Relationship between employee performance, leadership and emotional intelligence in a South African parastatal organisation
- Authors: Hayward, Brett Anthony
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Employees -- Rating of , Leadership , Leadership -- Psychological aspects , Emotional intelligence , Government business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019740
- Description: This research investigates the relationship between employee performance, leadership and emotional intelligence in a South African parastatal. The literature provided discusses the three variables of performance, leadership and emotional intelligence. Information was gathered, using three instruments, from a sample of 160 leaders and 800 raters. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to determine leadership style within the parastatal, while the Emotional Competency Profiler was used to determine the emotional intelligence of the leaders within the parastatal. Employee performance was captured and recorded using the parastatal’s performance appraisal process. Leadership and emotional intelligence were identified as the independent variables and employee performance as the dependent variable. Data obtained from each of the research instruments was then statistically analysed. Through linear regression analysis it was concluded that there is a significant relationship between employee performance and an emotionally intelligent, transactional leader. However, no significant linear relationship was found between employee performance and an emotionally intelligent, transformational leader. Simple correlation analysis showed that there is a relatively weak significant linear relationship between emotional intelligence and transactional leadership. Moreover, it was found that there is a very strong significant linear relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. This research therefore adds a new dimension to employee performance, leadership and emotional intelligence, since no similar study has been conducted. As this research takes place in the South African context, it contributes to the bank of findings relating to the concepts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Hayward, Brett Anthony
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Employees -- Rating of , Leadership , Leadership -- Psychological aspects , Emotional intelligence , Government business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019740
- Description: This research investigates the relationship between employee performance, leadership and emotional intelligence in a South African parastatal. The literature provided discusses the three variables of performance, leadership and emotional intelligence. Information was gathered, using three instruments, from a sample of 160 leaders and 800 raters. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to determine leadership style within the parastatal, while the Emotional Competency Profiler was used to determine the emotional intelligence of the leaders within the parastatal. Employee performance was captured and recorded using the parastatal’s performance appraisal process. Leadership and emotional intelligence were identified as the independent variables and employee performance as the dependent variable. Data obtained from each of the research instruments was then statistically analysed. Through linear regression analysis it was concluded that there is a significant relationship between employee performance and an emotionally intelligent, transactional leader. However, no significant linear relationship was found between employee performance and an emotionally intelligent, transformational leader. Simple correlation analysis showed that there is a relatively weak significant linear relationship between emotional intelligence and transactional leadership. Moreover, it was found that there is a very strong significant linear relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. This research therefore adds a new dimension to employee performance, leadership and emotional intelligence, since no similar study has been conducted. As this research takes place in the South African context, it contributes to the bank of findings relating to the concepts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Relationships between social marketing strategies and school participation in environmental competitions: a case study of Collect-a-Can's annual schools competition
- Authors: Mathabathe, Andrew Tumishe
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Social marketing -- South Africa Environmental education -- South Africa Recycling (Waste, etc.) -- South Africa School recycling programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1726 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003609
- Description: The South African formal education system has undergone many changes since the formulation of the White Paper on Education and Training in 1995. These developments challenge organisations that want to run successful programmes or projects in schools to adapt their social marketing strategies. Against this background, the aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between social marketing strategies and participation of schools in environmental competitions. The goals of the research were to identify issues that have influenced schools participation in the Collect-a-Can Annual Schools Competition, identify and review social marketing strategies used by Collect-a-Can to influence participation of schools in the competition, and identify relationships between issues that influenced school participation in the competition and the Collect-a-Can’s social marketing strategies. A qualitative design that applied an interpretative case study, which focused on the Collect-a-Can’s Annual Schools Competition was used to explore these relationships. Data was generated through interviews, document analysis and a workshop. Nine respondents from nine schools and three Collect-a-Can management staff members participated in the interview process. Twenty participants from twenty schools participated in the workshop. The findings of the research revealed that there were relationships between the social marketing strategies used by Collect-a-Can and participation of schools in the competition. These relationships were found to be linked mainly to policy changes within formal education which Collect-a-Can could not respond to as a result of various reasons which included among others, the core focus of thecompany, lack of funds and a need to operate in a cost-effective way. The recommendations indicate possible areas for improvement and guidelines which could be used by Collect-a-Can for the competition without digressing from its core focus or incurring additional costs. These include a more responsive and adaptive management approach and a stronger educational orientation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Mathabathe, Andrew Tumishe
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Social marketing -- South Africa Environmental education -- South Africa Recycling (Waste, etc.) -- South Africa School recycling programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1726 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003609
- Description: The South African formal education system has undergone many changes since the formulation of the White Paper on Education and Training in 1995. These developments challenge organisations that want to run successful programmes or projects in schools to adapt their social marketing strategies. Against this background, the aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between social marketing strategies and participation of schools in environmental competitions. The goals of the research were to identify issues that have influenced schools participation in the Collect-a-Can Annual Schools Competition, identify and review social marketing strategies used by Collect-a-Can to influence participation of schools in the competition, and identify relationships between issues that influenced school participation in the competition and the Collect-a-Can’s social marketing strategies. A qualitative design that applied an interpretative case study, which focused on the Collect-a-Can’s Annual Schools Competition was used to explore these relationships. Data was generated through interviews, document analysis and a workshop. Nine respondents from nine schools and three Collect-a-Can management staff members participated in the interview process. Twenty participants from twenty schools participated in the workshop. The findings of the research revealed that there were relationships between the social marketing strategies used by Collect-a-Can and participation of schools in the competition. These relationships were found to be linked mainly to policy changes within formal education which Collect-a-Can could not respond to as a result of various reasons which included among others, the core focus of thecompany, lack of funds and a need to operate in a cost-effective way. The recommendations indicate possible areas for improvement and guidelines which could be used by Collect-a-Can for the competition without digressing from its core focus or incurring additional costs. These include a more responsive and adaptive management approach and a stronger educational orientation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Research portfolio
- Authors: Shaanika, E N
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Arts -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Culture -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003618
- Description: This study is a contextual analysis and evaluation of the Arts-in-Culture curriculum at Ongwediva College of Education. Arts-in-Culture is one of the core subjects in the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD)’s Broad Curriculum. At colleges such as Ongwediva, Caprivi and Rundu, student teachers study Arts as a core subject, while at Windhoek College of Education it can be studied as either a major or a core subject. In this study, I have raised some questions: Why is it that at Ongwediva College, the status of Arts-in-Culture is still low in comparison to other curriculum subjects like sciences and languages? Do student teachers and teacher educators fully understand how to assess the subject? Is the syllabus open for everyone? Is the learning environment conducive to offering the subject? Do the syllabus; learning environment, teacher educators and student teachers promote the goals of education for all? This study first gives the historical background of the subject. The background is of a diverse nature, namely African Indigenous Arts education, Black Arts education under the missionaries, Black Arts education under the South Africa Regime and Arts Education in the current Namibian reform dispensation. Second, the data collecting methodologies of this study are discussed. This includes how I collected information, who I contacted to collect this information, the tools I used to collect data, when and where I used them, why they were used and how they were used, the difficulties or problems I encountered and what I have learned about myself during the process. The third part of this study is the analysis of my findings from the participants interviewed and the fourth is how I have tried to link these different sections together. The last part of the paper is my conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Shaanika, E N
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Arts -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Culture -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003618
- Description: This study is a contextual analysis and evaluation of the Arts-in-Culture curriculum at Ongwediva College of Education. Arts-in-Culture is one of the core subjects in the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD)’s Broad Curriculum. At colleges such as Ongwediva, Caprivi and Rundu, student teachers study Arts as a core subject, while at Windhoek College of Education it can be studied as either a major or a core subject. In this study, I have raised some questions: Why is it that at Ongwediva College, the status of Arts-in-Culture is still low in comparison to other curriculum subjects like sciences and languages? Do student teachers and teacher educators fully understand how to assess the subject? Is the syllabus open for everyone? Is the learning environment conducive to offering the subject? Do the syllabus; learning environment, teacher educators and student teachers promote the goals of education for all? This study first gives the historical background of the subject. The background is of a diverse nature, namely African Indigenous Arts education, Black Arts education under the missionaries, Black Arts education under the South Africa Regime and Arts Education in the current Namibian reform dispensation. Second, the data collecting methodologies of this study are discussed. This includes how I collected information, who I contacted to collect this information, the tools I used to collect data, when and where I used them, why they were used and how they were used, the difficulties or problems I encountered and what I have learned about myself during the process. The third part of this study is the analysis of my findings from the participants interviewed and the fourth is how I have tried to link these different sections together. The last part of the paper is my conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Rhodes University Graduation Ceremony 2006
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: vital:8141 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007254
- Description: Rhodes University Graduation Ceremonies [at] 1820 Settlers National Monument Thursday, 6 April 2006 at 18.00 [and] Friday, 7 April 2006 at 10:30; 14:30 & 18:00 [and] Saturday, 8 April 2006 at 10:30 , Inauguration Ceremony [of] Dr Saleem Badat [as] Principal and Vice-Chancellor [at the] 1820 Settlers National Monument [on] Wednesday, 27 September 2006 at 18:15.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: vital:8141 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007254
- Description: Rhodes University Graduation Ceremonies [at] 1820 Settlers National Monument Thursday, 6 April 2006 at 18.00 [and] Friday, 7 April 2006 at 10:30; 14:30 & 18:00 [and] Saturday, 8 April 2006 at 10:30 , Inauguration Ceremony [of] Dr Saleem Badat [as] Principal and Vice-Chancellor [at the] 1820 Settlers National Monument [on] Wednesday, 27 September 2006 at 18:15.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Security community building? : an assessment of Southern African regional integration in the post-apartheid era
- Authors: Lekhooa, Tumo
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , National security -- Africa, Southern , Political stability -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005958 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , National security -- Africa, Southern , Political stability -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community
- Description: The thesis traces Southern African security dimensions from the Cold War and the period of apartheid in South Africa to the post-apartheid era. It makes an attempt to investigate the prospects of Southern Africa becoming a security community and the processes and practices underlying these efforts. Using the constructivist theory approach to international relations, the thesis argues that the preoccupation with principles of sovereignty and non-interference, a lack of political will and the absence of common values that could help SADC institute binding rules and decision-making are the main blocks that prevent the region from asserting itself as a security community. All these militate against the idea of mutual accountability among SADC member states and have a negative impact on the institutional and functional capacity of SADC. This also prevents SADC from dealing with the emerging non-military human security threats in the region. In consideration of this, the thesis argues that the idea of security community building in Southern Africa remains not only a regional issue, but also requires the involvement of extra-regional actors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Lekhooa, Tumo
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , National security -- Africa, Southern , Political stability -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005958 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , National security -- Africa, Southern , Political stability -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community
- Description: The thesis traces Southern African security dimensions from the Cold War and the period of apartheid in South Africa to the post-apartheid era. It makes an attempt to investigate the prospects of Southern Africa becoming a security community and the processes and practices underlying these efforts. Using the constructivist theory approach to international relations, the thesis argues that the preoccupation with principles of sovereignty and non-interference, a lack of political will and the absence of common values that could help SADC institute binding rules and decision-making are the main blocks that prevent the region from asserting itself as a security community. All these militate against the idea of mutual accountability among SADC member states and have a negative impact on the institutional and functional capacity of SADC. This also prevents SADC from dealing with the emerging non-military human security threats in the region. In consideration of this, the thesis argues that the idea of security community building in Southern Africa remains not only a regional issue, but also requires the involvement of extra-regional actors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Software quality assurance in a remote client/contractor context
- Authors: Black, Angus Hugh
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Computer software -- Quality control , Software engineering , Information technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006615 , Computer software -- Quality control , Software engineering , Information technology
- Description: With the reliance on information technology and the software that this technology utilizes increasing every day, it is of paramount importance that software developed be of an acceptable quality. This quality can be achieved through the utilization of various software engineering standards and guidelines. The question is, to what extent do these standards and guidelines need to be utilized and how are these standards and guidelines implemented? This research focuses on how guidelines developed by standardization bodies and the unified process developed by Rational can be integrated to achieve a suitable process and version control system within the context of a remote client/contractor small team environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Black, Angus Hugh
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Computer software -- Quality control , Software engineering , Information technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006615 , Computer software -- Quality control , Software engineering , Information technology
- Description: With the reliance on information technology and the software that this technology utilizes increasing every day, it is of paramount importance that software developed be of an acceptable quality. This quality can be achieved through the utilization of various software engineering standards and guidelines. The question is, to what extent do these standards and guidelines need to be utilized and how are these standards and guidelines implemented? This research focuses on how guidelines developed by standardization bodies and the unified process developed by Rational can be integrated to achieve a suitable process and version control system within the context of a remote client/contractor small team environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
South Africa and the International Criminal Court: investigating the link between complimentarity and implementation
- Authors: Kulundu, Kenneth Wanyama
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: International Criminal Court , International criminal courts , International crimes , International law -- South Africa , South Africa -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3679 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003194 , International Criminal Court , International criminal courts , International crimes , International law -- South Africa , South Africa -- Law and legislation
- Description: Complementarity, the organizing principle of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is a largely untested concept in terms of its ability to instigate State compliance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The ICC made its debut at a time when States were routinely accused of non-compliance with international law, particularly international criminal law. Due to perennial concerns over the protection of State sovereignty, an ingenious system of allocation of competencies between States and the ICC was evolved. This is embodied by the principle of complementarity. At the heart of complementarity is an arrangement by which States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC are regarded as the prime fora for the prosecution of crimes of grave concern to the international community. In the event of inaction, however, the ICC is mandated to wrest specific cases from the jurisdiction of national courts and try them. In effect, a carrot-and-stick mechanism has been built into the Rome Statute to induce States to comply with the Statute. This thesis examines the principle of complementarity from a theoretical perspective, bearing in mind contemporary international law structures and institutions. A better understanding of the theoretical assumptions of complementarity, it is suggested, will foster a more effective application of the tenets of the Rome Statute within the municipal system. The thesis argues that complementarity is a catalyst for implementation of the Rome Statute only to the extent to which it alters or re-defines well established and encumbering procedures and norms within the municipal system. In this regard, although South Africa’s status of constitutional democracy may be reason to expect that the obligations imposed by the Rome Statute will be observed, that very fact may increase the inclination to preserve the “baseline of conduct” rather than be swayed by the Rome Statute. An illustrative excursion into South African rules and norms is undertaken, after which the argument is advanced that not much change has been effected to the South African legal landscape through implementation of the Rome Statute. The sole exception to this is the issue of prosecutorial discretion. On this, the South African legislature has uniquely crafted a mechanism for ensuring accountability, presumably with a view to ensuring that South Africa is always able to prosecute the crimes concerned. However, the thesis cautions against complacency, arguing that the tension between national law and international obligations may yet play itself out, owing to insufficient attention to the role of national courts in giving effect to the Rome Statute. The act of implementation may be a response to stimuli such as the perceived need to avoid civil liability for international crimes, or the general inertia of implementing human rights instruments. Therefore, the carrot-and-stick mechanism may be lacking in the compulsive qualities it is presumed to have. Through an exploratory survey of South African law, the thesis illustrates that prosecutorial accountability is the major factor in determining whether a State has fully complied with is obligations under the Rome Statute. However, it also points out that the way courts of law apply the new norms in municipal systems in the future will be crucial.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Kulundu, Kenneth Wanyama
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: International Criminal Court , International criminal courts , International crimes , International law -- South Africa , South Africa -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3679 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003194 , International Criminal Court , International criminal courts , International crimes , International law -- South Africa , South Africa -- Law and legislation
- Description: Complementarity, the organizing principle of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is a largely untested concept in terms of its ability to instigate State compliance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The ICC made its debut at a time when States were routinely accused of non-compliance with international law, particularly international criminal law. Due to perennial concerns over the protection of State sovereignty, an ingenious system of allocation of competencies between States and the ICC was evolved. This is embodied by the principle of complementarity. At the heart of complementarity is an arrangement by which States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC are regarded as the prime fora for the prosecution of crimes of grave concern to the international community. In the event of inaction, however, the ICC is mandated to wrest specific cases from the jurisdiction of national courts and try them. In effect, a carrot-and-stick mechanism has been built into the Rome Statute to induce States to comply with the Statute. This thesis examines the principle of complementarity from a theoretical perspective, bearing in mind contemporary international law structures and institutions. A better understanding of the theoretical assumptions of complementarity, it is suggested, will foster a more effective application of the tenets of the Rome Statute within the municipal system. The thesis argues that complementarity is a catalyst for implementation of the Rome Statute only to the extent to which it alters or re-defines well established and encumbering procedures and norms within the municipal system. In this regard, although South Africa’s status of constitutional democracy may be reason to expect that the obligations imposed by the Rome Statute will be observed, that very fact may increase the inclination to preserve the “baseline of conduct” rather than be swayed by the Rome Statute. An illustrative excursion into South African rules and norms is undertaken, after which the argument is advanced that not much change has been effected to the South African legal landscape through implementation of the Rome Statute. The sole exception to this is the issue of prosecutorial discretion. On this, the South African legislature has uniquely crafted a mechanism for ensuring accountability, presumably with a view to ensuring that South Africa is always able to prosecute the crimes concerned. However, the thesis cautions against complacency, arguing that the tension between national law and international obligations may yet play itself out, owing to insufficient attention to the role of national courts in giving effect to the Rome Statute. The act of implementation may be a response to stimuli such as the perceived need to avoid civil liability for international crimes, or the general inertia of implementing human rights instruments. Therefore, the carrot-and-stick mechanism may be lacking in the compulsive qualities it is presumed to have. Through an exploratory survey of South African law, the thesis illustrates that prosecutorial accountability is the major factor in determining whether a State has fully complied with is obligations under the Rome Statute. However, it also points out that the way courts of law apply the new norms in municipal systems in the future will be crucial.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
South Africa's chemical and biological warfare programme 1981-1995
- Authors: Gould, Chandré
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Basson, Wouter, 1950- Basson, Wouter, 1950 -- Trials, litigation, etc Biological warfare -- South Africa Chemical warfare -- South Africa Trials (Political crimes and offenses) -- South Africa South Africa -- Politics and government -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2544 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002396
- Description: In 1981 the apartheid military initiated a chemical and biological warfare (CBW) programme (code-named Project Coast). The programme, terminated in 1993, was aimed at developing novel irritating and incapacitating agents for internal and external use, covert assassination weapons for use against apartheid opponents, and defensive equipment for use by South African Defence Force (SADF) troops in Angola. The CBW programme was driven by a single individual, Dr Wouter Basson, who reported to a military management committee (the Co-ordinating Management Committee) which comprised a select group of high ranking officers. Practical and financial oversight of the programme was weak which allowed both for the abuse of programme funds and for senior military officers to deny knowledge of aspects of the programme. The biological component of Project Coast was conducted in violation of the commitments of the South African government to the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BTWC). While the state’s commitment to the BTWC was one of the factors considered when initiating the programme, it was not a sufficient constraint to prevent the development of the biological weapons programme, but rather influenced its structure such that the programme could avoid national and international detection. Despite efforts to conceal the military front companies where the chemical and biological warfare (CBW) research and development was undertaken, evidence presented in this thesis shows that the United States had sufficient information about the programme to have been aware of its existence. Yet, it was only in 1993, on the eve of the democratic election in South Africa, that any attempt was made by the US administration to pressure the government to terminate the programme. This thesis considers the factors which influenced the decision to develop Project Coast; the structure and nature of the programme; the motivations of scientists to become involved in the programme and remain involved; the use of chemical and biological agents against opponents of the state, and the factors which influenced the termination of the programme on the eve of the first democratic elections in 1994. It also considers the nature and exent of international support, both tacit and overt, for the programme and argues that the failure of Western nations to call for the termination of the programme before the early 1990s was a function of political expediency and indicates a significant weakness in the ability of international agreements to constrain the development of such programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Gould, Chandré
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Basson, Wouter, 1950- Basson, Wouter, 1950 -- Trials, litigation, etc Biological warfare -- South Africa Chemical warfare -- South Africa Trials (Political crimes and offenses) -- South Africa South Africa -- Politics and government -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2544 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002396
- Description: In 1981 the apartheid military initiated a chemical and biological warfare (CBW) programme (code-named Project Coast). The programme, terminated in 1993, was aimed at developing novel irritating and incapacitating agents for internal and external use, covert assassination weapons for use against apartheid opponents, and defensive equipment for use by South African Defence Force (SADF) troops in Angola. The CBW programme was driven by a single individual, Dr Wouter Basson, who reported to a military management committee (the Co-ordinating Management Committee) which comprised a select group of high ranking officers. Practical and financial oversight of the programme was weak which allowed both for the abuse of programme funds and for senior military officers to deny knowledge of aspects of the programme. The biological component of Project Coast was conducted in violation of the commitments of the South African government to the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BTWC). While the state’s commitment to the BTWC was one of the factors considered when initiating the programme, it was not a sufficient constraint to prevent the development of the biological weapons programme, but rather influenced its structure such that the programme could avoid national and international detection. Despite efforts to conceal the military front companies where the chemical and biological warfare (CBW) research and development was undertaken, evidence presented in this thesis shows that the United States had sufficient information about the programme to have been aware of its existence. Yet, it was only in 1993, on the eve of the democratic election in South Africa, that any attempt was made by the US administration to pressure the government to terminate the programme. This thesis considers the factors which influenced the decision to develop Project Coast; the structure and nature of the programme; the motivations of scientists to become involved in the programme and remain involved; the use of chemical and biological agents against opponents of the state, and the factors which influenced the termination of the programme on the eve of the first democratic elections in 1994. It also considers the nature and exent of international support, both tacit and overt, for the programme and argues that the failure of Western nations to call for the termination of the programme before the early 1990s was a function of political expediency and indicates a significant weakness in the ability of international agreements to constrain the development of such programmes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Stakeholders' perceptions of the cluster system in a secondary school in Rundu, Namibia
- Authors: Topnaar, P E
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia -- Rundu Education -- Namibia -- Rundu Educational leadership -- Namibia -- Rundu Educational change -- Namibia -- Rundu
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1853 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004516
- Description: Since independence in 1990, various efforts have been made to improve the quality and management of Namibian schools, including the Basic Education Project (BEP-Project). In collaboration with the Geselschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the BEP-Project has supported the implementation of important Government programs, such as Lower Primary reform and the cluster system. In 1995 the BEP-Project began to address educational needs in the Rundu education region. It was believed that Rundu had in the past been the most neglected region, especially with regard to education. The school cluster system was devised to facilitate new ways of education service delivery and to address the question of improving education standards. The purpose of this research is to answer the question: "How do the management and staff of a secondary school in the Rundu region of education experience a school cluster system?" To this end, the research seeks to determine what potential the cluster system holds and how that may be realised, and to also establish whether there is any evidence of change in management practices. A case study method has been employed to gain insight into the cluster system as a management tool. Ten respondents, all of whom have been employed at the school in question for a considerable period of time, were interviewed before and after the implementation of the cluster system. The research disclosed that disparities and tension in the school were legacies of the colonial education system, but that the cluster system had bridged the gap and enhanced uniformity and cooperation. Sharing of ideas on educational issues and constant interaction created a conducive environment for academic performance. The case study further disclosed that parental involvement in decision making is still a course for concern and that the cluster system has not yet addressed this issue. The study has shown that decentralisation has taken place and that rural schools are no longer operating in isolation. A lack of innovative ideas has hampered training as a cluster activity. From the research, it is evident that schools have previously operated on an individual basis, but that the cluster system has created the opportunity for schools to interact on a regular basis. This study is timely and of national importance. I anticipate that this study will be of use to policy makers in making decisions for the future development of the cluster system.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Topnaar, P E
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia -- Rundu Education -- Namibia -- Rundu Educational leadership -- Namibia -- Rundu Educational change -- Namibia -- Rundu
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1853 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004516
- Description: Since independence in 1990, various efforts have been made to improve the quality and management of Namibian schools, including the Basic Education Project (BEP-Project). In collaboration with the Geselschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the BEP-Project has supported the implementation of important Government programs, such as Lower Primary reform and the cluster system. In 1995 the BEP-Project began to address educational needs in the Rundu education region. It was believed that Rundu had in the past been the most neglected region, especially with regard to education. The school cluster system was devised to facilitate new ways of education service delivery and to address the question of improving education standards. The purpose of this research is to answer the question: "How do the management and staff of a secondary school in the Rundu region of education experience a school cluster system?" To this end, the research seeks to determine what potential the cluster system holds and how that may be realised, and to also establish whether there is any evidence of change in management practices. A case study method has been employed to gain insight into the cluster system as a management tool. Ten respondents, all of whom have been employed at the school in question for a considerable period of time, were interviewed before and after the implementation of the cluster system. The research disclosed that disparities and tension in the school were legacies of the colonial education system, but that the cluster system had bridged the gap and enhanced uniformity and cooperation. Sharing of ideas on educational issues and constant interaction created a conducive environment for academic performance. The case study further disclosed that parental involvement in decision making is still a course for concern and that the cluster system has not yet addressed this issue. The study has shown that decentralisation has taken place and that rural schools are no longer operating in isolation. A lack of innovative ideas has hampered training as a cluster activity. From the research, it is evident that schools have previously operated on an individual basis, but that the cluster system has created the opportunity for schools to interact on a regular basis. This study is timely and of national importance. I anticipate that this study will be of use to policy makers in making decisions for the future development of the cluster system.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Stirring the hornet's nest: women's citizenship and childcare in post-apartheid South Africa
- Authors: Alfers, Laura Corrigall
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Women's rights -- South Africa , Citizenship -- South Africa , Women -- Political activity , Feminist theory -- Political aspects , Child care -- South Africa , Sex discrimination against women
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2757 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002967 , Women's rights -- South Africa , Citizenship -- South Africa , Women -- Political activity , Feminist theory -- Political aspects , Child care -- South Africa , Sex discrimination against women
- Description: It is a widely acknowledged fact that women’s access to the full rights of citizenship in the liberal state is restricted because of their unequal responsibility for childcare. The South African state, however, despite its theoretical commitment to gender equality, has failed substantially to engage with the issue of childcare and women’s citizenship. This is problematic because in failing to envisage a role for itself in supporting women with their responsibility for childcare, the state has not only neglected its Constitutional commitments to gender equality, but it has also failed to realise the benefits that could potentially accrue to children if women’s access to economic citizenship is not hampered by childcare. Recognising this problem, this thesis attempts to engender some debate as to how the South African state could feasibly correct this failure. In doing so, it uses feminist political theory as a basis and takes a critical view of the two childcare policies that have dominated the debate over women’s citizenship and childcare in Western liberal democracies – socialised care and the neofamilialist model. In concluding it attempts to provide an idea of what feasible, state-based childcare policies could look like in present-day South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Alfers, Laura Corrigall
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Women's rights -- South Africa , Citizenship -- South Africa , Women -- Political activity , Feminist theory -- Political aspects , Child care -- South Africa , Sex discrimination against women
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2757 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002967 , Women's rights -- South Africa , Citizenship -- South Africa , Women -- Political activity , Feminist theory -- Political aspects , Child care -- South Africa , Sex discrimination against women
- Description: It is a widely acknowledged fact that women’s access to the full rights of citizenship in the liberal state is restricted because of their unequal responsibility for childcare. The South African state, however, despite its theoretical commitment to gender equality, has failed substantially to engage with the issue of childcare and women’s citizenship. This is problematic because in failing to envisage a role for itself in supporting women with their responsibility for childcare, the state has not only neglected its Constitutional commitments to gender equality, but it has also failed to realise the benefits that could potentially accrue to children if women’s access to economic citizenship is not hampered by childcare. Recognising this problem, this thesis attempts to engender some debate as to how the South African state could feasibly correct this failure. In doing so, it uses feminist political theory as a basis and takes a critical view of the two childcare policies that have dominated the debate over women’s citizenship and childcare in Western liberal democracies – socialised care and the neofamilialist model. In concluding it attempts to provide an idea of what feasible, state-based childcare policies could look like in present-day South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Studies of equivalent fuzzy subgroups of finite abelian p-Groups of rank two and their subgroup lattices
- Authors: Ngcibi, Sakhile Leonard
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abelian groups Fuzzy sets Finite groups Group theory Polynomials
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5416 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005230
- Description: We determine the number and nature of distinct equivalence classes of fuzzy subgroups of finite Abelian p-group G of rank two under a natural equivalence relation on fuzzy subgroups. Our discussions embrace the necessary theory from groups with special emphasis on finite p-groups as a step towards the classification of crisp subgroups as well as maximal chains of subgroups. Unique naming of subgroup generators as discussed in this work facilitates counting of subgroups and chains of subgroups from subgroup lattices of the groups. We cover aspects of fuzzy theory including fuzzy (homo-) isomorphism together with operations on fuzzy subgroups. The equivalence characterization as discussed here is finer than isomorphism. We introduce the theory of keychains with a view towards the enumeration of maximal chains as well as fuzzy subgroups under the equivalence relation mentioned above. We discuss a strategy to develop subgroup lattices of the groups used in the discussion, and give examples for specific cases of prime p and positive integers n,m. We derive formulas for both the number of maximal chains as well as the number of distinct equivalence classes of fuzzy subgroups. The results are in the form of polynomials in p (known in the literature as Hall polynomials) with combinatorial coefficients. Finally we give a brief investigation of the results from a graph-theoretic point of view. We view the subgroup lattices of these groups as simple, connected, symmetric graphs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Ngcibi, Sakhile Leonard
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Abelian groups Fuzzy sets Finite groups Group theory Polynomials
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5416 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005230
- Description: We determine the number and nature of distinct equivalence classes of fuzzy subgroups of finite Abelian p-group G of rank two under a natural equivalence relation on fuzzy subgroups. Our discussions embrace the necessary theory from groups with special emphasis on finite p-groups as a step towards the classification of crisp subgroups as well as maximal chains of subgroups. Unique naming of subgroup generators as discussed in this work facilitates counting of subgroups and chains of subgroups from subgroup lattices of the groups. We cover aspects of fuzzy theory including fuzzy (homo-) isomorphism together with operations on fuzzy subgroups. The equivalence characterization as discussed here is finer than isomorphism. We introduce the theory of keychains with a view towards the enumeration of maximal chains as well as fuzzy subgroups under the equivalence relation mentioned above. We discuss a strategy to develop subgroup lattices of the groups used in the discussion, and give examples for specific cases of prime p and positive integers n,m. We derive formulas for both the number of maximal chains as well as the number of distinct equivalence classes of fuzzy subgroups. The results are in the form of polynomials in p (known in the literature as Hall polynomials) with combinatorial coefficients. Finally we give a brief investigation of the results from a graph-theoretic point of view. We view the subgroup lattices of these groups as simple, connected, symmetric graphs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Substituted phthalocyanines development and self-assembled monolayer sensor studies
- Authors: Matemadombo, Fungisai
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Phthalocyanines , Monomolecular films , Electrochemistry , Spectrum analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005029 , Phthalocyanines , Monomolecular films , Electrochemistry , Spectrum analysis
- Description: Zinc, cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines have been synthesized and characterized. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry in dimethylformamide containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate revealed five and six redox processes respectively for the cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines. These complexes are easier to reduce compared to the corresponding unsubstituted MPc and to butylthio substituted derivatives. Spectroelectrochemistry (in dimethylformamide containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate) was employed to assign the cyclic voltammetry peaks, and gave spectra characteristic of Fe(I)Pc for reduction of iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanine and Co(I)Pc for the reduction of cobalt phenylthio substituted phthalocyanine. The spectrum of the former is particularly of importance since such species have not received much attention in literature. Cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines have been deposited on Au electrode surfaces through the self assembled monolayer (SAM) technique. The so formed layers were studied using voltammetric techniques. These SAMs blocked a number of Faradic processes and electrocatalyzed the oxidation of L-cysteine. Amine substituted cobalt phthalocyanine (CoTAPc) was deposited on gold surfaces by using an interconnecting SAM of mercaptopropionic acid or dithiobis(N-succinimidyl propionate) through the creation of an amide. Reductive and oxidative desorption of the SAMs limit the useful potential window. The SAM-CoTAPc layers show electrocatalytic activities towards oxygen reduction through the Co(I) central metal ion. Both SAMs were highly stable and hence will be interesting tools for further research in surface modification and sensor development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Matemadombo, Fungisai
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Phthalocyanines , Monomolecular films , Electrochemistry , Spectrum analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005029 , Phthalocyanines , Monomolecular films , Electrochemistry , Spectrum analysis
- Description: Zinc, cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines have been synthesized and characterized. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry in dimethylformamide containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate revealed five and six redox processes respectively for the cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines. These complexes are easier to reduce compared to the corresponding unsubstituted MPc and to butylthio substituted derivatives. Spectroelectrochemistry (in dimethylformamide containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate) was employed to assign the cyclic voltammetry peaks, and gave spectra characteristic of Fe(I)Pc for reduction of iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanine and Co(I)Pc for the reduction of cobalt phenylthio substituted phthalocyanine. The spectrum of the former is particularly of importance since such species have not received much attention in literature. Cobalt and iron phenylthio substituted phthalocyanines have been deposited on Au electrode surfaces through the self assembled monolayer (SAM) technique. The so formed layers were studied using voltammetric techniques. These SAMs blocked a number of Faradic processes and electrocatalyzed the oxidation of L-cysteine. Amine substituted cobalt phthalocyanine (CoTAPc) was deposited on gold surfaces by using an interconnecting SAM of mercaptopropionic acid or dithiobis(N-succinimidyl propionate) through the creation of an amide. Reductive and oxidative desorption of the SAMs limit the useful potential window. The SAM-CoTAPc layers show electrocatalytic activities towards oxygen reduction through the Co(I) central metal ion. Both SAMs were highly stable and hence will be interesting tools for further research in surface modification and sensor development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Teacher's beliefs regarding the role of extensive reading in English language learning : a case study
- Authors: Kajinga, Gilford
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Reading Children -- Books and reading Bilingualism in children Education, Bilingual English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1793 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003678
- Description: Research suggests numerous views to account for the influence on practice of teachers’ beliefs. One view states that teachers’ lived experiences shape their beliefs about practice. Another view attributes the influence to school experiences. This research sets out to gain insight into teachers’ beliefs on the role of extensive reading in second language learning. A case study of 9 teachers from 3 schools in Grahamstown, South Africa selected purposefully and conveniently was utilised. The teachers were viewed to be knowledgeable on this matter by virtue of their profession while the 3 schools were selected to represent a private school, a former Model C and former Department of Education and Training (DET) school. Data was mainly collected by means of semi-structured interviews, which utilised in-depth open-ended questions to yield teachers’ past experiences. The findings revealed the following: all the teachers appeared to believe that extensive reading was invaluable and enhanced language skills. However, white and black teachers differed in terms of their early experiences of reading. Whereas for white teachers early experiences with literacy were encountered in the home, for black teachers the school was where they had their first exposure to literacy. In addition formal training in the form of an ACE (Advanced Certificate in Education) seemed to have influenced black teachers’ beliefs about the subject at hand, whereas the role of teacher education/ training was not as significant for white teachers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Kajinga, Gilford
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Reading Children -- Books and reading Bilingualism in children Education, Bilingual English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1793 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003678
- Description: Research suggests numerous views to account for the influence on practice of teachers’ beliefs. One view states that teachers’ lived experiences shape their beliefs about practice. Another view attributes the influence to school experiences. This research sets out to gain insight into teachers’ beliefs on the role of extensive reading in second language learning. A case study of 9 teachers from 3 schools in Grahamstown, South Africa selected purposefully and conveniently was utilised. The teachers were viewed to be knowledgeable on this matter by virtue of their profession while the 3 schools were selected to represent a private school, a former Model C and former Department of Education and Training (DET) school. Data was mainly collected by means of semi-structured interviews, which utilised in-depth open-ended questions to yield teachers’ past experiences. The findings revealed the following: all the teachers appeared to believe that extensive reading was invaluable and enhanced language skills. However, white and black teachers differed in terms of their early experiences of reading. Whereas for white teachers early experiences with literacy were encountered in the home, for black teachers the school was where they had their first exposure to literacy. In addition formal training in the form of an ACE (Advanced Certificate in Education) seemed to have influenced black teachers’ beliefs about the subject at hand, whereas the role of teacher education/ training was not as significant for white teachers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Teachers as recontextualisers: a case study analysis of outcomes-based assessment policy implementation in two South African schools
- Authors: Wilmot, Pamela Dianne
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Competency-based education -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa Teacher participation in curriculum planning -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003677
- Description: The research presented in this thesis is a case study analysis of outcomes-based assessment in Grade 9 Human and Social Sciences of Curriculum 2005 in two South African schools. The research consists of two parts: Phase One, 2002 to 2003, was a qualitative case study, interpretive in orientation and using ethnographic techniques, aimed at understanding teachers’ responses to curriculum policy and the role of a school-based intervention, located within critically reflexive practice, in supporting change. During this phase, I was a co-participant operating from an insider position. During Phase Two, 2004-2005, I withdrew from the schools and took up an outsider position in order to analyse and theorise the case study. The findings of the interpretive review revealed a fascinating process of change, with some unexpected results that I lacked the theoretical and methodological tools to process. With support from critical friends, I realised that a dynamic and social process of knowledge recontextualisation had taken place, and that the research had moved beyond its initial goals. Not wishing to compromise my integrity as a qualitative researcher, I changed direction and made use of Basil Bernstein’s theorising (1990, 1996) to arrive at a suitable vantage point for the analysis. The main contention of this thesis is that the new OBE curriculum framework offers exciting opportunities for teacher participation in curriculum processes. However, if teachers are to maximise these and become agents of change, they need to acquire the rules of recontextualisation and reposition themselves in the recontextualising field. This implies epistemological empowerment, which takes time and mediation but which can be achieved through an approach to teacher professional development located in critically reflexive practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Wilmot, Pamela Dianne
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Competency-based education -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa Teacher participation in curriculum planning -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003677
- Description: The research presented in this thesis is a case study analysis of outcomes-based assessment in Grade 9 Human and Social Sciences of Curriculum 2005 in two South African schools. The research consists of two parts: Phase One, 2002 to 2003, was a qualitative case study, interpretive in orientation and using ethnographic techniques, aimed at understanding teachers’ responses to curriculum policy and the role of a school-based intervention, located within critically reflexive practice, in supporting change. During this phase, I was a co-participant operating from an insider position. During Phase Two, 2004-2005, I withdrew from the schools and took up an outsider position in order to analyse and theorise the case study. The findings of the interpretive review revealed a fascinating process of change, with some unexpected results that I lacked the theoretical and methodological tools to process. With support from critical friends, I realised that a dynamic and social process of knowledge recontextualisation had taken place, and that the research had moved beyond its initial goals. Not wishing to compromise my integrity as a qualitative researcher, I changed direction and made use of Basil Bernstein’s theorising (1990, 1996) to arrive at a suitable vantage point for the analysis. The main contention of this thesis is that the new OBE curriculum framework offers exciting opportunities for teacher participation in curriculum processes. However, if teachers are to maximise these and become agents of change, they need to acquire the rules of recontextualisation and reposition themselves in the recontextualising field. This implies epistemological empowerment, which takes time and mediation but which can be achieved through an approach to teacher professional development located in critically reflexive practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Teachers' talk regarding inclusion: a comparative discursive study
- Authors: Bomela, Yolisa Faith
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3123 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006135
- Description: Much research on the educators' perceptions of and attitudes towards inclusive education has been conducted both in South Africa and abroad. What is absent in this literature is an acknowledgement of the socially constructed nature of teachers' responses to inclusive education and its recipients. In this study, the talk of educators involved in piloting inclusive education is compared to that of educators who are not involved, in order to determine the discourses from which educators draw in their construction of inclusive education. It is a comparative study premised on the social constructionist perspective in which discourse analysis was employed. The sample was drawn from schools piloting inclusive education in the East London District of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa and was compared with schools not involved in the pilot, but in the same area. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with eight educators spread across two piloting and two non piloting schools. The analysis revealed significant similarities and quite minimal differences in the manner in which educators across the two settings construct their experiences of inclusive education. Even though the educators draw on the rights driven anti-discriminatory discourse, they still embrace the special needs/medical/expertise and charity discourses. These discourses construct disability around notions of disputed degrees of impairment, feared status and perceptions of disability as a personal issue rather than a public responsibility, and they undermine the status of people with a disability while supporting notions of dependency. In this article, I will argue that the historical legacy within which these discourses were originally constructed, will essentially continue unless there is a change in how diversity is viewed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Bomela, Yolisa Faith
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3123 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006135
- Description: Much research on the educators' perceptions of and attitudes towards inclusive education has been conducted both in South Africa and abroad. What is absent in this literature is an acknowledgement of the socially constructed nature of teachers' responses to inclusive education and its recipients. In this study, the talk of educators involved in piloting inclusive education is compared to that of educators who are not involved, in order to determine the discourses from which educators draw in their construction of inclusive education. It is a comparative study premised on the social constructionist perspective in which discourse analysis was employed. The sample was drawn from schools piloting inclusive education in the East London District of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa and was compared with schools not involved in the pilot, but in the same area. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with eight educators spread across two piloting and two non piloting schools. The analysis revealed significant similarities and quite minimal differences in the manner in which educators across the two settings construct their experiences of inclusive education. Even though the educators draw on the rights driven anti-discriminatory discourse, they still embrace the special needs/medical/expertise and charity discourses. These discourses construct disability around notions of disputed degrees of impairment, feared status and perceptions of disability as a personal issue rather than a public responsibility, and they undermine the status of people with a disability while supporting notions of dependency. In this article, I will argue that the historical legacy within which these discourses were originally constructed, will essentially continue unless there is a change in how diversity is viewed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The 'global' and the 'local' : a comparative study of development practices in three South African municipalities
- Authors: Gibb, Matthew William
- Date: 2013-08-15
- Subjects: Ndlambe Municipality Emalahleni Municipality Cape Town Municipality Local government -- South Africa Poor -- South Africa Globalization Economic development -- South Africa Community development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4871 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008413
- Description: On first impression, it would seem that globalisation is producing an increasingly homogenous trans-border world, whereby, as a result of key changes including the impact of technological improvements, foreign travel, the spread of westernised cultural identities, market capitalism, and liberal democracy, the point has been reached where it is now becoming difficult to tell different localities apart. In this process, it is often forgotten what role individual places assume in the creation of this globalised world and that not all will benefit from globalisation. In many respects, locally specific activities, including urban renewal, place promotion, and infrastructural developments pursued within a selection of the planet's most strategically connected cities are now the primary catalysts of, and the influence behind, globalisation. Likewise, community-businesses, rural micro-industries, and alternative livelihoods are some of the key mechanisms that under-privileged localities in developing countries are employing to either respond to the marginalization imposed by globalisation, or to simply ensure survival. The emergence of localisation theory has therefore acknowledged and exemplified the importance of the locality in the context of the global economy as either a key node within it or a point within which people must engage in coping strategies, often as a result of the negative impacts of globalisation. In recent years, varying styles of locality-based development have become central to enhancing both the pro-growth global competitiveness of a number of South African localities, as well as for initiating pro-poor interventions in several of the country's smaller towns and rural areas. In the City of Cape Town, millions of Rands have been invested by the municipality and the private sector in urban regeneration strategies,which have led to an economic rebirth in the city centre and have generated numerous jobs in the tertiary and construction sectors that have helped to enhance the city's global stature. In Ndlambe Municipality, two community-businesses, which have received national funding and have strong municipal support, employ fifty people between them and have demonstrated the advantages of participatory action in propoor local development, within the context of the open market. In Emalahleni Municipality, attempts at locality-based development have been instigated directly by the local poor themselves and have been organised by members of the community in the face of non-existent local government support, which have resulted in the creation of several hundred income-earning opportunities for area residents. In summary, these three cases illustrate a range of approaches to locality-based development cunently undertaken in South Africa by different localities possessing widely differing resources, skills, and degrees of global connectivity in order to initiate growth and enhance standards of living. From a theoretical perspective this study provides a South African slant on global theories and processes and further indicates the role that a series of localities in the South are playing in a changing global system. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gibb, Matthew William
- Date: 2013-08-15
- Subjects: Ndlambe Municipality Emalahleni Municipality Cape Town Municipality Local government -- South Africa Poor -- South Africa Globalization Economic development -- South Africa Community development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4871 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008413
- Description: On first impression, it would seem that globalisation is producing an increasingly homogenous trans-border world, whereby, as a result of key changes including the impact of technological improvements, foreign travel, the spread of westernised cultural identities, market capitalism, and liberal democracy, the point has been reached where it is now becoming difficult to tell different localities apart. In this process, it is often forgotten what role individual places assume in the creation of this globalised world and that not all will benefit from globalisation. In many respects, locally specific activities, including urban renewal, place promotion, and infrastructural developments pursued within a selection of the planet's most strategically connected cities are now the primary catalysts of, and the influence behind, globalisation. Likewise, community-businesses, rural micro-industries, and alternative livelihoods are some of the key mechanisms that under-privileged localities in developing countries are employing to either respond to the marginalization imposed by globalisation, or to simply ensure survival. The emergence of localisation theory has therefore acknowledged and exemplified the importance of the locality in the context of the global economy as either a key node within it or a point within which people must engage in coping strategies, often as a result of the negative impacts of globalisation. In recent years, varying styles of locality-based development have become central to enhancing both the pro-growth global competitiveness of a number of South African localities, as well as for initiating pro-poor interventions in several of the country's smaller towns and rural areas. In the City of Cape Town, millions of Rands have been invested by the municipality and the private sector in urban regeneration strategies,which have led to an economic rebirth in the city centre and have generated numerous jobs in the tertiary and construction sectors that have helped to enhance the city's global stature. In Ndlambe Municipality, two community-businesses, which have received national funding and have strong municipal support, employ fifty people between them and have demonstrated the advantages of participatory action in propoor local development, within the context of the open market. In Emalahleni Municipality, attempts at locality-based development have been instigated directly by the local poor themselves and have been organised by members of the community in the face of non-existent local government support, which have resulted in the creation of several hundred income-earning opportunities for area residents. In summary, these three cases illustrate a range of approaches to locality-based development cunently undertaken in South Africa by different localities possessing widely differing resources, skills, and degrees of global connectivity in order to initiate growth and enhance standards of living. From a theoretical perspective this study provides a South African slant on global theories and processes and further indicates the role that a series of localities in the South are playing in a changing global system. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
The application of integrated environmental management to improve storm water quality and reduce marine pollution at Jeffreys Bay (South Africa)
- Authors: Seebach, Rudi Dieter
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005287 , Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
- Description: It is projected that by 2025 three-quarters of the world’s population will live in the coastal zone. This is an alarming statistic, with a consequently significant impact on small coastal towns and the adjacent marine environments. Developing communities within the coastal zone of South Africa have proved to be a significant pollution source of storm water. Studies have shown that storm water that is deposited in the ocean will be trapped in the near shore marine environment causing poor seawater quality over a large distance. Furthermore, this can pose a significant threat to the health of recreational users and important marine ecosystems. In Jeffreys Bay storm water quality is thought to pose a threat to the maintenance of the international Blue Flag status for its beach. The aim of the current project was to investigate the main sources of storm water and subsequent marine pollution at Jeffreys Bay and to develop an appropriate management strategy using the integrated environmental management framework. In order to achieve this objective, it was also necessary to determine the current quality of water at various points within the catchment and near shore marine environment. Even though the storm water was found to be severely contaminated no evidence existed for a negative impact on the marine environment. None the less, a precautionary approach was adopted and a risk assessment employed in order to consider potential impacts on the marine and aquatic environment, human health and socio-economic welfare within the town. Significant sources of storm water contamination included grey water, domestic solid waste disposal and informal ablution. These significant aspects were investigated further and it was found that solid waste management in the catchment was poor with significant quantities of waste, primarily (76%) from domestic sources, being disposed of illegally. A study of sanitation management showed inadequacies where up to 58% of the residents from the informal settlements disposed of their grey water into open spaces. The ratio of residents to toilets in these areas was 28:1, therefore supporting the outcome of the risk assessment. Due to the fact that all the significant aspects were related to anthropogenic waste, an integrated waste management plan (IWMP) was developed that would not only facilitate the reduction of pollution of storm water, but would also allow for sustainable community-based development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Seebach, Rudi Dieter
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005287 , Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
- Description: It is projected that by 2025 three-quarters of the world’s population will live in the coastal zone. This is an alarming statistic, with a consequently significant impact on small coastal towns and the adjacent marine environments. Developing communities within the coastal zone of South Africa have proved to be a significant pollution source of storm water. Studies have shown that storm water that is deposited in the ocean will be trapped in the near shore marine environment causing poor seawater quality over a large distance. Furthermore, this can pose a significant threat to the health of recreational users and important marine ecosystems. In Jeffreys Bay storm water quality is thought to pose a threat to the maintenance of the international Blue Flag status for its beach. The aim of the current project was to investigate the main sources of storm water and subsequent marine pollution at Jeffreys Bay and to develop an appropriate management strategy using the integrated environmental management framework. In order to achieve this objective, it was also necessary to determine the current quality of water at various points within the catchment and near shore marine environment. Even though the storm water was found to be severely contaminated no evidence existed for a negative impact on the marine environment. None the less, a precautionary approach was adopted and a risk assessment employed in order to consider potential impacts on the marine and aquatic environment, human health and socio-economic welfare within the town. Significant sources of storm water contamination included grey water, domestic solid waste disposal and informal ablution. These significant aspects were investigated further and it was found that solid waste management in the catchment was poor with significant quantities of waste, primarily (76%) from domestic sources, being disposed of illegally. A study of sanitation management showed inadequacies where up to 58% of the residents from the informal settlements disposed of their grey water into open spaces. The ratio of residents to toilets in these areas was 28:1, therefore supporting the outcome of the risk assessment. Due to the fact that all the significant aspects were related to anthropogenic waste, an integrated waste management plan (IWMP) was developed that would not only facilitate the reduction of pollution of storm water, but would also allow for sustainable community-based development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The behaviour and fundamental determinants of the real exchange rate in South Africa
- Authors: Takaendesa, Peter
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Terms of trade -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002694 , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Terms of trade -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa
- Description: Real exchange rates have important effects on production, employment and trade, so it is crucial to understand the factors responsible for their variations. This study analyses the main determinants of the real exchange rate and the dynamic adjustment of the real exchange rate following shocks to those determinants, using quarterly South African data covering the period 1975 to 2005. It begins with a review of literature on the determinants of the real exchange rate and provides an updated background on the exchange rate system in South Africa. An empirical model linking the real exchange rate to its theoretical determinants is then specified. In contrast to previous analyses, this study augments the cointegration and vector autoregression (VAR) analysis with impulse response and variance decomposition analyses to provide robust long run effects and short run dynamic effects on the real exchange rate. The variables that have been found to have a long run relationship with the real exchange rate include the terms of trade, real interest rate differential, domestic credit, openness and technological progress. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study indicates that about a third of the variation in the real exchange rate from its equilibrium level is corrected within a quarter. The impulse response functions broadly corroborate the theoretical predictions, but only the terms of trade, domestic credit and openness have a significant impact on the real exchange rate in the short run. However, only shocks to the terms of trade and domestic credit have persistent effects on the real exchange rate. Results from the variance decompositions are largely similar to those from the impulse response analysis. The terms of trade, domestic credit and openness are the only variables found to significantly explain the variation in the real exchange rate. The most interesting result that emerged from this analysis and is supported by previous research is that among other determinants, the terms of trade explain the largest proportion of the variation in the real exchange. On balance, the evidence therefore suggests that real exchange rate fluctuations are predominantly equilibrium responses to real and monetary shocks rather than fiscal policy shocks.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Takaendesa, Peter
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Terms of trade -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002694 , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Terms of trade -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa
- Description: Real exchange rates have important effects on production, employment and trade, so it is crucial to understand the factors responsible for their variations. This study analyses the main determinants of the real exchange rate and the dynamic adjustment of the real exchange rate following shocks to those determinants, using quarterly South African data covering the period 1975 to 2005. It begins with a review of literature on the determinants of the real exchange rate and provides an updated background on the exchange rate system in South Africa. An empirical model linking the real exchange rate to its theoretical determinants is then specified. In contrast to previous analyses, this study augments the cointegration and vector autoregression (VAR) analysis with impulse response and variance decomposition analyses to provide robust long run effects and short run dynamic effects on the real exchange rate. The variables that have been found to have a long run relationship with the real exchange rate include the terms of trade, real interest rate differential, domestic credit, openness and technological progress. The estimate of the speed of adjustment coefficient found in this study indicates that about a third of the variation in the real exchange rate from its equilibrium level is corrected within a quarter. The impulse response functions broadly corroborate the theoretical predictions, but only the terms of trade, domestic credit and openness have a significant impact on the real exchange rate in the short run. However, only shocks to the terms of trade and domestic credit have persistent effects on the real exchange rate. Results from the variance decompositions are largely similar to those from the impulse response analysis. The terms of trade, domestic credit and openness are the only variables found to significantly explain the variation in the real exchange rate. The most interesting result that emerged from this analysis and is supported by previous research is that among other determinants, the terms of trade explain the largest proportion of the variation in the real exchange. On balance, the evidence therefore suggests that real exchange rate fluctuations are predominantly equilibrium responses to real and monetary shocks rather than fiscal policy shocks.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The development and application of ecological risk assessment in South African water resource management
- Authors: Claassen, Marius
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Ecological risk assessment -- South Africa Water resources development -- South Africa Water quality management -- South Africa Water-supply -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6036 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006177
- Description: The provision of goods and services by aquatic ecosystems plays an important role in socio-economic development and livelihoods in the southern African region. Water resource management in South Africa developed from an agrarian and pastoral focus up to 1956 to also supporting mining and industrial activities. This led to the introduction of the resource water quality objectives and pollution prevention approaches, which balanced the needs for development and protection. Prior to 1994, access to water resources was limited to riparian property owners and a minority of the population who controlled industrial and mining activities. The establishment of a democratic government amplified the need for accelerated socio-economic development, with equity, efficiency and sustainability being the principles of such development. New approaches were needed, which could achieve these development objectives and secure the resource base for future generations. An overview of the scientific process highlighted a risk based approach as potentially supporting the much needed balance between development and protection. The aims of this thesis is to develop a framework and process for the application of ecological risk assessment to water resource management in South Africa, to use case studies to draft guidelines for ecological risk assessment and to assess the degree to which ecological risk assessment can contribute to effective water resource management in South Africa. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for ecological risk assessment were identified amongst international best practice as meeting the requirements for local application. A framework was drafted for ecological risk assessment in South Africa, with the main phases being to agree on objectives, formulate the analysis plan, analyse information, characterise risk and manage risk. Modifications from the Environmental Protection Agency’s process include the order of activities in the first phase, the explicit testing of hypotheses and clarification of the evaluation of existing data or collection of new data. An industrial effluent case study was used to assess the applicability of the proposed framework. The case study dealt specifically with the assessment of risks posed by current conditions and long term licence conditions. The framework was found to be useful to identify weaknesses in the established monitoring programme and to evaluate lines of evidence to assess the degree to which the stated conditions would have unacceptable consequences. The study highlighted several weaknesses in the suggested framework, of which the most critical is the interpretation of the risk hypothesis as a testable null hypothesis. It became clear that cause-effect relationships should be stated as the risk hypothesis, whereas the assessment should evaluate expressed or expected conditions against a risk profile for a given stressor to benefit fully from the risk assessment approach. Changes to the framework terminology were suggested as well as nested feedback loops to allow for iterative processes where new information becomes available. The proposed guidelines incorporate the learning from the case study application as well as feedback from a peer review process. The guidelines incorporate the suggested actions under each phase as well as notes providing the rationale for each step. Three case study outlines were provided to assist users with the interpretation of the guidelines in different applications. The proposed guidelines are applied in an ecological Reserve determination case study, which specified the ecological water quality requirements. The study found that a risk-based approach was followed in the development of the water resource management policy, but the Reserve determination method is generally hazard based, with site specific modifications of the target values being allowed on a conservative basis. The case study highlighted a lack of readiness of water resource managers to accommodate scientific results expressed as probability distributions in support of management decisions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion of the key learning points of the ecological risk assessment development process. The evaluation highlights the move from stating and testing a null hypothesis to stating the risk hypothesis and evaluating the stated conditions against a risk profile. Several implementation challenges are highlighted, with specific recommendations made for adopting the proposed guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Claassen, Marius
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Ecological risk assessment -- South Africa Water resources development -- South Africa Water quality management -- South Africa Water-supply -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6036 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006177
- Description: The provision of goods and services by aquatic ecosystems plays an important role in socio-economic development and livelihoods in the southern African region. Water resource management in South Africa developed from an agrarian and pastoral focus up to 1956 to also supporting mining and industrial activities. This led to the introduction of the resource water quality objectives and pollution prevention approaches, which balanced the needs for development and protection. Prior to 1994, access to water resources was limited to riparian property owners and a minority of the population who controlled industrial and mining activities. The establishment of a democratic government amplified the need for accelerated socio-economic development, with equity, efficiency and sustainability being the principles of such development. New approaches were needed, which could achieve these development objectives and secure the resource base for future generations. An overview of the scientific process highlighted a risk based approach as potentially supporting the much needed balance between development and protection. The aims of this thesis is to develop a framework and process for the application of ecological risk assessment to water resource management in South Africa, to use case studies to draft guidelines for ecological risk assessment and to assess the degree to which ecological risk assessment can contribute to effective water resource management in South Africa. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for ecological risk assessment were identified amongst international best practice as meeting the requirements for local application. A framework was drafted for ecological risk assessment in South Africa, with the main phases being to agree on objectives, formulate the analysis plan, analyse information, characterise risk and manage risk. Modifications from the Environmental Protection Agency’s process include the order of activities in the first phase, the explicit testing of hypotheses and clarification of the evaluation of existing data or collection of new data. An industrial effluent case study was used to assess the applicability of the proposed framework. The case study dealt specifically with the assessment of risks posed by current conditions and long term licence conditions. The framework was found to be useful to identify weaknesses in the established monitoring programme and to evaluate lines of evidence to assess the degree to which the stated conditions would have unacceptable consequences. The study highlighted several weaknesses in the suggested framework, of which the most critical is the interpretation of the risk hypothesis as a testable null hypothesis. It became clear that cause-effect relationships should be stated as the risk hypothesis, whereas the assessment should evaluate expressed or expected conditions against a risk profile for a given stressor to benefit fully from the risk assessment approach. Changes to the framework terminology were suggested as well as nested feedback loops to allow for iterative processes where new information becomes available. The proposed guidelines incorporate the learning from the case study application as well as feedback from a peer review process. The guidelines incorporate the suggested actions under each phase as well as notes providing the rationale for each step. Three case study outlines were provided to assist users with the interpretation of the guidelines in different applications. The proposed guidelines are applied in an ecological Reserve determination case study, which specified the ecological water quality requirements. The study found that a risk-based approach was followed in the development of the water resource management policy, but the Reserve determination method is generally hazard based, with site specific modifications of the target values being allowed on a conservative basis. The case study highlighted a lack of readiness of water resource managers to accommodate scientific results expressed as probability distributions in support of management decisions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion of the key learning points of the ecological risk assessment development process. The evaluation highlights the move from stating and testing a null hypothesis to stating the risk hypothesis and evaluating the stated conditions against a risk profile. Several implementation challenges are highlighted, with specific recommendations made for adopting the proposed guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The development and assessment of a generic carbamazepine sustained release dosage form
- Authors: Patel, Fathima
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Carbamazepine Pharmacokinetics Drugs -- Controlled release Drugs -- Dosage forms Tablets (Medicine) Drugs -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3784 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003262
- Description: Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-line drug used for the treatment of partial and tonic-clonic seizures. It is also the drug of choice for use during pregnancy and recommended for the treatment of seizure disorders in children. CBZ possesses the ability to induce metabolism of drugs that are transformed in the liver and has the unique ability to induce its own metabolism by a phenomenon known as ‘auto- induction’, where its biological half-life is significantly reduced during chronic administration. Large doses of CBZ are often prescribed as daily divided doses and this often adversely affects patient compliance, with the result that therapy is ineffective. A sustained-release dosage form containing CBZ is currently marketed as Tegretol® CR and the development of a generic product would provide patients with an equivalent product with a similar dosing frequency, at a reduced cost. Therefore, the development of a polymer-based matrix tablet was undertaken to produce a sustained-release dosage form of CBZ, since these dosage forms are relatively simple and cheap to produce when compared to other, more sophisticated forms of sustained-release technology. Preformulation studies were conducted to assess moisture content of excipients and dosage forms and to identify possible incompatibilities between CBZ and potential formulation excipients. Furthermore, studies were conducted to assess the potential for polymorphic transitions to occur during manufacture. Stability testing was conducted to assess the behaviour of the dosage forms under storage conditions that the product may be exposed to. Dissolution testing was undertaken using USP Apparatus 3, which allowed for a more realistic assessment and prediction of in vivo drug release rates. Samples were analysed using a high performance liquid chromatographic method that was developed and validated for the determination of CBZ. Tablets were manufactured by wet granulation and direct compression techniques, and the resultant drug release profiles were evaluated statistically by means of the f1 and f2 difference and similarity factors. The f2 factor was incorporated as an assessment criterion in the design of an artificial neural network that was used to predict drug release profiles and formulation composition. A direct compression tablet formulation was successfully adapted from a prototype wet granulation matrix formulation and a number of formulation variables were assessed to establish their effect(s) on the dissolution rate profile of CBZ that resulted from testing of the dosage forms. The particle size grade of CBZ was also investigated and it was ascertained that fine particle size grade CBZ showed improved drug release profiles when compared to the coarse grade CBZ which was desirable, since CBZ is a highly water insoluble compound. Furthermore, the impact of the viscosity grade and proportion of rate-controlling polymer, viz., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was also investigated for its effect on drug release rates. The lower viscosity grade was found to be more appropriate for use with CBZ. The type of anti-frictional agent used in the formulations did not appear to affect drug release from the polymeric matrix tablets, however specific compounds may have an effect on the physical characteristics of the polymeric tablets. The resultant formulations did not display zero-order drug release kinetics and a first-order mathematical model was developed to provide an additional resource for athematical analysis of dissolution profiles. An artificial neural network was designed, developed and applied to predict dissolution rate profiles for formulation. Furthermore, the network was used to predict formulation compositions that would produce drug release profiles comparable to the reference product, Tegretol® CR. The formulation composition predicted by the network to match the dissolution profile of the innovator product was manufactured and tested in vitro. The formulation was further manipulated, empirically, so as to match the in vitro dissolution rate profile of Tegretol® CR, more completely. The test tablets that were produced were tested in two health male volunteers using Tegretol® CR 400mg as the reference product. The batch used for this “proof of concept” biostudy was produced in accordance with cGMP guidelines and the protocol in accordance with ICH guidelines. The test matrix tablets revealed in vivo bioavailability profiles for CBZ, however, bioequivalence between the test and reference product could not be established. It can be concluded that the polymeric matrix CBZ tablets have the potential to be used as a twice-daily dosage form for the treatment of relevant seizure disorders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Patel, Fathima
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Carbamazepine Pharmacokinetics Drugs -- Controlled release Drugs -- Dosage forms Tablets (Medicine) Drugs -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3784 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003262
- Description: Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-line drug used for the treatment of partial and tonic-clonic seizures. It is also the drug of choice for use during pregnancy and recommended for the treatment of seizure disorders in children. CBZ possesses the ability to induce metabolism of drugs that are transformed in the liver and has the unique ability to induce its own metabolism by a phenomenon known as ‘auto- induction’, where its biological half-life is significantly reduced during chronic administration. Large doses of CBZ are often prescribed as daily divided doses and this often adversely affects patient compliance, with the result that therapy is ineffective. A sustained-release dosage form containing CBZ is currently marketed as Tegretol® CR and the development of a generic product would provide patients with an equivalent product with a similar dosing frequency, at a reduced cost. Therefore, the development of a polymer-based matrix tablet was undertaken to produce a sustained-release dosage form of CBZ, since these dosage forms are relatively simple and cheap to produce when compared to other, more sophisticated forms of sustained-release technology. Preformulation studies were conducted to assess moisture content of excipients and dosage forms and to identify possible incompatibilities between CBZ and potential formulation excipients. Furthermore, studies were conducted to assess the potential for polymorphic transitions to occur during manufacture. Stability testing was conducted to assess the behaviour of the dosage forms under storage conditions that the product may be exposed to. Dissolution testing was undertaken using USP Apparatus 3, which allowed for a more realistic assessment and prediction of in vivo drug release rates. Samples were analysed using a high performance liquid chromatographic method that was developed and validated for the determination of CBZ. Tablets were manufactured by wet granulation and direct compression techniques, and the resultant drug release profiles were evaluated statistically by means of the f1 and f2 difference and similarity factors. The f2 factor was incorporated as an assessment criterion in the design of an artificial neural network that was used to predict drug release profiles and formulation composition. A direct compression tablet formulation was successfully adapted from a prototype wet granulation matrix formulation and a number of formulation variables were assessed to establish their effect(s) on the dissolution rate profile of CBZ that resulted from testing of the dosage forms. The particle size grade of CBZ was also investigated and it was ascertained that fine particle size grade CBZ showed improved drug release profiles when compared to the coarse grade CBZ which was desirable, since CBZ is a highly water insoluble compound. Furthermore, the impact of the viscosity grade and proportion of rate-controlling polymer, viz., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was also investigated for its effect on drug release rates. The lower viscosity grade was found to be more appropriate for use with CBZ. The type of anti-frictional agent used in the formulations did not appear to affect drug release from the polymeric matrix tablets, however specific compounds may have an effect on the physical characteristics of the polymeric tablets. The resultant formulations did not display zero-order drug release kinetics and a first-order mathematical model was developed to provide an additional resource for athematical analysis of dissolution profiles. An artificial neural network was designed, developed and applied to predict dissolution rate profiles for formulation. Furthermore, the network was used to predict formulation compositions that would produce drug release profiles comparable to the reference product, Tegretol® CR. The formulation composition predicted by the network to match the dissolution profile of the innovator product was manufactured and tested in vitro. The formulation was further manipulated, empirically, so as to match the in vitro dissolution rate profile of Tegretol® CR, more completely. The test tablets that were produced were tested in two health male volunteers using Tegretol® CR 400mg as the reference product. The batch used for this “proof of concept” biostudy was produced in accordance with cGMP guidelines and the protocol in accordance with ICH guidelines. The test matrix tablets revealed in vivo bioavailability profiles for CBZ, however, bioequivalence between the test and reference product could not be established. It can be concluded that the polymeric matrix CBZ tablets have the potential to be used as a twice-daily dosage form for the treatment of relevant seizure disorders.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006