, sex ratios and number of gravid females occurring along a tidal gradient as well as along horizontal gradient of the mud bank during growth (January – March) and reproductive (September – October) periods was investigated. Changes in the distribution of females between the two study periods were significant, while the distribution of reproductively active females were closely linked to the low water mark (Lower tidal levels). Females occurring in this zone were also significantly larger than females occurring towards the back of the study site. Some minor changes along the horizontal gradient were also observed. The sediment compos ition of the mud bank was found not to play a role in this distribution, leading to the suggestion that exposure to ebb and flood tide currents could influence female prawn distributions. Management recommendations based on these observations were made.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An assessment of selected non-water benefits of the Working for Water Programme in the Eastern and Southern Cape
- Authors: Du Plessis, Lily Lozelle
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Water resources development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10991 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/340 , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape
- Description: 1.1 Background to, and motivation for, the study: The Working for Water programme (WfW) is a public works programme designed to clear South Africa of water-consuming invasive alien tree and plants, and to replace them with low water consuming indigenous species. This would prevent a loss of more than 4000 million cubic metres water per annum from the hydrological cycle (DWAF, 1998). The economic viability of the programme has been established in the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal (van Wilgen, Little, Chapman, Görgens, Willems and Marais, 1997; Gilham and Haynes, 2001), but questioned in the Eastern and Southern Cape (Hosking, du Preez, Campbell, Wooldridge and du Plessis, 2002). Hosking et al. (2002) investigated the economic case for the programme by performing a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), based on increased water yield and livestock potential, on six selected sites in the Eastern and Southern Cape, viz. Albany, Kat River, Pot River, Tsitsikamma, Kouga and Port Elizabeth Driftsands.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Du Plessis, Lily Lozelle
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Water resources development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10991 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/340 , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Water conservation projects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape -- Cost effectiveness , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Southern Cape
- Description: 1.1 Background to, and motivation for, the study: The Working for Water programme (WfW) is a public works programme designed to clear South Africa of water-consuming invasive alien tree and plants, and to replace them with low water consuming indigenous species. This would prevent a loss of more than 4000 million cubic metres water per annum from the hydrological cycle (DWAF, 1998). The economic viability of the programme has been established in the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal (van Wilgen, Little, Chapman, Görgens, Willems and Marais, 1997; Gilham and Haynes, 2001), but questioned in the Eastern and Southern Cape (Hosking, du Preez, Campbell, Wooldridge and du Plessis, 2002). Hosking et al. (2002) investigated the economic case for the programme by performing a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), based on increased water yield and livestock potential, on six selected sites in the Eastern and Southern Cape, viz. Albany, Kat River, Pot River, Tsitsikamma, Kouga and Port Elizabeth Driftsands.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An automotive carbon dioxide air-conditioning system with heat pump
- Authors: Böttcher, Christof
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Automobiles -- Heating and ventilation , Heat pumps
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Mechanical Engineering)
- Identifier: vital:10811 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/206 , Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Automobiles -- Heating and ventilation , Heat pumps
- Description: The refrigerant circuits of car air-conditioning systems are fitted with so-called open type compressors, because there is only a lip seal preventing the refrigerant from leaking from the compressor housing to the atmosphere. In addition, the cycle uses damping elements between the compressor and the other components on the suction and pressure lines to reduce vibration and noise transfer from the engine to the car body. Both the lip seal and damping elements result in loss of refrigerant as they are made from elastomers and leak with age, and, under high temperature conditions inside the engine room, these elements also allow a relatively high permeation of the refrigerant gas to the atmosphere. With very high refrigerant losses in the older R12 -cooling cycles and the damage caused by this gas to the ozone layer in the stratosphere, the Montreal protocol phased out this refrigerant and the car industry was forced to revert completely to R134a until 1994/95. R134a has no ozone depletion potential, but it has a direct global warming potential, and, therefore, leakages also have to be minimised. R134a has, because of its molecular size, a high permeation potential and, hence, all the refrigerant hoses are lined internally. Unfortunately, these hoses also leak with age and significant refrigerant loss will occur [1] R134a can therefore only be viewed as a solution until an alternative refrigerant with no direct global warming potential has been developed. Candidates for new refrigerants are natural substances such as hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide [2]. Unfortunately, both substances have disadvantages and their use is restricted to special cases, for e.g. hydrocarbons are flammable and are not used in car air-conditioners, but in Germany it is used as a refrigerant in household refrigerators with hermetic cycles. What makes the implementation of carbon dioxide (CO2) difficult are the high system pressures and the low critical point [3].
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Böttcher, Christof
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Automobiles -- Heating and ventilation , Heat pumps
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Mechanical Engineering)
- Identifier: vital:10811 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/206 , Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Automobiles -- Heating and ventilation , Heat pumps
- Description: The refrigerant circuits of car air-conditioning systems are fitted with so-called open type compressors, because there is only a lip seal preventing the refrigerant from leaking from the compressor housing to the atmosphere. In addition, the cycle uses damping elements between the compressor and the other components on the suction and pressure lines to reduce vibration and noise transfer from the engine to the car body. Both the lip seal and damping elements result in loss of refrigerant as they are made from elastomers and leak with age, and, under high temperature conditions inside the engine room, these elements also allow a relatively high permeation of the refrigerant gas to the atmosphere. With very high refrigerant losses in the older R12 -cooling cycles and the damage caused by this gas to the ozone layer in the stratosphere, the Montreal protocol phased out this refrigerant and the car industry was forced to revert completely to R134a until 1994/95. R134a has no ozone depletion potential, but it has a direct global warming potential, and, therefore, leakages also have to be minimised. R134a has, because of its molecular size, a high permeation potential and, hence, all the refrigerant hoses are lined internally. Unfortunately, these hoses also leak with age and significant refrigerant loss will occur [1] R134a can therefore only be viewed as a solution until an alternative refrigerant with no direct global warming potential has been developed. Candidates for new refrigerants are natural substances such as hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide [2]. Unfortunately, both substances have disadvantages and their use is restricted to special cases, for e.g. hydrocarbons are flammable and are not used in car air-conditioners, but in Germany it is used as a refrigerant in household refrigerators with hermetic cycles. What makes the implementation of carbon dioxide (CO2) difficult are the high system pressures and the low critical point [3].
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An empirical, in-depth investigation into service creation in H.323 Version 4 Networks
- Authors: Penton, Jason Barry
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-24
- Subjects: Computer programming , Computer networks , Computer network protocols
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4681 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007637 , Computer programming , Computer networks , Computer network protocols
- Description: Over the past few years there has been an increasing tendency to carry voice on IP networks as opposed to the PSTN and other switched circuit networks. Initially this trend was favoured due to reduced costs but occurred at the expense of sacrificing the quality of the voice communications. Switched circuit networks have therefore remained the preferred carrier-grade voice communication network, but this is again changing. The advancement in improved quality of service (QoS) of real-time traffic on the IP network is a contributing factor to the anticipated future of the IP network supplying carrier-grade voice communications. Another contributing factor is the possibility of creating a new range of innovative, state-of-the-art telephony and communications services that acquire leverage through the intelligence and flexibility of the IP network. The latter has yet to be fully explored. Various protocols exist that facilitate the transport of voice and other media on IP networks. The most well known and widely supported of these is H.323. This work presents and discusses H.323 version 4 service creation. The work also categorises the various H.323 services and presents the mechanisms provided by H.323 version 4 that have facilitated the development of the three services I have developed, EmailReader, Telgo323 and CANS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Penton, Jason Barry
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-24
- Subjects: Computer programming , Computer networks , Computer network protocols
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4681 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007637 , Computer programming , Computer networks , Computer network protocols
- Description: Over the past few years there has been an increasing tendency to carry voice on IP networks as opposed to the PSTN and other switched circuit networks. Initially this trend was favoured due to reduced costs but occurred at the expense of sacrificing the quality of the voice communications. Switched circuit networks have therefore remained the preferred carrier-grade voice communication network, but this is again changing. The advancement in improved quality of service (QoS) of real-time traffic on the IP network is a contributing factor to the anticipated future of the IP network supplying carrier-grade voice communications. Another contributing factor is the possibility of creating a new range of innovative, state-of-the-art telephony and communications services that acquire leverage through the intelligence and flexibility of the IP network. The latter has yet to be fully explored. Various protocols exist that facilitate the transport of voice and other media on IP networks. The most well known and widely supported of these is H.323. This work presents and discusses H.323 version 4 service creation. The work also categorises the various H.323 services and presents the mechanisms provided by H.323 version 4 that have facilitated the development of the three services I have developed, EmailReader, Telgo323 and CANS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An entrepreneurial framework for deciding on the implementation of large format digital printing internationally
- Adendorff, Christian Michael
- Authors: Adendorff, Christian Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1169 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002785 , Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Description: This study focuses on entrepreneurs within the SME sector using large format digital printing (LFDP) because of the changes in technology that influences the decisionmaking processes of the entrepreneur in the purchasing of a new LFDP. These fast changes are likely to continue and can cause technologies to become obsolete overnight. The entrepreneurs within the LFDP industry find themselves in the midst of these fast changes and are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, they need to make sure that the technology used produces consistent and quality products. On the other hand, the entrepreneur needs to ensure an optimal return on investments. From the literature and the findings of the study, the researcher recommends a change to an existing model on a consultant involvement purchase of high technology products, which is then adapted to integrate resource-forecasting areas together with timing and type of information required as well as external environment scanning. The existing model’s focus is on the individual’s ability to make decisions based on their own knowledge. However, by integrating technology forecasting components, and scanning the business environment and resource forecasting needed the decision-maker will be better equipped to make decisions that also takes into account the external environment. This will also allow them to plan and manage growth in a systematic way. Therefore the proposed model takes into account individual capabilities and technology forecasting components that can facilitate the decision-making process. The adapted model on decision-making clearly delineates that the combination of entrepreneurial qualities and technology forecasting techniques in the LFDP industry will ultimately assist the entrepreneur on various levels in deciding on a new LFDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Adendorff, Christian Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1169 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002785 , Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Description: This study focuses on entrepreneurs within the SME sector using large format digital printing (LFDP) because of the changes in technology that influences the decisionmaking processes of the entrepreneur in the purchasing of a new LFDP. These fast changes are likely to continue and can cause technologies to become obsolete overnight. The entrepreneurs within the LFDP industry find themselves in the midst of these fast changes and are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, they need to make sure that the technology used produces consistent and quality products. On the other hand, the entrepreneur needs to ensure an optimal return on investments. From the literature and the findings of the study, the researcher recommends a change to an existing model on a consultant involvement purchase of high technology products, which is then adapted to integrate resource-forecasting areas together with timing and type of information required as well as external environment scanning. The existing model’s focus is on the individual’s ability to make decisions based on their own knowledge. However, by integrating technology forecasting components, and scanning the business environment and resource forecasting needed the decision-maker will be better equipped to make decisions that also takes into account the external environment. This will also allow them to plan and manage growth in a systematic way. Therefore the proposed model takes into account individual capabilities and technology forecasting components that can facilitate the decision-making process. The adapted model on decision-making clearly delineates that the combination of entrepreneurial qualities and technology forecasting techniques in the LFDP industry will ultimately assist the entrepreneur on various levels in deciding on a new LFDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003