An assessment of the role of the procurement committee in the management of school funds with reference to selected schools in Libode District
- Authors: Mtshakaza, Lungile Eric
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Government purchasing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Finance , Government aid to education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1014583
- Description: The South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) stipulates that the State must fund all the public schools from the public revenue on an equitable basis. Each school should elect a School Governing Body (SGB) whose primary function is to manage school finances. The principal of the school, who is also a member of the SGB, is the accounting officer. The SGB has to elect the finance committee which should run the school’s finances and, in turn elects the procurement committee - a sub-committee of the finance committee. In terms of the South African Schools Act, (Act 84 of 1998, as amended) there are two categories of public schools which may be created in South Africa. One category is based on Section 20 of the South Africa Schools Act with stipulated functions applicable to all public schools, while the other category is based on Section 21 of the Act which includes added stipulated functions above those applicable to all public schools. The study investigated the factors affecting the performance of procurement committees in schools. Among others, the study found that more formal training on financial management was necessary in schools in order to empower the procurement committees. Inadequate support with regard to the availability of supporting documentation and logistics was also raised as a matter of concern.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mtshakaza, Lungile Eric
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Government purchasing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Finance , Government aid to education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Education, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1014583
- Description: The South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) stipulates that the State must fund all the public schools from the public revenue on an equitable basis. Each school should elect a School Governing Body (SGB) whose primary function is to manage school finances. The principal of the school, who is also a member of the SGB, is the accounting officer. The SGB has to elect the finance committee which should run the school’s finances and, in turn elects the procurement committee - a sub-committee of the finance committee. In terms of the South African Schools Act, (Act 84 of 1998, as amended) there are two categories of public schools which may be created in South Africa. One category is based on Section 20 of the South Africa Schools Act with stipulated functions applicable to all public schools, while the other category is based on Section 21 of the Act which includes added stipulated functions above those applicable to all public schools. The study investigated the factors affecting the performance of procurement committees in schools. Among others, the study found that more formal training on financial management was necessary in schools in order to empower the procurement committees. Inadequate support with regard to the availability of supporting documentation and logistics was also raised as a matter of concern.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The unattainable "betterlife" : the discourses of the homogenised South African black emerging middle-class lifestyle in Drum magazine
- Authors: Hardy-Berrington, Michelle
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lifestyles -- South Africa , Blacks in mass media , Journalism -- South Africa , Drum (Magazine)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8448 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1426 , Lifestyles -- South Africa , Blacks in mass media , Journalism -- South Africa , Drum (Magazine)
- Description: Drum and YOU are two general interest magazines which share the same publisher, language (English), format, and are compiled by many of the same journalists and editors. The greatest distinction between the two publications is that Drum is aimed at a specifically black readership while YOU caters for a general, cosmopolitan South African readership. With various commonalities in the production of Drum and YOU, what do the differing commodities, discourses and cultural repertoires presented in Drum in comparison to YOU communicate about the conceived black audience/s by the magazines'producers? In contrast to the dominant body of research on Drum magazine, which has been dedicated to pre-1994 editions, the investigation undertaken in this research focuses on post-apartheid editions of Drum under the commercial ownership of Media24. This also provides a unique opportunity to compare and contrast Drum and YOU which has not been extensively explored in the past. A theoretical study on some of the credible, plausible discourses circulating in Drum drew from Laden's (1997; 2003) research on black South African middle-class magazines and Steyn's (2001) studies on narratives of whiteness including colonial and apartheid policy discourses. Other theory considered to identify types of discourses included those on self-stylisation, excorporation and the historic, cultural influence of Drum in black South African identity formation. Critical discourse analysis is employed to discern the distinction and boundaries between the conceived black middle-class readerships of Drum and YOU. A multifarious content is present in Drum magazine for the diverse post-apartheid black middle-class of South Africa. Discourses of the African traditional and conservative feature side-by-side with contemporary, liberal and Western discourses; while the cultural repertoires of the bourgeois middle-class are presented beside the more modest commodities of the lower-income working class. This communicates an increasingly integrated South African consumer culture and a willing bourgeois solidarity amongst middle-class groups, creating a larger consumer class for advertisers and marketers in South Africa. In comparison to YOU, the discourses of the conservative-African-traditional provide a distinctive feature of Drum. However, this discourse is limited to realms which do not threaten the prevailing magazine culture of consumerism and the dominant global culture of Western science and reason. The other great distinction from YOU is Drum’s prominent educating and didactic function, offering an aspirant lifestyle by marketing a range of Western technologies and commodities. This is in addition to suggesting options for desirable social conduct and socially-responsible behavior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Hardy-Berrington, Michelle
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lifestyles -- South Africa , Blacks in mass media , Journalism -- South Africa , Drum (Magazine)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8448 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1426 , Lifestyles -- South Africa , Blacks in mass media , Journalism -- South Africa , Drum (Magazine)
- Description: Drum and YOU are two general interest magazines which share the same publisher, language (English), format, and are compiled by many of the same journalists and editors. The greatest distinction between the two publications is that Drum is aimed at a specifically black readership while YOU caters for a general, cosmopolitan South African readership. With various commonalities in the production of Drum and YOU, what do the differing commodities, discourses and cultural repertoires presented in Drum in comparison to YOU communicate about the conceived black audience/s by the magazines'producers? In contrast to the dominant body of research on Drum magazine, which has been dedicated to pre-1994 editions, the investigation undertaken in this research focuses on post-apartheid editions of Drum under the commercial ownership of Media24. This also provides a unique opportunity to compare and contrast Drum and YOU which has not been extensively explored in the past. A theoretical study on some of the credible, plausible discourses circulating in Drum drew from Laden's (1997; 2003) research on black South African middle-class magazines and Steyn's (2001) studies on narratives of whiteness including colonial and apartheid policy discourses. Other theory considered to identify types of discourses included those on self-stylisation, excorporation and the historic, cultural influence of Drum in black South African identity formation. Critical discourse analysis is employed to discern the distinction and boundaries between the conceived black middle-class readerships of Drum and YOU. A multifarious content is present in Drum magazine for the diverse post-apartheid black middle-class of South Africa. Discourses of the African traditional and conservative feature side-by-side with contemporary, liberal and Western discourses; while the cultural repertoires of the bourgeois middle-class are presented beside the more modest commodities of the lower-income working class. This communicates an increasingly integrated South African consumer culture and a willing bourgeois solidarity amongst middle-class groups, creating a larger consumer class for advertisers and marketers in South Africa. In comparison to YOU, the discourses of the conservative-African-traditional provide a distinctive feature of Drum. However, this discourse is limited to realms which do not threaten the prevailing magazine culture of consumerism and the dominant global culture of Western science and reason. The other great distinction from YOU is Drum’s prominent educating and didactic function, offering an aspirant lifestyle by marketing a range of Western technologies and commodities. This is in addition to suggesting options for desirable social conduct and socially-responsible behavior.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The design of a visitor education and research centre for Sutherland, Western Cape
- Du Toit, David Jacob Johannes
- Authors: Du Toit, David Jacob Johannes
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Visitors' centers -- South Africa -- Western Cape -- Designs and plans Visitors' centers -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MArch
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/38934 , vital:35014
- Description: The modern visitor centre evolved rapidly with the world wide growth in tourism and its significant contribution to local economies. This new building type has provided many new opportunities for architects to work on small to medium size building with a greater meaning attached to them. However, architects would now have to deal with the problems that tourists bring! How must architects incorporate local history, culture and memory? The visitor centre is the combination of the local tourism office and museum. This new type of building is a combination of those formerly distinct building types which had two separate and different functions. “gateway building” The contemporary visitor centre combines the distribution of tourist/visitor information with the interpretation of particular regions. This interpretation of cultural and natural history links the visitor centre to the local history museum, however whereas local history museums often struggle with expanding collections, limited resources and low visitation levels, visitor centres have been able to attract greater government funding. The media of interpretation also differs dramatically, with visitor’s centres often using multimedia technology to enliven cultural history or educational displays. However they can also suffer from static displays which having been viewed once, discourage repeat visits. What is a contemporary visitor centre? Figure 1: Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Showing centre as “icon” building. This interpretation role of visitor centres has resulted in them becoming a major focus for visitation. The must-see status of these buildings is often pursued through dramatic form. Briefs for visitor centres often demand an “icon” envisaging that the building will itself, become a marketable destination. Buildings that try and become destinations in themself often run the risk of not promoting the area or location but rather them self. Visitor centres can therefor contribute to the transformation of destinations in both positive and negative ways. They can either help with economic, environmental and cultural revival of regions or they can be involved in changing places and overshadowing the very features they are meant to enhance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Du Toit, David Jacob Johannes
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Visitors' centers -- South Africa -- Western Cape -- Designs and plans Visitors' centers -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MArch
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/38934 , vital:35014
- Description: The modern visitor centre evolved rapidly with the world wide growth in tourism and its significant contribution to local economies. This new building type has provided many new opportunities for architects to work on small to medium size building with a greater meaning attached to them. However, architects would now have to deal with the problems that tourists bring! How must architects incorporate local history, culture and memory? The visitor centre is the combination of the local tourism office and museum. This new type of building is a combination of those formerly distinct building types which had two separate and different functions. “gateway building” The contemporary visitor centre combines the distribution of tourist/visitor information with the interpretation of particular regions. This interpretation of cultural and natural history links the visitor centre to the local history museum, however whereas local history museums often struggle with expanding collections, limited resources and low visitation levels, visitor centres have been able to attract greater government funding. The media of interpretation also differs dramatically, with visitor’s centres often using multimedia technology to enliven cultural history or educational displays. However they can also suffer from static displays which having been viewed once, discourage repeat visits. What is a contemporary visitor centre? Figure 1: Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Showing centre as “icon” building. This interpretation role of visitor centres has resulted in them becoming a major focus for visitation. The must-see status of these buildings is often pursued through dramatic form. Briefs for visitor centres often demand an “icon” envisaging that the building will itself, become a marketable destination. Buildings that try and become destinations in themself often run the risk of not promoting the area or location but rather them self. Visitor centres can therefor contribute to the transformation of destinations in both positive and negative ways. They can either help with economic, environmental and cultural revival of regions or they can be involved in changing places and overshadowing the very features they are meant to enhance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The role of the press in political conflicts in Kenya : a case study of the performance of the nation and the East African Standard Newspapers
- Authors: Nyambuga, Charles Ongadi
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Press and politics -- Kenya , Government and the press -- Kenya , Mass media -- Political aspects , Kenya -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:16135 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1449 , Press and politics -- Kenya , Government and the press -- Kenya , Mass media -- Political aspects , Kenya -- Politics and government
- Description: This study focuses on the role of the press in violent political conflicts in Kenya in the period that preceded the 2005 referendum on the draft constitution. Based on media reports, six major thematic areas of concern emerged during constitution making. These were: land tenure, devolution of power, the executive, the legislature, the Bill of Rights, and the provincial administration. These sections of the draft constitution caused a remarkable divergence of opinion. The citizens either supported or opposed the draft constitution on the basis of how the draft had treated those sections in the draft constitution. Besides the major thematic areas, newspapers regularly focused and reported on ethnicity, violence, political leaders‟ utterances, the process of constitution making, and political conflicts. Three main objectives guided the study. The first objective focused on the relationship between media content and different levels of political conflict. The influence of media content and how these may have led to high political conflict, medium political conflict, low political conflict and no political conflict, are tested in this study. The second objective highlighted the kind of coverage that the draft constitution got during the period that preceded the referendum in November, 2005. This objective facilitated interrogation of media content and whether media content focused on aspects of the draft constitution such as land ownership, the executive, devolution, the legislature and religion, as highlighted in the draft constitution of Kenya 2005. The third objective examined the thematic emphasis that the media undertook in the period that preceded the referendum. The themes that were dominant in the period before the referendum could have impacted on readers' perceptions of the critical issues that could have informed the voters' decisions. Three primary questions were addressed in the study: Firstly, was there a link between media content and different levels of political conflict in weak democracies such as Kenya? Secondly, did media content influence ethnicity and did it encourage ethnic conflict in diverse societies? Finally, what were the key thematic areas of coverage by the press, and how were they used during the referendum? In order to study these research objectives, I used a combination of theories to enhance understanding of the interplay between media content and audience in the society. The theories are: agenda setting, two-step flow, priming, framing, and the public sphere. The study adopts a triangulation convergence design in mixed- methods research that involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. A structured questionnaire and content analysis were used to seek responses to the research questions of the study and to meet the stated objectives. The research revealed that the two newspapers under investigation, namely the East African Standard and the Nation, provided more coverage to issues that were not central to the content of the draft constitution, such as political leaders' utterances, violence, ethnicity, and the process of constitution making. This showed that the newspapers tended to sensationalise issues instead of providing objective coverage of political matters. These newspapers used their opinion pages to educate their readers on how the referendum was turning violent. The theme of political leaders' utterances is closely linked to that of violence. This suggests that the violence was influenced by some of the leaders' statements. These utterances, and more so those that touched on ethnicity, could therefore have been a potential cause of the ensuing political conflicts during the 2005 referendum on the draft constitution. The findings reveal that newspaper editors tended to focus on political conflict at the expense of the actual content of the draft constitution. This would have provided insight and knowledge on the document and avoided sensational reporting, which could have contributed to violent political conflicts during the period that preceded the referendum on the draft constitution of Kenya.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Nyambuga, Charles Ongadi
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Press and politics -- Kenya , Government and the press -- Kenya , Mass media -- Political aspects , Kenya -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:16135 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1449 , Press and politics -- Kenya , Government and the press -- Kenya , Mass media -- Political aspects , Kenya -- Politics and government
- Description: This study focuses on the role of the press in violent political conflicts in Kenya in the period that preceded the 2005 referendum on the draft constitution. Based on media reports, six major thematic areas of concern emerged during constitution making. These were: land tenure, devolution of power, the executive, the legislature, the Bill of Rights, and the provincial administration. These sections of the draft constitution caused a remarkable divergence of opinion. The citizens either supported or opposed the draft constitution on the basis of how the draft had treated those sections in the draft constitution. Besides the major thematic areas, newspapers regularly focused and reported on ethnicity, violence, political leaders‟ utterances, the process of constitution making, and political conflicts. Three main objectives guided the study. The first objective focused on the relationship between media content and different levels of political conflict. The influence of media content and how these may have led to high political conflict, medium political conflict, low political conflict and no political conflict, are tested in this study. The second objective highlighted the kind of coverage that the draft constitution got during the period that preceded the referendum in November, 2005. This objective facilitated interrogation of media content and whether media content focused on aspects of the draft constitution such as land ownership, the executive, devolution, the legislature and religion, as highlighted in the draft constitution of Kenya 2005. The third objective examined the thematic emphasis that the media undertook in the period that preceded the referendum. The themes that were dominant in the period before the referendum could have impacted on readers' perceptions of the critical issues that could have informed the voters' decisions. Three primary questions were addressed in the study: Firstly, was there a link between media content and different levels of political conflict in weak democracies such as Kenya? Secondly, did media content influence ethnicity and did it encourage ethnic conflict in diverse societies? Finally, what were the key thematic areas of coverage by the press, and how were they used during the referendum? In order to study these research objectives, I used a combination of theories to enhance understanding of the interplay between media content and audience in the society. The theories are: agenda setting, two-step flow, priming, framing, and the public sphere. The study adopts a triangulation convergence design in mixed- methods research that involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. A structured questionnaire and content analysis were used to seek responses to the research questions of the study and to meet the stated objectives. The research revealed that the two newspapers under investigation, namely the East African Standard and the Nation, provided more coverage to issues that were not central to the content of the draft constitution, such as political leaders' utterances, violence, ethnicity, and the process of constitution making. This showed that the newspapers tended to sensationalise issues instead of providing objective coverage of political matters. These newspapers used their opinion pages to educate their readers on how the referendum was turning violent. The theme of political leaders' utterances is closely linked to that of violence. This suggests that the violence was influenced by some of the leaders' statements. These utterances, and more so those that touched on ethnicity, could therefore have been a potential cause of the ensuing political conflicts during the 2005 referendum on the draft constitution. The findings reveal that newspaper editors tended to focus on political conflict at the expense of the actual content of the draft constitution. This would have provided insight and knowledge on the document and avoided sensational reporting, which could have contributed to violent political conflicts during the period that preceded the referendum on the draft constitution of Kenya.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Community participation in the implementation of the integrated development plan with reference to Inanda Township in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal
- Authors: Ntuli, Leanett Fanyana
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Local government--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal--Inanda Townshi--Citizen participation , Citicen's advisory committees--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal , Policy sciences , Rural development projects--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1664 , Local government--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal--Inanda Townshi--Citizen participation , Citicen's advisory committees--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal , Policy sciences , Rural development projects--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal
- Description: This study focuses on community participation in the implementation of the integrated development plan in Inanda Township in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The empirical part of the study was conducted on the Inanada, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu area of the eThekwini Municipality. Ward committees are forums for community participation in municipalities. They enhance participatory democracy at the local sphere of government. The main function of ward committee members include advising the ward councilors on policy matters that affect their respective wards, identifying the needs and challenges that face the wards, and communicating information to communities residing in those wards. This study acknowledges the fact that, in terms of the policy framework, ward councillors are the chairpersons of their respective ward committees. They are there to assist the community to express its views and participate in the processes of policy-making. Ward committee members need to liaise with the community, bring issues to the ward committee meetings and take the concerns of the community to the relevant unit of the municipality. The role of ward committees is to facilitate service delivery in their communities. It also found that the efficacy of ward committees during the implementation phase of the IDP could be improved. Hence it recommends that the eThekwini Municipality must encourage local community members, ward committees and councillors to play their role during the implementation of the IDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Ntuli, Leanett Fanyana
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Local government--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal--Inanda Townshi--Citizen participation , Citicen's advisory committees--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal , Policy sciences , Rural development projects--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8157 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1664 , Local government--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal--Inanda Townshi--Citizen participation , Citicen's advisory committees--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal , Policy sciences , Rural development projects--South Africa--Kwa-Zulu Natal
- Description: This study focuses on community participation in the implementation of the integrated development plan in Inanda Township in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The empirical part of the study was conducted on the Inanada, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu area of the eThekwini Municipality. Ward committees are forums for community participation in municipalities. They enhance participatory democracy at the local sphere of government. The main function of ward committee members include advising the ward councilors on policy matters that affect their respective wards, identifying the needs and challenges that face the wards, and communicating information to communities residing in those wards. This study acknowledges the fact that, in terms of the policy framework, ward councillors are the chairpersons of their respective ward committees. They are there to assist the community to express its views and participate in the processes of policy-making. Ward committee members need to liaise with the community, bring issues to the ward committee meetings and take the concerns of the community to the relevant unit of the municipality. The role of ward committees is to facilitate service delivery in their communities. It also found that the efficacy of ward committees during the implementation phase of the IDP could be improved. Hence it recommends that the eThekwini Municipality must encourage local community members, ward committees and councillors to play their role during the implementation of the IDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A study on the cultural adjustment of the domestic partners of German expatriates in the Nelson Mandela Bay automotive industry
- Authors: Gouws, Stephanie
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:16134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1540 , International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
- Description: This study explores the cultural adjustment of the domestic partners of German expatriates working in the Nelson Mandela Bay automotive industry of South Africa. The data was collected by distributing pre-interview questionnaires to the participants and conducting in-depth interviews with them. Grounded theory was used in the data collection and analysis and an auto-ethnographic approach was employed, allowing for reflexivity. The findings suggest that the expatriated domestic partners did not necessarily experience much difficulty in adjusting to South African culture as they did, for example, adjusting to not being able to work for the duration of their stay. The research has also shown that the unmarried domestic partners of expatriate employees are at a disadvantage compared to their married counterparts; receiving less assistance from the companies of their partners. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that companies refine and streamline the assistance they offer to the domestic partners of their expatriate employees, providing all domestic partners with the same pre-departure training and entitling them to the same benefits.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Gouws, Stephanie
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:16134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1540 , International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
- Description: This study explores the cultural adjustment of the domestic partners of German expatriates working in the Nelson Mandela Bay automotive industry of South Africa. The data was collected by distributing pre-interview questionnaires to the participants and conducting in-depth interviews with them. Grounded theory was used in the data collection and analysis and an auto-ethnographic approach was employed, allowing for reflexivity. The findings suggest that the expatriated domestic partners did not necessarily experience much difficulty in adjusting to South African culture as they did, for example, adjusting to not being able to work for the duration of their stay. The research has also shown that the unmarried domestic partners of expatriate employees are at a disadvantage compared to their married counterparts; receiving less assistance from the companies of their partners. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that companies refine and streamline the assistance they offer to the domestic partners of their expatriate employees, providing all domestic partners with the same pre-departure training and entitling them to the same benefits.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An analysis of selected cartoons published during Zimbabwe's 2008 elections
- Authors: Mushohwe, Knowledge
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Zimbabwe. Parliament -- Elections, 2008 , World politics Caricatures and cartoons , Editorial cartoons -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 20th century , Mass media -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Freedom of speech -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:8493 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1609 , Zimbabwe. Parliament -- Elections, 2008 , World politics Caricatures and cartoons , Editorial cartoons -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 20th century , Mass media -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Freedom of speech -- Zimbabwe
- Description: During Zimbabwe’s 2008 harmonised elections the country’s media laws had a direct impact on the way editorial cartoonists expressed themselves. Although the online newspapers were unregulated and the print media published under Zimbabwe’s media laws, Public Order and Security Act and Access to Information and Protection of Privacy act - the editorial cartoons from both sources show deliberate bias towards one candidate and contempt towards the main rival. The study contextualises the understanding of the editorial cartoon, as practised in an environment of freedom of speech and defined by the four categories identified by Press (1981) and Manning and Phiddian (2004), and delineates the effect of media laws on the newspaper industry in Zimbabwe. The four categories of editorial cartoons identified are descriptive editorial cartoons, laughing satirical editorial cartoons, destructive satirical editorial cartoons, and savage indignation editorial cartoons. The study reviews eight editorial cartoons, read using a semiotic framework investigating non-verbal communication, as defined and suggested by Du Plooy (1996), and a text and language grid, as suggested by Leech (1974), according to the criteria of symbols/metaphors, exaggeration/distortion, stereotypes, caricature, irony, captions, and background knowledge, as developed by Fetsko (2001). A comparative analysis of the cartoons reveals that objectives and functions of the unregulated zimonline.co.za and the regulated the Herald newspapers are the same. They constitute propagandistic representations of Zimbabwean politics that are more an extension of political ideology than they are a reflection of the country’s sociopolitical landscape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mushohwe, Knowledge
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Zimbabwe. Parliament -- Elections, 2008 , World politics Caricatures and cartoons , Editorial cartoons -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 20th century , Mass media -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Freedom of speech -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:8493 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1609 , Zimbabwe. Parliament -- Elections, 2008 , World politics Caricatures and cartoons , Editorial cartoons -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 20th century , Mass media -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe , Freedom of speech -- Zimbabwe
- Description: During Zimbabwe’s 2008 harmonised elections the country’s media laws had a direct impact on the way editorial cartoonists expressed themselves. Although the online newspapers were unregulated and the print media published under Zimbabwe’s media laws, Public Order and Security Act and Access to Information and Protection of Privacy act - the editorial cartoons from both sources show deliberate bias towards one candidate and contempt towards the main rival. The study contextualises the understanding of the editorial cartoon, as practised in an environment of freedom of speech and defined by the four categories identified by Press (1981) and Manning and Phiddian (2004), and delineates the effect of media laws on the newspaper industry in Zimbabwe. The four categories of editorial cartoons identified are descriptive editorial cartoons, laughing satirical editorial cartoons, destructive satirical editorial cartoons, and savage indignation editorial cartoons. The study reviews eight editorial cartoons, read using a semiotic framework investigating non-verbal communication, as defined and suggested by Du Plooy (1996), and a text and language grid, as suggested by Leech (1974), according to the criteria of symbols/metaphors, exaggeration/distortion, stereotypes, caricature, irony, captions, and background knowledge, as developed by Fetsko (2001). A comparative analysis of the cartoons reveals that objectives and functions of the unregulated zimonline.co.za and the regulated the Herald newspapers are the same. They constitute propagandistic representations of Zimbabwean politics that are more an extension of political ideology than they are a reflection of the country’s sociopolitical landscape.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University students' perceptions of sexualised advertisements of three South African fast food brands
- Authors: Wignall, Andrea
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sex in advertising -- South Africa -- Childhood and youth , Food industry and trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8408 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011443 , Sex in advertising -- South Africa -- Childhood and youth , Food industry and trade -- South Africa
- Description: This research study aimed to provide the South African fast food industry and their advertising representatives with insights into 18-28-year-olds‟ perception of using sexual appeal to elicit their attention, and whether using this advertising technique is gaining positive brand recognition with this target market. This research study aimed to determine the selected sample‟s (NMMU students) perceptions of three South African fast food brands, namely KFC, Nando’s and Steers, in terms of their use of sexualised fast food advertisements. An electronic survey questionnaire was conducted with both closed and open-ended questions relating to the use of sexual appeal in advertising within the three South African fast food brands. The survey questionnaire helped determine what the selected sample‟s perceptions were of each advertisement, and whether the use of sexual appeal captured their attention. A semiotic analysis of each advertisement was conducted to determine if the advertisements do contain the use of sexual appeal, by examining the sign. This includes looking at the three aspects of a sign namely the signifier, the referent and the signified. In terms of this study, the signifier represents the T.V. advertisements; the signified represents the meaning of the advertisements and the referent represents to what the advertisements are initially referring. The results of the study indicated that each of the three fast food advertisements incorporated the use of sexual appeal in varying degrees. Respondents indicated that the sexual appeal in the advertisements was appropriate if they were directed at the right age group. The respondents indicated that these three advertisements were more likely to attract the males, in the target market and they felt that the advertisements leaned towards objectifying the women, which would be offensive to the females in the target market. It was determined that if the advertisements contained humour, they were more effective and memorable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Wignall, Andrea
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sex in advertising -- South Africa -- Childhood and youth , Food industry and trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8408 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011443 , Sex in advertising -- South Africa -- Childhood and youth , Food industry and trade -- South Africa
- Description: This research study aimed to provide the South African fast food industry and their advertising representatives with insights into 18-28-year-olds‟ perception of using sexual appeal to elicit their attention, and whether using this advertising technique is gaining positive brand recognition with this target market. This research study aimed to determine the selected sample‟s (NMMU students) perceptions of three South African fast food brands, namely KFC, Nando’s and Steers, in terms of their use of sexualised fast food advertisements. An electronic survey questionnaire was conducted with both closed and open-ended questions relating to the use of sexual appeal in advertising within the three South African fast food brands. The survey questionnaire helped determine what the selected sample‟s perceptions were of each advertisement, and whether the use of sexual appeal captured their attention. A semiotic analysis of each advertisement was conducted to determine if the advertisements do contain the use of sexual appeal, by examining the sign. This includes looking at the three aspects of a sign namely the signifier, the referent and the signified. In terms of this study, the signifier represents the T.V. advertisements; the signified represents the meaning of the advertisements and the referent represents to what the advertisements are initially referring. The results of the study indicated that each of the three fast food advertisements incorporated the use of sexual appeal in varying degrees. Respondents indicated that the sexual appeal in the advertisements was appropriate if they were directed at the right age group. The respondents indicated that these three advertisements were more likely to attract the males, in the target market and they felt that the advertisements leaned towards objectifying the women, which would be offensive to the females in the target market. It was determined that if the advertisements contained humour, they were more effective and memorable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Exploring the impact of teaching music within the creative and performing arts subject in selected upper primary schools in Botswana
- Authors: Moswate, Kholisani
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Curriculum change , Music--Instruction and study
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus (Education)
- Identifier: vital:8503 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1654 , Curriculum change , Music--Instruction and study
- Description: The introduction of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) in the school curriculum is one of the changes brought about by the educational reforms in Botswana’s education system. Fullan (2005:42) observed that “any educational change becomes a reality when it is implemented with the involvement of the key role players.” In the case of my research, the primary school teachers and school management teams are the key role-players. This research was, therefore, conducted to explore the impact of teaching music within the CAPA subject as one of the changes brought about by the educational reforms in Botswana upper primary schools. I have found the phenomenological design appropriate for my research. Babbie and Mouton (2009:28) explain this paradigm as emphasising that “human beings are engaged in the process of making sense of their lives and that they continually interpret, create and give meaning to, define, justify and rationalise their actions.” In collecting and analysing data, a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to explore trends regarding the teachers’ perceptions, views, emotions, feelings, experiences and preparedness for the introduction of the CAPA subject.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Moswate, Kholisani
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Curriculum change , Music--Instruction and study
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus (Education)
- Identifier: vital:8503 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1654 , Curriculum change , Music--Instruction and study
- Description: The introduction of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) in the school curriculum is one of the changes brought about by the educational reforms in Botswana’s education system. Fullan (2005:42) observed that “any educational change becomes a reality when it is implemented with the involvement of the key role players.” In the case of my research, the primary school teachers and school management teams are the key role-players. This research was, therefore, conducted to explore the impact of teaching music within the CAPA subject as one of the changes brought about by the educational reforms in Botswana upper primary schools. I have found the phenomenological design appropriate for my research. Babbie and Mouton (2009:28) explain this paradigm as emphasising that “human beings are engaged in the process of making sense of their lives and that they continually interpret, create and give meaning to, define, justify and rationalise their actions.” In collecting and analysing data, a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to explore trends regarding the teachers’ perceptions, views, emotions, feelings, experiences and preparedness for the introduction of the CAPA subject.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An investigation of the role of community development workers: Bitou municipality
- Authors: Gogi, Andile
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , City council members -- South Africa , Community development -- Economic aspects , Community development -- Environmental aspects , Community development -- Social aspects , Economic development projects -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015689
- Description: This treatise investigates the role of Community DevelopmentWorkers, with reference to the Bitou Municipality. The treatise comprises five chapters. The concept of Community Development Programme is fairly new in South Africa; therefore, further research is needed on the subject. A literature review was done to establish the concept and the background of the CDWP. A questionnaire was developed in order to obtain primary data from a selected sample group. The data obtained from the questionnaire was statistically analysed and interpreted. The core findings from the analysed questionnaire indicated the following: (a) CDWs clearly understand their role and responsibility, but there is a need for roles and functions to be clearly defined, with detailed terms of reference, to ensure a common understanding with other stakeholders, e.g. Ward Committees, Councillors, Non-governmental organisations, Communitybased organisations, and members of the community. (b) living conditions in the wards improved following the introduction of the CDWP. (c) there is a good relationship between CDWs, Ward Committees and Ward Councillors, but there is also a perception that Ward Committees and Community Development Workers constantly clash or compete in the wards in which they serve. (d) CDWs should not be affiliated to the ruling or any political party. (e) CDWs are confused regarding who is responsible for their remuneration (the Municipality or the Provincial Department of Local Government).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Gogi, Andile
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , City council members -- South Africa , Community development -- Economic aspects , Community development -- Environmental aspects , Community development -- Social aspects , Economic development projects -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015689
- Description: This treatise investigates the role of Community DevelopmentWorkers, with reference to the Bitou Municipality. The treatise comprises five chapters. The concept of Community Development Programme is fairly new in South Africa; therefore, further research is needed on the subject. A literature review was done to establish the concept and the background of the CDWP. A questionnaire was developed in order to obtain primary data from a selected sample group. The data obtained from the questionnaire was statistically analysed and interpreted. The core findings from the analysed questionnaire indicated the following: (a) CDWs clearly understand their role and responsibility, but there is a need for roles and functions to be clearly defined, with detailed terms of reference, to ensure a common understanding with other stakeholders, e.g. Ward Committees, Councillors, Non-governmental organisations, Communitybased organisations, and members of the community. (b) living conditions in the wards improved following the introduction of the CDWP. (c) there is a good relationship between CDWs, Ward Committees and Ward Councillors, but there is also a perception that Ward Committees and Community Development Workers constantly clash or compete in the wards in which they serve. (d) CDWs should not be affiliated to the ruling or any political party. (e) CDWs are confused regarding who is responsible for their remuneration (the Municipality or the Provincial Department of Local Government).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Effects of selected modes of digital distribution on music consumerism, with reference to the album format
- Authors: Du Preez, Liska
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8504 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1427 , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Description: In this digital age many listeners of music now purchase albums from online digital music stores instead of buying a physical album from the record store. This has created a concern with many regarding the future of the album as a physical medium. This study investigates the impact of the possible death of the album on certain listening habits, the activity of record collecting, the creation of large-scale musical works, music consumerism, and its implications for the creative process on music as art and sound-recording quality. Three realisations have led to the problem statement. Firstly, the album might not have a future in the digital age. Secondly, downloadable songs might not be able to recreate an album experience. The third realisation is that the possible death of the album could create new, exciting challenges to artists as they strive to create art. This study is exploratory in nature - and no hypothesis was generated. The research necessitates qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual approaches. Furthermore, the investigation has led to the collection of mostly new data, constituting a “primary data design” through the implementation of qualitative listening experiments and a focus group, using full-time NMMU students between 18 and 25 years of age. It is herein argued that digital distribution might possibly have an effect on the perception of the album format and might possibly still be a relevant listening experience, valued by young people. Singles and albums are collectable; and good albums are considered artistic and comparable to the large-scale musical works of the past. If the concept of an album does not die out, then high fidelity formats should be able to re-invent the album experience. Listening experiences other than the album experience do exist, and they could generate new ways for artists to create musical art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Du Preez, Liska
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8504 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1427 , Sound -- Recording and reproducing -- Digital techniques , Music -- Technological innovations , Music and the Internet
- Description: In this digital age many listeners of music now purchase albums from online digital music stores instead of buying a physical album from the record store. This has created a concern with many regarding the future of the album as a physical medium. This study investigates the impact of the possible death of the album on certain listening habits, the activity of record collecting, the creation of large-scale musical works, music consumerism, and its implications for the creative process on music as art and sound-recording quality. Three realisations have led to the problem statement. Firstly, the album might not have a future in the digital age. Secondly, downloadable songs might not be able to recreate an album experience. The third realisation is that the possible death of the album could create new, exciting challenges to artists as they strive to create art. This study is exploratory in nature - and no hypothesis was generated. The research necessitates qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual approaches. Furthermore, the investigation has led to the collection of mostly new data, constituting a “primary data design” through the implementation of qualitative listening experiments and a focus group, using full-time NMMU students between 18 and 25 years of age. It is herein argued that digital distribution might possibly have an effect on the perception of the album format and might possibly still be a relevant listening experience, valued by young people. Singles and albums are collectable; and good albums are considered artistic and comparable to the large-scale musical works of the past. If the concept of an album does not die out, then high fidelity formats should be able to re-invent the album experience. Listening experiences other than the album experience do exist, and they could generate new ways for artists to create musical art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An analysis of the factors influencing the provision of water in the Buffalo City Municipality, province of the Eastern Cape
- Zwelibanzi, Mantombi Elizabeth
- Authors: Zwelibanzi, Mantombi Elizabeth
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Water-supply -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8260 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1013011
- Description: Factors affecting the provision of water constitute a great challenge to water officials not only in Buffalo City Municipality but also globally. Interviews form the basic data collection instrument used to provide empirical evidence to the objectives of the study. The objectives of the study are: To evaluate the underlying challenges encountered by water sector Engineers; To evaluate the role of municipal water sector officials in the provision of clean water; To analyse the factors influencing the provision of water in Buffllo City Municipality. Recommendations are provided which could assist Buffalo City Municipality in addressing the challenges affecting the provision of water as follows: The involvement of national and provincial governments in order to improve the Buffalo City Municipal infrastructure and capacity building is highly recommended. Power failure and water interruptions caused by mechanical problems and natural disasters, are further municipal challenges that need to be addressed irrespective of financial constraints. Public and private sector sponsors can be approached to join the initiative. Informal settlements should be formalised and limited to a certain number of people per site or household, depending on the infrastructure. If the infrastructure is not conducive they should be relocated elsewhere. Public and private sector sponsors should offer assistance to Buffalo City Municipality to develop the required water skills, by financing water officials who are interested in furthering their education at tertiary level. Public consultation, through meetings and public forums, and public participation, by the street committees and police forums, are recommended. Coupon systems for basic services like water and electricity for all residents is highly recommended. A generator for the municipal water sector is needed. This will overcome the power failure problem. The provision of water is affected by power outages as water equipment needs electricity to be able to operate. Installation of a water plant in Buffalo City Municipality‟s main dam, the Maden dam, that is supposed to supply King Williams town and the surrounding areas directly.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Zwelibanzi, Mantombi Elizabeth
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Water-supply -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8260 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1013011
- Description: Factors affecting the provision of water constitute a great challenge to water officials not only in Buffalo City Municipality but also globally. Interviews form the basic data collection instrument used to provide empirical evidence to the objectives of the study. The objectives of the study are: To evaluate the underlying challenges encountered by water sector Engineers; To evaluate the role of municipal water sector officials in the provision of clean water; To analyse the factors influencing the provision of water in Buffllo City Municipality. Recommendations are provided which could assist Buffalo City Municipality in addressing the challenges affecting the provision of water as follows: The involvement of national and provincial governments in order to improve the Buffalo City Municipal infrastructure and capacity building is highly recommended. Power failure and water interruptions caused by mechanical problems and natural disasters, are further municipal challenges that need to be addressed irrespective of financial constraints. Public and private sector sponsors can be approached to join the initiative. Informal settlements should be formalised and limited to a certain number of people per site or household, depending on the infrastructure. If the infrastructure is not conducive they should be relocated elsewhere. Public and private sector sponsors should offer assistance to Buffalo City Municipality to develop the required water skills, by financing water officials who are interested in furthering their education at tertiary level. Public consultation, through meetings and public forums, and public participation, by the street committees and police forums, are recommended. Coupon systems for basic services like water and electricity for all residents is highly recommended. A generator for the municipal water sector is needed. This will overcome the power failure problem. The provision of water is affected by power outages as water equipment needs electricity to be able to operate. Installation of a water plant in Buffalo City Municipality‟s main dam, the Maden dam, that is supposed to supply King Williams town and the surrounding areas directly.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An assessment of the effectiveness of public consultation: the case study of selected ward committees in the Northern Bay Municipality
- Authors: Arends, Darrin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Political planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8187 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1535 , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Political planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Since 1994, the South African local government has been obligated to consult with its citizenry in respect of the processes of relating to service delivery. The South African Government has developed a wide range of legislation that ensures that communities are consulted on a continuous basis with regard to how services need to be rendered. Communities have a right to be consulted and to give input into issues affecting them. Public consultation as envisaged in the South African legislation has, however, not yielded the desired results which is evident in the spate of service delivery protests over poor or non service delivery. Therefore, this study seeks to analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of pubic consultation in the Northern Areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The researcher used qualitative research methods since it would provide the reader with more insight into how public consultation is implemented in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The communities, senior municipal officials, and councillors have been interviewed in a structured manner and a content analysis has been made of the minutes of the ward committees in the Northern Areas, the annual reports of the Municipality’s Oversight Committee and a range of other reading material. A number of findings has been made during this research project with the most pertinent being the non-compliance to certain sections of legislation by the Municipality. The communities in the Northern Areas generally felt that efficient and effective public consultation would reduce the number of service delivery protests in that part of the Municipality. A number of interventions need to be made by the political leadership with regard to public consultation and more resources need to be committed towards those processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Arends, Darrin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Political planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8187 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1535 , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Political planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Since 1994, the South African local government has been obligated to consult with its citizenry in respect of the processes of relating to service delivery. The South African Government has developed a wide range of legislation that ensures that communities are consulted on a continuous basis with regard to how services need to be rendered. Communities have a right to be consulted and to give input into issues affecting them. Public consultation as envisaged in the South African legislation has, however, not yielded the desired results which is evident in the spate of service delivery protests over poor or non service delivery. Therefore, this study seeks to analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of pubic consultation in the Northern Areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The researcher used qualitative research methods since it would provide the reader with more insight into how public consultation is implemented in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The communities, senior municipal officials, and councillors have been interviewed in a structured manner and a content analysis has been made of the minutes of the ward committees in the Northern Areas, the annual reports of the Municipality’s Oversight Committee and a range of other reading material. A number of findings has been made during this research project with the most pertinent being the non-compliance to certain sections of legislation by the Municipality. The communities in the Northern Areas generally felt that efficient and effective public consultation would reduce the number of service delivery protests in that part of the Municipality. A number of interventions need to be made by the political leadership with regard to public consultation and more resources need to be committed towards those processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An investigation of the attitudes of South African Police Service management with respect to the viability of computer-assisted training in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Adams, Leinadu
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Education -- South Africa -- Data processing , Education -- Computer-assisted instruction , Information technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Police training -- South Africa , Police -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:8190 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1410 , Education -- South Africa -- Data processing , Education -- Computer-assisted instruction , Information technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Police training -- South Africa , Police -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Description: The South African Police Service (SAPS) as a constituent part of the public service was established to deliver a specific category of services to the public. These services have to conform to requirements that are prescribed by various legislative provisions to promote effective and efficient delivery of public services. The implications of these provisions that are pursued by the study firstly, refer to the emphasis of government on the enhancement of public service delivery, with due consideration given to cost effectiveness and efficiency. Secondly, it refers to government's realisation of the important impact of education, development and training (EDT) on the competency of public service officials with an emphasis on the utilisation of information technology to enhance the effectiveness of EDT. Consequently, the study explores the viability of the utilisation of information technology as a measure to assist EDT interventions within the SAPS of the Eastern Cape Province to equip members of the institution to better fulfil their functions and duties. In this respect the study commenced to ascertain the levels of computer literacy of role-players, access to the appropriate facilities and what the general attitude in the organisation would be towards the utilisation of such an intervention. It was found that the computer literacy levels of role-players may be perceived as a problematic issue in this regard. However, access to suitable facilities was found to be more than sufficient for this intention. Furthermore, role-players agreed that information technology could be optimally applied in the EC SAPS for the mentioned use, thereby portraying an optimistic attitude towards the use thereof to harmonise EDT in the SAPS. The aim of the study has been to develop a model that will incorporate the use of information technology, given the strengths and weaknesses of the SAPS to enhance EDT and learning in the organization.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Adams, Leinadu
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Education -- South Africa -- Data processing , Education -- Computer-assisted instruction , Information technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Police training -- South Africa , Police -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:8190 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1410 , Education -- South Africa -- Data processing , Education -- Computer-assisted instruction , Information technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Police training -- South Africa , Police -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Description: The South African Police Service (SAPS) as a constituent part of the public service was established to deliver a specific category of services to the public. These services have to conform to requirements that are prescribed by various legislative provisions to promote effective and efficient delivery of public services. The implications of these provisions that are pursued by the study firstly, refer to the emphasis of government on the enhancement of public service delivery, with due consideration given to cost effectiveness and efficiency. Secondly, it refers to government's realisation of the important impact of education, development and training (EDT) on the competency of public service officials with an emphasis on the utilisation of information technology to enhance the effectiveness of EDT. Consequently, the study explores the viability of the utilisation of information technology as a measure to assist EDT interventions within the SAPS of the Eastern Cape Province to equip members of the institution to better fulfil their functions and duties. In this respect the study commenced to ascertain the levels of computer literacy of role-players, access to the appropriate facilities and what the general attitude in the organisation would be towards the utilisation of such an intervention. It was found that the computer literacy levels of role-players may be perceived as a problematic issue in this regard. However, access to suitable facilities was found to be more than sufficient for this intention. Furthermore, role-players agreed that information technology could be optimally applied in the EC SAPS for the mentioned use, thereby portraying an optimistic attitude towards the use thereof to harmonise EDT in the SAPS. The aim of the study has been to develop a model that will incorporate the use of information technology, given the strengths and weaknesses of the SAPS to enhance EDT and learning in the organization.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
From physics to music: an analysis of the role of overtones in the improvement of choral tone
- Authors: Starker, Leonard Bonn
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Choral singing , Choral singing -- Intonation , Choral singing -- Instruction and study , Voice culture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012937
- Description: Numerous studies exist examining the link in solo singers between timbre and overtone spectra. The purpose of this study is to examine if similar results can be obtained by applying the same techniques to choral singing. The study is aimed at non-scientific readers and therefore introduces the subject with background to the relevant physics. In this study a number of recorded samples of choirs were taken from www.youtube.com and analyzed. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) and singing power ratio‟s (SPR), which provided an indication of the relative energy in the higher overtone region of every choir. This was compared to a binary value judgment of the choirs. The results indicate that the SPR as applied to soloists cannot be directly applied to choirs. A link between SPR and a perceived “good” choral tone could exist but would have to be interpreted differently than in the case of soloists. It was also found that a possible link could exist between frequency peaks in LTAS and a choir‟s intonation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Starker, Leonard Bonn
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Choral singing , Choral singing -- Intonation , Choral singing -- Instruction and study , Voice culture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012937
- Description: Numerous studies exist examining the link in solo singers between timbre and overtone spectra. The purpose of this study is to examine if similar results can be obtained by applying the same techniques to choral singing. The study is aimed at non-scientific readers and therefore introduces the subject with background to the relevant physics. In this study a number of recorded samples of choirs were taken from www.youtube.com and analyzed. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) and singing power ratio‟s (SPR), which provided an indication of the relative energy in the higher overtone region of every choir. This was compared to a binary value judgment of the choirs. The results indicate that the SPR as applied to soloists cannot be directly applied to choirs. A link between SPR and a perceived “good” choral tone could exist but would have to be interpreted differently than in the case of soloists. It was also found that a possible link could exist between frequency peaks in LTAS and a choir‟s intonation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The challenges facing non-governmental organisations in transforming conflict through capacity-building in Nothern Uganda
- Authors: Akurut, Catherine
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Conflict management -- Uganda , Peace-building -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:8189 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1412 , Conflict management -- Uganda , Peace-building -- Uganda
- Description: Capacity-building is an essential component of post-conflict reconstruction (PCR) and peace-building in the aftermath of violent conflict. Civilians, mainly women and children are driven or abducted from their homes during violent conflict and suffer various abuses and atrocities. Many spend the duration of the conflict as refugees in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps in neighbouring countries. Violent conflict impinges on their psychological well-being and socio-economic development making their re-integration into their former communities extremely complex and challenging. In the case of Northern Uganda, the conflict lasted for over two decades. However, since the ―Cessation of Hostilities Agreement‖ of 2006, the peace-building process has been particularly evident here. Numerous stakeholders have been involved in the capacity-building processes in Northern Uganda, and one such organisation is the Friends of Orphans (FRO) in Pader district, Northern Uganda. The purpose of this research study is to explore the challenges facing the FRO in transforming conflict and building sustainable peace through capacity-building in Pader district. The study explores the programmes the organisation implements and investigates how these programmes are relevant for the transformation of conflict. Apart from reviewing the literature, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews and used participant observation. The employees of the FRO – all of whom are involved with capacity-building in these communities – participated in these interviews in their capacities as social workers, teachers, administrators and field workers. The beneficiaries of these programmes include former child soldiers, abductees, child mothers, land mine survivors and orphans. Lessons learned by the FRO, as well as the researcher‘s recommendations, are discussed in the study in order to assist the future work of the organisation and other stakeholders who have devoted their efforts to the recovery of areas emerging from conflict.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Akurut, Catherine
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Conflict management -- Uganda , Peace-building -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:8189 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1412 , Conflict management -- Uganda , Peace-building -- Uganda
- Description: Capacity-building is an essential component of post-conflict reconstruction (PCR) and peace-building in the aftermath of violent conflict. Civilians, mainly women and children are driven or abducted from their homes during violent conflict and suffer various abuses and atrocities. Many spend the duration of the conflict as refugees in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps in neighbouring countries. Violent conflict impinges on their psychological well-being and socio-economic development making their re-integration into their former communities extremely complex and challenging. In the case of Northern Uganda, the conflict lasted for over two decades. However, since the ―Cessation of Hostilities Agreement‖ of 2006, the peace-building process has been particularly evident here. Numerous stakeholders have been involved in the capacity-building processes in Northern Uganda, and one such organisation is the Friends of Orphans (FRO) in Pader district, Northern Uganda. The purpose of this research study is to explore the challenges facing the FRO in transforming conflict and building sustainable peace through capacity-building in Pader district. The study explores the programmes the organisation implements and investigates how these programmes are relevant for the transformation of conflict. Apart from reviewing the literature, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews and used participant observation. The employees of the FRO – all of whom are involved with capacity-building in these communities – participated in these interviews in their capacities as social workers, teachers, administrators and field workers. The beneficiaries of these programmes include former child soldiers, abductees, child mothers, land mine survivors and orphans. Lessons learned by the FRO, as well as the researcher‘s recommendations, are discussed in the study in order to assist the future work of the organisation and other stakeholders who have devoted their efforts to the recovery of areas emerging from conflict.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Coping strategies among female Zimbabwean refugees at the central Methodist church in Johannesburg : a conflict management perspective
- Authors: Bjorknes, Guro Lauvland
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Central Methodist Church Refugee Community , Church work with refugees , Conflict management , Interpersonal relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:8188 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1424 , Central Methodist Church Refugee Community , Church work with refugees , Conflict management , Interpersonal relations
- Description: This treatise represents an investigation into the coping strategies of female Zimbabwean refugees at the Central Methodist Church (CMC) in Johannesburg. The CMC in Johannesburg includes a non-profit organisation called Ray of Hope that has functioned as a provider of accommodation and emergency refuge at the church since 1997. A vast number of Zimbabweans are moving to adjacent countries as a consequence of the conflict in Zimbabwe and approximately 85 percent of the people that have sought refuge in the CMC in Johannesburg are Zimbabweans that have fled the economic and political conflict in Zimbabwe. Using an interviewing strategy of a sample of 20 female Zimbabwean refugees, conducted at the CMC, the researcher gathered data, indicating that they face various conflicts on a daily basis inside as well as outside the refugee community in the CMC in Johannesburg. An extensive literature review and researcher‟s own observations during hours spent in the refugee community have also contributed to the collection of data. The findings suggest that coping mechanisms have been adopted by the female refugees to deal with the conflicts. Analysis of data was guided by grounded theory approach which allowed key findings about coping mechanisms to surface which encouraged recommendations presented in the conclusion of the treatise.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Bjorknes, Guro Lauvland
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Central Methodist Church Refugee Community , Church work with refugees , Conflict management , Interpersonal relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
- Identifier: vital:8188 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1424 , Central Methodist Church Refugee Community , Church work with refugees , Conflict management , Interpersonal relations
- Description: This treatise represents an investigation into the coping strategies of female Zimbabwean refugees at the Central Methodist Church (CMC) in Johannesburg. The CMC in Johannesburg includes a non-profit organisation called Ray of Hope that has functioned as a provider of accommodation and emergency refuge at the church since 1997. A vast number of Zimbabweans are moving to adjacent countries as a consequence of the conflict in Zimbabwe and approximately 85 percent of the people that have sought refuge in the CMC in Johannesburg are Zimbabweans that have fled the economic and political conflict in Zimbabwe. Using an interviewing strategy of a sample of 20 female Zimbabwean refugees, conducted at the CMC, the researcher gathered data, indicating that they face various conflicts on a daily basis inside as well as outside the refugee community in the CMC in Johannesburg. An extensive literature review and researcher‟s own observations during hours spent in the refugee community have also contributed to the collection of data. The findings suggest that coping mechanisms have been adopted by the female refugees to deal with the conflicts. Analysis of data was guided by grounded theory approach which allowed key findings about coping mechanisms to surface which encouraged recommendations presented in the conclusion of the treatise.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Conflict and sustainable development: the case of the great Limpompo Transfrontier Park (GLTP), Southern Africa
- Authors: Muboko, Never
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Conflict management , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Limpopo , Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:8158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1357 , Conflict management , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Limpopo , Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
- Description: Conflict is inevitable but sustainable development is achievable. An analysis of the mix between development and conflict in two communities revealed the imperatives needed to strike a balance between conflict and sustainable development. While conflicts over natural resources are neither a new phenomenon nor are they inevitable, it is the approaches adopted to manage them that generate interests and makes a difference between peace and violence. Thus, conflicts associated with wilderness or TFCA development initiatives such as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) have attracted significant interest from various stakeholders. While the GLTP is a flagship conservation initiative in Southern Africa designed to integrate different land uses for socio-economic development, it is littered with conflicts. Through documenting the experiences of two communities involved in development conflicts, a determination was sought to understand the efficacy of approaches used to manage the conflict. Using mainly questionnaires and personal interviews, perceptions and attitudes of key informants were solicited. Unresolved historical problems reincarnated to haunt current conservation projects as memories of unresolved past events reflected negatively on new related initiatives. Different approaches adopted in managing these conflicts resulted in significantly different outcomes. Local stakeholder involvements were inadequate, but were identified as pertinent to successful sustainable conservation and development. Unless local communities are assured of real benefits from new conservation initiatives it became evident that recurrent conflicts would be inevitable. The findings reveal that current conservation initiatives should be underpinned by emerging inclusivity theories in the conservation discourse. A broad range of stakeholders should embrace this new paradigm based on the philosophy that conservation efforts that exclude local communities are bound to be unsustainable. We found out that it is in the interests of all for policy makers to come up with policies that recognise the critical role local communities play, while subscribing to the regional and international standards for best practices in the conservation business.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Muboko, Never
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Conflict management , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Limpopo , Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:8158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1357 , Conflict management , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Limpopo , Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
- Description: Conflict is inevitable but sustainable development is achievable. An analysis of the mix between development and conflict in two communities revealed the imperatives needed to strike a balance between conflict and sustainable development. While conflicts over natural resources are neither a new phenomenon nor are they inevitable, it is the approaches adopted to manage them that generate interests and makes a difference between peace and violence. Thus, conflicts associated with wilderness or TFCA development initiatives such as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) have attracted significant interest from various stakeholders. While the GLTP is a flagship conservation initiative in Southern Africa designed to integrate different land uses for socio-economic development, it is littered with conflicts. Through documenting the experiences of two communities involved in development conflicts, a determination was sought to understand the efficacy of approaches used to manage the conflict. Using mainly questionnaires and personal interviews, perceptions and attitudes of key informants were solicited. Unresolved historical problems reincarnated to haunt current conservation projects as memories of unresolved past events reflected negatively on new related initiatives. Different approaches adopted in managing these conflicts resulted in significantly different outcomes. Local stakeholder involvements were inadequate, but were identified as pertinent to successful sustainable conservation and development. Unless local communities are assured of real benefits from new conservation initiatives it became evident that recurrent conflicts would be inevitable. The findings reveal that current conservation initiatives should be underpinned by emerging inclusivity theories in the conservation discourse. A broad range of stakeholders should embrace this new paradigm based on the philosophy that conservation efforts that exclude local communities are bound to be unsustainable. We found out that it is in the interests of all for policy makers to come up with policies that recognise the critical role local communities play, while subscribing to the regional and international standards for best practices in the conservation business.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A cut and paste identity : an investigation of reality TV's role in postmodern identity construction with special reference to ordinary people as celebrities
- Authors: Le Roux, Janell
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Reality television programs -- Social aspects , Identity (Psychology) -- South Africa , Television personalities -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8383 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1462 , Reality television programs -- Social aspects , Identity (Psychology) -- South Africa , Television personalities -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This study aimed to examine the construction of the identity of the participants within the reality TV programmes (Style Her Famous, My Celebrity Home and How Do I Look) as well as examined the representation of that identity as reflected in the change in participants from the beginning to the end of the program. Drawing on literature from fields such as postmodernism and its influence on culture, identity constructions and ordinary people as celebrities, an analysis of the three American reality TV shows Style Her Famous, My Celebrity Home and How Do I Look was conducted. An indepth content analysis with specific reference to comparative analysis further aided this study. A total of 18 episodes (six episodes for each programme) were collected and thoroughly analyzed where the ‘cut and paste identity’ of ordinary people as ‘celebrities’ constituted the hermeneutical key of the study. The episodes and programs have been scrutinized and have been systematically classified to enable an analysis of the observations. This study attempted to not only describe, but also to foster change in the representation of the identity of the participants of the above mentioned reality TV programmes. The study found that reality television plays a role in shaping the postmodern identity of ordinary people as celebrities. The study also found that the participants involved in the above mentioned programmes found it easy to make someone else’s identity their own. It appeared that the postmodern mind is easily influenced and willing to adopt an identity especially that of a celebrity. The participants involved in these programs claimed this identity as their own and then believed that the new identity was in fact who they ‘really are’ but in actual fact it is a beginning of a new sameness with somebody else. Hence the participants possessed a ‘cut and paste identity.’
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Le Roux, Janell
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Reality television programs -- Social aspects , Identity (Psychology) -- South Africa , Television personalities -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8383 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1462 , Reality television programs -- Social aspects , Identity (Psychology) -- South Africa , Television personalities -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This study aimed to examine the construction of the identity of the participants within the reality TV programmes (Style Her Famous, My Celebrity Home and How Do I Look) as well as examined the representation of that identity as reflected in the change in participants from the beginning to the end of the program. Drawing on literature from fields such as postmodernism and its influence on culture, identity constructions and ordinary people as celebrities, an analysis of the three American reality TV shows Style Her Famous, My Celebrity Home and How Do I Look was conducted. An indepth content analysis with specific reference to comparative analysis further aided this study. A total of 18 episodes (six episodes for each programme) were collected and thoroughly analyzed where the ‘cut and paste identity’ of ordinary people as ‘celebrities’ constituted the hermeneutical key of the study. The episodes and programs have been scrutinized and have been systematically classified to enable an analysis of the observations. This study attempted to not only describe, but also to foster change in the representation of the identity of the participants of the above mentioned reality TV programmes. The study found that reality television plays a role in shaping the postmodern identity of ordinary people as celebrities. The study also found that the participants involved in the above mentioned programmes found it easy to make someone else’s identity their own. It appeared that the postmodern mind is easily influenced and willing to adopt an identity especially that of a celebrity. The participants involved in these programs claimed this identity as their own and then believed that the new identity was in fact who they ‘really are’ but in actual fact it is a beginning of a new sameness with somebody else. Hence the participants possessed a ‘cut and paste identity.’
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen's "The little mermaid" and the ways in which stereotypes of women are subverted or sustained in selected works
- Authors: Mostert, Linda Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1371 , English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Description: According to Lewis Seifert, “Fairy tales are obsessed with femininity … These narratives are concerned above all else with defining what makes women different from men and, more precisely, what is and is not acceptable feminine behaviour” (1996: 175). This study, then, will demonstrate how certain patriarchal ideas associated with fairy tales are disseminated when fairy tale elements are reworked in film, visual art and the novel. The aim of this project, more specifically, is to show how certain stereotypical representations of women endure in works that could be read as feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Stereotypical representations of women are numerous and may include: depicting females as fitting neatly into what is often called the virgin/whore or Madonna/whore binary opposition; depicting women as being caring and kind, but also passive, submissive and weak; and depicting older women as being sexually unattractive and evil (Goodwin and Fiske 2001:358; Sullivan 2010: 4). It must be said that the list of stereotypes relating to women given here is far from exhaustive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mostert, Linda Ann
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1371 , English literature -- Criticism, Textual , Feminism and literature
- Description: According to Lewis Seifert, “Fairy tales are obsessed with femininity … These narratives are concerned above all else with defining what makes women different from men and, more precisely, what is and is not acceptable feminine behaviour” (1996: 175). This study, then, will demonstrate how certain patriarchal ideas associated with fairy tales are disseminated when fairy tale elements are reworked in film, visual art and the novel. The aim of this project, more specifically, is to show how certain stereotypical representations of women endure in works that could be read as feminist appropriations of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Stereotypical representations of women are numerous and may include: depicting females as fitting neatly into what is often called the virgin/whore or Madonna/whore binary opposition; depicting women as being caring and kind, but also passive, submissive and weak; and depicting older women as being sexually unattractive and evil (Goodwin and Fiske 2001:358; Sullivan 2010: 4). It must be said that the list of stereotypes relating to women given here is far from exhaustive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011