An analysis of the relationship between the housing reform programme and housing industry development in China
- Authors: Zhang, Yu Mei
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9043 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/647 , Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
- Description: The purpose of this study was to establish a common understanding of the implementation of urban housing reform in China and to examine the trends in housing development in China and its relationship with the national economy. The crucial role of the Chinese government in the development of housing, the necessity of government intervention in China and whether it should be involved in housing development at all, were also explored in this study. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this study, it was necessary to analyse the success and failure of the urban housing reform implemented in a particular period in China, and to investigate the challenges and problems existing in housing development. As regards the significant contribution of the housing development to the national economy, Rostow’s stages of economic growth were used to investigate the relationship between the housing industry and the national economy in China. This model shows that the housing industry could become a leading sector in the Chinese national economy. The housing industry in China has not yet reached maturity, and direct regulation by government is still necessary. In an attempt to address the research problem and to fulfil the research objectives, an in-depth and comprehensive literature study was undertaken to provide a basic framework and conceptualization of the housing industry in China. The international scope of the findings, as well as the insights that were gained through the study, contributed largely to solving the identified research problems. The normative and positive nature of the study made it possible to recommend solutions for the problems in the development of housing in China. iv Recommendations were made with regard to sustainable and healthy strategies, regulatory instruments, housing finance, and the utilization of lightweight materials in housing development in China. Although Rostow’s model is one of the more structuralist models of economic growth, it de-emphasizes any differences in how leading sectors develop in free and controlled markets. However, Rostow’s consideration of non-western cases such as China show that, to some extent, modernization can be achieved in different ways, through a free market or controlled economic means, and still fit into his model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Zhang, Yu Mei
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9043 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/647 , Housing policy -- China , Housing -- Economic aspects -- China
- Description: The purpose of this study was to establish a common understanding of the implementation of urban housing reform in China and to examine the trends in housing development in China and its relationship with the national economy. The crucial role of the Chinese government in the development of housing, the necessity of government intervention in China and whether it should be involved in housing development at all, were also explored in this study. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this study, it was necessary to analyse the success and failure of the urban housing reform implemented in a particular period in China, and to investigate the challenges and problems existing in housing development. As regards the significant contribution of the housing development to the national economy, Rostow’s stages of economic growth were used to investigate the relationship between the housing industry and the national economy in China. This model shows that the housing industry could become a leading sector in the Chinese national economy. The housing industry in China has not yet reached maturity, and direct regulation by government is still necessary. In an attempt to address the research problem and to fulfil the research objectives, an in-depth and comprehensive literature study was undertaken to provide a basic framework and conceptualization of the housing industry in China. The international scope of the findings, as well as the insights that were gained through the study, contributed largely to solving the identified research problems. The normative and positive nature of the study made it possible to recommend solutions for the problems in the development of housing in China. iv Recommendations were made with regard to sustainable and healthy strategies, regulatory instruments, housing finance, and the utilization of lightweight materials in housing development in China. Although Rostow’s model is one of the more structuralist models of economic growth, it de-emphasizes any differences in how leading sectors develop in free and controlled markets. However, Rostow’s consideration of non-western cases such as China show that, to some extent, modernization can be achieved in different ways, through a free market or controlled economic means, and still fit into his model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Changes in English writing in computer mediated communication a case study
- Authors: Yang, Ranran
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Telematics -- South Africa , English language -- Written English
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8475 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/452 , Telematics -- South Africa , English language -- Written English
- Description: This research study aims to identity the shifts in form and function of English writing in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and determine whether writing changed through CMC. It critically evaluates English writing in CMC in South Africa, and includes a case study of both synchronous and asynchronous forms of CMC. Chapter 1, outlines the problem concerning the changes of writing in both form and function in the present age of CMC. This chapter, also gives a detailed description and outlines the methodology of this study. Chapter 2, centres on the historical and theoretical aspects of writing using the work done by scholars such as McLuhan, Shlain and Baron. The literature is divided into two subsections. The research and theories highlights the importance and complexity of writing in human history. It also gives insight into understanding the impacts of different mediums on writing. This chapter similarly depicts an understanding in the use of writing to represent language, and in particular, how speech and writing divvied up communication functions in literature societies. Chapter 3, gives a detailed theoretical and critical outline of writing in the present age of CMC. Based on the nature of the computer medium, writing in CMC often has its own characteristics which can serve both developmental and social purposes. The aim of this chapter is to grasp an appropriate analogy through which to capture the changes the computer technology would engender in writing communication, and re-examine the relationship between writing and speech in CMC. Chapter 4, comprises of an empirical research study done in South African on-line discourse, focusing on the changes of writing in CMC. The hypothesis of this case study is that writing in CMC differentiates the conventional writing in a variety of ways. Therefore, the study looks at the particular writing style in CMC and determines whether computer-mediated writing is gradually becoming a mirror of speech. This chapter explains methodology and the process of data coding in this case study. It also includes a summary of the survey results, as well as a discussion of the findings from this case study. Chapter 5, includes a conclusion of this study and suggestions for further research. It is the hope of the researcher that this study will provoke questions and thoughts for further inquiries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Yang, Ranran
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Telematics -- South Africa , English language -- Written English
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8475 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/452 , Telematics -- South Africa , English language -- Written English
- Description: This research study aims to identity the shifts in form and function of English writing in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and determine whether writing changed through CMC. It critically evaluates English writing in CMC in South Africa, and includes a case study of both synchronous and asynchronous forms of CMC. Chapter 1, outlines the problem concerning the changes of writing in both form and function in the present age of CMC. This chapter, also gives a detailed description and outlines the methodology of this study. Chapter 2, centres on the historical and theoretical aspects of writing using the work done by scholars such as McLuhan, Shlain and Baron. The literature is divided into two subsections. The research and theories highlights the importance and complexity of writing in human history. It also gives insight into understanding the impacts of different mediums on writing. This chapter similarly depicts an understanding in the use of writing to represent language, and in particular, how speech and writing divvied up communication functions in literature societies. Chapter 3, gives a detailed theoretical and critical outline of writing in the present age of CMC. Based on the nature of the computer medium, writing in CMC often has its own characteristics which can serve both developmental and social purposes. The aim of this chapter is to grasp an appropriate analogy through which to capture the changes the computer technology would engender in writing communication, and re-examine the relationship between writing and speech in CMC. Chapter 4, comprises of an empirical research study done in South African on-line discourse, focusing on the changes of writing in CMC. The hypothesis of this case study is that writing in CMC differentiates the conventional writing in a variety of ways. Therefore, the study looks at the particular writing style in CMC and determines whether computer-mediated writing is gradually becoming a mirror of speech. This chapter explains methodology and the process of data coding in this case study. It also includes a summary of the survey results, as well as a discussion of the findings from this case study. Chapter 5, includes a conclusion of this study and suggestions for further research. It is the hope of the researcher that this study will provoke questions and thoughts for further inquiries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Exploring employee morale at the Port Elizabeth plant of Cadbury (South Africa)
- Authors: Wolfaardt, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003129 , Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Description: In the current business climate, performance is increasingly determined by how flexibly and effectively companies can utilize their human resources and this in tum, is influenced by employee morale. Morale refers to a state of psychosomatic health marked by an energetic, decisive resolution to achieve a given goal. When morale is low, employees may do what is required but do not have the energy to 'go the extra mile'. The importance of maintaining high morale is thus evident. The following project involved a study of morale in Cadbury's Port Elizabeth plant. Cadbury management was concerned about low morale following a recent merger with Bromor Foods. They thus wanted to assess: the state of current morale; any factors that may be influencing it; indicators of low morale (so that it may be monitored in the future) and finally, ways of addressing any existing morale issues. In order to achieve these aims, the researcher conducted interviews with various people to explore morale issues from employees' perspectives. She then sought confirmation for these views at the organizational level through the use of a survey. Statistical and thematic analyses showed morale to be low for middle managers and revealed a variety of indicators and influencing factors, as well as suggestions for addressing them. Despite the need to boost the sample size with convenience sampling, and thus, reduced representivity, the research was successful in answering the research aims.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Wolfaardt, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003129 , Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Description: In the current business climate, performance is increasingly determined by how flexibly and effectively companies can utilize their human resources and this in tum, is influenced by employee morale. Morale refers to a state of psychosomatic health marked by an energetic, decisive resolution to achieve a given goal. When morale is low, employees may do what is required but do not have the energy to 'go the extra mile'. The importance of maintaining high morale is thus evident. The following project involved a study of morale in Cadbury's Port Elizabeth plant. Cadbury management was concerned about low morale following a recent merger with Bromor Foods. They thus wanted to assess: the state of current morale; any factors that may be influencing it; indicators of low morale (so that it may be monitored in the future) and finally, ways of addressing any existing morale issues. In order to achieve these aims, the researcher conducted interviews with various people to explore morale issues from employees' perspectives. She then sought confirmation for these views at the organizational level through the use of a survey. Statistical and thematic analyses showed morale to be low for middle managers and revealed a variety of indicators and influencing factors, as well as suggestions for addressing them. Despite the need to boost the sample size with convenience sampling, and thus, reduced representivity, the research was successful in answering the research aims.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
An exploration of father-child relationships, current attachment styles and self-esteem amongst adults
- Authors: Williams, Clare Marianne
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Attachment behavior -- South Africa , Attachment behavior in children -- South Africa , Father and child -- South Africa , Self-esteem in men -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9855 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/398 , Attachment behavior -- South Africa , Attachment behavior in children -- South Africa , Father and child -- South Africa , Self-esteem in men -- South Africa
- Description: This study explored and described the relationship between early attachment to the father figure and self-esteem and current adult attachment style. Specifically, the present study explored and described the impact of the internal working model of early paternal attachment upon adult attachment styles and levels of self-esteem. The data for this study was obtained by utilizing the following four questionnaires: The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) Part 2 as a retrospective measure, the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and Battle’s Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI). An exploratory descriptive design using a non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed for the present study. A sample of 105 adult participants from a religious institution within Port Elizabeth was selected. Participants, including both males and females, representative of all cultures and socio-economic status, were interviewed using the above self-report measures. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive and correlational and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample had a preoccupied attachment style, with Intermediate self-esteem levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Williams, Clare Marianne
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Attachment behavior -- South Africa , Attachment behavior in children -- South Africa , Father and child -- South Africa , Self-esteem in men -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9855 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/398 , Attachment behavior -- South Africa , Attachment behavior in children -- South Africa , Father and child -- South Africa , Self-esteem in men -- South Africa
- Description: This study explored and described the relationship between early attachment to the father figure and self-esteem and current adult attachment style. Specifically, the present study explored and described the impact of the internal working model of early paternal attachment upon adult attachment styles and levels of self-esteem. The data for this study was obtained by utilizing the following four questionnaires: The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) Part 2 as a retrospective measure, the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and Battle’s Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI). An exploratory descriptive design using a non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed for the present study. A sample of 105 adult participants from a religious institution within Port Elizabeth was selected. Participants, including both males and females, representative of all cultures and socio-economic status, were interviewed using the above self-report measures. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive and correlational and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample had a preoccupied attachment style, with Intermediate self-esteem levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Against supererogationism
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Jason Bradley
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2731 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004268 , Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Description: In this thesis, I argue that we have no reason to accept the existence of a category of supererogatory moral goods: that is, good acts that carry no pressure to bring them about. Despite the counterintuitive nature and suspicious provenance of the concept, Supererogationism is the orthodoxy in Ethics, and I examine promising but unsuccessful responses to it by Peter Singer and Kwame Gyekye. Responding in particular to David Heyd's Supererogationism - but also to J. O. Urmson, Susan Wolf, and Jonathan Dancy - I develop an account of the principle "Good implies Ought" that does not entail absurd over-obligation. I argue that this Anti-Supererogationist model stands up to the four strongest arguments against such a position, and that it embraces a more accurate account of the relation between values and oughts than Supererogationists are capable of supplying. Finally, I sketch a detailed eudaimonist account of the principle umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu - that our commitment to the good of others stems from our flourishing being caught up with theirs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Jason Bradley
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2731 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004268 , Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Description: In this thesis, I argue that we have no reason to accept the existence of a category of supererogatory moral goods: that is, good acts that carry no pressure to bring them about. Despite the counterintuitive nature and suspicious provenance of the concept, Supererogationism is the orthodoxy in Ethics, and I examine promising but unsuccessful responses to it by Peter Singer and Kwame Gyekye. Responding in particular to David Heyd's Supererogationism - but also to J. O. Urmson, Susan Wolf, and Jonathan Dancy - I develop an account of the principle "Good implies Ought" that does not entail absurd over-obligation. I argue that this Anti-Supererogationist model stands up to the four strongest arguments against such a position, and that it embraces a more accurate account of the relation between values and oughts than Supererogationists are capable of supplying. Finally, I sketch a detailed eudaimonist account of the principle umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu - that our commitment to the good of others stems from our flourishing being caught up with theirs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Investigating a rural community's use of communication technology: a study of Nakaseke Community Multi-media centre in Uganda
- Authors: Tumusiime, James
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3489 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002944 , Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Description: An assumption that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and economic development have an automatic linkage has gained wide acceptance over the last decade. As a result, developing countries are under pressure to apply this prescription as a solution to poverty. With the help of development partners in the developed world and the United Nations, developing countries have embraced this call to increase access to ICTs to bridge the ever-widening gap between the ‘information rich’ and ‘information poor’ (Castells, 2001). One of the strategies has been the establishment of telecentres where the least privileged people might access ICTs for their own development needs. However, this strategy has tended to overlook contextual factors and circumstances in developing countries. ICTs are thus being introduced in an environment of mass poverty, illiteracy and poor infrastructure, exacerbating existing inequalities in some cases. Much attention has been focussed on initiatives aimed at expanding the ICT infrastructure for wider population access without addressing what the users actually do with such access. This study aims to make a contribution in that direction. The study focuses on Nakaseke Community Multi-media Centre(CMC), the first telecentre introduced in Uganda in 1997. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the study sets out to develop deeper insights into how the Nakaseke community uses, engages with and relates with communication technologies installed at the telecentre. It probes whether these practices advance the dominant view that ICTs are a panacea for rural development. The findings indicate that while access to communication technology has expanded, albeit at a slow pace, the benefits might take very long to have a significant effect as many targeted users do not make use of the facilities because they lack the human skills and financial resources to exploit the technologies. Other problems such as poor electricity supply and sustainability also actively militate against the potential of the project to deliver. Besides, people tend to appropriate technology in ways different from those intended by its promoters. As Burton (2002) explains through the concept of ‘affordances’ and ‘culture’, some users perceive technologies essentially as something that bestows the status of being modern or sophisticated on their community, rather than as a development tool. In conclusion, it is argued that if used for development, ICTs can indeed make a difference in the lives of rural people. However, besides investing in technology, there is need to invest more in empowering the people themselves with skills, particularly literacy, to enable them use ICTs productively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Tumusiime, James
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3489 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002944 , Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Description: An assumption that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and economic development have an automatic linkage has gained wide acceptance over the last decade. As a result, developing countries are under pressure to apply this prescription as a solution to poverty. With the help of development partners in the developed world and the United Nations, developing countries have embraced this call to increase access to ICTs to bridge the ever-widening gap between the ‘information rich’ and ‘information poor’ (Castells, 2001). One of the strategies has been the establishment of telecentres where the least privileged people might access ICTs for their own development needs. However, this strategy has tended to overlook contextual factors and circumstances in developing countries. ICTs are thus being introduced in an environment of mass poverty, illiteracy and poor infrastructure, exacerbating existing inequalities in some cases. Much attention has been focussed on initiatives aimed at expanding the ICT infrastructure for wider population access without addressing what the users actually do with such access. This study aims to make a contribution in that direction. The study focuses on Nakaseke Community Multi-media Centre(CMC), the first telecentre introduced in Uganda in 1997. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the study sets out to develop deeper insights into how the Nakaseke community uses, engages with and relates with communication technologies installed at the telecentre. It probes whether these practices advance the dominant view that ICTs are a panacea for rural development. The findings indicate that while access to communication technology has expanded, albeit at a slow pace, the benefits might take very long to have a significant effect as many targeted users do not make use of the facilities because they lack the human skills and financial resources to exploit the technologies. Other problems such as poor electricity supply and sustainability also actively militate against the potential of the project to deliver. Besides, people tend to appropriate technology in ways different from those intended by its promoters. As Burton (2002) explains through the concept of ‘affordances’ and ‘culture’, some users perceive technologies essentially as something that bestows the status of being modern or sophisticated on their community, rather than as a development tool. In conclusion, it is argued that if used for development, ICTs can indeed make a difference in the lives of rural people. However, besides investing in technology, there is need to invest more in empowering the people themselves with skills, particularly literacy, to enable them use ICTs productively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
An evaluation of the effectiveness of 'Good News' media in promoting positive attitudes towards the Eastern Cape province as an aid to development : the case of Madiba Action Magazine
- Authors: Thompson, Sharon
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Place marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public relations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Madiba Action (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8407 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/619 , Place marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public relations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Madiba Action (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
- Description: This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of a ‘good news’ magazine like Eastern Cape Madiba Action in promoting positive attitudes towards the Eastern Cape province as an aid to development. It investigated whether Madiba Action had any effects on its readership in terms of creating positive perceptions of the Eastern Cape as a first step towards attracting tourism and investment. This quantitative research gathered attitudinal data from readers and stakeholders via two survey questionnaires. Both stakeholders and readers expressed very positive perceptions of Madiba Action magazine as a credible source of positive information about the Eastern Cape. Readers stated that the media was the greatest influence on their perceptions of the Eastern Cape and reported that Madiba Action had positively influenced their perceptions of the province as a place to visit, live, work and invest in. Whether Madiba Action as a ‘good news’ magazine went beyond positively influencing perceptions of the Eastern Cape and actually affected behaviour in terms of increased tourism and investment was beyond the scope of this study but it does provide further opportunities for measuring the role of ‘good news’ media in assisting economic development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Thompson, Sharon
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Place marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public relations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Madiba Action (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8407 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/619 , Place marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Public relations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Madiba Action (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
- Description: This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of a ‘good news’ magazine like Eastern Cape Madiba Action in promoting positive attitudes towards the Eastern Cape province as an aid to development. It investigated whether Madiba Action had any effects on its readership in terms of creating positive perceptions of the Eastern Cape as a first step towards attracting tourism and investment. This quantitative research gathered attitudinal data from readers and stakeholders via two survey questionnaires. Both stakeholders and readers expressed very positive perceptions of Madiba Action magazine as a credible source of positive information about the Eastern Cape. Readers stated that the media was the greatest influence on their perceptions of the Eastern Cape and reported that Madiba Action had positively influenced their perceptions of the province as a place to visit, live, work and invest in. Whether Madiba Action as a ‘good news’ magazine went beyond positively influencing perceptions of the Eastern Cape and actually affected behaviour in terms of increased tourism and investment was beyond the scope of this study but it does provide further opportunities for measuring the role of ‘good news’ media in assisting economic development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Gazing at horror: body performance in the wake of mass social trauma
- Authors: Tang, Cheong Wai Acty
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abramovic, Marina Performance art -- South Africa Drama -- Psychological aspects Psychic trauma Performance art -- Psychological aspects Loss (Psychology) Ritual in art Art, Modern -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002381
- Description: This thesis explores various dilemmas in making theatre performances in the context of social disruption, trauma and death. Diverse discourses are drawn in to consider issues of body, subjectivity and spectatorship, refracted through the writer’s experiences of and discontent with making theatre. Written in a fractal-like structure, rather than a linear progression, this thesis unsettles discourses of truth, thus simultaneously intervening in debates about the epistemologies of the body and of theatre in context of the academy. Chapter 1: Methodological Anxieties Psychoanalytic theory provides a way in for investigating the dynamics of theatrical performance and its corporeal presence, by focusing on desire and its implication in the notions of loss and anxiety. The theories of the unconscious and the gaze have epistemological implications, shifting definitions of “presence” and “truth” in theatre performance and writing about theatre. This chapter tries to outline the rationale for, as well as to enact, an alternative methodology for writing, as an ethical response to loss that does not insist on consensus and truth. Chapter 2: (Refusing to) Look at Trauma This chapter examines the politics that strives to make suffering visible. Discursive binaries of public/private, dead/living, and invisible/visible underlie the politics of AIDS and sexuality. These discourses impact on the reception of Bill T. Jones's choreography, despite his use of modernist artistic processes in search of a bodily presence that aims to collapse the binary of representation (text) and its subject (being). The theory of the gaze shows this politics to be a phallocentric discourse; and narrative analysis traces the metanarrative that results in the commodification of oppositional identities, so that spectators participate in the politics as consumers. An ethical artistic response thus needs to shift its focus to the subjectivity of the spectator. Chapter 3: The Screen and the Viewer’s Blindness By appealing to a transcendent reality, and by constituting spectators as a participative community, ritual theatre claims to enact change. The “truth” of ritual rests not on rational knowledge, but on the performer’s competence to produce a shamanic presence, which director Brett Bailey embraces in his early work. Ritual presence operates by identification and belonging to a father/god as the source of meaning; but it represses the loss of this originary wholeness. Spectators of ritual theatre are drawn into an enactment of communion/community, the centre of which is, however, loss/emptiness. The claim of enacting change becomes problematic for its absence of truth. Bailey attempts to perform a hybrid, postcolonial aesthetics; but the problem rests in the larger context of performing the notion of “South Africa”, a communal identity hardened around the metanarrative of suffering, abjecting those that do not belong to the land of the father/god – foreigners that unsettle the meaning of South African identity. Conclusion: Bodies of Discontent The South African stage is circumscribed by political and economic discourses; the problematization of national identity is also a problematization of image-identification in the theatre. In search for a way to unsettle these interrogative discourses, two moments of performing foreignness are examined, one fictional, one theatrical. These moments enact a parallel to the feminine hysteric, who disturbs the phallocentric truth of the psychoanalyst through body performance. These moments of disturbing spectatorship are reflected in the works of performance artist Marina Abramovic. Her explorations into passive-aggression, shamanism and finally theatricality and the morality of spectatorship allow for an overview of the issues raised in this thesis regarding body, viewing, and subjecthood. Sensitivity to the body and its discontent on the part of the viewer becomes crucial to ethical performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Tang, Cheong Wai Acty
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abramovic, Marina Performance art -- South Africa Drama -- Psychological aspects Psychic trauma Performance art -- Psychological aspects Loss (Psychology) Ritual in art Art, Modern -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2149 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002381
- Description: This thesis explores various dilemmas in making theatre performances in the context of social disruption, trauma and death. Diverse discourses are drawn in to consider issues of body, subjectivity and spectatorship, refracted through the writer’s experiences of and discontent with making theatre. Written in a fractal-like structure, rather than a linear progression, this thesis unsettles discourses of truth, thus simultaneously intervening in debates about the epistemologies of the body and of theatre in context of the academy. Chapter 1: Methodological Anxieties Psychoanalytic theory provides a way in for investigating the dynamics of theatrical performance and its corporeal presence, by focusing on desire and its implication in the notions of loss and anxiety. The theories of the unconscious and the gaze have epistemological implications, shifting definitions of “presence” and “truth” in theatre performance and writing about theatre. This chapter tries to outline the rationale for, as well as to enact, an alternative methodology for writing, as an ethical response to loss that does not insist on consensus and truth. Chapter 2: (Refusing to) Look at Trauma This chapter examines the politics that strives to make suffering visible. Discursive binaries of public/private, dead/living, and invisible/visible underlie the politics of AIDS and sexuality. These discourses impact on the reception of Bill T. Jones's choreography, despite his use of modernist artistic processes in search of a bodily presence that aims to collapse the binary of representation (text) and its subject (being). The theory of the gaze shows this politics to be a phallocentric discourse; and narrative analysis traces the metanarrative that results in the commodification of oppositional identities, so that spectators participate in the politics as consumers. An ethical artistic response thus needs to shift its focus to the subjectivity of the spectator. Chapter 3: The Screen and the Viewer’s Blindness By appealing to a transcendent reality, and by constituting spectators as a participative community, ritual theatre claims to enact change. The “truth” of ritual rests not on rational knowledge, but on the performer’s competence to produce a shamanic presence, which director Brett Bailey embraces in his early work. Ritual presence operates by identification and belonging to a father/god as the source of meaning; but it represses the loss of this originary wholeness. Spectators of ritual theatre are drawn into an enactment of communion/community, the centre of which is, however, loss/emptiness. The claim of enacting change becomes problematic for its absence of truth. Bailey attempts to perform a hybrid, postcolonial aesthetics; but the problem rests in the larger context of performing the notion of “South Africa”, a communal identity hardened around the metanarrative of suffering, abjecting those that do not belong to the land of the father/god – foreigners that unsettle the meaning of South African identity. Conclusion: Bodies of Discontent The South African stage is circumscribed by political and economic discourses; the problematization of national identity is also a problematization of image-identification in the theatre. In search for a way to unsettle these interrogative discourses, two moments of performing foreignness are examined, one fictional, one theatrical. These moments enact a parallel to the feminine hysteric, who disturbs the phallocentric truth of the psychoanalyst through body performance. These moments of disturbing spectatorship are reflected in the works of performance artist Marina Abramovic. Her explorations into passive-aggression, shamanism and finally theatricality and the morality of spectatorship allow for an overview of the issues raised in this thesis regarding body, viewing, and subjecthood. Sensitivity to the body and its discontent on the part of the viewer becomes crucial to ethical performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
A case study of two teachers' understanding of and attitudes towards bilingualism and multiculturalism in a South African primary school
- Authors: Sutton, Candace
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Bilingualism in children , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching , Language policy -- South Africa , Multicultural education -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Multiculturalism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2363 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002646 , Bilingualism in children , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching , Language policy -- South Africa , Multicultural education -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Multiculturalism
- Description: At present, there is an emphasis in South African education on promoting multicultural classrooms in schools. This thesis examines the classroom culture of a South African English-medium school, where the majority of the learners are Second Language English learners. It first describes, in the form of a case-study, how two teachers have constructed the culture of their foundation phase classrooms. It then considers why the two teachers have constructed their classrooms in such ways by exploring their knowledge and understanding of, and attitudes towards, multiculturalism, second language acquisition and multilingualism. The study also briefly considers whether teacher training has sufficiently prepared these teachers for the challenges of a multicultural classroom. The data is discussed in terms of education and second language acquisition theory and South African education and language policies. The results of this study indicate that for the most part the classroom culture is distinctly Western and that the teachers have two fundamental assumptions that underpin their action and classroom construction. The first is that a lack of exposure to English is the primary cause of language problems for L2 learners and the second is that the L1 does not need to be maintained or promoted in the school environment because learners are sufficiently exposed to their L1 in the home. The thesis concludes that shortcomings in training and information encourages these two assumptions to take root and that more in-service training that focuses specifically on the nature of second language acquisition and multiculturalism is necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Sutton, Candace
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Bilingualism in children , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching , Language policy -- South Africa , Multicultural education -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Multiculturalism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2363 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002646 , Bilingualism in children , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Foreign speakers , English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching , Language policy -- South Africa , Multicultural education -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Multiculturalism
- Description: At present, there is an emphasis in South African education on promoting multicultural classrooms in schools. This thesis examines the classroom culture of a South African English-medium school, where the majority of the learners are Second Language English learners. It first describes, in the form of a case-study, how two teachers have constructed the culture of their foundation phase classrooms. It then considers why the two teachers have constructed their classrooms in such ways by exploring their knowledge and understanding of, and attitudes towards, multiculturalism, second language acquisition and multilingualism. The study also briefly considers whether teacher training has sufficiently prepared these teachers for the challenges of a multicultural classroom. The data is discussed in terms of education and second language acquisition theory and South African education and language policies. The results of this study indicate that for the most part the classroom culture is distinctly Western and that the teachers have two fundamental assumptions that underpin their action and classroom construction. The first is that a lack of exposure to English is the primary cause of language problems for L2 learners and the second is that the L1 does not need to be maintained or promoted in the school environment because learners are sufficiently exposed to their L1 in the home. The thesis concludes that shortcomings in training and information encourages these two assumptions to take root and that more in-service training that focuses specifically on the nature of second language acquisition and multiculturalism is necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Frozen in time to reclaiming one's life: the evaluation of the Ehlers and Clark Cognitive Therapy Model in the assessment and treatment of a hijacking survivor
- Authors: Smith, Tracy-Ann
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3060 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002569 , Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Description: The aim of this research study was achieved by providing support for the effectiveness and the transportability of the Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive therapy model for the assessment and treatment of PTSD. Furthermore, the contextual factors which were important in this case were investigated and documented. However, research within the social sciences will inevitably produce various limitations due to the unique individuals and dynamic phenomena that are studied.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Smith, Tracy-Ann
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3060 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002569 , Cognitive therapy -- Methods , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies -- South Africa , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment -- South Africa , Victims of crimes -- Counseling of
- Description: The aim of this research study was achieved by providing support for the effectiveness and the transportability of the Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive therapy model for the assessment and treatment of PTSD. Furthermore, the contextual factors which were important in this case were investigated and documented. However, research within the social sciences will inevitably produce various limitations due to the unique individuals and dynamic phenomena that are studied.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
"Is rugby bad for your intellect": the effect of repetitive mild head injuries on the cognitive functioning of university level rugby players
- Authors: Smith, Ian Patrick
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Rugby football injuries Brain damage Neuropsychological tests Head -- Wounds and injuries -- Complications Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3058 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002567
- Description: The study sought to determine whether there is evidence for the presence of residual (chronic) deleterious effects on cognition due to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in top team university level rugby players, using ImPACT 3.0, Trail Making Test (TMT) and Digit Span. The initial sample of 48 participants was divided into groups; Rugby (n = 30) and Controls (n = 18), Rugby Forwards (n = 14) and Rugby Backs (n = 16). A reduced sample (N = 31) comprised of Rugby (n = 20) and Controls (n = 11), Rugby Forwards (n = 9) and Rugby Backs (n = 11). Comparative subgroups were equivalent for estimated IQ but not for age and educational level in the full sample; in the reduced sample there was equivalence for all three variables of age, education and estimated IQ. All cognitive test measures were subjected to independent t-test analyses between groups at the pre- and post-season, and dependent t-test analyses for Rugby and Controls at pre- versus post-season. Overall, the results implicated the presence of deleterious effects of concussive events on Rugby players in the areas of speed of information processing, working memory and impulse control. Significant practice effects were found on the TMT and Digit Span for controls, but not on ImPACT 3.0, supporting the use of this computer-based programme in the sports management context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Smith, Ian Patrick
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Rugby football injuries Brain damage Neuropsychological tests Head -- Wounds and injuries -- Complications Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3058 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002567
- Description: The study sought to determine whether there is evidence for the presence of residual (chronic) deleterious effects on cognition due to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in top team university level rugby players, using ImPACT 3.0, Trail Making Test (TMT) and Digit Span. The initial sample of 48 participants was divided into groups; Rugby (n = 30) and Controls (n = 18), Rugby Forwards (n = 14) and Rugby Backs (n = 16). A reduced sample (N = 31) comprised of Rugby (n = 20) and Controls (n = 11), Rugby Forwards (n = 9) and Rugby Backs (n = 11). Comparative subgroups were equivalent for estimated IQ but not for age and educational level in the full sample; in the reduced sample there was equivalence for all three variables of age, education and estimated IQ. All cognitive test measures were subjected to independent t-test analyses between groups at the pre- and post-season, and dependent t-test analyses for Rugby and Controls at pre- versus post-season. Overall, the results implicated the presence of deleterious effects of concussive events on Rugby players in the areas of speed of information processing, working memory and impulse control. Significant practice effects were found on the TMT and Digit Span for controls, but not on ImPACT 3.0, supporting the use of this computer-based programme in the sports management context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Raging in service of the self: exploring a five-year old boy's aggression within his play therapy
- Authors: Smith, Austin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Play therapy , Aggressiveness in children , Self-perception in children , Child development , Child psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3057 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002566 , Play therapy , Aggressiveness in children , Self-perception in children , Child development , Child psychology
- Description: This thesis takes the form of an in-depth case study within which the play therapy process of an aggressive 5-year-old boy was explored. The aim of the research was to examine the abundant expressions of aggression that were present within his therapy, and in so doing reflect their rich communicative content and their relevance and purpose in the development of his Self. Object relations theory formed the lens and theoretical context for this research with Winnicott’s contributions and Parens' model of aggression being considered in particular. A detailed data resource of the therapy process was compiled and transposed into narrative form. These narratives were reviewed with a reading guide as a means to facilitate a hermeneutic exploration of the data. The emergent themes were considered against the case data and the current theory, which allowed for their further analysis and development. From this the value of using Parens’ model was considered and deemed useful although limited in its contribution. The analysis and the themes which emerged conveyed how within this case the child’s aggression presented as: a significant feature of his ambivalence towards relationships; a powerful and pervasive protective fantasy of omnipotence; inherently linked to his sense of self and self expression; and as actively involved in his True Self’s hope-filled attempts for an alternative experience. This thesis provides a descriptive account of a challenging case, offering insights into the value and meaningful content of aggressive behaviours, with the intention being to reflect that which is often not easily appreciated or readily observable within such a therapy process, a trace of hope.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Smith, Austin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Play therapy , Aggressiveness in children , Self-perception in children , Child development , Child psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3057 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002566 , Play therapy , Aggressiveness in children , Self-perception in children , Child development , Child psychology
- Description: This thesis takes the form of an in-depth case study within which the play therapy process of an aggressive 5-year-old boy was explored. The aim of the research was to examine the abundant expressions of aggression that were present within his therapy, and in so doing reflect their rich communicative content and their relevance and purpose in the development of his Self. Object relations theory formed the lens and theoretical context for this research with Winnicott’s contributions and Parens' model of aggression being considered in particular. A detailed data resource of the therapy process was compiled and transposed into narrative form. These narratives were reviewed with a reading guide as a means to facilitate a hermeneutic exploration of the data. The emergent themes were considered against the case data and the current theory, which allowed for their further analysis and development. From this the value of using Parens’ model was considered and deemed useful although limited in its contribution. The analysis and the themes which emerged conveyed how within this case the child’s aggression presented as: a significant feature of his ambivalence towards relationships; a powerful and pervasive protective fantasy of omnipotence; inherently linked to his sense of self and self expression; and as actively involved in his True Self’s hope-filled attempts for an alternative experience. This thesis provides a descriptive account of a challenging case, offering insights into the value and meaningful content of aggressive behaviours, with the intention being to reflect that which is often not easily appreciated or readily observable within such a therapy process, a trace of hope.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Blogging, journalism and the public sphere: assessing the value of the 'blogosphere' as a new form of the public sphere : a case study of the Mail & Guardian Online's Blogmark
- Authors: Sibanda, Fortune
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Habermas, Jürgen -- Criticism and interpretation , Mail & Guardian , Blogs -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Electronic newspapers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3483 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002938 , Habermas, Jürgen -- Criticism and interpretation , Mail & Guardian , Blogs -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Electronic newspapers -- South Africa
- Description: The study seeks to investigate whether weblogs can act as virtual public spheres, where people can meet to discuss issues of interest to them. It uses the Mail & Guardian Online’s Blogmark as a case study. Weblogs – highly interactive online journals comprised of links and postings in reverse chronological order – are fast becoming an avenue of choice for many internet users wanting to share opinions and news with others online. Because of their unique read-and-write characteristics, some have equated them to the 18th century coffeehouses, around which the early forms of citizen involvement in public affairs began in early capitalist Europe. Despite their growing popularity, however, not much scholarly work has been dedicated to the practice of blogging in Africa, and particularly in South Africa. The study’s theoretical framework is drawn from Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the public sphere. While noting some of the criticisms of the Habermasian model, it is argued that the concept is instrumental in our understanding of the relationship between the media and democracy. The study, however, adopted a re-worked model of the concept of the public sphere. This model argues for the need to have a multiplicity of public sphericules (instead of one single public sphere as advocated by Habermas), around which individuals can congregate to discuss issues of common concern to them. Using a combination of qualitative content analysis, self-completion questionnaires and a semi-structured interview, the study found Blogmark to be an example of how emerging internet genres such as weblogs can be vehicles of citizen involvement in public life. A range of issues were discussed in the blog, from politics, race and ii i gender issues, to personal anecdotes, relationships, and sex. However, while some posts exhibited high levels of interactivity, with many bloggers joining in to offer their opinions, some read like online monologues. The study argues that although blogging is a practice that is still limited to a few privileged individuals, with the everrising size of the ‘blogosphere’, weblogs such as Blogmark are making a small but not insignificant contribution to the number of voices that can be heard in the public realm.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Sibanda, Fortune
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Habermas, Jürgen -- Criticism and interpretation , Mail & Guardian , Blogs -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Electronic newspapers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3483 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002938 , Habermas, Jürgen -- Criticism and interpretation , Mail & Guardian , Blogs -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Electronic newspapers -- South Africa
- Description: The study seeks to investigate whether weblogs can act as virtual public spheres, where people can meet to discuss issues of interest to them. It uses the Mail & Guardian Online’s Blogmark as a case study. Weblogs – highly interactive online journals comprised of links and postings in reverse chronological order – are fast becoming an avenue of choice for many internet users wanting to share opinions and news with others online. Because of their unique read-and-write characteristics, some have equated them to the 18th century coffeehouses, around which the early forms of citizen involvement in public affairs began in early capitalist Europe. Despite their growing popularity, however, not much scholarly work has been dedicated to the practice of blogging in Africa, and particularly in South Africa. The study’s theoretical framework is drawn from Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the public sphere. While noting some of the criticisms of the Habermasian model, it is argued that the concept is instrumental in our understanding of the relationship between the media and democracy. The study, however, adopted a re-worked model of the concept of the public sphere. This model argues for the need to have a multiplicity of public sphericules (instead of one single public sphere as advocated by Habermas), around which individuals can congregate to discuss issues of common concern to them. Using a combination of qualitative content analysis, self-completion questionnaires and a semi-structured interview, the study found Blogmark to be an example of how emerging internet genres such as weblogs can be vehicles of citizen involvement in public life. A range of issues were discussed in the blog, from politics, race and ii i gender issues, to personal anecdotes, relationships, and sex. However, while some posts exhibited high levels of interactivity, with many bloggers joining in to offer their opinions, some read like online monologues. The study argues that although blogging is a practice that is still limited to a few privileged individuals, with the everrising size of the ‘blogosphere’, weblogs such as Blogmark are making a small but not insignificant contribution to the number of voices that can be heard in the public realm.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Intellectual achievement in pursuit of true belief
- Authors: Shapiro, Lucy Deborah
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-14
- Subjects: Delusions , Knowledge, Theory of , Epistemics , Truth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005955 , Delusions , Knowledge, Theory of , Epistemics , Truth
- Description: The practice of inquiry, in which we seek and pursue true beliefs by forming justified beliefs, is important to us. This thesis will address two questions concerning the significance of this practice. These are the question of what explains our preference for this particular belief-forming practice, and whether this value can be explained by the value of true belief alone. To answer these questions I will examme a variety of our intuitive commitments to particular values, assuming their general accuracy. I will use an inference from the goal of a practice to the value of a practice, an inference based on the assumption that when we pursue something it is valuable. I will discuss our intuitive commitments to the value of justification. I will also rely on the implications of the presence of pride and admiration in relation to the outcome of an inquiry (especially in situations where a belief is difficult to form). By using this methodology, I will argue for three sources of value that explain the unique significance of the value of inquiry. The first is the value of its unique role in our being able to form reliably true beliefs. Second, I will argue for Wayne D. Riggs' account of epistemic credit; Riggs defends the value of our being responsible for true beliefs, they are our achievements. Third, I will argue for an additional the value of delivering a skilful epistemic performance, another kind of achievement. I will show that although the value of true belief plays a role in explaining some of the values, the third value for inquiry is independent of the value of true belief. This means that there are intellectual rewards, which can be gained from this practice, that extend beyond the value of true belief. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Shapiro, Lucy Deborah
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-14
- Subjects: Delusions , Knowledge, Theory of , Epistemics , Truth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005955 , Delusions , Knowledge, Theory of , Epistemics , Truth
- Description: The practice of inquiry, in which we seek and pursue true beliefs by forming justified beliefs, is important to us. This thesis will address two questions concerning the significance of this practice. These are the question of what explains our preference for this particular belief-forming practice, and whether this value can be explained by the value of true belief alone. To answer these questions I will examme a variety of our intuitive commitments to particular values, assuming their general accuracy. I will use an inference from the goal of a practice to the value of a practice, an inference based on the assumption that when we pursue something it is valuable. I will discuss our intuitive commitments to the value of justification. I will also rely on the implications of the presence of pride and admiration in relation to the outcome of an inquiry (especially in situations where a belief is difficult to form). By using this methodology, I will argue for three sources of value that explain the unique significance of the value of inquiry. The first is the value of its unique role in our being able to form reliably true beliefs. Second, I will argue for Wayne D. Riggs' account of epistemic credit; Riggs defends the value of our being responsible for true beliefs, they are our achievements. Third, I will argue for an additional the value of delivering a skilful epistemic performance, another kind of achievement. I will show that although the value of true belief plays a role in explaining some of the values, the third value for inquiry is independent of the value of true belief. This means that there are intellectual rewards, which can be gained from this practice, that extend beyond the value of true belief. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The impact of media commercialization on public service broadcasting : the case of Radio Zimbabwe after the adoption of the Commercialisation Act (No 26) of 2001
- Authors: Saurombe, Memory
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe , Public broadcasting -- Zimbabwe -- History -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8410 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/601 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011671 , Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe , Public broadcasting -- Zimbabwe -- History -- 20th century
- Description: Cultural and educational functions of public service broadcasting come at a fortuitous time, as the changing environment of broadcasting is on various agendas. At the heart of this is the question of the present and future status of public service broadcasting. Major changes have taken place in the political economy of the media and the world economy at large, technological advancement has resulted in privatization and commercialization of the media. In most societies where these changes have taken place, public service broadcasting has been threatened by the rapid rise of commercial institutions, resulting in stiff competition for audiences. This study will examine the extent to which the adoption of the Commercialization Act (No 26) of 2001 in Zimbabwe has affected Radio Zimbabwe’s role as a public broadcaster. The study is based on the hypothesis that with the adoption of the Commercialization Act, Radio Zimbabwe is no longer playing its public service role effectively. The current nature of programming at Radio Zimbabwe as the research hopes to show will highlight tremendous changes towards a commercial logic. The study uses a combination of document analysis, secondary literature and qualitative interviews.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Saurombe, Memory
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe , Public broadcasting -- Zimbabwe -- History -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8410 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/601 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011671 , Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Zimbabwe , Public broadcasting -- Zimbabwe -- History -- 20th century
- Description: Cultural and educational functions of public service broadcasting come at a fortuitous time, as the changing environment of broadcasting is on various agendas. At the heart of this is the question of the present and future status of public service broadcasting. Major changes have taken place in the political economy of the media and the world economy at large, technological advancement has resulted in privatization and commercialization of the media. In most societies where these changes have taken place, public service broadcasting has been threatened by the rapid rise of commercial institutions, resulting in stiff competition for audiences. This study will examine the extent to which the adoption of the Commercialization Act (No 26) of 2001 in Zimbabwe has affected Radio Zimbabwe’s role as a public broadcaster. The study is based on the hypothesis that with the adoption of the Commercialization Act, Radio Zimbabwe is no longer playing its public service role effectively. The current nature of programming at Radio Zimbabwe as the research hopes to show will highlight tremendous changes towards a commercial logic. The study uses a combination of document analysis, secondary literature and qualitative interviews.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The politics in and around governance in the New Partnership for Africa's Development
- Authors: Roussel, Jean Thierry Kevin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: New Partnership for Africa's Development , Sustainable development -- Africa , Economic development -- Africa , Africa -- Foreign economic relations , Africa -- Economic conditions , Africa -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2827 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003037 , New Partnership for Africa's Development , Sustainable development -- Africa , Economic development -- Africa , Africa -- Foreign economic relations , Africa -- Economic conditions , Africa -- Politics and government
- Description: This study examines the prominence of the term governance and its use in multilateral organisations, in particular the New Partnership for African Development. It argues that the term governance is contentious and needs to be reviewed. This is in light of the elevation of governance as a requisite for development, which has come about through the development of NEPAD. This is primarily a study on the position of the state in multilateral regimes and how governance will affect the state and non-state actors. The politics in and around governance are therefore important in any assessment of African development as governance becomes a developmental necessity. The African Rennaisance and African Union have become ‘beacons of hope’ for Africa and these have been discussed here. We can see NEPAD as a historical development that fits into the African Renaissance. This has been a mechanism to ensure state survival and the states that drive NEPAD have played a significant role in providing legitimacy to Africa’s calls for development. This thesis attempts to explain the shift in developmental policy in that NEPAD has seemingly become the first African development strategy that has the support of the West. Through this thesis, we will examine the role that the Post Washington consensus has played in getting this phase of African development started. What becomes significant here is the way in which governance has been accepted as the gauge for support in development. This study therefore aims to offer a means by which to analyse governance in multilateral organisations. As the term is contentious, three paradigms on governance will be provided in order to refine governance in such a way that it can be applied in analysis. This thesis shows that governance can be refined into corporatist, prebendal and conciliar forms. The form of governance that NEPAD will take has implications for the type of reconfiguration of the state brought about by governance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Roussel, Jean Thierry Kevin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: New Partnership for Africa's Development , Sustainable development -- Africa , Economic development -- Africa , Africa -- Foreign economic relations , Africa -- Economic conditions , Africa -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2827 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003037 , New Partnership for Africa's Development , Sustainable development -- Africa , Economic development -- Africa , Africa -- Foreign economic relations , Africa -- Economic conditions , Africa -- Politics and government
- Description: This study examines the prominence of the term governance and its use in multilateral organisations, in particular the New Partnership for African Development. It argues that the term governance is contentious and needs to be reviewed. This is in light of the elevation of governance as a requisite for development, which has come about through the development of NEPAD. This is primarily a study on the position of the state in multilateral regimes and how governance will affect the state and non-state actors. The politics in and around governance are therefore important in any assessment of African development as governance becomes a developmental necessity. The African Rennaisance and African Union have become ‘beacons of hope’ for Africa and these have been discussed here. We can see NEPAD as a historical development that fits into the African Renaissance. This has been a mechanism to ensure state survival and the states that drive NEPAD have played a significant role in providing legitimacy to Africa’s calls for development. This thesis attempts to explain the shift in developmental policy in that NEPAD has seemingly become the first African development strategy that has the support of the West. Through this thesis, we will examine the role that the Post Washington consensus has played in getting this phase of African development started. What becomes significant here is the way in which governance has been accepted as the gauge for support in development. This study therefore aims to offer a means by which to analyse governance in multilateral organisations. As the term is contentious, three paradigms on governance will be provided in order to refine governance in such a way that it can be applied in analysis. This thesis shows that governance can be refined into corporatist, prebendal and conciliar forms. The form of governance that NEPAD will take has implications for the type of reconfiguration of the state brought about by governance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Food, philosophy and love
- Authors: Ristic, Nevenka
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-14
- Subjects: Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007478 , Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Description: This thesis is a metaphilosophical investigation into how food can be handled philosophically. The first chapter considers the question of whether food can be the subject matter of philosophy, and concludes that there are three possible ways: Foodist Philosophy, Philosophy of Food, and Philosophy and Food. This thesis focuses on the category Foodist Philosophy. The second chapter develops an account of foodist philosophy: it is a style of philosophy that assumes that our food and eating practices are fundamental aspects of the human condition. The third chapter analyses Plato's concept of love in the Symposium and these conclusions are objected to in a foodist critique in the fourth chapter. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Ristic, Nevenka
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-14
- Subjects: Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007478 , Plato -- Symposium , Food -- Philosophy , Eating (Philosophy) , Love -- Philosophy
- Description: This thesis is a metaphilosophical investigation into how food can be handled philosophically. The first chapter considers the question of whether food can be the subject matter of philosophy, and concludes that there are three possible ways: Foodist Philosophy, Philosophy of Food, and Philosophy and Food. This thesis focuses on the category Foodist Philosophy. The second chapter develops an account of foodist philosophy: it is a style of philosophy that assumes that our food and eating practices are fundamental aspects of the human condition. The third chapter analyses Plato's concept of love in the Symposium and these conclusions are objected to in a foodist critique in the fourth chapter. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Public sector pharmacists' perception of the public sector performance management system
- Authors: Ranchod, Shameem Roshnee
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Performance -- Management , Pharmacy management , Performance standards , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/596 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011728 , Performance -- Management , Pharmacy management , Performance standards , Public administration
- Description: Performance Management aims to develop the employee and ensure that the work which the employee does is in line with organisational goals. However, many managers and employees do not like performance management systems and very often, for this reason, such a system does not succeed in meeting the organisation’s goals. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions towards the performance management system of pharmacists working in the public sector. A questionnaire was compiled and pharmacists working in all public sector hospitals, provincial and municipal clinics and medical depots were asked to complete the questionnaire. The response rate was 66 percent. Seventy three percent of respondents had never undergone a performance evaluation, 75 percent stated it did not motivate them, 62.5 percent felt it did not improve poor performance, 90.6 percent felt the Performance Appraisal System did not reward good performance sufficiently and 63.6 percent felt it did not help with career progression. Seventy eight percent believed that the Performance Appraisal System did not effectively measure the pharmacists’ performance, and 82 percent felt that the System needed to be developed further. At least four evaluations should have been completed per year, yet 85 percent of respondents had experienced three or fewer evaluations since the System had been introduced. The analysis of the responses indicated that there was great dissatisfaction with the current performance management system. A few of the reasons are that the system in place did not effectively measure the pharmacists performance, that additional work done was not recognised, and that the process was extremely time-consuming. It may be concluded that the government needs to address the current problems being experienced with this system, as at present, it is not meeting the objectives it was intended to meet.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Ranchod, Shameem Roshnee
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Performance -- Management , Pharmacy management , Performance standards , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/596 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011728 , Performance -- Management , Pharmacy management , Performance standards , Public administration
- Description: Performance Management aims to develop the employee and ensure that the work which the employee does is in line with organisational goals. However, many managers and employees do not like performance management systems and very often, for this reason, such a system does not succeed in meeting the organisation’s goals. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions towards the performance management system of pharmacists working in the public sector. A questionnaire was compiled and pharmacists working in all public sector hospitals, provincial and municipal clinics and medical depots were asked to complete the questionnaire. The response rate was 66 percent. Seventy three percent of respondents had never undergone a performance evaluation, 75 percent stated it did not motivate them, 62.5 percent felt it did not improve poor performance, 90.6 percent felt the Performance Appraisal System did not reward good performance sufficiently and 63.6 percent felt it did not help with career progression. Seventy eight percent believed that the Performance Appraisal System did not effectively measure the pharmacists’ performance, and 82 percent felt that the System needed to be developed further. At least four evaluations should have been completed per year, yet 85 percent of respondents had experienced three or fewer evaluations since the System had been introduced. The analysis of the responses indicated that there was great dissatisfaction with the current performance management system. A few of the reasons are that the system in place did not effectively measure the pharmacists performance, that additional work done was not recognised, and that the process was extremely time-consuming. It may be concluded that the government needs to address the current problems being experienced with this system, as at present, it is not meeting the objectives it was intended to meet.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Manifestations of nihilism in selected contemporary media
- Authors: Olivier, Marco René
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Nihilism (Philosophy) in motion pictures , Nihilism (Philosophy) on television , Capitalism and mass media
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8373 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/437 , Nihilism (Philosophy) in motion pictures , Nihilism (Philosophy) on television , Capitalism and mass media
- Description: This study focuses on the concept or phenomenon of nihilism, given the regularity with which it manifests itself (to anyone who is aware of it in more or less theoretical or philosophical terms) in all kinds of cultural artifacts such as films, television shows or series, books such as novels or philosophical texts, and magazines. Most of these artifacts can be grouped together under the heading of the media in the present era. The objective of the study is to use the concept of nihilism to identify and analyse selected cases in contemporary media -- in the form of films and television series – to answer the question, with what kinds of nihilism people would come face to face if they knew how to recognize them. The study begins with an outline of a theoretical framework concerning the concept of nihilism. A number of thinkers’ work is used to come to grips with the complex phenomenon, but mostly it is Nietzsche whose thought seems to be valuable for present purposes. In the second chapter the spotlight falls on what is called (in this study) ‘capitalist nihilism’, which seems to belong with what Nietzsche called ‘passive nihilism’, but also seems to exhibit some aspects of ‘active nihilism’. The third chapter is an examination of nihilism in a foreign (Japanese) culture by concentrating on Japanese anime, to test the differences between Western (historically Christian) culture and one with a different cultural and religious history. The last chapter consists of the analysis of a specific (Western) film, I ‘heart’ Huckabees, which was selected because of the variety of ‘nihilisms’ found in it. The study seems to confirm that nihilism is indeed widespread in contemporary, postmodern culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Olivier, Marco René
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Nihilism (Philosophy) in motion pictures , Nihilism (Philosophy) on television , Capitalism and mass media
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8373 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/437 , Nihilism (Philosophy) in motion pictures , Nihilism (Philosophy) on television , Capitalism and mass media
- Description: This study focuses on the concept or phenomenon of nihilism, given the regularity with which it manifests itself (to anyone who is aware of it in more or less theoretical or philosophical terms) in all kinds of cultural artifacts such as films, television shows or series, books such as novels or philosophical texts, and magazines. Most of these artifacts can be grouped together under the heading of the media in the present era. The objective of the study is to use the concept of nihilism to identify and analyse selected cases in contemporary media -- in the form of films and television series – to answer the question, with what kinds of nihilism people would come face to face if they knew how to recognize them. The study begins with an outline of a theoretical framework concerning the concept of nihilism. A number of thinkers’ work is used to come to grips with the complex phenomenon, but mostly it is Nietzsche whose thought seems to be valuable for present purposes. In the second chapter the spotlight falls on what is called (in this study) ‘capitalist nihilism’, which seems to belong with what Nietzsche called ‘passive nihilism’, but also seems to exhibit some aspects of ‘active nihilism’. The third chapter is an examination of nihilism in a foreign (Japanese) culture by concentrating on Japanese anime, to test the differences between Western (historically Christian) culture and one with a different cultural and religious history. The last chapter consists of the analysis of a specific (Western) film, I ‘heart’ Huckabees, which was selected because of the variety of ‘nihilisms’ found in it. The study seems to confirm that nihilism is indeed widespread in contemporary, postmodern culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The dynamics of difference: oppression, cross-cultural liberation and the problems of imperialism and paternalism
- Oelofsen, Marianna Christina
- Authors: Oelofsen, Marianna Christina
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Oppression (Psychology) , Culture conflict , Multiculturalism , Political ethics , Imperialism , Paternalism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2716 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002846 , Oppression (Psychology) , Culture conflict , Multiculturalism , Political ethics , Imperialism , Paternalism
- Description: This dissertation defends an account of oppression and supports a specific means of engaging with oppression cross-culturally. The project examines whether it is defensible to interfere in other cultures at all. Both the cultural relativist and the neo-imperialist approaches are argued to be an inadequate response to the question of whether it is defensible to interfere in other cultures, as both these approaches neglect the autonomy of the agents concerned. This project has two related goals. It first advances an answer to the question ‘what is oppression?’ An account of oppression is developed which will enable oppression to be identified cross-culturally. In order to start constructing an approach which will be adequate to respond to the question of interference, it is necessary to consider a means of identifying oppression crossculturally. The second objective is to examine the possibility of non-imperialistic and nonpaternalistic cross-cultural liberation projects. The first aim (advancing an account of oppression), is executed through arguing for an ethical framework which will be helpful in this context, and arguing for an account of oppression derived from this framework. The second aim (examining the possibility of non-imperialistic and non-paternalistic liberation), is carried out in two parts. The first part responds to two standard objections from cultural relativism, which would accuse a universal account such as mine of imperialism and paternalism. The first objection claims that a universalist account neglects historical and cultural difference, while the second objection claims that it neglects autonomy. In responding to these objections, it is noted that while my responses prove, theoretically, that a universal account of oppression need not lead to imperialism or paternalism, there is a danger that the account could become imperialistic and paternalistic in its application. With the intention of dealing with this problem, I advance a methodology of cross-cultural understanding which would reduce the likelihood of imperialism and paternalism in liberation projects. This notion of cross-cultural understanding is the most important contribution of this project. The objective is not to give practical judgments on when a specific liberation project is in fact paternalistic or imperialistic, but rather to propose guidelines which would need to be applied to each particular instance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Oelofsen, Marianna Christina
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Oppression (Psychology) , Culture conflict , Multiculturalism , Political ethics , Imperialism , Paternalism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2716 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002846 , Oppression (Psychology) , Culture conflict , Multiculturalism , Political ethics , Imperialism , Paternalism
- Description: This dissertation defends an account of oppression and supports a specific means of engaging with oppression cross-culturally. The project examines whether it is defensible to interfere in other cultures at all. Both the cultural relativist and the neo-imperialist approaches are argued to be an inadequate response to the question of whether it is defensible to interfere in other cultures, as both these approaches neglect the autonomy of the agents concerned. This project has two related goals. It first advances an answer to the question ‘what is oppression?’ An account of oppression is developed which will enable oppression to be identified cross-culturally. In order to start constructing an approach which will be adequate to respond to the question of interference, it is necessary to consider a means of identifying oppression crossculturally. The second objective is to examine the possibility of non-imperialistic and nonpaternalistic cross-cultural liberation projects. The first aim (advancing an account of oppression), is executed through arguing for an ethical framework which will be helpful in this context, and arguing for an account of oppression derived from this framework. The second aim (examining the possibility of non-imperialistic and non-paternalistic liberation), is carried out in two parts. The first part responds to two standard objections from cultural relativism, which would accuse a universal account such as mine of imperialism and paternalism. The first objection claims that a universalist account neglects historical and cultural difference, while the second objection claims that it neglects autonomy. In responding to these objections, it is noted that while my responses prove, theoretically, that a universal account of oppression need not lead to imperialism or paternalism, there is a danger that the account could become imperialistic and paternalistic in its application. With the intention of dealing with this problem, I advance a methodology of cross-cultural understanding which would reduce the likelihood of imperialism and paternalism in liberation projects. This notion of cross-cultural understanding is the most important contribution of this project. The objective is not to give practical judgments on when a specific liberation project is in fact paternalistic or imperialistic, but rather to propose guidelines which would need to be applied to each particular instance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006