Harmful scripts : raunch femininity as the disguised reiteration of emphasized feminine goals : an exploration of young women's accounts of sexually explicit forms of public expression
- Authors: Thorpe, Jennifer
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-12
- Subjects: Femininity Women -- Sexual behavior Feminine beauty (Aesthetics) Women's rights Human body -- Political aspects Stereotypes (Social psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2840 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004521
- Description: Women are subject to a number of societal recommendations about what it means to be an 'ideal' woman. These recommendations take the form of social scripts, constructing an idea of ideal femininity, which women must perform in order to be socially accepted and successful. 'Emphasized femininity', a white, Western, script of femininity is dominant and has been critiqued by feminists, social theorists, and individual women for the limits that it places on women's behaviour. As a result a number of alternative scripts of femininity have arisen. These scripts can provide alternatives to restrictive understandings of female sexuality and beauty - they can serve to challenge 'appropriate' feminine behaviour and hence allow women to live more freely. Raunch femininity is a contemporary alternative that uses sexually explicit public performance, and encourages specific body and dress norms, in an attempt to challenge the norms of emphasized femininity. This thesis looks at raunch femininity, specifically its norms of sexuality and beauty, in the hopes of understanding what the effects of such a script are on women's behaviour. Theoretical understandings and explanations of women's lives are often contradicted by reports that women provide of their lived experiences. For this reason, this thesis investigates the lived experiences of women who self-identify as subscribers to this script in order to assess to what extent superficial expressions of freedom have deeper effects on women's freedom. The tension between theory and empirical reports is evident. However, in many cases, the reports of research participants reveal that the script of raunch femininity, like other scripts of feminine behaviour, has its own limits that women must abide with in order to be accepted. This thesis argues that these limits outweigh the benefits of this script. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Thorpe, Jennifer
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-12
- Subjects: Femininity Women -- Sexual behavior Feminine beauty (Aesthetics) Women's rights Human body -- Political aspects Stereotypes (Social psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2840 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004521
- Description: Women are subject to a number of societal recommendations about what it means to be an 'ideal' woman. These recommendations take the form of social scripts, constructing an idea of ideal femininity, which women must perform in order to be socially accepted and successful. 'Emphasized femininity', a white, Western, script of femininity is dominant and has been critiqued by feminists, social theorists, and individual women for the limits that it places on women's behaviour. As a result a number of alternative scripts of femininity have arisen. These scripts can provide alternatives to restrictive understandings of female sexuality and beauty - they can serve to challenge 'appropriate' feminine behaviour and hence allow women to live more freely. Raunch femininity is a contemporary alternative that uses sexually explicit public performance, and encourages specific body and dress norms, in an attempt to challenge the norms of emphasized femininity. This thesis looks at raunch femininity, specifically its norms of sexuality and beauty, in the hopes of understanding what the effects of such a script are on women's behaviour. Theoretical understandings and explanations of women's lives are often contradicted by reports that women provide of their lived experiences. For this reason, this thesis investigates the lived experiences of women who self-identify as subscribers to this script in order to assess to what extent superficial expressions of freedom have deeper effects on women's freedom. The tension between theory and empirical reports is evident. However, in many cases, the reports of research participants reveal that the script of raunch femininity, like other scripts of feminine behaviour, has its own limits that women must abide with in order to be accepted. This thesis argues that these limits outweigh the benefits of this script. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Health literacy assessment: relexicalising a US test for a South African population
- Hunt, Sally, Dowse, Roslind, La Rose, Christopher M
- Authors: Hunt, Sally , Dowse, Roslind , La Rose, Christopher M
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/139131 , vital:37708 , DOI: 10.2989/SALALS.2008.26.2.7.571
- Description: The problems of illiteracy in health contexts have been well documented in the literature and include such serious repercussions as medication non-compliance and failure to seek medical help during the course of an illness. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) is a standardised health literacy test developed in the United States that has been previously administered and researched in South Africa (Lecoko, 2000). It is an objective vocabulary test, designed as a screening instrument to identify the health literacy levels of patients in clinics, which uses item recognition of 66 health-related words. Lecoko found that, in a South African setting, only 8 out of the 66 words in the US-developed test could be deemed acceptable. Therefore, the current study focused on the principled relexicalisation of the REALM, using words gathered from health information and promotional texts in local clinics, hypothesising that this would improve its applicability. After administration to a statistically similar group of respondents, the number of acceptable words on the test increased from eight to 38. Thus it is concluded that principled relexicalisation may be one way of improving the applicability of standardised health literacy tests to local populations and settings. However, the limitations of standardised tests may prove to be a significant barrier overshadowing the value of relexicalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Hunt, Sally , Dowse, Roslind , La Rose, Christopher M
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/139131 , vital:37708 , DOI: 10.2989/SALALS.2008.26.2.7.571
- Description: The problems of illiteracy in health contexts have been well documented in the literature and include such serious repercussions as medication non-compliance and failure to seek medical help during the course of an illness. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) is a standardised health literacy test developed in the United States that has been previously administered and researched in South Africa (Lecoko, 2000). It is an objective vocabulary test, designed as a screening instrument to identify the health literacy levels of patients in clinics, which uses item recognition of 66 health-related words. Lecoko found that, in a South African setting, only 8 out of the 66 words in the US-developed test could be deemed acceptable. Therefore, the current study focused on the principled relexicalisation of the REALM, using words gathered from health information and promotional texts in local clinics, hypothesising that this would improve its applicability. After administration to a statistically similar group of respondents, the number of acceptable words on the test increased from eight to 38. Thus it is concluded that principled relexicalisation may be one way of improving the applicability of standardised health literacy tests to local populations and settings. However, the limitations of standardised tests may prove to be a significant barrier overshadowing the value of relexicalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Hierarchical spatial structure and levels of resolution of intertidal grazing and their consequences on predictability and stability at small scales
- Authors: Diaz Diaz, Eliecer Rodrigo
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Marine algae -- Effect of grazing on Shorelines -- South Africa Zostera marina Intertidal ecology Spatial analysis (Statistics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5707 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005393
- Description: The aim of this research was to assess three hierarchical aspects of alga-grazer interactions in intertidal communities on a small scale: spatial heterogeneity, grazing effects and spatial stability in grazing effects. First, using semivariograms and cross-semivariograms I observed hierarchical spatial patterns in most algal groups and in grazers. However, these patterns varied with the level on the shore and between shores, suggesting that either human exploitation or wave exposure can be a source of variability. Second, grazing effects were studied using manipulative experiments at different levels on the shore. These revealed significant effects of grazing on the low shore and in tidal pools. Additionally, using a transect of grazer exclusions across the shore, I observed unexpected hierarchical patchiness in the strength of grazing, rather than zonation in its effects. This patchiness varied in time due to different biotic and abiotic factors. In a separate experiment, the effect of mesograzers effects were studied in the upper eulittoral zone under four conditions: burnt open rock (BOR), burnt pools (Bpool), non-burnt open rock (NBOR) and non-burnt pools (NBpool). Additionally, I tested spatial stability in the effects of grazing in consecutive years, using the same plots. I observed great spatial variability in the effects of grazing, but this variability was spatially stable in Bpools and NBOR, meaning deterministic and significant grazing effects in consecutive years on the same plots. Both the significance in grazing effects and spatial stability depended on the level of resolution (species, functional, biomass) at which the algal assemblage was evaluated, suggesting hierarchical variability. In order to be able to predict spatial variability in the effects of grazers in the upper eulittoral zone using biotic and abiotic micro- and macrofactors, a conceptual model was proposed, based on data from several multiple-regressions. This linked the interactions among three elements: idiosyncratic heterogeneity, micro and macrofactors. This suggests that spatial variability can be a product of these factors, while spatial stability can be caused by the same or different combinations of factors. In conclusion, grazing and other ecological phenomena must be studied hierarchically, not only through spatiotemporal scales, but also at different levels of resolution, as these also influence our perception of patterns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Diaz Diaz, Eliecer Rodrigo
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Marine algae -- Effect of grazing on Shorelines -- South Africa Zostera marina Intertidal ecology Spatial analysis (Statistics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5707 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005393
- Description: The aim of this research was to assess three hierarchical aspects of alga-grazer interactions in intertidal communities on a small scale: spatial heterogeneity, grazing effects and spatial stability in grazing effects. First, using semivariograms and cross-semivariograms I observed hierarchical spatial patterns in most algal groups and in grazers. However, these patterns varied with the level on the shore and between shores, suggesting that either human exploitation or wave exposure can be a source of variability. Second, grazing effects were studied using manipulative experiments at different levels on the shore. These revealed significant effects of grazing on the low shore and in tidal pools. Additionally, using a transect of grazer exclusions across the shore, I observed unexpected hierarchical patchiness in the strength of grazing, rather than zonation in its effects. This patchiness varied in time due to different biotic and abiotic factors. In a separate experiment, the effect of mesograzers effects were studied in the upper eulittoral zone under four conditions: burnt open rock (BOR), burnt pools (Bpool), non-burnt open rock (NBOR) and non-burnt pools (NBpool). Additionally, I tested spatial stability in the effects of grazing in consecutive years, using the same plots. I observed great spatial variability in the effects of grazing, but this variability was spatially stable in Bpools and NBOR, meaning deterministic and significant grazing effects in consecutive years on the same plots. Both the significance in grazing effects and spatial stability depended on the level of resolution (species, functional, biomass) at which the algal assemblage was evaluated, suggesting hierarchical variability. In order to be able to predict spatial variability in the effects of grazers in the upper eulittoral zone using biotic and abiotic micro- and macrofactors, a conceptual model was proposed, based on data from several multiple-regressions. This linked the interactions among three elements: idiosyncratic heterogeneity, micro and macrofactors. This suggests that spatial variability can be a product of these factors, while spatial stability can be caused by the same or different combinations of factors. In conclusion, grazing and other ecological phenomena must be studied hierarchically, not only through spatiotemporal scales, but also at different levels of resolution, as these also influence our perception of patterns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Hold the prawns
- Authors: Pithouse, Richard, 1970-
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008576
- Description: [From introduction]: In the cities of the global South elites are often desperate to repress the reality of the shack settlement. Maps are printed in which shack settlements appear as blank spaces, laws are passed that assume that everyone can afford to live formally and, in the name of order and development, the poor are beaten out of the cities. The great elite fantasy is the creation of 'world class cities' – shiny, securitised nowherevilles in which the poor understand that their place is to live in some peripheral ghetto and only come into the city as menial workers. But from City of God to Slum Dog Millionaire and now District 9 cinema has put the shack settlement in the mall and at the heart of how Rio, Bombay and Johannesburg feature in the global imagination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Pithouse, Richard, 1970-
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008576
- Description: [From introduction]: In the cities of the global South elites are often desperate to repress the reality of the shack settlement. Maps are printed in which shack settlements appear as blank spaces, laws are passed that assume that everyone can afford to live formally and, in the name of order and development, the poor are beaten out of the cities. The great elite fantasy is the creation of 'world class cities' – shiny, securitised nowherevilles in which the poor understand that their place is to live in some peripheral ghetto and only come into the city as menial workers. But from City of God to Slum Dog Millionaire and now District 9 cinema has put the shack settlement in the mall and at the heart of how Rio, Bombay and Johannesburg feature in the global imagination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
How can I create a stimulating environment to promote awareness of and love for reading in my classroom?
- Authors: Jantjies, Beverley Esther
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Reading (Primary) , Reading (Early childhood) , Reading readiness , Reading -- Language experience approach
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9523 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/987 , Reading (Primary) , Reading (Early childhood) , Reading readiness , Reading -- Language experience approach
- Description: This study critically examines my classroom practice in teaching young learners aged four-and-a-half to six years old. It focuses on the following research question: How can I create a stimulating environment in my classroom to promote awareness of and a love for reading? My classroom-based action research methodology places me, the practitioner, at the centre of the investigation. The work examines closely my professional values and my strong belief in the capacity of learners to be curious, absorb and make sense of what they encounter and experience in a stimulating environment. It investigates how such an environment develops the potential of learners to love and embrace reading. The process of engaging reflectively and analytically in practitioner research has helped me to gain a better understanding of my learners’ needs and to improve the ways in which I promote reading in the reception year of formal schooling. I claim that the creating of a stimulating environment in my classroom is grounded in my ability to motivate, model and scaffold the learners to engage in reading confidently. Together, the learners and I have created a living theory of education, one that is open to further reflection and development. Ongoing interaction between theoretical discourse and practical experiences enable me to develop my professional knowledge and to synthesize my values and practice. The investigation continuously confirms the advantages of a print-rich environment and how it can be used to promote a love for reading amongst young learners. The claims and knowledge generated in this study are personal and true for me, while the living transformational process demonstrates how I have developed professionally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Jantjies, Beverley Esther
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Reading (Primary) , Reading (Early childhood) , Reading readiness , Reading -- Language experience approach
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9523 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/987 , Reading (Primary) , Reading (Early childhood) , Reading readiness , Reading -- Language experience approach
- Description: This study critically examines my classroom practice in teaching young learners aged four-and-a-half to six years old. It focuses on the following research question: How can I create a stimulating environment in my classroom to promote awareness of and a love for reading? My classroom-based action research methodology places me, the practitioner, at the centre of the investigation. The work examines closely my professional values and my strong belief in the capacity of learners to be curious, absorb and make sense of what they encounter and experience in a stimulating environment. It investigates how such an environment develops the potential of learners to love and embrace reading. The process of engaging reflectively and analytically in practitioner research has helped me to gain a better understanding of my learners’ needs and to improve the ways in which I promote reading in the reception year of formal schooling. I claim that the creating of a stimulating environment in my classroom is grounded in my ability to motivate, model and scaffold the learners to engage in reading confidently. Together, the learners and I have created a living theory of education, one that is open to further reflection and development. Ongoing interaction between theoretical discourse and practical experiences enable me to develop my professional knowledge and to synthesize my values and practice. The investigation continuously confirms the advantages of a print-rich environment and how it can be used to promote a love for reading amongst young learners. The claims and knowledge generated in this study are personal and true for me, while the living transformational process demonstrates how I have developed professionally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
How can school gardens be used for teaching environmental activities in the technology learning area at senior phase?
- Authors: Mazingisa, Bongani Eric
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Environmental education -- Activity programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Gardening -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School gardens -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1558 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003440
- Description: This study was conducted as a case study at the rural Ethridge Junior Secondary School which is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate how school gardens could be used to teach environmental activities in the Technology Learning Area at senior phase. The study examined how environmental activities in the school garden can be used to develop technological concepts and knowledge and for developing technological problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, it examined the relationship between technology, society and environment, and how structural and socio-cultural factors influence the use of environmental activities in the school garden. The overall approach was a case study. The data was generated using qualitative methods such as interviews, observation, workshops and document analysis of learners’ work. Of all the research tools used, the interviews and observations were the most fascinating and informative methods. The study focused on various activities undertaken by Grade 8 learners in their Technology Learning Area. These activities were compost making, planting and irrigating. The study showed how learners from poor rural homes can use available resources and suitable technology processes to plant vegetables. In terms of resources, virtually all resources used in the study were free, sourced locally and/or borrowed. This indicated that even in poor, rural areas materials are available to make structures and complete activities. In terms of available suitable technology, learners in the study explored the use of old car tyres for planting containers that can be easily transported. They also, using easily available resources such as tin cans, explored how to design and construct an effective, low-water consumption, low cost irrigation devise. The study explored the achievement of Learning Outcomes (LO) using the school garden. This study uses the school garden as a teaching aid to achieve the three main LO’s in the Technology Learning Area (LA). This study has also indicated that LO’s are sometimes intertwined, that is to say that more than one can be achieved at the same time. The three activities (compost making, planting and irrigation) were used to attain the required LO’s. The study indicates that LO 1 (related to applying technological processes and skills ethically and responsibly) can easily be achieved by designing a compost box and a compost heap, making them and evaluating the process. LO 2 (related to understanding and applying relevant technological knowledge) could easily be achieved in the irrigation activity, and LO 3 (related to demonstrating interrelations between science, technology, society and environment) could easily be attained in both compost making and planting. The study also showed that curriculum activities, such as those used in this study, are influenced by socio-cultural and structural factors that influence the curriculum contextualizing process. The main findings of the study are captured in five analytical statements. These form the basis for a set of recommendations to inform the use of school gardens as a resource for technology teaching in Ethridge Junior Secondary School, and possibly for other rural schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mazingisa, Bongani Eric
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Environmental education -- Activity programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Gardening -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School gardens -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1558 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003440
- Description: This study was conducted as a case study at the rural Ethridge Junior Secondary School which is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate how school gardens could be used to teach environmental activities in the Technology Learning Area at senior phase. The study examined how environmental activities in the school garden can be used to develop technological concepts and knowledge and for developing technological problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, it examined the relationship between technology, society and environment, and how structural and socio-cultural factors influence the use of environmental activities in the school garden. The overall approach was a case study. The data was generated using qualitative methods such as interviews, observation, workshops and document analysis of learners’ work. Of all the research tools used, the interviews and observations were the most fascinating and informative methods. The study focused on various activities undertaken by Grade 8 learners in their Technology Learning Area. These activities were compost making, planting and irrigating. The study showed how learners from poor rural homes can use available resources and suitable technology processes to plant vegetables. In terms of resources, virtually all resources used in the study were free, sourced locally and/or borrowed. This indicated that even in poor, rural areas materials are available to make structures and complete activities. In terms of available suitable technology, learners in the study explored the use of old car tyres for planting containers that can be easily transported. They also, using easily available resources such as tin cans, explored how to design and construct an effective, low-water consumption, low cost irrigation devise. The study explored the achievement of Learning Outcomes (LO) using the school garden. This study uses the school garden as a teaching aid to achieve the three main LO’s in the Technology Learning Area (LA). This study has also indicated that LO’s are sometimes intertwined, that is to say that more than one can be achieved at the same time. The three activities (compost making, planting and irrigation) were used to attain the required LO’s. The study indicates that LO 1 (related to applying technological processes and skills ethically and responsibly) can easily be achieved by designing a compost box and a compost heap, making them and evaluating the process. LO 2 (related to understanding and applying relevant technological knowledge) could easily be achieved in the irrigation activity, and LO 3 (related to demonstrating interrelations between science, technology, society and environment) could easily be attained in both compost making and planting. The study also showed that curriculum activities, such as those used in this study, are influenced by socio-cultural and structural factors that influence the curriculum contextualizing process. The main findings of the study are captured in five analytical statements. These form the basis for a set of recommendations to inform the use of school gardens as a resource for technology teaching in Ethridge Junior Secondary School, and possibly for other rural schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
How effective are school governing bodies regarding maintaining discipline in schools situated in poor socio-economic areas?
- Authors: Hawkins, Alan Hilton
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: School boards -- South Africa , School discipline -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9475 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/972 , School boards -- South Africa , School discipline -- South Africa
- Description: Poor discipline in public schools has become a major concern following the abolishment of corporal punishment by the National Department of Education. The educators in schools were left with no constructive alternatives to maintain discipline by the educational authorities and had to find and implement alternative disciplinary measures. Ill-disciplined learners capitalised on the situation, resulting in the deterioration of discipline in public schools. The aim of this research is to identify how effective SGBs are regarding the maintenance of discipline in schools situated in poor socio-economic areas. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in four secondary schools in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Different data-collection techniques, in the form of questionnaires, focus group interviews, observations and documentary analysis, were used to obtain the necessary data. Learners, educators and parent members of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) were used as participants for the study. The findings of the study indicated that parent SGB members lacks relevant and ongoing training and development for the task of executing their roles as disciplinarian bodies at their respective schools. The fact that these are lacking have contributed to the general deterioration of school discipline in the selected schools. The study concludes with suggestions on strategies that SGBs can implement to improve their capacity in improving and maintaining discipline. Such improved capacity will create an environment that is conducive for teaching and learning, especially in schools situated in impoverished areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Hawkins, Alan Hilton
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: School boards -- South Africa , School discipline -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:9475 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/972 , School boards -- South Africa , School discipline -- South Africa
- Description: Poor discipline in public schools has become a major concern following the abolishment of corporal punishment by the National Department of Education. The educators in schools were left with no constructive alternatives to maintain discipline by the educational authorities and had to find and implement alternative disciplinary measures. Ill-disciplined learners capitalised on the situation, resulting in the deterioration of discipline in public schools. The aim of this research is to identify how effective SGBs are regarding the maintenance of discipline in schools situated in poor socio-economic areas. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in four secondary schools in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Different data-collection techniques, in the form of questionnaires, focus group interviews, observations and documentary analysis, were used to obtain the necessary data. Learners, educators and parent members of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) were used as participants for the study. The findings of the study indicated that parent SGB members lacks relevant and ongoing training and development for the task of executing their roles as disciplinarian bodies at their respective schools. The fact that these are lacking have contributed to the general deterioration of school discipline in the selected schools. The study concludes with suggestions on strategies that SGBs can implement to improve their capacity in improving and maintaining discipline. Such improved capacity will create an environment that is conducive for teaching and learning, especially in schools situated in impoverished areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
How many declarations do we need?: Inside the drafting of the Bonn Declaration on education for sustainable development
- Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/182522 , vital:43837 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1177/097340820900300217"
- Description: The Bonn Declaration, approved by the 900 participants at the UNESCO World Conference on Sustainable Development, differs from other conference declarations in that it is the first declaration to deal exclusively with education for sustainable development. It received input from official State representatives and, perhaps because of that, it is somewhat less provocative than some nongovernmental or university-sponsored declarations. Also, it actually sets out, with some authority, an agenda for UNESCO, the manager of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Though some may question the usefulness of conference declarations, history shows that such declarations do have at least some guiding power in that they provide common starting points for deliberation on possible changes at national and international levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/182522 , vital:43837 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1177/097340820900300217"
- Description: The Bonn Declaration, approved by the 900 participants at the UNESCO World Conference on Sustainable Development, differs from other conference declarations in that it is the first declaration to deal exclusively with education for sustainable development. It received input from official State representatives and, perhaps because of that, it is somewhat less provocative than some nongovernmental or university-sponsored declarations. Also, it actually sets out, with some authority, an agenda for UNESCO, the manager of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Though some may question the usefulness of conference declarations, history shows that such declarations do have at least some guiding power in that they provide common starting points for deliberation on possible changes at national and international levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
How on-line publishing contributes to democracy, press freedom and the public sphere: a case study of Nyasatimes online and The Daily Times newspaper in Malawi
- Authors: Kakhobwe, Penelope
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Daily Times (Malawi) Nyasatimes (Malawi) Democracy -- Malawi Freedom of the press -- Malawi Journalism -- Political aspects -- Malawi Online journalism -- Malawi Electronic newspapers -- Malawi Electronic publishing -- Malawi
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3441 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002895
- Description: Since the demise of the Berlin Wall and communism, many African countries have adopted a Western-model democracy as a system of governance. However, the media has not been liberalised to reflect this new discourse as constraints in many African countries pertaining to press freedom still exist. The internet appears to have the potential to challenge the political power of governments (Tsagarousianou, 1998:167). It has been posited that it has the potential to offer more platforms for information especially in the case of restrictive media environments. This study set out to investigate the impact of on-line publishing in Malawi. It explored how the emergence of this new form of publishing through the internet has affected the public sphere, democracy and press freedom in Malawi. The main focus was the level of press freedom at on-line newspapers as compared to traditional newspapers. It used the public sphere theory and literature on the internet as a technology of freedom as its theoretical framework. Using a case study approach by focusing on two newspapers; Nyasatimes on-line and Daily Times, the study used the coup plot coverage in May 2008 in Malawi by both newspapers as reference for the measurement of the level of press freedom. The study used qualitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews as its research methods. The research revealed that Nyasatimes enjoys more freedom to publish and therefore appears to have more press freedom than its more traditional counterpart. However, Nyasatimes also faces some unique challenges. The findings also revealed that press freedom in Malawi is not only affected by government through legislation but other factors and players as well play a central role in determining the level of press freedom for traditional media. The study therefore concludes that despite the internet’s ability to transcend local regimes of authority and censorship pertaining to press freedom, the challenges facing traditional media still need to be addressed as it is the primary source of information for most people in Malawi with on-line newspapers being simply supplementary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Kakhobwe, Penelope
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Daily Times (Malawi) Nyasatimes (Malawi) Democracy -- Malawi Freedom of the press -- Malawi Journalism -- Political aspects -- Malawi Online journalism -- Malawi Electronic newspapers -- Malawi Electronic publishing -- Malawi
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3441 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002895
- Description: Since the demise of the Berlin Wall and communism, many African countries have adopted a Western-model democracy as a system of governance. However, the media has not been liberalised to reflect this new discourse as constraints in many African countries pertaining to press freedom still exist. The internet appears to have the potential to challenge the political power of governments (Tsagarousianou, 1998:167). It has been posited that it has the potential to offer more platforms for information especially in the case of restrictive media environments. This study set out to investigate the impact of on-line publishing in Malawi. It explored how the emergence of this new form of publishing through the internet has affected the public sphere, democracy and press freedom in Malawi. The main focus was the level of press freedom at on-line newspapers as compared to traditional newspapers. It used the public sphere theory and literature on the internet as a technology of freedom as its theoretical framework. Using a case study approach by focusing on two newspapers; Nyasatimes on-line and Daily Times, the study used the coup plot coverage in May 2008 in Malawi by both newspapers as reference for the measurement of the level of press freedom. The study used qualitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews as its research methods. The research revealed that Nyasatimes enjoys more freedom to publish and therefore appears to have more press freedom than its more traditional counterpart. However, Nyasatimes also faces some unique challenges. The findings also revealed that press freedom in Malawi is not only affected by government through legislation but other factors and players as well play a central role in determining the level of press freedom for traditional media. The study therefore concludes that despite the internet’s ability to transcend local regimes of authority and censorship pertaining to press freedom, the challenges facing traditional media still need to be addressed as it is the primary source of information for most people in Malawi with on-line newspapers being simply supplementary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Human-river relationships in the Kat River catchment and the implications for integrated water resource management (IWRM) : an exploraratory study
- Authors: Birkholz, Sharon Alice
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Aquatic ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River , Rivers -- South Africa -- Kat River -- Sociological aspects , Rivers -- South Africa -- Kat River , Water supply -- South Africa -- Kat River -- Management , Human ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River , Stream ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4838 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005514
- Description: Through out this study ‘relational scenarios’ were seen as the possible outcomes of the expression of human-river relationships in a catchment. Working within Inglis’s (2008, pg. 10) comment that ‘the Human World Relationship is expressed through a person’s views and behaviour towards the natural world, which can be either constructive or destructive’, two relational scenarios were selected to represent these two predicted outcomes of human-environment (or in the case of this thesis human-river) relationships: IWRM, seen as constructive and mutually beneficial to both the social and ecological system, and the Tragedy of the Commons, seen as destructive and parasitic in nature. In respect to this assertion, a conceptual framework or model was developed and used to guide the inductive process of this research. Through a social survey (administered via semi-structured interviews) of stakeholders (water-users) in the Kat River Catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa, social attitudes towards the Kat River were explored. These attitudes were considered as variables that relate to the expression of ‘Human World Relationships’ namely ‘values and behaviour’ (Inglis, 2008, pg. 10). The findings of this thesis confirm that attitudes are influential components of human-river relationships in the Kat River Catchment. It was observed from the findings that the attitudes individuals have towards the Kat River have the potential to influence the ways people interact with the River and its associated resources, and are in turn influenced by the condition of the River and connections people have or make with the River within their daily lives. Such relationships in turn affect the management of the River and its water resources and influence how individuals approach water-related issues and undertake the associated activities. Given this understanding it was then proposed that attitudes could provide information that enables the prediction of likely ‘relational scenarios’ (IWRM or the Tragedy of the Commons) in a catchment. The findings appear to support this proposal, and three main attitude groups (utilitarian, associative and dissociative) were identified and used to further the discussion into how this knowledge could be used in predicting possible relational scenarios based on human-river relationships. Further exploration of the identified attitude groups suggested that these variables are significantly influenced by environmental ethics and place attachment (present in the community) and a series of guiding frameworks were developed to facilitate the exploration of the attitude groups relative to these concepts. The frameworks were generated from the hypothesis that knowledge of attitude groups in a catchment, in connection with the relative degrees to which moral values and worldviews are expressed, could provide insight into the readiness of a catchment system for the implementation of IWRM and/or the facilitative steps needed to shift the influence of unfavourable attitude groups (i.e. dissociative attitudes). Such steps would most likely involve extensive educational, awareness and capacity building programs. Finally, given the above theoretical frameworks, inductively developed from the findings of the social survey and related literature, the conceptual model was reevaluated and extended to include the thesis findings and hypotheses. It is suggested that in a catchment where there is a balance between the expression of utilitarian and associative attitude groups, then there is a high probability of finding present evidence of mutually beneficial human-river relationships already in play, as well as ‘fertile soil’ for the promotion of IWRM and philosophies and skills that generate such relationships. Alternatively in an area with a strong expression of dissociative attitudes, it is more likely to find evidence of destructive, more parasitic-like relationships being expressed, and a lack of commitment and interest in being involved in changing the status quo. It is likely that where both associative and dissociative attitudes are present there will be an overlap of elements of both scenarios – a situation that is probable in most catchments – depending on the strength of expression of either attitude group the balance will shift (be shifting) between the two relational scenarios.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Birkholz, Sharon Alice
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Aquatic ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River , Rivers -- South Africa -- Kat River -- Sociological aspects , Rivers -- South Africa -- Kat River , Water supply -- South Africa -- Kat River -- Management , Human ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River , Stream ecology -- South Africa -- Kat River
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4838 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005514
- Description: Through out this study ‘relational scenarios’ were seen as the possible outcomes of the expression of human-river relationships in a catchment. Working within Inglis’s (2008, pg. 10) comment that ‘the Human World Relationship is expressed through a person’s views and behaviour towards the natural world, which can be either constructive or destructive’, two relational scenarios were selected to represent these two predicted outcomes of human-environment (or in the case of this thesis human-river) relationships: IWRM, seen as constructive and mutually beneficial to both the social and ecological system, and the Tragedy of the Commons, seen as destructive and parasitic in nature. In respect to this assertion, a conceptual framework or model was developed and used to guide the inductive process of this research. Through a social survey (administered via semi-structured interviews) of stakeholders (water-users) in the Kat River Catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa, social attitudes towards the Kat River were explored. These attitudes were considered as variables that relate to the expression of ‘Human World Relationships’ namely ‘values and behaviour’ (Inglis, 2008, pg. 10). The findings of this thesis confirm that attitudes are influential components of human-river relationships in the Kat River Catchment. It was observed from the findings that the attitudes individuals have towards the Kat River have the potential to influence the ways people interact with the River and its associated resources, and are in turn influenced by the condition of the River and connections people have or make with the River within their daily lives. Such relationships in turn affect the management of the River and its water resources and influence how individuals approach water-related issues and undertake the associated activities. Given this understanding it was then proposed that attitudes could provide information that enables the prediction of likely ‘relational scenarios’ (IWRM or the Tragedy of the Commons) in a catchment. The findings appear to support this proposal, and three main attitude groups (utilitarian, associative and dissociative) were identified and used to further the discussion into how this knowledge could be used in predicting possible relational scenarios based on human-river relationships. Further exploration of the identified attitude groups suggested that these variables are significantly influenced by environmental ethics and place attachment (present in the community) and a series of guiding frameworks were developed to facilitate the exploration of the attitude groups relative to these concepts. The frameworks were generated from the hypothesis that knowledge of attitude groups in a catchment, in connection with the relative degrees to which moral values and worldviews are expressed, could provide insight into the readiness of a catchment system for the implementation of IWRM and/or the facilitative steps needed to shift the influence of unfavourable attitude groups (i.e. dissociative attitudes). Such steps would most likely involve extensive educational, awareness and capacity building programs. Finally, given the above theoretical frameworks, inductively developed from the findings of the social survey and related literature, the conceptual model was reevaluated and extended to include the thesis findings and hypotheses. It is suggested that in a catchment where there is a balance between the expression of utilitarian and associative attitude groups, then there is a high probability of finding present evidence of mutually beneficial human-river relationships already in play, as well as ‘fertile soil’ for the promotion of IWRM and philosophies and skills that generate such relationships. Alternatively in an area with a strong expression of dissociative attitudes, it is more likely to find evidence of destructive, more parasitic-like relationships being expressed, and a lack of commitment and interest in being involved in changing the status quo. It is likely that where both associative and dissociative attitudes are present there will be an overlap of elements of both scenarios – a situation that is probable in most catchments – depending on the strength of expression of either attitude group the balance will shift (be shifting) between the two relational scenarios.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Hydrology, sediment transport dynamics and geomorphology of a variable flow river : the Mfolozi River, South Africa
- Grenfell, Suzanne E, Ellery, William F N
- Authors: Grenfell, Suzanne E , Ellery, William F N
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6632 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006826
- Description: The co-efficient of variation for inter-annual streamflow of the Mfolozi River is extremely high at 79%. An analysis of flow frequency indicated that streamflow is skewed towards low-flow values, with a number of extremely large flood events occurring as outliers on the histogram. Streamflow variability in the Mfolozi River may be linked to multiple factors including a large catchment size, a seasonal climate of a dry winter and wet summer, evergreen vegetation in the catchment, variable precipitation and the occurrence of regionally pervasive climatic oscillations. This research aimed to address how streamflow variability impacted upon sediment transport and thus, geomorphology. It was found that sediment transport variability occurred at the intra-and inter-annual scale. Analysis of mean monthly sediment concentration and discharge showed a hysteresis effect, such that sediment concentration peaked prior to discharge in the early wet season. During the late wet season, peak discharges often had unexpectedly low sediment concentrations. Furthermore, data suggested the existence of long-term hysteresis that may be related to decadal-scale climatic oscillations that alter sediment availability and stream capacity, resulting in discharge peaking in 2000 and sediment concentration in 2005. However, more data are required to confirm this relationship. Variability in streamflow appears to share a causal relationship with sediment transport variability, as both are linked to variation in precipitation and the resultant impacts on vegetation growth and evapotranspiration rates. The variability of streamflow and sediment transport has implications for stream and floodplain geomorphology, and the hydrology of variable rivers should be considered when interpreting their geomorphology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Grenfell, Suzanne E , Ellery, William F N
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6632 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006826
- Description: The co-efficient of variation for inter-annual streamflow of the Mfolozi River is extremely high at 79%. An analysis of flow frequency indicated that streamflow is skewed towards low-flow values, with a number of extremely large flood events occurring as outliers on the histogram. Streamflow variability in the Mfolozi River may be linked to multiple factors including a large catchment size, a seasonal climate of a dry winter and wet summer, evergreen vegetation in the catchment, variable precipitation and the occurrence of regionally pervasive climatic oscillations. This research aimed to address how streamflow variability impacted upon sediment transport and thus, geomorphology. It was found that sediment transport variability occurred at the intra-and inter-annual scale. Analysis of mean monthly sediment concentration and discharge showed a hysteresis effect, such that sediment concentration peaked prior to discharge in the early wet season. During the late wet season, peak discharges often had unexpectedly low sediment concentrations. Furthermore, data suggested the existence of long-term hysteresis that may be related to decadal-scale climatic oscillations that alter sediment availability and stream capacity, resulting in discharge peaking in 2000 and sediment concentration in 2005. However, more data are required to confirm this relationship. Variability in streamflow appears to share a causal relationship with sediment transport variability, as both are linked to variation in precipitation and the resultant impacts on vegetation growth and evapotranspiration rates. The variability of streamflow and sediment transport has implications for stream and floodplain geomorphology, and the hydrology of variable rivers should be considered when interpreting their geomorphology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Imagined pasts, suspended presents : South African literature in the contemporary moment
- Authors: Mbao, Wamuwi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South African literature (English) -- History and criticism Authors, South African -- 21st century -- Criticism and interpretation South African literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism Xenophobia -- South Africa Apartheid in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002244
- Description: Scholarship on Post-Apartheid South African literature has engaged in various ways with the politics of identity, but its dominant mode has been to understand the literature through an anxious rupture-continuation paradigm in which the Apartheid past manifests itself in the present. However, in the contemporary moment, there are writers whose texts attempt to forge new paths in their depictions of identities both individual and collective. These texts are useful in contemplating how South Africans experience belonging and dislocation in various contexts. In this thesis, I consider a range of contemporary South African texts via the figure of lifewriting. My analysis demonstrates that, while many texts in the contemporary moment have displayed new and more complex registers of perception concerning the issue of ‘race’, there is a need for more expansive and fluid conceptions of crafting identity, as regards the politics of space and how this intersects with issues of belonging and identity. That is, much South African literature still continues along familiar trajectories of meaning, ones which are not well-equipped to understand issues that bedevil the country at this particular historical moment, which are grounded in the political compromises that came to pass during the ‘time of transition’. These issues include the recent spate of xenophobia attacks, which have yet to be comprehensively and critically analysed in the critical domain, despite the work of theorists such as David Coplan. Such events indicate the need for more layered and intricate understandings of how our national identity is structured: Who may belong? Who is excluded? In what situations? This thesis engages with these questions in order to determine how systems of power are constructed, reified, mediated, reproduced and/or resisted in the country’s literature. To do this, I perform an attentive reading of the mosaic image of South African culture that emerges through a selection of contemporary works of literature. The texts I have selected are notable for the ways in which they engage with the epistemic protocol of coming to know the Other and the self through the lens of the Apartheid past. That engagement may take the form of a reassertion, reclamation, displacement, or complication of selfhood. Given that South African identities are overinscribed in paradigms in which the Apartheid past is primary, what potentials and limits are presently encountered when writing of the self/selves is attempted? My study goes beyond simply asserting that not all groups have equal access to representation. Rather, I demonstrate that the linear shaping of the South African culture of letters imposes certain restrictions on who may work within it. Here, the politics of publishing and the increasing focus on urban spaces, such that other spaces become marginalized in ways that reflect the proclivities of the reading public, are subjected to close scrutiny. Overall, my thesis aims to promote a rethinking of South African culture, and how that culture is represented in, and defined through, our literature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mbao, Wamuwi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South African literature (English) -- History and criticism Authors, South African -- 21st century -- Criticism and interpretation South African literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism Xenophobia -- South Africa Apartheid in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002244
- Description: Scholarship on Post-Apartheid South African literature has engaged in various ways with the politics of identity, but its dominant mode has been to understand the literature through an anxious rupture-continuation paradigm in which the Apartheid past manifests itself in the present. However, in the contemporary moment, there are writers whose texts attempt to forge new paths in their depictions of identities both individual and collective. These texts are useful in contemplating how South Africans experience belonging and dislocation in various contexts. In this thesis, I consider a range of contemporary South African texts via the figure of lifewriting. My analysis demonstrates that, while many texts in the contemporary moment have displayed new and more complex registers of perception concerning the issue of ‘race’, there is a need for more expansive and fluid conceptions of crafting identity, as regards the politics of space and how this intersects with issues of belonging and identity. That is, much South African literature still continues along familiar trajectories of meaning, ones which are not well-equipped to understand issues that bedevil the country at this particular historical moment, which are grounded in the political compromises that came to pass during the ‘time of transition’. These issues include the recent spate of xenophobia attacks, which have yet to be comprehensively and critically analysed in the critical domain, despite the work of theorists such as David Coplan. Such events indicate the need for more layered and intricate understandings of how our national identity is structured: Who may belong? Who is excluded? In what situations? This thesis engages with these questions in order to determine how systems of power are constructed, reified, mediated, reproduced and/or resisted in the country’s literature. To do this, I perform an attentive reading of the mosaic image of South African culture that emerges through a selection of contemporary works of literature. The texts I have selected are notable for the ways in which they engage with the epistemic protocol of coming to know the Other and the self through the lens of the Apartheid past. That engagement may take the form of a reassertion, reclamation, displacement, or complication of selfhood. Given that South African identities are overinscribed in paradigms in which the Apartheid past is primary, what potentials and limits are presently encountered when writing of the self/selves is attempted? My study goes beyond simply asserting that not all groups have equal access to representation. Rather, I demonstrate that the linear shaping of the South African culture of letters imposes certain restrictions on who may work within it. Here, the politics of publishing and the increasing focus on urban spaces, such that other spaces become marginalized in ways that reflect the proclivities of the reading public, are subjected to close scrutiny. Overall, my thesis aims to promote a rethinking of South African culture, and how that culture is represented in, and defined through, our literature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Immobilization of catalyst in a wall-coated micro-structured reactor for gas/liquid oxidation of p-cymene
- Authors: Makgwane, Peter Ramashadi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Oxidation , Cymene
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:10389 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1182 , Oxidation , Cymene
- Description: The selective, liquid phase oxidation of p-cymene is an important synthetic route for the production of p-cresol via the tertiary cymene hydroperoxide (TCHP). The industrial-scale oxidation process is characterised by slow oxidation rates due to limitations in the mass transfer of oxidant (gaseous oxygen) into the liquid phase. However, like all other autoxidation reactions, the oxidation reaction is exothermic, following the typical free radical autoxidation reaction mechanism, which implies that careful temperature control is critical in order to prevent the further reaction of the initially formed hydroperoxide species. In the presence of metal catalysts, the limiting oxidation rate is the transfer of oxygen from the gas to liquid boundary interface. As a result, low product yields and poor productivity space-time yield are typically experienced. At high substrate conversions, by-products resulting from the decomposition of the formed hydroperoxides predominate. For this reason, the conversion of substrate is restricted to preserve the TCHP selectivity. The slow rates in industrial-scale p-cymene oxidations results in long oxidation times, typically 8-12 h. Substrate conversions are typically between 15-20 percent, and the TCHP selectivity ranges between 65-70 percent. The work described in this thesis concerns the oxidation of p-cymene in a microstructured falling film reactor (FFMSR). These reactor systems facilitate chemical reactors to have high mass and heat transfer rates because of high surface area-to-volume ratios. Due to their small internal volumes, these reactors are inherently safe to operate. These properties were exploited to improve the p-cymene oxidation rate and, consequently, the space-time yield. In order to evaluate the suitability of vanadium phosphate oxide (VPO) catalysts for use as supported catalyst in the FFMSR, different catalysts prepared from VOHPO4∙0.5H2O and VO(H2PO4)2 precursors was first evaluated for the oxidation of p-cymene in a well-stirred batch reactor. The results of the two activated catalysts, (VO)2P2O7 and VO(PO3)2 when used as powders in their pure form, showed a significant improvement in p-cymene oxidation rates with conversions up to 40 percent in 3-4 h reaction time with a TCHP selectivity of 75-80 percent. The (VO)2P2O7 catalyst showed better oxidation rates and selectivity when compared to the VO(PO3)2 catalyst obtained from the VO(H2PO4)2 precursor. The (VO)2P2O7 catalyst was supported on a stainless steel plate and the coated plate used to study the long-term stability and catalytic perfornance of the catalyst during p-cymene oxidations in a batch reactor. Comparable oxidation rates and TCHP selectivity were obtained with the stainless steel coated VPO catalyst when compared to the “free powder” (VO)2P2O7 catalyst. The results also showed that the stainless steel coated catalyst displays a slow, yet significant deactivation over extended reaction periods (250 h onstream). Characterization of the exposed (VO)2P2O7 catalyst to p-cymene oxidation conditions by powder XRD, SEM and TGA-MS showed that (VO)2P2O7 phase undergoes structural transformation back to VOHPO4∙0.5H2O phase over time. The (VO)2P2O7/-Al2O3 catalyst was used to coat the micro-channel reaction plates of the FFMSR. Both uncoated and coated micro-channel reaction plates were evaluated in the FFMSR for the oxidation of p-cymene. The FFMSR showed effective improvement of oxidation rates in terms of productivity space-time-yield at comparable batch p-cymene conversions. A Typical 10 percent conversion in catalysed batch oxidations at 1-2 h reaction time was achieved in few seconds (19 s) reaction time in FFMSR. The comparison of uncoated (i.e. uncatalysed) and coated (i.e. catalysed) FFMSR oxidations showed slight differences in oxidation rates. No clear explanation could be established with the present results for the observed same behaviour. However, the insufficient contact time between the gas and liquid reactants with the wall-coated solid catalyst is one of the possible causes for the observed behaviour of the coated and uncoated micro-channel plates. A simple developed kinetic model was used to confirm the obtained batch oxidation results using cumene as probe compound due to its similarity to p-cumene oxidation and extensive studied kinetics. With the estimated K values and available rate constants from literature, it was possible to predict the conversions in a batch reactor at the same typical micro-structured reactor residence time (i.e. of 19 s). The predicted conversions in the batch reactor were less than 0.1 percent even at harsh conditions such as 170 oC when compared to about 10 percent achieved in the micro-structured reactor at the same reaction temperature, reactants concentration and reaction time of 19 s. This difference in the reactor systems performance indicates the unique advantages offered by micro-structured reactors (e.g. improved mass transfer, temperature management and high surface-to-volume ratios) to perform typical gas/liquid mass transfer limited reactions such as cumene and p-cymene autoxidations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Makgwane, Peter Ramashadi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Oxidation , Cymene
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:10389 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1182 , Oxidation , Cymene
- Description: The selective, liquid phase oxidation of p-cymene is an important synthetic route for the production of p-cresol via the tertiary cymene hydroperoxide (TCHP). The industrial-scale oxidation process is characterised by slow oxidation rates due to limitations in the mass transfer of oxidant (gaseous oxygen) into the liquid phase. However, like all other autoxidation reactions, the oxidation reaction is exothermic, following the typical free radical autoxidation reaction mechanism, which implies that careful temperature control is critical in order to prevent the further reaction of the initially formed hydroperoxide species. In the presence of metal catalysts, the limiting oxidation rate is the transfer of oxygen from the gas to liquid boundary interface. As a result, low product yields and poor productivity space-time yield are typically experienced. At high substrate conversions, by-products resulting from the decomposition of the formed hydroperoxides predominate. For this reason, the conversion of substrate is restricted to preserve the TCHP selectivity. The slow rates in industrial-scale p-cymene oxidations results in long oxidation times, typically 8-12 h. Substrate conversions are typically between 15-20 percent, and the TCHP selectivity ranges between 65-70 percent. The work described in this thesis concerns the oxidation of p-cymene in a microstructured falling film reactor (FFMSR). These reactor systems facilitate chemical reactors to have high mass and heat transfer rates because of high surface area-to-volume ratios. Due to their small internal volumes, these reactors are inherently safe to operate. These properties were exploited to improve the p-cymene oxidation rate and, consequently, the space-time yield. In order to evaluate the suitability of vanadium phosphate oxide (VPO) catalysts for use as supported catalyst in the FFMSR, different catalysts prepared from VOHPO4∙0.5H2O and VO(H2PO4)2 precursors was first evaluated for the oxidation of p-cymene in a well-stirred batch reactor. The results of the two activated catalysts, (VO)2P2O7 and VO(PO3)2 when used as powders in their pure form, showed a significant improvement in p-cymene oxidation rates with conversions up to 40 percent in 3-4 h reaction time with a TCHP selectivity of 75-80 percent. The (VO)2P2O7 catalyst showed better oxidation rates and selectivity when compared to the VO(PO3)2 catalyst obtained from the VO(H2PO4)2 precursor. The (VO)2P2O7 catalyst was supported on a stainless steel plate and the coated plate used to study the long-term stability and catalytic perfornance of the catalyst during p-cymene oxidations in a batch reactor. Comparable oxidation rates and TCHP selectivity were obtained with the stainless steel coated VPO catalyst when compared to the “free powder” (VO)2P2O7 catalyst. The results also showed that the stainless steel coated catalyst displays a slow, yet significant deactivation over extended reaction periods (250 h onstream). Characterization of the exposed (VO)2P2O7 catalyst to p-cymene oxidation conditions by powder XRD, SEM and TGA-MS showed that (VO)2P2O7 phase undergoes structural transformation back to VOHPO4∙0.5H2O phase over time. The (VO)2P2O7/-Al2O3 catalyst was used to coat the micro-channel reaction plates of the FFMSR. Both uncoated and coated micro-channel reaction plates were evaluated in the FFMSR for the oxidation of p-cymene. The FFMSR showed effective improvement of oxidation rates in terms of productivity space-time-yield at comparable batch p-cymene conversions. A Typical 10 percent conversion in catalysed batch oxidations at 1-2 h reaction time was achieved in few seconds (19 s) reaction time in FFMSR. The comparison of uncoated (i.e. uncatalysed) and coated (i.e. catalysed) FFMSR oxidations showed slight differences in oxidation rates. No clear explanation could be established with the present results for the observed same behaviour. However, the insufficient contact time between the gas and liquid reactants with the wall-coated solid catalyst is one of the possible causes for the observed behaviour of the coated and uncoated micro-channel plates. A simple developed kinetic model was used to confirm the obtained batch oxidation results using cumene as probe compound due to its similarity to p-cumene oxidation and extensive studied kinetics. With the estimated K values and available rate constants from literature, it was possible to predict the conversions in a batch reactor at the same typical micro-structured reactor residence time (i.e. of 19 s). The predicted conversions in the batch reactor were less than 0.1 percent even at harsh conditions such as 170 oC when compared to about 10 percent achieved in the micro-structured reactor at the same reaction temperature, reactants concentration and reaction time of 19 s. This difference in the reactor systems performance indicates the unique advantages offered by micro-structured reactors (e.g. improved mass transfer, temperature management and high surface-to-volume ratios) to perform typical gas/liquid mass transfer limited reactions such as cumene and p-cymene autoxidations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Implementating employment equity in the Department of Home Affairs, Transport and Education, Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Mosola, Sehlotsa Innocentia
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Discrimination in employment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee rights -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
- Identifier: vital:11548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/218 , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee rights -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This research was undertaken to investigate the challenges faced by employees at the Home Affairs Department, the transport Department and the Department of Education at King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape Province. A quantitative approach was used in this research. The sample consisted of 100 respondents of whom 98 returned completed questionnaires. The answers of the respondents were the data of this study and these were analyzed and interpreted in respect of the hypotheses of the research. The research involved the collection of detailed career, personal and structural perceptions of 98 employees. The data was used to establish the disparity among employees, from lower management to top management. It was found that even though there was a problem of discrimination in the olden days there has been a change in the sense that employment equity, affirmative action and diversity management have been introduced since 1994.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mosola, Sehlotsa Innocentia
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Discrimination in employment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee rights -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
- Identifier: vital:11548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/218 , Discrimination in employment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Employee rights -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This research was undertaken to investigate the challenges faced by employees at the Home Affairs Department, the transport Department and the Department of Education at King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape Province. A quantitative approach was used in this research. The sample consisted of 100 respondents of whom 98 returned completed questionnaires. The answers of the respondents were the data of this study and these were analyzed and interpreted in respect of the hypotheses of the research. The research involved the collection of detailed career, personal and structural perceptions of 98 employees. The data was used to establish the disparity among employees, from lower management to top management. It was found that even though there was a problem of discrimination in the olden days there has been a change in the sense that employment equity, affirmative action and diversity management have been introduced since 1994.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Implementation of a 150kva biomass gasifier system for community economic empowerment in South Africa
- Mamphweli, Ntshengedzeni Sampson
- Authors: Mamphweli, Ntshengedzeni Sampson
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Rural development -- South Africa , Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Condensation , Rural electrification -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Physics)
- Identifier: vital:11591 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/262 , Rural development -- South Africa , Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Condensation , Rural electrification -- South Africa
- Description: There is growing interest in research and development activities on biomass gasification technologies as an alternative to fossil fuels technologies. However not much has been done in terms of technology transfer, particularly in under-developed and developing countries such as South Africa. This is mainly because of the lack of resources such as funding. Most parts of the under-developed and developing countries fall within rural areas and semi-urban centers, which are endowed with biomass resources. South Africa has a number of sawmill operators who generate tons of biomass waste during processing of timber; the large proportion of this is burned in furnaces as a means for waste management while a very small proportion is collected and used by people in rural areas for cooking their food. The majority of people in rural areas of South Africa are either unemployed or cannot afford the current energy services. The main aim of this research was to establish the viability of electricity generation for community economic development through biomass gasification, specifically using the locally designed System Johansson Biomass Gasifier™ (SJBG), and to establish the efficiency of the gasifier and associated components with a view of developing strategies to enhance it. The study established the technical and economic feasibility of using the SJBG to generate low-cost electricity for community empowerment. The study also developed strategies to improve the particle collection efficiency of the cyclone. In addition to this, a low-cost gas and temperature monitoring system capable of monitoring gas and temperature at various points of the gasifier was developed. The system was built from three Non- Dispersive Infrared gas sensors, one Palladium/Nickel gas sensor and four type K thermocouples. The study also investigated the impact of fuel compartment condensates on gasifier conversion efficiency. This is an area that has not yet been well researched since much has been done on energy recovery using combined heat and power applications that do not utilize the energy in condensates because these are produced in the gasifier and drained with chemical energy stored in them. The study established that the condensates do not have a significant impact on efficiency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mamphweli, Ntshengedzeni Sampson
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Rural development -- South Africa , Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Condensation , Rural electrification -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Physics)
- Identifier: vital:11591 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/262 , Rural development -- South Africa , Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Condensation , Rural electrification -- South Africa
- Description: There is growing interest in research and development activities on biomass gasification technologies as an alternative to fossil fuels technologies. However not much has been done in terms of technology transfer, particularly in under-developed and developing countries such as South Africa. This is mainly because of the lack of resources such as funding. Most parts of the under-developed and developing countries fall within rural areas and semi-urban centers, which are endowed with biomass resources. South Africa has a number of sawmill operators who generate tons of biomass waste during processing of timber; the large proportion of this is burned in furnaces as a means for waste management while a very small proportion is collected and used by people in rural areas for cooking their food. The majority of people in rural areas of South Africa are either unemployed or cannot afford the current energy services. The main aim of this research was to establish the viability of electricity generation for community economic development through biomass gasification, specifically using the locally designed System Johansson Biomass Gasifier™ (SJBG), and to establish the efficiency of the gasifier and associated components with a view of developing strategies to enhance it. The study established the technical and economic feasibility of using the SJBG to generate low-cost electricity for community empowerment. The study also developed strategies to improve the particle collection efficiency of the cyclone. In addition to this, a low-cost gas and temperature monitoring system capable of monitoring gas and temperature at various points of the gasifier was developed. The system was built from three Non- Dispersive Infrared gas sensors, one Palladium/Nickel gas sensor and four type K thermocouples. The study also investigated the impact of fuel compartment condensates on gasifier conversion efficiency. This is an area that has not yet been well researched since much has been done on energy recovery using combined heat and power applications that do not utilize the energy in condensates because these are produced in the gasifier and drained with chemical energy stored in them. The study established that the condensates do not have a significant impact on efficiency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Implementation of a rewards based negotiation module for an e commerce platform
- Authors: Jere, Nobert Rangarirai
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Computer network architecture -- South Africa -- Design and construction , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11378 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/267 , Computer network architecture -- South Africa -- Design and construction , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been widely deployed in developmental programs and this has lead to the creation of a new field – ICT for Development (ICT4D). Within the context of ICT4D, various e-services are being developed, including e-Commerce, e-Government, e-Health and e-Judiciary. ICT4D projects allow Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in rural areas to increase sales and gain a market share in the global market. However, many of these ICT4D projects do not succeed, because they fail to bring enough financial value to SMMEs due to the form they currently have. An obvious example is e-Commerce, which should be a source of revenue for business organizations, but most often is not. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a rewarding and negotiation application for a shopping portal to improve the marketing of products for rural entrepreneurs. The shopping portal has been set up for the Dwesa community, a marginalized area in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The proposed system, called the Dwesa Rewarding Program (DRP) enables customers buying online to get points for some of the activities carried out on the shopping portal. It also allows customers to negotiate and make offers whilst purchasing and get rewarded for buying online. The novelty of the system is in its flexibility and adaptability. One achievement of this system is the establishment of negotiation rules which allows fairness in rewarding customers. This should in turn lead to increased sales on the e-Commerce platform in marginalized areas and subsequently increased effectiveness of ICT4D for socio-economic development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Jere, Nobert Rangarirai
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Computer network architecture -- South Africa -- Design and construction , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11378 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/267 , Computer network architecture -- South Africa -- Design and construction , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been widely deployed in developmental programs and this has lead to the creation of a new field – ICT for Development (ICT4D). Within the context of ICT4D, various e-services are being developed, including e-Commerce, e-Government, e-Health and e-Judiciary. ICT4D projects allow Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in rural areas to increase sales and gain a market share in the global market. However, many of these ICT4D projects do not succeed, because they fail to bring enough financial value to SMMEs due to the form they currently have. An obvious example is e-Commerce, which should be a source of revenue for business organizations, but most often is not. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a rewarding and negotiation application for a shopping portal to improve the marketing of products for rural entrepreneurs. The shopping portal has been set up for the Dwesa community, a marginalized area in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The proposed system, called the Dwesa Rewarding Program (DRP) enables customers buying online to get points for some of the activities carried out on the shopping portal. It also allows customers to negotiate and make offers whilst purchasing and get rewarded for buying online. The novelty of the system is in its flexibility and adaptability. One achievement of this system is the establishment of negotiation rules which allows fairness in rewarding customers. This should in turn lead to increased sales on the e-Commerce platform in marginalized areas and subsequently increased effectiveness of ICT4D for socio-economic development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Implementing an environmental management system in an automative component manufacturing firm
- Authors: Da Fonseca, Carlos Manuel
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Manufacturing processes -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Management -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8687 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1112 , Automobile industry and trade -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Manufacturing processes -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Management -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Description: Environmental issues seem to be one of the most important topics in the globalised world. Organisations of all sizes are subject to pressure from suppliers, customers and governments to be more environmentally responsible. This research focuses on implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in the automotive industry, both internationally and in South Africa, and examines the background and concepts of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as well as the key implementation phases associated with the implementation of an EMS, in accordance with ISO 14001. The problem statement of this research is to determine if it is possible to transfer, apply and sustain environmental concepts to small, medium or large organisations. The primary objectives of this research, therefore, were to determine: does implementation of an EMS provide economic benefits to organisations; what drives an organisation to first implement an EMS; does implementation of an EMS improve environmental awareness and performance; and what implementation barriers are faced by small, medium and large organisations. To achieve these objectives, a literary review and an empirical survey were conducted. The survey consisted of an electronic, self-administered questionnaire that was circulated to respondents at various automotive organisations. Data collected from completed, returned questionnaires were analysed and graphically presented to complete the research and achieve the primary research objectives toward solving the afore-mentioned problem statement. Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that there is much to gain from implementing an EMS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Da Fonseca, Carlos Manuel
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Manufacturing processes -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Management -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8687 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1112 , Automobile industry and trade -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Manufacturing processes -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Management -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Description: Environmental issues seem to be one of the most important topics in the globalised world. Organisations of all sizes are subject to pressure from suppliers, customers and governments to be more environmentally responsible. This research focuses on implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in the automotive industry, both internationally and in South Africa, and examines the background and concepts of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as well as the key implementation phases associated with the implementation of an EMS, in accordance with ISO 14001. The problem statement of this research is to determine if it is possible to transfer, apply and sustain environmental concepts to small, medium or large organisations. The primary objectives of this research, therefore, were to determine: does implementation of an EMS provide economic benefits to organisations; what drives an organisation to first implement an EMS; does implementation of an EMS improve environmental awareness and performance; and what implementation barriers are faced by small, medium and large organisations. To achieve these objectives, a literary review and an empirical survey were conducted. The survey consisted of an electronic, self-administered questionnaire that was circulated to respondents at various automotive organisations. Data collected from completed, returned questionnaires were analysed and graphically presented to complete the research and achieve the primary research objectives toward solving the afore-mentioned problem statement. Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that there is much to gain from implementing an EMS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Implementing an integrated e-government functionality for a marginalized community in the Eastern Cape South Africa
- Authors: Jakachira, Bobby Tichaona
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11377 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/273 , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Traditional methods of providing public services to disadvantaged rural communities in South Africa have, over the years, proven to be inefficient and in most such communities, simply non-existent. Although the South African government has taken initiatives to make these public services cheaply and conveniently available online at national level, access at local municipal level is still lacking. The goal of this study is to develop a cost-effective e-government system that will contribute to improved provision of public services to the Dwesa area, a rural community in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, by the government. A prototype construction approach was used, to develop a cost-effective four-modular web application. Interviews were conducted in the field, resulting in four e-government system modules, based on open-source software, developed and integrated to form a single, dynamic web component that will act as a one-stop shop for Dwesa community members. These are the Dwesa Online Application Centre (DOAC) to apply for important government documents and grants, the Dwesa Online Reporting Centre (DORC) to report various grievances to the responsible agencies, the Dwesa Forum Corner (DFC), a digital community, and the management back-end module. The Dwesa e-government portal was developed using Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP (LAMP) technology, a Zoop framework to model the individual components and a JQUERY JavaScript library to increase the responsiveness of the user interfaces. The most significant contributions of this thesis have been the development of a cost-effective, integrated e-government functionality, applicable to disadvantaged communities, and the greater understanding this has given of the tools and methodologies that can be used to deliver public services efficiently to citizens. The final evaluation of this e-government system gives significant evidence that the e-government portal provides a solid foundation that will allow e-government implementation to raise the provision of public services to a higher level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Jakachira, Bobby Tichaona
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11377 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/273 , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Traditional methods of providing public services to disadvantaged rural communities in South Africa have, over the years, proven to be inefficient and in most such communities, simply non-existent. Although the South African government has taken initiatives to make these public services cheaply and conveniently available online at national level, access at local municipal level is still lacking. The goal of this study is to develop a cost-effective e-government system that will contribute to improved provision of public services to the Dwesa area, a rural community in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, by the government. A prototype construction approach was used, to develop a cost-effective four-modular web application. Interviews were conducted in the field, resulting in four e-government system modules, based on open-source software, developed and integrated to form a single, dynamic web component that will act as a one-stop shop for Dwesa community members. These are the Dwesa Online Application Centre (DOAC) to apply for important government documents and grants, the Dwesa Online Reporting Centre (DORC) to report various grievances to the responsible agencies, the Dwesa Forum Corner (DFC), a digital community, and the management back-end module. The Dwesa e-government portal was developed using Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP (LAMP) technology, a Zoop framework to model the individual components and a JQUERY JavaScript library to increase the responsiveness of the user interfaces. The most significant contributions of this thesis have been the development of a cost-effective, integrated e-government functionality, applicable to disadvantaged communities, and the greater understanding this has given of the tools and methodologies that can be used to deliver public services efficiently to citizens. The final evaluation of this e-government system gives significant evidence that the e-government portal provides a solid foundation that will allow e-government implementation to raise the provision of public services to a higher level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Improving the service quality of taxi operators in the Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Gule, Xolile Michael
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Service industries -- Quality control , Customer services -- Quality control , Transportation -- South Africa , Taxicabs -- South Africa , Quality Service
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8685 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1115 , Service industries -- Quality control , Customer services -- Quality control , Transportation -- South Africa , Taxicabs -- South Africa , Quality Service
- Description: The study focused on the taxi industry as a services industry due to its contribution to the economies of both developed and the developing countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways to improve service delivery in the South African taxi industry. This industry is one of the underperforming industries in South Africa with regard to service quality due to over-serviced taxi routes and a lack of information about the needs and desires of the taxi commuters. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how to improve the service quality of taxi operators in the Nelson Mandela Bay by applying theories and concepts of services marketing and total quality management (TQM). More specifically, the study investigated whether taxi drivers have the required knowledge of services marketing and service quality, and what service quality challenges taxi drivers and commuters face. The sample consisted of 20 taxi drivers and 101 student commuters using taxis on the Port Elizabeth routes. The empirical results showed that taxi drivers perform unsatisfactorily on the four TQM elements: leadership, employee involvement, product/ process excellence and customer focus. The results also reflected the general perception in the Eastern Cape that taxi service quality is poor. Of the five service quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy), the taxi drivers performed the best in reliability and the worst in empathy. The empirical results further suggested that taxi services do not meet the expectations of commuters, as deficits were reported between expectations and perceptions of actual service quality. The different quality dimensions used in the measurement of taxi service quality and their empirical results could provide a guideline to taxi service leadership and government on the critical aspects of taxi service quality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Gule, Xolile Michael
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Service industries -- Quality control , Customer services -- Quality control , Transportation -- South Africa , Taxicabs -- South Africa , Quality Service
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8685 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1115 , Service industries -- Quality control , Customer services -- Quality control , Transportation -- South Africa , Taxicabs -- South Africa , Quality Service
- Description: The study focused on the taxi industry as a services industry due to its contribution to the economies of both developed and the developing countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways to improve service delivery in the South African taxi industry. This industry is one of the underperforming industries in South Africa with regard to service quality due to over-serviced taxi routes and a lack of information about the needs and desires of the taxi commuters. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how to improve the service quality of taxi operators in the Nelson Mandela Bay by applying theories and concepts of services marketing and total quality management (TQM). More specifically, the study investigated whether taxi drivers have the required knowledge of services marketing and service quality, and what service quality challenges taxi drivers and commuters face. The sample consisted of 20 taxi drivers and 101 student commuters using taxis on the Port Elizabeth routes. The empirical results showed that taxi drivers perform unsatisfactorily on the four TQM elements: leadership, employee involvement, product/ process excellence and customer focus. The results also reflected the general perception in the Eastern Cape that taxi service quality is poor. Of the five service quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy), the taxi drivers performed the best in reliability and the worst in empathy. The empirical results further suggested that taxi services do not meet the expectations of commuters, as deficits were reported between expectations and perceptions of actual service quality. The different quality dimensions used in the measurement of taxi service quality and their empirical results could provide a guideline to taxi service leadership and government on the critical aspects of taxi service quality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Improving the strategic management of employee job performance and organisational commitment at merged higher education institutions in South Africa
- Authors: Stofile, Regina Ntongolozi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Strategic planning -- Universities , Strategic planning -- Universities and colleges -- South Africa , Mergers -- Universities and colleges -- South Africa , Strategic planning -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9311 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018798
- Description: In reaction to intense global competition and increased customer demands, business firms are continuously engaged in activities to increase the effectiveness of their businesses. To be effective business firms must reduce costs, improve the quality of their products and respond quickly to the new opportunities in the market place. These activities often require the restructuring of such businesses. The restructuring of businesses often takes the form of strategic alliances, outsourcing, vertical integration, mergers or acquisitions. It is not only businesses that undergo restructuring, but recently also higher education institutions. The South African higher education system has undergone a complex restructuring process of merging universities, technikons, colleges and technical schools. This transformation of higher education in South Africa has been regulated by the Higher Education Act (101 of 1997). This restructuring took form of mergers between technikons and universities to form new higher education institutions and has been directed at correcting past educational discrimination and at ensuring equal opportunities for higher education. High levels of negativity, demoralization, demotivation and disempowerment due to higher-education restructuring have been reported, not only in South Africa, but also in other countries. Despite the above-mentioned problems identified in the restructuring of higher education world-wide, a lack of quantitative research appears to exist on the human dimension involved in the process. The main objective of the study is to improve the strategic management of the post-merger process at higher education institutions in South Africa by investigating what influence the present restructuring process exerts on the motivation, organisational commitment and job performance of their staff. The sample consisted of three hundred and twenty-nine (329) staff members from the three merged universities in South Africa. The empirical results revealed the following: To improve the strategic management of the post-merger process at universities, management needs to focus on the managing of organisational commitment, as it is the strongest determinant of the employees’ performance intent; To manage organisation commitment, management must manage especially the employees’ identification with the organisational culture of the new institutions; after organisational commitment, management must focus on employee motivation which includes increasing the employees’ satisfaction with their remuneration packages, their peer relations and their growth factors; and, To manage the employees’ identification with the organisational culture of the new institutions, management must manage employees’ perceptions about increased student access, successes in merger goal achievement and fairness of workload dispensations. The main contribution of the study is the empirical support produced for elements which should be focused upon in strategy execution, namely the interplay among employee job performance, organizational commitment, organizational culture identification and motivational rewards. By doing so, the study provided the empirical foundation for a model that could be used to strategically manage the post-merger process at universities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Stofile, Regina Ntongolozi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Strategic planning -- Universities , Strategic planning -- Universities and colleges -- South Africa , Mergers -- Universities and colleges -- South Africa , Strategic planning -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9311 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018798
- Description: In reaction to intense global competition and increased customer demands, business firms are continuously engaged in activities to increase the effectiveness of their businesses. To be effective business firms must reduce costs, improve the quality of their products and respond quickly to the new opportunities in the market place. These activities often require the restructuring of such businesses. The restructuring of businesses often takes the form of strategic alliances, outsourcing, vertical integration, mergers or acquisitions. It is not only businesses that undergo restructuring, but recently also higher education institutions. The South African higher education system has undergone a complex restructuring process of merging universities, technikons, colleges and technical schools. This transformation of higher education in South Africa has been regulated by the Higher Education Act (101 of 1997). This restructuring took form of mergers between technikons and universities to form new higher education institutions and has been directed at correcting past educational discrimination and at ensuring equal opportunities for higher education. High levels of negativity, demoralization, demotivation and disempowerment due to higher-education restructuring have been reported, not only in South Africa, but also in other countries. Despite the above-mentioned problems identified in the restructuring of higher education world-wide, a lack of quantitative research appears to exist on the human dimension involved in the process. The main objective of the study is to improve the strategic management of the post-merger process at higher education institutions in South Africa by investigating what influence the present restructuring process exerts on the motivation, organisational commitment and job performance of their staff. The sample consisted of three hundred and twenty-nine (329) staff members from the three merged universities in South Africa. The empirical results revealed the following: To improve the strategic management of the post-merger process at universities, management needs to focus on the managing of organisational commitment, as it is the strongest determinant of the employees’ performance intent; To manage organisation commitment, management must manage especially the employees’ identification with the organisational culture of the new institutions; after organisational commitment, management must focus on employee motivation which includes increasing the employees’ satisfaction with their remuneration packages, their peer relations and their growth factors; and, To manage the employees’ identification with the organisational culture of the new institutions, management must manage employees’ perceptions about increased student access, successes in merger goal achievement and fairness of workload dispensations. The main contribution of the study is the empirical support produced for elements which should be focused upon in strategy execution, namely the interplay among employee job performance, organizational commitment, organizational culture identification and motivational rewards. By doing so, the study provided the empirical foundation for a model that could be used to strategically manage the post-merger process at universities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009