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A technique for evaluating species richness maps generated from collections data

  • Authors: Robertson, Mark P , Barker, Nigel P
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6538 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005979
  • Description: There is considerable pressure on conservation planners to use existing data from herbarium and museum collections for planning and monitoring, despite the weaknesses of such data. It is thus important to be able to assess the quality of this information. One application of these data is the production of species richness maps. However, sampling effort is generally not consistent throughout a region for maps generated from collections data, and it is thus desirable to identify geographic grid cells (such as quarter degree squares: QDS) for which there has been low sampling effort. We describe a technique that can be used to identify QDS that are likely to have low species richness that is due to insufficient sampling effort rather than to low actual species richness. The technique exploits relationships between climate and species richness to detect QDS that are poorly sampled. This approach offers advantages over the current practice of applying a single threshold across the entire map region to detectQDSthat are poorly sampled. Here we report on the application of our technique to plant species richness data in the PRECIS database. Results reveal that the majority of QDS in the Flora of Southern Africa region can be considered to be poorly sampled, even when using conservative thresholds for richness values. The advantages and weaknesses of the technique are discussed and issues requiring further investigation are highlighted.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

A VLBI polarisation study of 43 GHZ SiO masers towards VY CMA

  • Authors: Richter, Laura
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Very long baseline interferometry , Polarization (Light) , Masers
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5498 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005284
  • Description: This thesis reports the calibration, imaging and analysis of one epoch of VLBI observations of the v (italics) = J (italics) = 1-0 transition of SiO towards VY CMa. Full polarisation information was recorded, allowing high resolution synthesis maps of each of the four Stokes parameters to be produced. A total of 81 maser components were extracted from the total intensity map, each approximately 1 mas in size. The emission spans approximately 100 x 80 mas in right ascension and declination and is concentrated to the east. The maser component positions were fitted to a ring of radius ~ 3.2R₊ (italics), or 7.2 x 1O¹⁴ cm for a stellar distance of 1.5 kpc. If the stellar position is assumed to be the centre of this ring then almost all of the maser components fall within the inner dust shell radius, which is at ~ 5R (italics)ϰ All of the maser components fall between 1.5R (italics)ϰ and 6R (italics)ϰ. A velocity gradient with position angle was observed in the sparsely filled western region of the maser ring. If interpreted as evidence of shell rotation, this gradient implies a rotational velocity of v (italics) rot (subscirpt) sin i (italics) = 18 km.s⁻¹. The fractional circular and linear polarisations of the maser spots were derived from the Stokes parameter maps. The mean fractional circular polarisation of the masers components was ~ 2 percent and the median fractional linear polarisation was ~ 6 percent, with many spots displaying over ~ 30 percent linear polarisation. The mean circular polarisation implies a magnetic field of ~ 4 G in the SiO maser region if the polarisation is due to Zeeman splitting. Two maser components display a rotation of linear polarisation position angle with velocity, possibly implying a connection between the magnetic field and the velocity field variations in the region of these components.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

A watchdog's guide to investigative reporting : a simple introduction to principles and practice in investigative reporting

  • Authors: Banda, Fackson
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Text
  • Identifier: vital:6329 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008474
  • Description: This article reviews the book by Derek Forbes. It problematises Forbes' a-theoretical approach towards investigative journalism, while giving credit to the case studies of investigative reporting that the book offers.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Academic Library Consortia in South Africa : where we come from and where we are heading

  • Authors: Thomas, G M E , Fourie, I
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6987 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012410
  • Description: The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the establishment of the five academic library consortia in South Africa, their status quo, and a summary of their successes and plans for the future. Although useful information can be found from the consortia Web sites, much of it is no longer current. Similarly, there is limited published literature on the academic library consortia in South Africa. Apart from the sources referenced, the authors therefore relied heavily on an unpublished conference paper by Thomas[reference 1], which included findings gathered during a short survey among the five academic library consortia. In addition, Rowley and Slack[reference 2] and Sekabembe[reference 3] provide useful overviews of the library consortia in South Africa at the time of publication. Further information is available in published and unpublished sources.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Accuracy of the activation energy calculated from a thermoluminescence glow‐peak using a method that uses three points on the peak

  • Authors: Ogundare, F O , Chithambo, Makaiko L
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/123016 , vital:35397 , https://doi:10.1002/pssc.200521077
  • Description: The utility of thermoluminescence (TL) in detecting changes in defect concentration in insulators is well established [1–3]. The underlying premise leading to the emission of TL is that exposure of a material to ionizing radiation causes a redistribution of charge in defect centres within the material. When the material is heated at a controlled linear rate, the thermoluminescence is emitted as a temperature-dependent set of peaks collectively known as a glow-curve. The shape and intensity of each of the glow-peaks may be characterized by a set of parameters consisting of the activation energy E, the frequency factors, the number of electrons n0 trapped in defect centres at the start of the heating, and the order of kinetics b. The order of kinetics b is an indication of the retrapping probability i.e. the probability that a free electron from the conduction band will be retrapped rather than recombine with a hole at a recombination centre to produce thermoluminescence. Retrapping of electrons reduces the TL intensity at any particular temperature during the heating process. The physical mechanisms of TL associated with a given glow curve are unique and may be characterized by analysis of the glow-curve for the said kinetic parameters.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Active learning for understanding land degradation : African Catchment Game and Riskmap

  • Authors: Rowntree, Kate M , Fox, Roddy C
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference paper
  • Identifier: vital:6669 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006793
  • Description: Land degradation is the result of the intersection of a complex set of biophysical and socio-economic factors. The capacity of an individual or community to address land degradation is likewise constrained. While it is quite possible for professionals and learners to grasp the main issues around land degradation from a theoretical perspective, internalizing the reality of what it means to be the resource degrader is more difficult. We have developed two active learning methods that aim to address this problem. The first is the African Catchment Game, a role-playing game based on Graham Chapman’s Green Revolution Game, adapted for the southern Africa context and incorporating a land degradation component. In this game participants play out the complex dynamics of rural-urban-global linkages against a background of environmental hazards. The second is based on Save the Children Fund’s RiskMap computer simulation that models risk in terms of rural livelihoods for different income groups. Ethiopia is used as the example. This paper evaluates the two active learning techniques as tools for exploring the relationships between land degradation and poverty through an evaluation of participants’ experiences.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Actor/actant-network theory as emerging methodology for environmental education research in southern Africa

  • Authors: Nhamo, Godwell
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/373553 , vital:66701 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/122722"
  • Description: This paper deliberates on actor/actant-network theory (AANT) as methodology for policy research in environmental education (EE). Insights are drawn from work that applied AANT to research environmental policy processes surrounding the formulation and implementation of South Africa’s Plastic Bags Regulations of 2003. The paper reveals that the application of AANT methodology made it possible to trace relationships, actors, actants and actor/actant-networks surrounding the Plastic Bags Regulations as quasi-object (token). The methodology also enabled a focus on understanding and investigating tensions, debates and responses emerging from the policy process. The findings were that after the promulgation of the first draft of the Plastic Bags Regulations in May 2000, tensions emerged around the nature of regulation (whether to use the command and control approach – preferred by Organised Government – or self regulation – preferred by Organised Business and Organised Labour). From these findings, a series of conceptual frameworks were drawn up as identified around key actors and actor/actant-networks. The conceptual frameworks included among them, Organised Government, Organised Business and Organised Labour.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Actor/actant-network theory as emerging methodology for environmental education research in southern Africa

  • Authors: Nhamo, Godwell
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/373537 , vital:66702 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/122722"
  • Description: This paper deliberates on actor/actant-network theory (AANT) as methodology for policy research in environmental education (EE). Insights are drawn from work that applied AANT to research environmental policy processes surrounding the formulation and implementation of South Africa’s Plastic Bags Regulations of 2003. The paper reveals that the application of AANT methodology made it possible to trace relationships, actors, actants and actor/actant-networks surrounding the Plastic Bags Regulations as quasi-object (token). The methodology also enabled a focus on understanding and investigating tensions, debates and responses emerging from the policy process. The findings were that after the promulgation of the first draft of the Plastic Bags Regulations in May 2000, tensions emerged around the nature of regulation (whether to use the command and control approach – preferred by Organised Government – or self regulation – preferred by Organised Business and Organised Labour). From these findings, a series of conceptual frameworks were drawn up as identified around key actors and actor/actant-networks. The conceptual frameworks included among them, Organised Government, Organised Business and Organised Labour.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Adaptive livelihood strategies of the Basarwa: a case of Khwai and Xaxaba, Ngamiland district, Botswana

  • Authors: Madzwamuse, Masego S
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: San (African people) -- Botswana , Land use -- Botswana , Rural development -- Botswana , Natural resources -- Management -- Botswana , Conservation of natural resources -- Botswana , Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Botswana
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:4737 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005286 , San (African people) -- Botswana , Land use -- Botswana , Rural development -- Botswana , Natural resources -- Management -- Botswana , Conservation of natural resources -- Botswana , Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Botswana
  • Description: This thesis looks into the land use and natural resource management systems of Basarwa communities in Ngamiland in the northwest of Botswana. The study specifically focuses on Basarwa communities living in and on the edges of the Okavango Delta. The link between these communities and their natural resources is explored using the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Framework and the Adaptive Renewal Cycle. The core assumption in this thesis is that livelihood strategies are constantly renewed and adapted to promote resilience in ecological and social systems. Fieldwork data collected between May 2000 and July 2001 and secondary data is used to deliberate on this point. The thesis confirms that the Basarwa’s livelihood strategies were adaptive only in as far as traditional livelihoods are concerned. The thesis traces the changes that the Basarwa have experienced as a result of policy restrictions through the different phases of the adaptive renewal cycle. The period following Independence in Botswana saw a policy shift which resulted in the Basarwa becoming landless. With mainly land-based livelihood strategies, the Basarwa were faced with new forms of crises and vulnerability which their traditional adaptive strategies were not designed for. It comes to the conclusion that the Basarwa are currently stuck in a reorganisation phase; however, the CBNRM Draft Policy of Botswana offers a glimpse of hope as it provides an opportunity for the Basarwa to progress through the full cycle of reorganisation, renewal, conservation and release.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme: An overview of the conference contributions

  • Authors: Ribbink, Anthony J , Roberts, M
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: vital:7127 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010637
  • Description: Latimeria chalumnae is the icon for the multidisciplinary, multinational African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) dedicated to improving the understanding of biological and other processes that support marine life. This article provides an overview of contributions made at a conference hosted by ACEP at the end of 2003. It also reviews significant developments regarding coelacanth conservation which have taken place since the conference. Delegates at the meeting concluded that the integrated regional,ecosystem approach that had been adopted by ACEP should continue. Underwater observation and exploration, however, should be supplemented by more experimental and technical analyses in order to answer longstanding questions related to coelacanths and other organisms.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Against supererogationism

  • Authors: Van Niekerk, Jason Bradley
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2731 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004268 , Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
  • Description: In this thesis, I argue that we have no reason to accept the existence of a category of supererogatory moral goods: that is, good acts that carry no pressure to bring them about. Despite the counterintuitive nature and suspicious provenance of the concept, Supererogationism is the orthodoxy in Ethics, and I examine promising but unsuccessful responses to it by Peter Singer and Kwame Gyekye. Responding in particular to David Heyd's Supererogationism - but also to J. O. Urmson, Susan Wolf, and Jonathan Dancy - I develop an account of the principle "Good implies Ought" that does not entail absurd over-obligation. I argue that this Anti-Supererogationist model stands up to the four strongest arguments against such a position, and that it embraces a more accurate account of the relation between values and oughts than Supererogationists are capable of supplying. Finally, I sketch a detailed eudaimonist account of the principle umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu - that our commitment to the good of others stems from our flourishing being caught up with theirs.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Alternative media: a viable option for Southern Africa?

  • Authors: Banda, Fackson
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: vital:6328 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008473 , https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/145046852.pdf
  • Description: preprint , The article attempts a historically and culturally based definition of alternative media. It then gives some case studies to illustrate the efficacy of such media forms, apart from highlighting the problems associated with them. It concludes that alternative media emerge to deal with specific ideological projects and, as such, must be viewed as satisfying a specific need at a specific point in time.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

AmaNdebele, Peter Magubane and Sandra Klopper: book review

  • Authors: Simbao, Ruth K
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147336 , vital:38627 , https://0-hdl.handle.net.wam.seals.ac.za/10520/EJC31002
  • Description: AmaNdebele is a very attractive book with beautifully reproduced colour photographs taken by the renowned photographer Peter Magubane, who secured enormous credibility as a photojournalist during the violent years of apartheid. While some South African readers who browse through the glossy portrayals of ceremonial attire and homestead decorations may recall Magubane's earlier books such as Soweto speaks (1981) and Soweto: The fruit of fear (1986) in which the photographer laid bare the ferocious violence of apartheid rule, many readers will skip over the nuances of both Magubane's disrupted career and the contentious relationship between the Ndebele people and the South African apartheid government.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

Ameliorating poverty in South Africa through natural resource commercialisation

  • Authors: Shackleton, Sheona E
  • Date: 2006
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6651 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007062
  • Description: This short policy brief advocates for more attention to be paid to the potential of natural resource commercialisation as a means to livelihood security and poverty alleviation in rural South Africa. It is one of a set of four policy briefs based on the findings of several case studies across the country.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of development strategies aimed at meeting employment equity objectives within Medscheme

  • Authors: Groenewald, Annaline
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Medscheme (Firm) , Affirmative action programs -- South Africa , Employees -- Training of -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8554 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/515 , Medscheme (Firm) , Affirmative action programs -- South Africa , Employees -- Training of -- South Africa
  • Description: South Africa has undergone major social and political changes over the past two decades. In addition, new legislation in the form of the Employment Equity Act (No. 55 of 1998), which regulates employment practices in an attempt to make the workplace a true reflection of the South African population, was introduced to employers. The implementation of this Act has a major impact on organisations in South Africa and definitely influences the way in which they do business. Organisations, large and small, in every sector are being squeezed in all dimensions. They compete for customers whose expectations of quality, price and service are constantly increasing. Throughout the world, education, training and equitable working practices are recognised as essential ingredients to compete successfully and to ensure high performance practices. This research paper investigates whether the employee development strategies at Medscheme (the organisation selected for this study) are aimed at meeting employment equity objectives. An important reason for the investigation is that globalisation and the need for organisations to gain sustainable competitive advantage require new and different approaches for the recruitment, training, development and retention of employees with key skills. The key to success will, however, be for organisations in South Africa to find a middle way between ensuring equity, while remaining competitive. In order to achieve the objective of the research, the following approach was followed: Firstly, a comprehensive literature study was conducted to determine the legislative basis for equity and employee development; Secondly, a survey of literature dealing specifically with employee development initiatives available to organisations was conducted; Thirdly, the views of the employees within Medscheme were obtained to determine to what extent the organisation implemented the Employment Equity Act and what development strategies are used to facilitate the Abstract iv development of individuals from the previously disadvantaged designated groups to equip them for future positions in senior and top management; and, Lastly, the responses to the questionnaire were analysed to determine the extent to which Medscheme’s employee development strategies support the objectives of the Employment Equity Act.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of how the Senior Certificate examination constructs the language needs of English second language learners

  • Authors: Blunt, Sandra Viki
  • Date: 2006 , 2013-06-11
  • Subjects: Habermas, Jürgen Education, Secondary -- South Africa Examinations -- South Africa -- Evaluation English language -- Examinations -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers Language and education -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:1902 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006243
  • Description: The Senior Certificate (SC) examination, a focus of the research described in this thesis, has an important function in terms of the quality of the education system overall and also in terms of the contribution of education to the achievement of national goals. The SC examination functions i) as a measure of achievement at school ii) as an indicator of work readiness and iii) as an indicator of the potential to succeed in higher education. This thesis offers a critique of the SC examination in respect of its functions. The way in which learners' language related needs are constructed is crucial in discussing the SC examination's legitimacy since perceptions about the needs of learners are reflected in what is taught and assessed. Since the majority of candidates writing the SC exarnination do so using a language which is not their mother tongue, the research described in the thesis attempted to identify the way in which the English second language (ESL) SC examination papers construct learners' needs. Examination papers represent a particular domain of social practice and are constructed through discourse. In the context of the research described in this thesis, discourses are understood as sets of ideas which are shared by communities of people and which give rise to practices which then define and sustain those communities and, thus, the discourses themselves. Discourse is language insofar as it converges with power and positions people in the interests of power. The ideological nature of discourse necessitates a critical orientation to research which interrogates, challenges and critiques the status quo. To identify the discourses constructing ESL learners' needs I conducted a critical discourse analysis on a representative sarnple of ESL SC exarnination papers and also interviewed six ESL examiners to corroborate the findings of the analysis. This then allowed me to identify several dominant discourses constructing ESL learners' needs: meaning-related, literature-related and process-related. The first meaning-related discourse, 'Received Tradition' discourse, focuses on the rules of grammar and spelling. Rather than approaching language as a resource to enable learners to understand the ideas to which they are exposed, learners are being taught discrete 'skills' to equip them for higher education study and the workplace. It is argued that school-based language literacy practices are not generalizable to the workplace and to higher education. Another aspect of 'Received Tradition' discourse holds that the study of English literature is a medium for understanding life and that there is moral value in teaching English literature. Learners are therefore constructed as lacking these values and their needs as having to acquire them. 'Received Tradition' discourse also overlaps with a second meaning-related discourse, 'Autonomous Text' discourse, which holds that the text's meaning is explicit and that if the learners can manipulate the rules of English grammar, 'have' vocabulary and can spell, they can retrieve meanings from texts they encounter in a wide range of contexts and construct texts for themselves. It is argued that a lack of awareness that meaning is constructed through recourse to other contexts, texts and the learner's experience is disadvantaging ESL candidates. 'Language as an Instrument of Communication' discourse, the last meaning-related discourse identified, sees language as the vehicle used to convey ideas, thoughts, information and beliefs, which are viewed as having been constructed independently of language. It is assumed that the answers, which, according to 'Autonomous Text' discourse, are in the text, can be conveyed if the tools of language are used correctly. The first literature-related discourse identified is 'Literature Study Develops Language Proficiency'. It is argued this is a misperception since language is learned as part of situated practice and instruction must thus be embedded in meaningful communicative contexts involving situated practice. The second literature-related discourse identified, 'Literature Study is a Medium for Understanding Life', is connected to the 'Received Tradition' discourse referred to above which holds that there is moral value in teaching English literature. This research identifies the ideological implications of these discourses, arguing that values are culture-specific and learners from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds experience life differently from the way it is depicted in English literature. Process-related discourses, which are part of the processes of teaching and assessment, concern the inadequacy of the ESL learner and of the markers and therefore dictate what can and cannot be expected of ESL learners in the SC examination. The research showed how all of the above discourses work through the SC curriculum to impose the values and beliefs of particular dominant groups on the ESL learner. Because of the robust and invidious nature of discourses this is a cause for concern. Although it is difficult to set a school leaving examination which serves both workplace and academic functions, there is a need to move beyond traditional, hegemonic approaches to understanding language learning. This thesis offers an analysis which can be used to inform practice.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of how Zimbabwean women negotiate the meaning of HIV/AIDS prevention television advertisements

  • Authors: Hungwe, Caroline
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Mass media and women -- Zimbabwe AIDS (Disease) in mass media -- Zimbabwe Mass media -- Audiences Women -- Zimbabwe -- Social conditions
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3435 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002889
  • Description: Within the context of debates concerning the impact of media on audiences, this study takes the form of a qualitative audience reception analysis; to investigate how a particular group of female audiences situated in Zimbabwe interprets televised HIV/AIDS prevention advertisements. It examines the extent to which the social context influences the audiences’ acceptance or rejection of preferred readings encoded in the texts. The study is situated within the broad theoretical and methodological framework of both the communication for development and the cultural studies approaches to the study of the media. Data for the investigation was collected through the focus group and in-depth interview methods as well as through the websites and organisational documents produced by the encoders of the advertisements. The findings indicate that the female audiences’ interpretative strategies were informed by their lived experience as well as pre-existing knowledge. Based on the findings it can be deduced that, contrary to earlier beliefs and media theories such as that of the “hypodermic needle” theory the audience of public communication is not a passive homogenous mass that easily succumbs to media influences, rather the audience is active in the production of meaning, but under determinate conditions in particular contexts. The texts, the producing institutions and the social history of the audiences supply these conditions.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of the change management process with specific references to mergers

  • Authors: Vanqa, Thembelani McDonald
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Mergers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Organizational change -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8698 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1065 , Universities and colleges -- Mergers -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Organizational change -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Description: This study was intended to provide an analysis of the merger process of the Port Elizabeth Technikon on the basis change management models available according to theory. Before this discussion could ensue, it became necessary that the concept of change management be defined in detail so as to create a common basis of understanding in dealing with the change management models. There are various models that considered for discussion, namely the Lewin’s change model, the Hayes and Hyde’s change model, the Cummings and Worley’s change model and the Anderson and Anderson’s change process model. It was established that all available change models were based on the works of the Lewin’s change model. It was the Anderson and Anderson model that was found to more comprehensive in term of the various consideration it brought forward to the change manager or changing organization for consideration. Following the discussion on change models, a discussion of the research methodologies available followed. A survey methodology was decided to be appropriate for this study. An e-mail postal survey was decided as the appropriate process. The beauty of the e-mail postal survey was that it combined the benefits of personal and postal surveys. The Anderson and Anderson change model was used as a basis for devising questions in the questionnaire. The empirical study revealed that communication, consultation and resistance to change were not dealt with appropriately and as such staff morale had been greatly sacrificed. Be that as it may, it suffices to say that there is still chance to make things right. Top management needs to strengthen communication, consultation and feedback mechanisms. Secondly top management needs to establish a training and coaching program and a system for identifying and rewarding best performance. Opportunities for celebrating short-term victories should not be passed on since these enhance a sense of success and victory. The organization also needs to develop a system for harnessing new learning that will inform new ways of doing things which will become the cornerstone of the new culture.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of the information and communication technology initiatives needed to enhance business value at Transwerk

  • Authors: Chiambiro, Robson
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Information technology -- Management , Management information systems , Technological innovations -- Management , Organizational effectiveness , Value
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:8767 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/486 , Information technology -- Management , Management information systems , Technological innovations -- Management , Organizational effectiveness , Value
  • Description: The study was triggered by a discussion with one of Transwerk’s executive management during an MBA tea break. The discussion was centred on the lack of IT Governance Structure in some organisations that are centrally managed due to geographical location and spreading of branches countrywide. The purpose of this study was to analyse the information and communication technology initiatives that can be implemented at Transwerk by the ICT department to ensure significant value from their information and communication technology investments. This was undertaken by means of a literature and an empirical study. The elements of the information and communication technology initiatives were discussed and the study then analysed the responses in an attempt to determine the initiatives that are currently implemented at Transwerk’s ICT department. The literature study indicated that is it critical for any organisation that needs to be successful should have an integrated ICT Governance Structure. The empirical study found out that the current situation at Transwerk’s ICT department requires attention because their IT Governance Structure does not involve major stakeholders from other business units. Recommendations were made as a result of analysing the literature study and empirical study to ensure the implementation of key initiatives that can add value to the organization.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An analysis of the relationship between the housing reform programme and housing industry development in China

  • Authors: Zhang, Yu Mei
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:9043 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/647 , Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to establish a common understanding of the implementation of urban housing reform in China and to examine the trends in housing development in China and its relationship with the national economy. The crucial role of the Chinese government in the development of housing, the necessity of government intervention in China and whether it should be involved in housing development at all, were also explored in this study. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this study, it was necessary to analyse the success and failure of the urban housing reform implemented in a particular period in China, and to investigate the challenges and problems existing in housing development. As regards the significant contribution of the housing development to the national economy, Rostow’s stages of economic growth were used to investigate the relationship between the housing industry and the national economy in China. This model shows that the housing industry could become a leading sector in the Chinese national economy. The housing industry in China has not yet reached maturity, and direct regulation by government is still necessary. In an attempt to address the research problem and to fulfil the research objectives, an in-depth and comprehensive literature study was undertaken to provide a basic framework and conceptualization of the housing industry in China. The international scope of the findings, as well as the insights that were gained through the study, contributed largely to solving the identified research problems. The normative and positive nature of the study made it possible to recommend solutions for the problems in the development of housing in China. iv Recommendations were made with regard to sustainable and healthy strategies, regulatory instruments, housing finance, and the utilization of lightweight materials in housing development in China. Although Rostow’s model is one of the more structuralist models of economic growth, it de-emphasizes any differences in how leading sectors develop in free and controlled markets. However, Rostow’s consideration of non-western cases such as China show that, to some extent, modernization can be achieved in different ways, through a free market or controlled economic means, and still fit into his model.
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  • Date Issued: 2006
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