Contributions to the study of a class of optimal control problems on the orthogonal groups SO(3) and SO(4)
- Authors: Adams, Ross Montague
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64826 , vital:28608
- Description: In this thesis we investigate a class of invariant optimal control problems, and their associated quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems, on the orthogonal groups SO(3) and SO(4). Specifically, we are concerned with the class of left-invariant control affine systems. We begin by classifying all cost-extended systems on SO(3) under cost equivalence. (Cost-extended systems are closely related to optimal control problems.) A classification of all quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems on the (minus) Lie-Poisson space so(3)*, under affine equivalence, is also obtained. For the normal forms obtained in our classification (of Hamilton-Poisson systems) we investigate the (Lyapunov) stability nature of the equilibria using spectral and energy-Casimir methods. For a subclass of these systems, we obtain analytic expressions for the integral curves of the associated Hamiltonian vector fields in terms of (basic) Jacobi elliptic functions. The explicit relationship between the classification of cost-extended systems on SO(3) and the classification of quadratic Hamilton- Poisson systems on so(3)* is provided. On SO(4), a classification of all left-invariant control affine systems under L-equivalence is obtained. We then determine which of these representatives are controllable, thus obtaining a classification under detached feedback equivalence. We also obtain a partial classification of quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems on the Lie-Poisson space so(4)*. An investigation of the stability nature of the equilibria for a subclass of these systems is also done. Several illustrative examples of optimal control problems on the orthogonal group SO(3) are provided. More specifically, we consider an optimal control problem corresponding to a representative of our classification (of cost-extended system) for each possible number of control inputs. For each of these problems, we obtain explicit expressions for the extremal trajectories on the homogeneous space S2 by projecting the extremal trajectories on the group SO(3). The examples provided show how our classifications of cost-extended systems and Hamilton-Poisson systems can be used to obtain the optimal controls and the extremal trajectories corresponding to a large class of optimal control problems on SO(3). An example of a four-input optimal control problem on SO(4) is also provided. This example is provided to show how the solutions of certain problems on SO(4) can be related to the solutions of certain optimal control problems on SO(3).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Adams, Ross Montague
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64826 , vital:28608
- Description: In this thesis we investigate a class of invariant optimal control problems, and their associated quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems, on the orthogonal groups SO(3) and SO(4). Specifically, we are concerned with the class of left-invariant control affine systems. We begin by classifying all cost-extended systems on SO(3) under cost equivalence. (Cost-extended systems are closely related to optimal control problems.) A classification of all quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems on the (minus) Lie-Poisson space so(3)*, under affine equivalence, is also obtained. For the normal forms obtained in our classification (of Hamilton-Poisson systems) we investigate the (Lyapunov) stability nature of the equilibria using spectral and energy-Casimir methods. For a subclass of these systems, we obtain analytic expressions for the integral curves of the associated Hamiltonian vector fields in terms of (basic) Jacobi elliptic functions. The explicit relationship between the classification of cost-extended systems on SO(3) and the classification of quadratic Hamilton- Poisson systems on so(3)* is provided. On SO(4), a classification of all left-invariant control affine systems under L-equivalence is obtained. We then determine which of these representatives are controllable, thus obtaining a classification under detached feedback equivalence. We also obtain a partial classification of quadratic Hamilton-Poisson systems on the Lie-Poisson space so(4)*. An investigation of the stability nature of the equilibria for a subclass of these systems is also done. Several illustrative examples of optimal control problems on the orthogonal group SO(3) are provided. More specifically, we consider an optimal control problem corresponding to a representative of our classification (of cost-extended system) for each possible number of control inputs. For each of these problems, we obtain explicit expressions for the extremal trajectories on the homogeneous space S2 by projecting the extremal trajectories on the group SO(3). The examples provided show how our classifications of cost-extended systems and Hamilton-Poisson systems can be used to obtain the optimal controls and the extremal trajectories corresponding to a large class of optimal control problems on SO(3). An example of a four-input optimal control problem on SO(4) is also provided. This example is provided to show how the solutions of certain problems on SO(4) can be related to the solutions of certain optimal control problems on SO(3).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Control and vulnerability : reflections on the nature of human agency and personhood
- Authors: Paphitis, Sharli Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Self-control , Vulnerability (Personality trait) , Self (Philosophy) , Social psychology , Cognitive science , Frankfurt, Harry G., 1929- -- Criticism and interpretation , Watson, Gary, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation , Mele, Alfred R., 1951- -- Criticism and interpretation , Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2750 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018671
- Description: Following the writings of philosophers such as Harry Frankfurt, Gary Watson, and Alfred Mele, in this thesis I defend some central claims of the self-control view of human agency. However, I not only defend, but also supplement this view in the following two ways. First, drawing on work by Mary Midgley and Sigmund Freud I advance the claim that self-control requires the experience of internal conflict between an agent’s motivations and intentions. Second, drawing on insights from Simone de Beauvoir and Friedrich Nietzsche, as well as recent research in social psychology and cognitive science, I will argue in this thesis that self-control and vulnerability are inextricably intertwined with one another, and that as a result both are to be seen as constitutive of human agency. While it is the capacity for self-control that marks us out as human agents, I argue that it is also our uniquely human vulnerability which distinguishes our agency from the kind of agency which we might attribute to other potential or actual forms of sentience. Further, while the concepts of human agency and personhood are typically conflated in the analytic tradition of philosophy, in this thesis I will show that there are good reasons for understanding these two concepts as subtly distinct from one another. The term personhood, I will argue, can fruitfully be understood in substantive rather than purely formal terms. A person, in the superlative sense, is to be understood as someone who exercises their agency well; and, as such, persons are answerable to a number of normative prescriptions. Following Midgley, Nietzsche and Martha Nussbaum, I argue against Frankfurt’s normative prescription for personhood in the form of what he calls ‘wholeheartedness’, and offer four normative prescriptions for personhood of my own.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Paphitis, Sharli Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Self-control , Vulnerability (Personality trait) , Self (Philosophy) , Social psychology , Cognitive science , Frankfurt, Harry G., 1929- -- Criticism and interpretation , Watson, Gary, 1943- -- Criticism and interpretation , Mele, Alfred R., 1951- -- Criticism and interpretation , Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2750 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018671
- Description: Following the writings of philosophers such as Harry Frankfurt, Gary Watson, and Alfred Mele, in this thesis I defend some central claims of the self-control view of human agency. However, I not only defend, but also supplement this view in the following two ways. First, drawing on work by Mary Midgley and Sigmund Freud I advance the claim that self-control requires the experience of internal conflict between an agent’s motivations and intentions. Second, drawing on insights from Simone de Beauvoir and Friedrich Nietzsche, as well as recent research in social psychology and cognitive science, I will argue in this thesis that self-control and vulnerability are inextricably intertwined with one another, and that as a result both are to be seen as constitutive of human agency. While it is the capacity for self-control that marks us out as human agents, I argue that it is also our uniquely human vulnerability which distinguishes our agency from the kind of agency which we might attribute to other potential or actual forms of sentience. Further, while the concepts of human agency and personhood are typically conflated in the analytic tradition of philosophy, in this thesis I will show that there are good reasons for understanding these two concepts as subtly distinct from one another. The term personhood, I will argue, can fruitfully be understood in substantive rather than purely formal terms. A person, in the superlative sense, is to be understood as someone who exercises their agency well; and, as such, persons are answerable to a number of normative prescriptions. Following Midgley, Nietzsche and Martha Nussbaum, I argue against Frankfurt’s normative prescription for personhood in the form of what he calls ‘wholeheartedness’, and offer four normative prescriptions for personhood of my own.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Counsellors’ constructions of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and their interventions with women suffering such IPV:
- Fleischack, Anne, Macleod, Catriona I, Böhmke, Werner
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne , Macleod, Catriona I , Böhmke, Werner
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143716 , vital:38276 , https://ischp.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ischp_2015_abstract_booklet.pdf
- Description: South African research reveals a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) yet little research exists regarding IPV during pregnancy. In this paper we present data collected through narrative interviews with eight counsellors from two NGOs working with women experiencing IPV during pregnancy. Using a narrative-discursive analytical lens, attention was given to the construction of subject positions and power relations between the men and women in the counsellors’ narratives. Men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing, and as victims. The counsellors saw IPV during pregnancy as occurring for a variety of reasons, including conflicts around abortion, and male partners finding the women physically unattractive. It was noted that IPV during pregnancy is managed by women in complex ways. Counsellors’ emphasis on individual counselling and leaving the IPV relationship suggests that women are ultimately responsible for their own wellbeing and success.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne , Macleod, Catriona I , Böhmke, Werner
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143716 , vital:38276 , https://ischp.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ischp_2015_abstract_booklet.pdf
- Description: South African research reveals a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) yet little research exists regarding IPV during pregnancy. In this paper we present data collected through narrative interviews with eight counsellors from two NGOs working with women experiencing IPV during pregnancy. Using a narrative-discursive analytical lens, attention was given to the construction of subject positions and power relations between the men and women in the counsellors’ narratives. Men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing, and as victims. The counsellors saw IPV during pregnancy as occurring for a variety of reasons, including conflicts around abortion, and male partners finding the women physically unattractive. It was noted that IPV during pregnancy is managed by women in complex ways. Counsellors’ emphasis on individual counselling and leaving the IPV relationship suggests that women are ultimately responsible for their own wellbeing and success.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Counsellors’ talk about their understanding of, and practices in response to, intimate partner violence during pregnancy: a narrative-discursive analytic study.
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Countertrade as a development tool: a comparative analytical approach
- Authors: Van Dyk, Johannes Jacobus
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Countertrade , Countertrade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5054 , vital:20795
- Description: This study explores the consequences of defence countertrade arrangements for national development based on the South African experience in comparative perspective. Although defence countertrade has been controversial in many contexts, it is concluded that it may play a positive developmental role. This is premised on the central role governments can play in ensuring that countertrade's role in national economic development – global pressures and neo-liberalism notwithstanding – remains an important tool through which active industrial policy may be pursued. This can include developing and maintaining a defence industrial base (DIB) in those countries that have such capabilities. Countertrade occurs under two kinds of market conditions. The one is where there is a natural need for trading but it is constrained in some way, for example, by an absence of currency or an oversupply. Under these conditions countries can resort to bartering, which involves a commodity for commodity exchange and no money. The second market condition is one where countertrade is purposefully structured to secure reciprocal benefits as a condition of a commercial sales transaction - defence or civil in nature. This is referred to as leveraged procurement and manifests primarily as defence offsets involving the defence industrial base, which is the concern of this study. Around 40 per cent of countries, including South Africa, use various purposely structured government procurement programmes when procuring goods and services abroad. These programmes apply the principle of reciprocity through the use of internationally accepted countertrade practices that manifest in many diverse ways. Although „countertrade‘ is the collective term, it is regularly referred to as „offsets‘. Procurement leverage is used to secure some reciprocal benefit from the foreign seller (benefits sought vary from country to country). Countertrade-related practices occur widely despite the fact that the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA6) rules out the use of offsets. Their use is viewed as a discriminatory procurement practice that interferes with free trade. However, the WTO allows for exceptions in the case of developing countries and also for national security and public health contracts. It is important to note that countertrade (and offset) practices, valued in billions of US Dollars, are applicable mostly to defence contracts, although becoming increasingly relevant in non-defence (i.e. civil) government procurements. This research systematically interrogated and investigated issues surrounding the origins and subsequent popular and increased use of countertrade since the 1980s. The purported negative impact of defence-related offsets on the defence industrial base (i.e. the loss or gain of jobs, technology and market share) of both the exporting and receiving countries is of particular concern to the US government and the European Union (EU). My exploratory mixed method research, together with practitioner (insider) and reflexive research approaches, culminated in a primarily descriptive, qualitative, analytical narrative. The research is further founded on structured survey questionnaires. These specific research approaches are known to be subjective and biased and I thus needed to take extra care to prevent emotive subjectivities, primarily through triangulating my findings against a variety of other views and arguments pertaining to the research question. This was done to provide for a holistic overview, and in consideration of the case study, in particular. It must be noted that South Africa has two sets of industrial participation policies and practices. One is Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) managed exclusively by Armscor, South Africa's acquisition agency, which favours pursuing defence industry development objectives. The other is the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), managed independently by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The NIPP is primarily focused on the civil industry with a bias towards manufacturing, investments and exports. The DIP is the focus of the case study element of this research. Since its inception in 1968, Armscor has been tasked with establishing a DIB. Until the late 1980s, this DIB made huge strides in developing unique defence equipment to cater for the harsh Southern African environment and its military operational conditions. The DIB's development was enhanced further by the various UN embargoes imposed on the former South African apartheid government. Owing to these embargoes, Armscor dealt with all its defence imports (and exports) in a clandestine manner. Armscor was the only government entity that applied countertrade from around 1988 until 1996 when the DTI introduced NIPP. During the latter part of 1996, Armscor redrafted its countertrade policy with the new DIP policy approved in early 1997. This policy was applied during the biggest arms transaction in South Africa‟s history, namely, the Strategic Defence Package (SDP). A DIP commitment of circa R15 billion resulted from the equipment bought under the SDP. This study investigated how the DIP manifested in practice from 2000 to 2012 within the DIB that involved numerous South African Defence Industry (SADI) entities. The study considered the DIB, its growth and decline, and to what extent the DIP assisted it to retain its capabilities and capacities, including the retention of jobs. Hence, parts of the case study cover issues related to the South African military complex and the SDP‟s selection process. Subsequent investigations into alleged acts of misconduct and maladministration in the selection process, fraud and corruption are also covered, although not in detail, since this matter is sub judice the outcome of the 2011 presidential appointed Arms Procurement Commission (APC) of inquiry that is anticipating completing its investigations in 2015. Although there are many derivative views on the actual defence equipment needs of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the study did not endeavour to analyse these views in depth as they are adequately covered in the 1996 Defence Review. Similarly, there are views expressed that South Africa paid much more for its equipment compared with similar types of equipment bought by other countries. A cost comparative analysis was not performed as the exact configuration of each type of equipment can differ substantially due to the unique operational needs of the various defence forces – the exact configuration of such equipment is not in the public domain, since it is a sovereign security concern. Despite many opposing views, it is concluded that DIP (also referred to as defence offsets) has worked for South Africa: in many ways the South African DIP practice compares favourably with internationally accepted best practices. The research‟s postulation that countertrade can be used as a possible development mechanism is therefore supported by the findings of this study that showed that DIP had a positive retention impact on the DIB, and jobs, and made a positive contribution to Gross National Product (GNP7). The study found that the 1997 DIP policy needed to be much better aligned with the broader strategic national industrial development aims and objectives, including better corroboration with the NIPP. In this respect critical inferences are made that the DIP policy primarily focused on the SADI and its capabilities, without considering its wider application in a broader industrial sense. However, in the context of the Armscor legal mandate (i.t.o. Act 57 of 1968) ensuring the establishment of a DIB in South Africa, the DIP policy was clear in its intent to specifically further the interests of only the SADI. However, the 2014 Defence Review recommends that the DIP policy should be much more focused and even prescriptive when considering specific strategic defence needs. Although DIP policy directives contain requirements for establishing strategic local capabilities and capacities that could adequately cater for logistic support, repair and maintenance of foreign produced defence equipment, this aspect was not well contracted in the 1999 SDP. There is also general consensus that foreign obligors should in future not be allowed the freedoms of choice evident in the SDP‟s DIP process, which resulted in numerous smaller companies not benefitting as was generally anticipated. Future defence contracts should not be signed without an appropriate DIP business plan. Hence, all indications are that the DIP regime in South Africa is set to become much more stringent in its application and subsequent discharge administration.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Van Dyk, Johannes Jacobus
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Countertrade , Countertrade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5054 , vital:20795
- Description: This study explores the consequences of defence countertrade arrangements for national development based on the South African experience in comparative perspective. Although defence countertrade has been controversial in many contexts, it is concluded that it may play a positive developmental role. This is premised on the central role governments can play in ensuring that countertrade's role in national economic development – global pressures and neo-liberalism notwithstanding – remains an important tool through which active industrial policy may be pursued. This can include developing and maintaining a defence industrial base (DIB) in those countries that have such capabilities. Countertrade occurs under two kinds of market conditions. The one is where there is a natural need for trading but it is constrained in some way, for example, by an absence of currency or an oversupply. Under these conditions countries can resort to bartering, which involves a commodity for commodity exchange and no money. The second market condition is one where countertrade is purposefully structured to secure reciprocal benefits as a condition of a commercial sales transaction - defence or civil in nature. This is referred to as leveraged procurement and manifests primarily as defence offsets involving the defence industrial base, which is the concern of this study. Around 40 per cent of countries, including South Africa, use various purposely structured government procurement programmes when procuring goods and services abroad. These programmes apply the principle of reciprocity through the use of internationally accepted countertrade practices that manifest in many diverse ways. Although „countertrade‘ is the collective term, it is regularly referred to as „offsets‘. Procurement leverage is used to secure some reciprocal benefit from the foreign seller (benefits sought vary from country to country). Countertrade-related practices occur widely despite the fact that the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA6) rules out the use of offsets. Their use is viewed as a discriminatory procurement practice that interferes with free trade. However, the WTO allows for exceptions in the case of developing countries and also for national security and public health contracts. It is important to note that countertrade (and offset) practices, valued in billions of US Dollars, are applicable mostly to defence contracts, although becoming increasingly relevant in non-defence (i.e. civil) government procurements. This research systematically interrogated and investigated issues surrounding the origins and subsequent popular and increased use of countertrade since the 1980s. The purported negative impact of defence-related offsets on the defence industrial base (i.e. the loss or gain of jobs, technology and market share) of both the exporting and receiving countries is of particular concern to the US government and the European Union (EU). My exploratory mixed method research, together with practitioner (insider) and reflexive research approaches, culminated in a primarily descriptive, qualitative, analytical narrative. The research is further founded on structured survey questionnaires. These specific research approaches are known to be subjective and biased and I thus needed to take extra care to prevent emotive subjectivities, primarily through triangulating my findings against a variety of other views and arguments pertaining to the research question. This was done to provide for a holistic overview, and in consideration of the case study, in particular. It must be noted that South Africa has two sets of industrial participation policies and practices. One is Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) managed exclusively by Armscor, South Africa's acquisition agency, which favours pursuing defence industry development objectives. The other is the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), managed independently by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The NIPP is primarily focused on the civil industry with a bias towards manufacturing, investments and exports. The DIP is the focus of the case study element of this research. Since its inception in 1968, Armscor has been tasked with establishing a DIB. Until the late 1980s, this DIB made huge strides in developing unique defence equipment to cater for the harsh Southern African environment and its military operational conditions. The DIB's development was enhanced further by the various UN embargoes imposed on the former South African apartheid government. Owing to these embargoes, Armscor dealt with all its defence imports (and exports) in a clandestine manner. Armscor was the only government entity that applied countertrade from around 1988 until 1996 when the DTI introduced NIPP. During the latter part of 1996, Armscor redrafted its countertrade policy with the new DIP policy approved in early 1997. This policy was applied during the biggest arms transaction in South Africa‟s history, namely, the Strategic Defence Package (SDP). A DIP commitment of circa R15 billion resulted from the equipment bought under the SDP. This study investigated how the DIP manifested in practice from 2000 to 2012 within the DIB that involved numerous South African Defence Industry (SADI) entities. The study considered the DIB, its growth and decline, and to what extent the DIP assisted it to retain its capabilities and capacities, including the retention of jobs. Hence, parts of the case study cover issues related to the South African military complex and the SDP‟s selection process. Subsequent investigations into alleged acts of misconduct and maladministration in the selection process, fraud and corruption are also covered, although not in detail, since this matter is sub judice the outcome of the 2011 presidential appointed Arms Procurement Commission (APC) of inquiry that is anticipating completing its investigations in 2015. Although there are many derivative views on the actual defence equipment needs of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the study did not endeavour to analyse these views in depth as they are adequately covered in the 1996 Defence Review. Similarly, there are views expressed that South Africa paid much more for its equipment compared with similar types of equipment bought by other countries. A cost comparative analysis was not performed as the exact configuration of each type of equipment can differ substantially due to the unique operational needs of the various defence forces – the exact configuration of such equipment is not in the public domain, since it is a sovereign security concern. Despite many opposing views, it is concluded that DIP (also referred to as defence offsets) has worked for South Africa: in many ways the South African DIP practice compares favourably with internationally accepted best practices. The research‟s postulation that countertrade can be used as a possible development mechanism is therefore supported by the findings of this study that showed that DIP had a positive retention impact on the DIB, and jobs, and made a positive contribution to Gross National Product (GNP7). The study found that the 1997 DIP policy needed to be much better aligned with the broader strategic national industrial development aims and objectives, including better corroboration with the NIPP. In this respect critical inferences are made that the DIP policy primarily focused on the SADI and its capabilities, without considering its wider application in a broader industrial sense. However, in the context of the Armscor legal mandate (i.t.o. Act 57 of 1968) ensuring the establishment of a DIB in South Africa, the DIP policy was clear in its intent to specifically further the interests of only the SADI. However, the 2014 Defence Review recommends that the DIP policy should be much more focused and even prescriptive when considering specific strategic defence needs. Although DIP policy directives contain requirements for establishing strategic local capabilities and capacities that could adequately cater for logistic support, repair and maintenance of foreign produced defence equipment, this aspect was not well contracted in the 1999 SDP. There is also general consensus that foreign obligors should in future not be allowed the freedoms of choice evident in the SDP‟s DIP process, which resulted in numerous smaller companies not benefitting as was generally anticipated. Future defence contracts should not be signed without an appropriate DIP business plan. Hence, all indications are that the DIP regime in South Africa is set to become much more stringent in its application and subsequent discharge administration.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Counting of finite fuzzy subsets with applications to fuzzy recognition and selection strategies
- Authors: Talwanga, Matiki
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Möbius transformations , Fuzzy sets , Functions, Zeta , Partitions (Mathematics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5431 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018186
- Description: The counting of fuzzy subsets of a finite set is of great interest in both practical and theoretical contexts in Mathematics. We have used some counting techniques such as the principle of Inclusion-Exclusion and the Mõbius Inversion to enumerate the fuzzy subsets of a finite set satisfying different conditions. These two techniques are interdependent with the M¨obius inversion generalizing the principle of Inclusion-Exclusion. The enumeration is carried out each time we redefine new conditions on the set. In this study one of our aims is the recognition and identification of fuzzy subsets with same features, characteristics or conditions. To facilitate such a study, we use some ideas such as the Hamming distance, mid-point between two fuzzy subsets and cardinality of fuzzy subsets. Finally we introduce the fuzzy scanner of elements of a finite set. This is used to identify elements and fuzzy subsets of a set. The scanning process of identification and recognition facilitates the choice of entities with specified properties. We develop a procedure of selection under the fuzzy environment. This allows us a framework to resolve conflicting issues in the market place.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Talwanga, Matiki
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Möbius transformations , Fuzzy sets , Functions, Zeta , Partitions (Mathematics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5431 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018186
- Description: The counting of fuzzy subsets of a finite set is of great interest in both practical and theoretical contexts in Mathematics. We have used some counting techniques such as the principle of Inclusion-Exclusion and the Mõbius Inversion to enumerate the fuzzy subsets of a finite set satisfying different conditions. These two techniques are interdependent with the M¨obius inversion generalizing the principle of Inclusion-Exclusion. The enumeration is carried out each time we redefine new conditions on the set. In this study one of our aims is the recognition and identification of fuzzy subsets with same features, characteristics or conditions. To facilitate such a study, we use some ideas such as the Hamming distance, mid-point between two fuzzy subsets and cardinality of fuzzy subsets. Finally we introduce the fuzzy scanner of elements of a finite set. This is used to identify elements and fuzzy subsets of a set. The scanning process of identification and recognition facilitates the choice of entities with specified properties. We develop a procedure of selection under the fuzzy environment. This allows us a framework to resolve conflicting issues in the market place.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Creating a safe learning environment in two schools in the Butterworth District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Vokozela, Zandile
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Msc (Environmental Studies)
- Identifier: vital:11881 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021297
- Description: This study focuses on the creation of a safe learning environment at two schools in the Butterworth District of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The two schools are Ndabankulu Senior Secondary School and Butterworth High School. The study is of a comparative design and aims to assist the communities of Ndabankulu Senior Secondary School, and Butterworth High School to improve health, safety and security issues of their children by reducing their exposure to environmental risks while attending school. An ethnographic study was used to collect data and the study employed questionnaires, document analysis and interviews as methods of collecting data. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether the school is still a safe place for learning and teaching to take place without fear and harm so that both learners and teachers can attain growth and development. Physical risks were assessed through observation and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with the senior members of staff while questionnaires were issued to eighty learners and were all returned back for analysis. The content analysis and interpretation yielded findings that suggests that hazards that may harm the development of learners at Ndabankulu S.S.S. and Butterworth High school exist. The study concludes that it is crucial that strategies and necessary interventions be set up and implemented to ensure that all stakeholders perceive school safety as an important aspect, both for the benefit of the school and that of the wider society. The barriers to school safety, specifically to both schools in this study need to be attended to. The study has presented findings that are consistent with those of other studies which emphasized that if barriers to school safety are identified, confronted and tackled, the schools could benefit positively from effects of involving everyone to create a safe learning environment. The conditions under which learners receive education in South Africa have to be closely and constantly monitored by Departmental officials. Teachers and managers need to be trained in their duties so that schools become places where learners are safe and enjoy reaching their future goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Vokozela, Zandile
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Msc (Environmental Studies)
- Identifier: vital:11881 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021297
- Description: This study focuses on the creation of a safe learning environment at two schools in the Butterworth District of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The two schools are Ndabankulu Senior Secondary School and Butterworth High School. The study is of a comparative design and aims to assist the communities of Ndabankulu Senior Secondary School, and Butterworth High School to improve health, safety and security issues of their children by reducing their exposure to environmental risks while attending school. An ethnographic study was used to collect data and the study employed questionnaires, document analysis and interviews as methods of collecting data. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether the school is still a safe place for learning and teaching to take place without fear and harm so that both learners and teachers can attain growth and development. Physical risks were assessed through observation and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with the senior members of staff while questionnaires were issued to eighty learners and were all returned back for analysis. The content analysis and interpretation yielded findings that suggests that hazards that may harm the development of learners at Ndabankulu S.S.S. and Butterworth High school exist. The study concludes that it is crucial that strategies and necessary interventions be set up and implemented to ensure that all stakeholders perceive school safety as an important aspect, both for the benefit of the school and that of the wider society. The barriers to school safety, specifically to both schools in this study need to be attended to. The study has presented findings that are consistent with those of other studies which emphasized that if barriers to school safety are identified, confronted and tackled, the schools could benefit positively from effects of involving everyone to create a safe learning environment. The conditions under which learners receive education in South Africa have to be closely and constantly monitored by Departmental officials. Teachers and managers need to be trained in their duties so that schools become places where learners are safe and enjoy reaching their future goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Critical realism, environmental learning and social-ecological change
- Price, Leigh, Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
- Authors: Price, Leigh , Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436952 , vital:73319 , ISBN 9781315660899 , https://www.routledge.com/Critical-Realism-Environmental-Learning-and-Social-Ecological-Change/Price-Lotz-Sistka/p/book/9780367597689
- Description: The contemporary social-ecological condition is characterized by power-ful changes in the way that we relate to each other and to the environ-ment. This has led to increased ecological vulnerability, which is also ac-companied by ongoing, and increased societal vulnerability. Nevertheless there remain opportunities for developing new social-ecological rela-tions, and for social-ecological learning and change. This would seem to require a strong project of recovering ontology, and a challenging and broadening of dominant ways of knowing (Mignolo, 2000) that also tend to commit what Bhaskar describes as the ‘epistemic fallacy’, or the ‘the analysis or reduction of being to knowledge of being’ (Bhaskar, 2010, p. 1). In response, Bhaskar (ibid.) suggests critical realism as an alternative that embodies a ‘compatibility of ontological realism, epistemological relativism and judgmental rationality’. This includes a ‘re-vindication of ontology’ and the possibility of recognizing and accounting for structure, difference and change in the world in ways that escape ontological actu-alism and ontological monovalence or ‘the generation of a purely positive account of reality’ (ibid., p. 15).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Price, Leigh , Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436952 , vital:73319 , ISBN 9781315660899 , https://www.routledge.com/Critical-Realism-Environmental-Learning-and-Social-Ecological-Change/Price-Lotz-Sistka/p/book/9780367597689
- Description: The contemporary social-ecological condition is characterized by power-ful changes in the way that we relate to each other and to the environ-ment. This has led to increased ecological vulnerability, which is also ac-companied by ongoing, and increased societal vulnerability. Nevertheless there remain opportunities for developing new social-ecological rela-tions, and for social-ecological learning and change. This would seem to require a strong project of recovering ontology, and a challenging and broadening of dominant ways of knowing (Mignolo, 2000) that also tend to commit what Bhaskar describes as the ‘epistemic fallacy’, or the ‘the analysis or reduction of being to knowledge of being’ (Bhaskar, 2010, p. 1). In response, Bhaskar (ibid.) suggests critical realism as an alternative that embodies a ‘compatibility of ontological realism, epistemological relativism and judgmental rationality’. This includes a ‘re-vindication of ontology’ and the possibility of recognizing and accounting for structure, difference and change in the world in ways that escape ontological actu-alism and ontological monovalence or ‘the generation of a purely positive account of reality’ (ibid., p. 15).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Critical success factors to improve direct labour productivity
- Authors: Brown, Conrad Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Automobile supplies industry -- Labor productivity -- South Africa , Success in business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8846 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020101
- Description: An increase in the global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re-look their facility from a labour productivity standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive avantage must at all times support the organisation’s objective. It is therefore critical that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the ever changing needs in the market. Purpose – The main objective of this research is to identify the critical success factors to improve direct labour efficiency within Johnson Controls Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd (JCI). Design/methodology/approach – A combination of a comprehensive literature review and visits to the Uitenhage plant and head office were employed in the study. JCI practices were observed to highlight the level of direct labour productivity. This was followed by interviewing relevant and key personel who had an involvement in achieving direct labour productivity in the plant. A questionnaire-based research approach was adopted for this purpose and a total of 83 valid survey responses were received from staff in the Uitenhage plant, together with head office staff who directly supported the plant. The questionnaire was designed to identify and test perceptions of employees, regarding the factors of production, identified as sub variables. The research aim was to determine the most practical and effective strategies to improve direct labour productivity. Results were analysed and interpreted after which recommendations were formulated. Findings – Several critical success factors identified as sub variables were tested to understand their impact on direct labour productivity. Empirical results showed that organisational culture, leadership culture, employee engagement, communication and skills, development and training, had a significant effect on direct labour productivity. Respective ratings of these elements were discussed with the focus of improving this going forward. Research limitations/implications – Continued scepticim within JCI about the benefits of direct labour productivity to their business is one of the fundamental limitations this research faces. Originality/value – The novelty of the research project stems from the realization of key factors contributing to the improvement of direct labour productivity within the JCI enviroment. The results would provide JCI with indicators and guidelines for a successful implementation of direct labour productivity initiatives in the Uitenhage plant.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Brown, Conrad Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Automobile supplies industry -- Labor productivity -- South Africa , Success in business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8846 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020101
- Description: An increase in the global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re-look their facility from a labour productivity standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive avantage must at all times support the organisation’s objective. It is therefore critical that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the ever changing needs in the market. Purpose – The main objective of this research is to identify the critical success factors to improve direct labour efficiency within Johnson Controls Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd (JCI). Design/methodology/approach – A combination of a comprehensive literature review and visits to the Uitenhage plant and head office were employed in the study. JCI practices were observed to highlight the level of direct labour productivity. This was followed by interviewing relevant and key personel who had an involvement in achieving direct labour productivity in the plant. A questionnaire-based research approach was adopted for this purpose and a total of 83 valid survey responses were received from staff in the Uitenhage plant, together with head office staff who directly supported the plant. The questionnaire was designed to identify and test perceptions of employees, regarding the factors of production, identified as sub variables. The research aim was to determine the most practical and effective strategies to improve direct labour productivity. Results were analysed and interpreted after which recommendations were formulated. Findings – Several critical success factors identified as sub variables were tested to understand their impact on direct labour productivity. Empirical results showed that organisational culture, leadership culture, employee engagement, communication and skills, development and training, had a significant effect on direct labour productivity. Respective ratings of these elements were discussed with the focus of improving this going forward. Research limitations/implications – Continued scepticim within JCI about the benefits of direct labour productivity to their business is one of the fundamental limitations this research faces. Originality/value – The novelty of the research project stems from the realization of key factors contributing to the improvement of direct labour productivity within the JCI enviroment. The results would provide JCI with indicators and guidelines for a successful implementation of direct labour productivity initiatives in the Uitenhage plant.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Cultural values of natural resources among the San people neighbouring Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa
- Thondhlana, Gladman, Shackleton, Sheona E
- Authors: Thondhlana, Gladman , Shackleton, Sheona E
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67699 , vital:29131 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2013.818950
- Description: Publisher version , Globally, cultural values of natural resources are increasingly recognised as important for local natural resource management and conservation in and beyond parks. The tendency has been to focus on the direct-use rather than the cultural values and importance of natural resources. The cultural values underlying natural resources (directly or indirectly used) and various natural resource-based activities, and the implications for conservation, remain little explored. Drawing from household surveys, in-depth qualitative interviews, observations and secondary data, we explore the cultural significance of natural resources and different land-use practices among the San people bordering Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. Our findings illustrate that though cultural values are inextricably linked to resource use, they are not recognised by all community members. Further, cultural values arise from a diverse and sometimes conflicting array of values that punctuate individuals' lifestyles. A better understanding of context-specific cultural settings and the linkages between the cultural and material dimensions of resource use can lead to the development of interventions that can ensure effective conservation of both natural resources and culture.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thondhlana, Gladman , Shackleton, Sheona E
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67699 , vital:29131 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2013.818950
- Description: Publisher version , Globally, cultural values of natural resources are increasingly recognised as important for local natural resource management and conservation in and beyond parks. The tendency has been to focus on the direct-use rather than the cultural values and importance of natural resources. The cultural values underlying natural resources (directly or indirectly used) and various natural resource-based activities, and the implications for conservation, remain little explored. Drawing from household surveys, in-depth qualitative interviews, observations and secondary data, we explore the cultural significance of natural resources and different land-use practices among the San people bordering Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. Our findings illustrate that though cultural values are inextricably linked to resource use, they are not recognised by all community members. Further, cultural values arise from a diverse and sometimes conflicting array of values that punctuate individuals' lifestyles. A better understanding of context-specific cultural settings and the linkages between the cultural and material dimensions of resource use can lead to the development of interventions that can ensure effective conservation of both natural resources and culture.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
Current developments in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi research and its role in salinity stress alleviation a biotechnological perspective
- Kumar, Ashwani, Dames, Joanna F, Gupta, Aditi, Sharma, Satyawati, Gilbert, Jack A, Ahmad, Parvaiz
- Authors: Kumar, Ashwani , Dames, Joanna F , Gupta, Aditi , Sharma, Satyawati , Gilbert, Jack A , Ahmad, Parvaiz
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443998 , vital:74177 , https://doi.org/10.3109/07388551.2014.899964
- Description: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form widespread symbiotic associations with 80% of known land plants. They play a major role in plant nutrition, growth, water absorption, nutrient cycling and protection from pathogens, and as a result, contribute to ecosystem processes. Salinity stress conditions undoubtedly limit plant productivity and, therefore, the role of AMF as a biological tool for improving plant salt stress tolerance, is gaining economic importance worldwide. However, this approach requires a better understanding of how plants and AMF intimately interact with each other in saline environments and how this interaction leads to physiological changes in plants. This knowledge is important to develop sustainable strategies for successful utilization of AMF to improve plant health under a variety of stress conditions. Recent advances in the field of molecular biology, “omics” technology and advanced microscopy can provide new insight about these mechanisms of interaction between AMF and plants, as well as other microbes. This review mainly discusses the effect of salinity on AMF and plants, and role of AMF in alleviation of salinity stress including insight on methods for AMF identification. The focus remains on latest advancements in mycorrhizal research that can potentially offer an integrative understanding of the role of AMF in salinity tolerance and sustainable crop production.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kumar, Ashwani , Dames, Joanna F , Gupta, Aditi , Sharma, Satyawati , Gilbert, Jack A , Ahmad, Parvaiz
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443998 , vital:74177 , https://doi.org/10.3109/07388551.2014.899964
- Description: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form widespread symbiotic associations with 80% of known land plants. They play a major role in plant nutrition, growth, water absorption, nutrient cycling and protection from pathogens, and as a result, contribute to ecosystem processes. Salinity stress conditions undoubtedly limit plant productivity and, therefore, the role of AMF as a biological tool for improving plant salt stress tolerance, is gaining economic importance worldwide. However, this approach requires a better understanding of how plants and AMF intimately interact with each other in saline environments and how this interaction leads to physiological changes in plants. This knowledge is important to develop sustainable strategies for successful utilization of AMF to improve plant health under a variety of stress conditions. Recent advances in the field of molecular biology, “omics” technology and advanced microscopy can provide new insight about these mechanisms of interaction between AMF and plants, as well as other microbes. This review mainly discusses the effect of salinity on AMF and plants, and role of AMF in alleviation of salinity stress including insight on methods for AMF identification. The focus remains on latest advancements in mycorrhizal research that can potentially offer an integrative understanding of the role of AMF in salinity tolerance and sustainable crop production.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Cyber Vulnerability Assessment: Case Study of Malawi and Tanzania
- Chindipha, Stones D, Irwin, Barry V W
- Authors: Chindipha, Stones D , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428558 , vital:72520 , https://accconference.mandela.ac.za/ACCConference/media/Store/images/Proceedings-2015.pdf#page=105
- Description: Much as the Internet is beneficial to our daily activities, with each passing day it also brings along with it information security concerns for the users be they at company or national level. Each year the number of Internet users keeps growing, particularly in Africa, and this means only one thing, more cyber-attacks. Governments have become a focal point of this data leakage problem making this a matter of national security. Looking at the current state of affairs, cyber-based incidents are more likely to increase in Africa, mainly due to the increased prevalence and affordability of broadband connectivity which is coupled with lack of online security awareness. A drop in the cost of broadband connection means more people will be able to afford Internet connectivity. With open Source Intelligence (OSINT), this paper aims to perform a vulnerability analysis for states in Eastern Africa building from prior research by Swart et al. which showed that there are vulnerabilities in the information systems, using the case of South Africa as an example. States in East Africa are to be considered as candidates, with the final decision being determined by access to suitable resources, and availability of information. A comparative analysis to assess the factors that affect the degree of security susceptibilities in various states will also be made and information security measures used by various governments to ascertain the extent of their contribution to this vulnerability will be assessed. This pilot study will be extended to other Southern and Eastern African states like Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and Namibia in future work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Chindipha, Stones D , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/428558 , vital:72520 , https://accconference.mandela.ac.za/ACCConference/media/Store/images/Proceedings-2015.pdf#page=105
- Description: Much as the Internet is beneficial to our daily activities, with each passing day it also brings along with it information security concerns for the users be they at company or national level. Each year the number of Internet users keeps growing, particularly in Africa, and this means only one thing, more cyber-attacks. Governments have become a focal point of this data leakage problem making this a matter of national security. Looking at the current state of affairs, cyber-based incidents are more likely to increase in Africa, mainly due to the increased prevalence and affordability of broadband connectivity which is coupled with lack of online security awareness. A drop in the cost of broadband connection means more people will be able to afford Internet connectivity. With open Source Intelligence (OSINT), this paper aims to perform a vulnerability analysis for states in Eastern Africa building from prior research by Swart et al. which showed that there are vulnerabilities in the information systems, using the case of South Africa as an example. States in East Africa are to be considered as candidates, with the final decision being determined by access to suitable resources, and availability of information. A comparative analysis to assess the factors that affect the degree of security susceptibilities in various states will also be made and information security measures used by various governments to ascertain the extent of their contribution to this vulnerability will be assessed. This pilot study will be extended to other Southern and Eastern African states like Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and Namibia in future work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Cyberbullying and adolescents' self-esteem
- Authors: Van Rensburg, Philip
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Cyberbullying , Self-esteem in adolescence
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4343 , vital:20587
- Description: Cyberbullying can be defined as the wilful and repeated harm inflicted upon others through the medium of electronic text (Patchin, 2002). Typically, cyberbullying involves sending harassing or threatening e-mails and instant messages, posting derogatory comments of someone on a website, or physically threatening or intimidating someone online. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ experience with cyberbullying and their level of self-esteem. There is a considerable amount of support, which has been accrued over the years, alluding to the fact that incidents involving bullying have damaging consequences upon adolescent development. One such correlation that has earned a considerable amount of interest is the consequence of bullying on selfesteem. Self-esteem can be defined as a favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the self. The current research study employed an exploratory, descriptive quantitative research design. Quantitative research focuses on using empirical data with findings based on certainty. Results are accumulated through formal measurements using prearranged instruments and analysed through the use of statistical measures. Research consisted of the completion of a biographical questionnaire which provided data on the demographics of the sample. The cyber bully/victim questionnaire provided information about the prevalence of cyberbullying behaviours among the participants. James Battle’s Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory was utilised to measure the construct of self-esteem. Participants were selected by means of non-probability sampling and comprised of a sample of grade seven learners enrolled at a primary school in George, Western Cape. Quantitativedata, obtained from the self-report questionnaires, were analysed through the use of descriptive statistics, ANOVA statistics and a Pearson R correlation coefficient. One key finding revealed that over fifty percent (51.40%) of the grade 7 participants had been involved in cyberbullying behaviours. No significant relationship was found to exist between cyberbullying and selfesteem in the grade 7 sample. Self-esteem scores did not vary significantly among the cyberbullies, cybervictims, cyberbully-victims and bystanders in the sample.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Van Rensburg, Philip
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Cyberbullying , Self-esteem in adolescence
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4343 , vital:20587
- Description: Cyberbullying can be defined as the wilful and repeated harm inflicted upon others through the medium of electronic text (Patchin, 2002). Typically, cyberbullying involves sending harassing or threatening e-mails and instant messages, posting derogatory comments of someone on a website, or physically threatening or intimidating someone online. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ experience with cyberbullying and their level of self-esteem. There is a considerable amount of support, which has been accrued over the years, alluding to the fact that incidents involving bullying have damaging consequences upon adolescent development. One such correlation that has earned a considerable amount of interest is the consequence of bullying on selfesteem. Self-esteem can be defined as a favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the self. The current research study employed an exploratory, descriptive quantitative research design. Quantitative research focuses on using empirical data with findings based on certainty. Results are accumulated through formal measurements using prearranged instruments and analysed through the use of statistical measures. Research consisted of the completion of a biographical questionnaire which provided data on the demographics of the sample. The cyber bully/victim questionnaire provided information about the prevalence of cyberbullying behaviours among the participants. James Battle’s Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory was utilised to measure the construct of self-esteem. Participants were selected by means of non-probability sampling and comprised of a sample of grade seven learners enrolled at a primary school in George, Western Cape. Quantitativedata, obtained from the self-report questionnaires, were analysed through the use of descriptive statistics, ANOVA statistics and a Pearson R correlation coefficient. One key finding revealed that over fifty percent (51.40%) of the grade 7 participants had been involved in cyberbullying behaviours. No significant relationship was found to exist between cyberbullying and selfesteem in the grade 7 sample. Self-esteem scores did not vary significantly among the cyberbullies, cybervictims, cyberbully-victims and bystanders in the sample.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Data Centre vulnerabilities physical, logical and trusted entity security
- Swart, Ignus, Grobler, Marthie, Irwin, Barry V W
- Authors: Swart, Ignus , Grobler, Marthie , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427859 , vital:72467 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ignus-Swart/publication/305442546_Data_Centre_vulnerabilities_physical_logical_trusted_entity_security/links/578f38c108aecbca4cada6bf/Data-Centre-vulnerabilities-physical-logical-trusted-entity-security.pdf
- Description: Data centres are often the hub for a significant number of disparate interconnecting systems. With rapid advances in virtualization, the use of data centres have increased significantly and are set to continue growing. Systems hosted typically serve the data needs for a growing number of organizations ranging from private individuals to mammoth governmental departments. Due to this centralized method of operation, data centres have become a prime target for attackers. These attackers are not only after the data contained in the data centre but often the physical infrastructure the systems run on is the target of attack. Down time resulting from such an attack can affect a wide range of entities and can have severe financial implications for the owners of the data centre. To limit liability strict adherence to standards are prescribed. Technology however develops at a far faster pace than standards and our ability to accurately measure information security has significant hidden caveats. This allows for a situation where the defenders dilemma is exacerbated by information overload, a significant increase in attack surface and reporting tools that show only limited views. This paper investigates the logical and physical security components of a data centre and introduces the notion of third party involvement as an increase in attack surface due to the manner in which data centres typically operate.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Swart, Ignus , Grobler, Marthie , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/427859 , vital:72467 , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ignus-Swart/publication/305442546_Data_Centre_vulnerabilities_physical_logical_trusted_entity_security/links/578f38c108aecbca4cada6bf/Data-Centre-vulnerabilities-physical-logical-trusted-entity-security.pdf
- Description: Data centres are often the hub for a significant number of disparate interconnecting systems. With rapid advances in virtualization, the use of data centres have increased significantly and are set to continue growing. Systems hosted typically serve the data needs for a growing number of organizations ranging from private individuals to mammoth governmental departments. Due to this centralized method of operation, data centres have become a prime target for attackers. These attackers are not only after the data contained in the data centre but often the physical infrastructure the systems run on is the target of attack. Down time resulting from such an attack can affect a wide range of entities and can have severe financial implications for the owners of the data centre. To limit liability strict adherence to standards are prescribed. Technology however develops at a far faster pace than standards and our ability to accurately measure information security has significant hidden caveats. This allows for a situation where the defenders dilemma is exacerbated by information overload, a significant increase in attack surface and reporting tools that show only limited views. This paper investigates the logical and physical security components of a data centre and introduces the notion of third party involvement as an increase in attack surface due to the manner in which data centres typically operate.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Data modelling techniques to improve student's admission criteria
- Authors: Hutton, David
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Database management Database design
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11036 , vital:26879
- Description: Education is commonly seen as an escape from poverty and a critical path to securing a better standard of living. This is especially relevant in the South African context, where the need is so great that in one instance people were trampled to death at the gates of a higher educational institution, whilst attempting to register for this opportunity. The root cause of this great need is a limited capacity and a demand, which outstrips the supply. This is not a problem specific to South Africa. It is however exaggerated in the South African context due to the country's lack of infrastructure and the opening of facilities to all people. Tertiary educational institutions are faced with ever-increasing applications for a limited number of available positions. This study focuses on a dataset from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology - with the aim of establishing guidelines for the use of data modelling techniques to improve student admissions criteria. The importance of data preprocessing was highlighted and generalized linear regression, decision trees and neural networks were proposed and motivated for modelling. Experimentation was carried out, resulting in a number of recommended guidelines focusing on the tremendous value of feature engineering coupled with the use of generalized linear regression as a base line. Adding multiple models was highly recommended; since it allows for greater opportunities for added insight.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Hutton, David
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Database management Database design
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11036 , vital:26879
- Description: Education is commonly seen as an escape from poverty and a critical path to securing a better standard of living. This is especially relevant in the South African context, where the need is so great that in one instance people were trampled to death at the gates of a higher educational institution, whilst attempting to register for this opportunity. The root cause of this great need is a limited capacity and a demand, which outstrips the supply. This is not a problem specific to South Africa. It is however exaggerated in the South African context due to the country's lack of infrastructure and the opening of facilities to all people. Tertiary educational institutions are faced with ever-increasing applications for a limited number of available positions. This study focuses on a dataset from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology - with the aim of establishing guidelines for the use of data modelling techniques to improve student admissions criteria. The importance of data preprocessing was highlighted and generalized linear regression, decision trees and neural networks were proposed and motivated for modelling. Experimentation was carried out, resulting in a number of recommended guidelines focusing on the tremendous value of feature engineering coupled with the use of generalized linear regression as a base line. Adding multiple models was highly recommended; since it allows for greater opportunities for added insight.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
DDoS Attack Mitigation Through Control of Inherent Charge Decay of Memory Implementations
- Herbert, Alan, Irwin, Barry V W, van Heerden, Renier P
- Authors: Herbert, Alan , Irwin, Barry V W , van Heerden, Renier P
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430339 , vital:72684 , https://www.academic-bookshop.com/ourshop/prod_3774091-ICCWS-2015-10th-International-Conference-on-Cyber-Warfare-and-Security-Kruger-National-Park-South-Africa-PRINT-ver-ISBN-978191030996.html
- Description: DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks over recent years have shown to be devastating on the target systems and services made publicly available over the Internet. Furthermore, the backscatter1 caused by DDoS attacks also affects the available bandwidth and responsiveness of many other hosts within the Internet. The unfortunate reality of these attacks is that the targeted party cannot fight back due to the presence of botnets and malware-driven hosts. These hosts that carry out the attack on a target are usually controlled remotely and the owner of the device is unaware of it; for this reason one cannot attack back directly as this will serve little more than to disable an innocent party. A proposed solution to these DDoS attacks is to identify a potential attacking address and ignore communication from that address for a set period of time through time stamping.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Herbert, Alan , Irwin, Barry V W , van Heerden, Renier P
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/430339 , vital:72684 , https://www.academic-bookshop.com/ourshop/prod_3774091-ICCWS-2015-10th-International-Conference-on-Cyber-Warfare-and-Security-Kruger-National-Park-South-Africa-PRINT-ver-ISBN-978191030996.html
- Description: DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks over recent years have shown to be devastating on the target systems and services made publicly available over the Internet. Furthermore, the backscatter1 caused by DDoS attacks also affects the available bandwidth and responsiveness of many other hosts within the Internet. The unfortunate reality of these attacks is that the targeted party cannot fight back due to the presence of botnets and malware-driven hosts. These hosts that carry out the attack on a target are usually controlled remotely and the owner of the device is unaware of it; for this reason one cannot attack back directly as this will serve little more than to disable an innocent party. A proposed solution to these DDoS attacks is to identify a potential attacking address and ignore communication from that address for a set period of time through time stamping.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Dear space dad and other stories
- Authors: Kuit, Henali
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , South African fiction -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017774
- Description: My stories are set around the themes of family, animals and outer space -- which leads to other themes like religion, loneliness, romance, eating animals, growing up and longing for the past. Most of the stories have non-linear structures. Some use gradual shiftings of narrator voice; in others the narrative is flat, lacking plot. I favour repetition over plot-based climaxes to create coherency and narrative flow. I also favour free indirect discourse over dialogue or description as a means to characterize.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kuit, Henali
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , South African fiction -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5990 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017774
- Description: My stories are set around the themes of family, animals and outer space -- which leads to other themes like religion, loneliness, romance, eating animals, growing up and longing for the past. Most of the stories have non-linear structures. Some use gradual shiftings of narrator voice; in others the narrative is flat, lacking plot. I favour repetition over plot-based climaxes to create coherency and narrative flow. I also favour free indirect discourse over dialogue or description as a means to characterize.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Debating about power
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020545
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020545
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
Decision making for investment in residential real estate
- Authors: James, Matthew Gary Robert
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Real estate investment -- Decision making Investment analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10868 , vital:26831
- Description: Investment in residential real estate involves almost all members of the public at some stage of their lives, whether this be one's first home or the purchasing of one‟s first investment property. Understanding how to maximise the return on one's investment is something that can benefit the investor from before the investment is made until after the property has been sold, if it is sold at all. Literature surveys have concluded that there are a number of variables to consider when maximising the return on investment. As residential real estate is not a perfect science, there are guidelines and routes that are more beneficial to the investor depending on the current market, environment and economic standing. A survey was undertaken by members of the public that are involved in residential real estate investment, relative to the maximisation of the return on investment in residential real estate. The salient findings include: Investors in residential real estate spend more than average to extensive time prior, to investment researching the chosen residential real estate property; Investors in residential real estate perform a feasibility study before committing to the development whereas; Investors in residential real estate make use of financial advisors/valuers/estate agents or other investors' knowledge bases in deciding whether to invest in a residential property development; Investors in residential real estate believe that their degree of knowledge about the residential property market and residential property investments are average to very high. Investors in residential real estate somewhat agree that residential real estate investors do not effectively manage their investments. It was recommended that investors make use of help and guidance when investing in residential real estate, perform a feasibility study and ensure that they know their market before investing in a project. It was also noted that location plays a large role when deciding on an investment opportunity worth investing into. By creating awareness and ensuring that all methods and guidelines have been used to maximise the returns that their proposed residential real estate investment, investors can ensure a stronger, healthier cash flow and reap the highest possible benefits from their residential real estate portfolio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: James, Matthew Gary Robert
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Real estate investment -- Decision making Investment analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10868 , vital:26831
- Description: Investment in residential real estate involves almost all members of the public at some stage of their lives, whether this be one's first home or the purchasing of one‟s first investment property. Understanding how to maximise the return on one's investment is something that can benefit the investor from before the investment is made until after the property has been sold, if it is sold at all. Literature surveys have concluded that there are a number of variables to consider when maximising the return on investment. As residential real estate is not a perfect science, there are guidelines and routes that are more beneficial to the investor depending on the current market, environment and economic standing. A survey was undertaken by members of the public that are involved in residential real estate investment, relative to the maximisation of the return on investment in residential real estate. The salient findings include: Investors in residential real estate spend more than average to extensive time prior, to investment researching the chosen residential real estate property; Investors in residential real estate perform a feasibility study before committing to the development whereas; Investors in residential real estate make use of financial advisors/valuers/estate agents or other investors' knowledge bases in deciding whether to invest in a residential property development; Investors in residential real estate believe that their degree of knowledge about the residential property market and residential property investments are average to very high. Investors in residential real estate somewhat agree that residential real estate investors do not effectively manage their investments. It was recommended that investors make use of help and guidance when investing in residential real estate, perform a feasibility study and ensure that they know their market before investing in a project. It was also noted that location plays a large role when deciding on an investment opportunity worth investing into. By creating awareness and ensuring that all methods and guidelines have been used to maximise the returns that their proposed residential real estate investment, investors can ensure a stronger, healthier cash flow and reap the highest possible benefits from their residential real estate portfolio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Deconstructing developmental psychology twenty years on : reflections, implications and empirical work
- Callaghan, Jane, Andenæs, Agnes, Macleod, Catriona I
- Authors: Callaghan, Jane , Andenæs, Agnes , Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020934 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959353515583702
- Description: Editorial
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Callaghan, Jane , Andenæs, Agnes , Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020934 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959353515583702
- Description: Editorial
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015