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A regulationist approach to South Africa and a critique of inflation targeting

  • Authors: Bax, Ryan Michael Jonathan
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Inflation (Finance) -- South Africa International finance Economic development -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Inflation targeting -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:1036 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004533
  • Description: Since the 1970s, the international economic system has become prone to the volatility and undue effects associated with booms and busts. This forty year period spanning the present has exhibited restrained growth and repressive economic development. Critical changes to the system are presented by the transition from "Fordism" to the post 1970s neoliberal regime and the globalization of world markets. Underpinning this transformation is an ideological shift towards free market capitalism and the adoption of "reduced form" market models. These "reduced form" models appear to hinder economic sustainability as their grounding in economics fails to account for real economic activity. This thesis aims to provide a more holistic perception of sustainability, one that provides a sound basis on which to develop sustainable economic policy. The Regulationist Approach presents the requisite understanding of economic sustainability required within this research. The inclusion of economic, historical and socio-political fields of research proposes a wider understanding of the political economy and sustainability. The application of the Regulation Approach to the South African economy illustrates many problem areas that require attention. The examination found that firstly, aggregate demand in the South African economy was unsustainable due to the debt driven nature of demand under the asset price bubble of the mid to late 2000s. Secondly, aggregate supply also proved unsustainable as government is failing to provide any substantive growth within important sectors of the economy such as education and the provision of general services. Furthermore, the adoption of inflation targeting in South Africa poses a barrier to sustained economic growth as it focuses singularly on price inflation. The "reduced form" model of inflation targeting fails to account for market failures and a number of vital indicators of sustainability most notably, debt levels and asset prices. The inclusion of these indicators, and financial stability more generally, are found to provide a more holistic and sustainable approach to macroeconomic policymaking.
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  • Date Issued: 2011

A research tool for analysing and monitoring the Extent to which Environmental issues are integrated into teachers’ lessons

  • Authors: Nsubuga, Yvonne
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/386447 , vital:68142 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/122246"
  • Description: South Africa enjoys strong policy support for the integration of environmental issues into school curricula. However, much doubt exists over the extent to which this has been converted into appropriate classroom practice at the majority of under-resourced rural schools in the country. This article reports on a study which piloted a research tool which can be used to analyse teachers’ lessons, with the aim of gaining insight into the extent to which they integrate natural resource management issues. The research tool was based on Bernstein’s concept of classification and consisted of five indicators of natural resource management integration into Life Sciences lessons. The study contributes to the design of research tools that can be used to analyse and monitor the integration of environmental issues into teachers’ lessons. It also provides some insight into the environmental content of a sample of Grade 10 Life Sciences lessons at four rural underresourced schools in the Eastern Cape.
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  • Date Issued: 2011

A review of the performance of Botswana citizen building contractors

  • Authors: Muche, Freeman Hansungule
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Contractors , Building -- Botswana , Construction industry -- Botswana
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:9685 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1336 , Contractors , Building -- Botswana , Construction industry -- Botswana
  • Description: Botswana was left underdeveloped in 1966 when it gained its independence from Great Britain. However, with the discovery of diamonds in the late 1970s, the economy of the country changed and two decades later the construction industry had experienced phenomenal growth. A growth propelled by the dominance of foreign contractors and the few citizen contractors available at the time resulted in a competitive environment in the industry. However, citizen contractors were unable to compete on the same level with their foreign counterparts, which was attributable to various factors such as a lack of resources and of business and technical experience. Being a major player in the construction industry, and realising the need to equip and encourage its own base of citizen contractors to actively participate in construction activities, the government of Botswana adopted new measures and policies that were meant to address the imbalances in the construction industry much to the advantage of citizen contractors. The rationale behind this study is to investigate the performance of citizen building contractors following the introduction of preferential procurement policies by the government of Botswana. This research study adopted the descriptive and analytical survey method which entailed the use of questionnaires and a review of the related literature for gathering relevant data. The sample strata included building contractors, consultants, and clients in the Botswana construction industry in Gaborone, Francistown, Selebi-phikwe, Maun, Serowe, and Lobatse. The empirical findings revealed that there is indeed a need to review some of the government assistance programs for citizen contractors in order to avoid the abuse of government resources and to further increase the citizen contractor’s knowledge base, skills, resources and capacity through mentorship and workshops. vi It is therefore incumbent upon government to protect those beneficiaries who genuinely require such assistance by critical assessment of the ineffective policies for the benefit of the whole industry
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  • Date Issued: 2011

A Search for Conjunctions at a Time of Direction-setting Review and Synthesis

  • Authors: O'Donoghue, Rob
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/387134 , vital:68209 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/122240"
  • Description: This journal reflects a diversity of environment and sustainability education research and viewpoints alongside two synthesis papers. Read as a whole and within a widely held ideal that diversity reflects resilience, the environment and education for sustainable development landscape in Africa might be said to be healthy and proliferating. But read against the pressure to produce tangible evidence of change on an African landscape of persistent climate variation and poverty, along with a widening gap between rich and poor, the picture remains challenging. These contrasting readings are notable at a time when we are looking towards the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Triennial in February, 2012, the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June 2012 and our own EEASA +30 conference in September 2012. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is characterised by a proliferation of education imperatives. These emerged as modern education in response to the issues of the day and now a modernity in deepening crisis.
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A self-reflection of my interactions, communication and relationship structures in the classroom

  • Authors: Rensburg, Cheryl Dawn
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Interaction analysis in education , Teacher-student relationships , Classroom environment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:9560 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012587 , Interaction analysis in education , Teacher-student relationships , Classroom environment
  • Description: Good communication and maintaining effective relationships within a school community are essential for achieving high academic standards. The aim of effective communication between teachers and learners is to elicit and ensure behaviour that will enhance the learning process. It is therefore important that teachers relate to learners in a sensitive manner when they communicate their knowledge (Bingham and Sidorkin 2004, 5). Sotto (2007, 96) further contends that teachers‟ communication styles reveal their core attitude towards learning and that the success of their teaching will be partially determined by how effectively they communicate. Many schools are experiencing disciplinary problems, low teacher and learner expectations, a breakdown of the social order, and a high incidence of academic failure. Bingham and Sidorkin (2004, 5) explain the above-mentioned problems as symptoms of a breakdown in communication between educators and learners. Once relationships in a school have been jeopardised, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve high academic standards. It is therefore essential that educators create meaningful interactions in an environment in which all individuals can develop to their full potential. The National Education Policy Act No. 27 of 1996 (Education Labour Relations Council 2003, A- 4) advocates the enhancement of quality education and innovation through systematic research and development. The principles contained therein are directed towards enabling the education system to contribute to the full development of each learner, respecting each learner‟s right to freedom of thought, opinion and expression within a culture of respect for teaching and learning. The establishment and strengthening of relationships in a school will contribute to improved academic achievement.
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A series of systematic case studies on the treatment of rape-related PTSD in the South African context implications for practice and policy

  • Authors: Padmanabhanunni, Anita
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- South Africa -- Treatment Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients Case studies Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa Psychic trauma -- Treatment Rape victims -- Counseling of Case studies Cognitive therapy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:3035 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002544
  • Description: In 2009, South African police statistics revealed that more than 68 332 women were raped in the country. The evidence from independent researchers has shown that SAPS statistics are highly susceptible to under-reporting and the actual figure is more than double this amount. One pervasive feature of the phenomenology of rape is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a highly debilitating condition with severe individual and societal costs. The condition takes a critical toll on occupational functioning, schooling and personal relationships and is associated with depression, suicide risk, self-harming behaviours and alcohol-abuse problems. The Ehlers and Clark (2000) cognitive model represents the most efficacious treatment for PTSD but the approach is severely under-utilised by South African practitioners working with sexual trauma. The reasons for such under-utilisation relate to a lack of exposure and training surrounding the model and concerns about the transportability of the treatment to a multi-cultural context. One method of addressing these barriers to treatment delivery is through systematic case-based research. Systematic case-based research offers a complementary means of refining theory and developing evidence-based practice in the context of a developing country. The method offers an intensive analysis and description of the particular phenomena under study within its real-life context. It allows the researcher to intensively examine and identify the specific aspects of the therapist’s responses and client’s reactions that contributed to significant change. Unlike efficacy studies, generalisability in case-study research is based on replication on a case-by-case basis and the creation of case law. This research study uses a systematic-case study approach to investigate the applicability of the Ehlers and Clark (2000) model in the treatment of rape-related PTSD in South Africa. The study aims to demonstrate the transportability of the model and develop a needed evidence base for service providers in the country. Seven women participated in the project and lent their treatment process to the research. The participants varied in terms of age, race, culture, socio-economic status and the nature of their sexual trauma. Through synoptic thematic analysis of their therapy process specific client-related personal aspects, client-related contextual factors and state-level factors were found to impede treatment delivery and implementation. The implications of these aspects for clinical practice and social policy are comprehensively discussed.
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  • Date Issued: 2011

A short composition portfolio

A South African response to ethics in legal education

  • Authors: Kruuse, Helen
  • Date: 2011
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54174 , vital:26399 , https://www.routledge.com/The-Ethics-Project-in-Legal-Education/Robertson-Corbin-Tranter-Bartlett/p/book/9780415546515
  • Description: The contributions in this volume suggest that "the ethics project in legal education" is increasingly an international one. Even though the strength of commitment by both the profession and the legal academy to "ethics learning" within law schools varies, two fundamental questions confront all who work in this area. First, what is it that we want our students to learn (or, perhaps, in what manner do we want our students to develop) from the teaching of "legal ethics"? Second, how can we create a learning environment that will encourage the nature and quality of learning we think is important?.
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A status assessment of mangrove forests in South Africa and the utilization of mangroves at Mngazana Estuary

  • Authors: Rajkaran, Anusha
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Mangrove forests -- Management , Forests and forestry -- Harvesting , Mangrove forests -- South Africa -- Mngazana Estuary , Mangrove ecology -- South Africa -- Mngazana Estuary , Mangrove conservation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
  • Identifier: vital:10604 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1547 , Mangrove forests -- Management , Forests and forestry -- Harvesting , Mangrove forests -- South Africa -- Mngazana Estuary , Mangrove ecology -- South Africa -- Mngazana Estuary , Mangrove conservation
  • Description: In South Africa mangrove forests are located in estuaries from Kosi Bay in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to Nahoon Estuary in the Eastern Cape. The aims of this study were to determine the present state of mangroves in KwaZulu-Natal, by assessing the current population structure, the changes in cover over time and associated anthropogenic pressures. A second objective of this study was to determine the effect of harvesting on the population structure and sediment characteristics in the Mngazana mangrove forest. To determine if harvesting was sustainable at Mngazana Estuary; the growth and mortality rates and associated growth conditions were measured. Finally by using population modelling sustainable harvesting limits were determined by predicting the change in population structure over time. The study focussed on the KwaZulu-Natal province as a fairly recent study addressed mangrove distribution and status in the Eastern Cape Province. A historical assessment of all mangroves forests in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) revealed that the potential threats to mangroves in South Africa include; wood harvesting, altered water flow patterns coupled with salinity changes, prolonged closed-mouth conditions and subsequent changes to the intertidal habitat. As a result mangroves were completely lost from eleven estuaries in KZN between 1982 and 1999 and a further two estuaries by 2006. Mangroves only occurred in those estuaries where the mouth was open for more than 56 percent of the time with the exception of St Lucia, where the mouth has been closed for longer but the mangrove communities have persisted because the roots of the trees were not submerged. All mangrove forests in KZN were regenerating in terms of population structure as they had reverse J-shaped population curves as well as high adult: seedling ratios. Kosi Bay and Mhlathuze Estuary were two of the larger forests that showed signs of harvesting (presence of tree or branch stumps), but the greatest threat to smaller estuaries seems to be altered water flow patterns due to freshwater abstraction in the catchments and the change of land use from natural vegetation to sugar-cane plantations. These threats affect the hydrology of estuaries and the sediment characteristics (particle size, redox, pH, salinity, temperature) of the mangrove forests. The environmental conditions under which the mangrove forests currently exist were determined for five species. Lumnitzera racemosa and Ceriops tagal exhibited a narrow range of conditions as these species are only found at Kosi Bay, while Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora mucronata were found to exist under a wider range of conditions. The growth rate and response to environmental conditions of the three dominant species were important to determine as these species are impacted by harvesting. Mangrove growth rates were measured at Mngazana Estuary in the Eastern Cape, the third largest mangrove forest in South Africa. Areas of this estuary where mangroves harvesting has occurred, show significant differences in sediment characteristics as well as changes in population structure in harvested compared to non harvested sites. The growth rate (in terms of height) of Avicennia marina individuals increased from seedlings (0.31 cm month-1) to adults (1.2 cm month-1), while the growth of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza stabilised from a height of 150 cm at 0.65 cm month-1. The growth of Rhizophora mucronata peaked at 0.72 cm month-1 (height 151-250 cm) and then decreased to 0.4 cm month-1 for taller individuals. Increases in diameter at breast height (DBH) ranged between 0.7 and 2.3 mm month-1 for all species. Some environmental variables were found to be important drivers of growth and mortality of individuals less then 150 cm. A decrease in sediment pH significantly increased the mortality of Avicennia marina seedlings (0-50 cm) (r = - 0.71, p<0.05) and significantly decreased the growth of Rhizophora mucronata and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza seedlings (r = -0.8, r = 0.52 – p < 0.05 respectively). At Mngazana Estuary, mortality of this species showed a positive correlation with sediment moisture content indicating that this species prefers drier conditions. The density of Rhizophora mucronata was significantly correlated to porewater temperature in Northern KZN as was the growth of adult (>300 cm) Rhizophora trees at Mngazana Estuary. Mortality of Avicennia marina individuals (51-150 cm) was related to tree density indicating intraspecific competition and self thinning. Selective harvesting of particular size classes of Rhizophora mucronata was recorded when comparing length of harvested poles (~301 cm) and the size class distribution of individuals. Taking into account the differences in growth rate for each size class for this species it will take approximately 13 years to attain a height of 390 cm which is the height at which trees are selected for harvesting at this estuary. This is 2.6 times slower than those individuals growing in Kenya. The feasibility of harvesting is dependent on the growth rate of younger size classes to replace harvested trees as well as the rate of natural recruitment feeding into the population. Different harvesting intensity scenarios tested within a matrix model framework showed that limits should be set at 5 percent trees ha-1 year-1 to maintain seedling density at > 5 000 ha-1 for R. mucronata. However harvesting of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza should be stopped due to the low density of this species at Mngazana Estuary. Harvesting of the tallest trees of Avicennia marina can be maintained at levels less than 10 percent ha-1 year-1. Effective management of mangrove forests in South African is important to maintain the current state, function and diversity of these ecosystems. Management recommendations should begin with determining the freshwater requirements of the estuaries to maintain the mouth dynamics and biotic communities and deter the harvesting of (whole) adult trees particularly those species that do not coppice. Further management is needed to ensure that forests are cleared of pollutants (plastic and industrial), and any further developments near the mangroves should be minimized.
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A strange counterpoint : classical music performance and identities in Grahamstown, South Africa

  • Authors: Marais, Terence Wilmot Eugene
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Music -- Western influences Music -- Performance -- Psychological aspects Music appreciation -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Music -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
  • Identifier: vital:2677 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007491
  • Description: This study investigates the perceptions of South African practitioners of Western European Art Music (WEAM), specifically as they relate to the value of WEAM in contemporary South African society. In exploring some of the connections between musical identity and national identity, it sets out to discover what value WEAM holds for a certain group of student pianists. Qualitative empirical data was collected in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and questionnaire responses, and the findings point to numerous, nuanced expressions of self and varied intersections of the nation with musical identity in the life of the individual. Further, WEAM appears to represent a crucial point of identification for these individuals, in each case generating positive affirmations of the self.
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A study of a class of invariant optimal control problems on the Euclidean group SE(2)

  • Authors: Adams, Ross Montague
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Matrix groups Lie groups Extremal problems (Mathematics) Maximum principles (Mathematics) Hamilton-Jacobi equations Lyapunov stability
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5420 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006060
  • Description: The aim of this thesis is to study a class of left-invariant optimal control problems on the matrix Lie group SE(2). We classify, under detached feedback equivalence, all controllable (left-invariant) control affine systems on SE(2). This result produces six types of control affine systems on SE(2). Hence, we study six associated left-invariant optimal control problems on SE(2). A left-invariant optimal control problem consists of minimizing a cost functional over the trajectory-control pairs of a left-invariant control system subject to appropriate boundary conditions. Each control problem is lifted from SE(2) to T*SE(2) ≅ SE(2) x se (2)*and then reduced to a problem on se (2)*. The maximum principle is used to obtain the optimal control and Hamiltonian corresponding to the normal extremals. Then we derive the (reduced) extremal equations on se (2)*. These equations are explicitly integrated by trigonometric and Jacobi elliptic functions. Finally, we fully classify, under Lyapunov stability, the equilibrium states of the normal extremal equations for each of the six types under consideration.
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A study of mathematics instructional practices in foundation phase grade three classrooms in East London

  • Authors: Williams, Beverley Diana
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Mathematics--Study and teaching (Primary) http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85082164 , Mathematics--Study and teaching (Elementary) http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85082163
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/19585 , vital:43146
  • Description: This study describes the instructional practices of grade three teachers in their attempt to facilitate mathematical learning. The teachers’ practices are described in relation to the requirements of the revised National Curriculum Statement. In order to demarcate the field of investigation, the researcher provides an overview of the historical background of the study and draws attention to the knowledge interest of the investigation. The problem, the research questions, the assumptions of the study, the significance of the study, the rationale and the delimitation of the study are all set out in this chapter. A list of the major terms used in the study is also given. In concluding the chapter and outline of the issues discussed in each of the five chapters is given. , Thesis (MEd) -- University of Fort Hare, 2011
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A study of rural self-help groups in the context of government-assisted community development: the case of Peddie, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

  • Authors: Pakade-Yokwana, Nozuko zandiswa Gloria
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Community development http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85029215 , Rural development http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85115899
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/19616 , vital:43152
  • Description: This study was conducted against the backdrop of growing scholarly interest in the epistemic divide between formal, institutionalised knowledge, which guide government interventions in rural community development, and local knowledge, upon which rural communities construct their social existence. The study sought to understand why, despite their resilience and cultural embeddedness in South Africa's rural communities, indigenous self-help groups (SHGs) - as a particular form of indigenous rationality - remained on the periphery of contemporary community development interventions. The study was conducted in the communities of Dabhana, Feni and Mgwanlana in Peddie (Ngqushwa Local Municipality), Eastern Cape. Three SHG variants were eselected: a funeral group (Masingcwabane), an HIV and AIDS support groups, and a financial mutual (mgalelo) – all in the context of government-assisted community development. Empirical data was collected using a mini-survey, focus group discussion, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews. The findings revealed that SHGs were a collective model of indigenous knowledge and social interaction, driven by the belief that through 'sharing', 'reciprocity' and 'collectivism', what would ordinarily be a heavy burden for individuals became 'lighter'. Furthermore, while the institutional framework for community development mandated collaboration between government and SHGs, this framework created a stiff, bureaucratic canvass that alienated SHGs and stifled their operations. The study also found that partnership between the government and SHGs was characterised by fear and distrust on the part of government, and reluctance on the part of SHGs. Government's distrust was premised on the "informality" and "traditionality" of SHGs, and the fear that any investment in SHGs would go to waste. On the other hand, SHGs' reluctance to make themselves amenable to partnership with government seemed like a reaction to a "faulty, culturally insensitive" institutional framework which "delegitimised" grassroots development impulses. The study concluded that there existed in the rural community development arena an epistemic, ideational and practical chasm between government-driven development praxis and age-old indigenous initiatives, and that while the weaknesses of each knowledge domain were accentuated through this divide, development would continue to elude the grassroots communities unless the two knowledge domains interacted with, and leveraged, each other. , Thesis (PhD) (Sociology) -- University of Fort Hare, 2018
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A study of the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers at secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District

  • Authors: Mohammed, Issah
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Workplace management -- Teachers -- Education (Secondary)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Ed
  • Identifier: vital:18463 , http://hdl.handle.net/11260/d1008259
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers at secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District with reference to national and international teachers. The literature reflects issues and theories concerning the implementation and management of workforce diversity in secondary schools. The study also shows the benefits of managing teacher diversity and the challenges in the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers in secondary schools. The population of the study comprised of all teachers in the fifty- six public secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District and the sample comprised of five principals, five deputy principals, five heads of departments and five international teachers on whom the case study was base to examine their views about the awareness, implementation and management of teacher diversity in the education system. This sample was drawn from five public senior secondary schools. The selection of the sample was done through the use of a purposive sampling technique. The sampling technique was used because it is not all public secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District where international teachers are found. This, therefore, allowed the researcher to select only those secondary schools at which international teachers were found. The researcher developed an open- ended interview schedule for the face-to-face in-depth interviews on the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers at secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District. Themes were drawn from the responses of the participants and analysed. The findings revealed that Principals, deputy principals, school management teams and teachers at all levels lacked the skills and knowledge in designing, implementing and managing teacher diversity policies in secondary schools. The findings revealed that local teachers were resistant and took a xenophobic stance towards the employment and promotions of International teachers in secondary schools. Lastly, Affirmative Action and Employment Equity Acts favour the local teachers and discriminate against the international teachers. Recommendations are made concerning the lack of awareness, skills and knowledge in designing and implementation of teacher diversity policies in secondary schools. Recommendations are also made concerning the Affirmative Action and Employment Equity Acts that influence the non recruitment and selection of international teachers.
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A study on the cultural adjustment of the domestic partners of German expatriates in the Nelson Mandela Bay automotive industry

  • Authors: Gouws, Stephanie
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:16134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1540 , International business enterprises -- Management , International business enterprises -- Personnel management , International business enterprises -- Management -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- Management -- Social aspects , Employment in foreign countries , Intercultural communication , Corporations, Foreign
  • Description: This study explores the cultural adjustment of the domestic partners of German expatriates working in the Nelson Mandela Bay automotive industry of South Africa. The data was collected by distributing pre-interview questionnaires to the participants and conducting in-depth interviews with them. Grounded theory was used in the data collection and analysis and an auto-ethnographic approach was employed, allowing for reflexivity. The findings suggest that the expatriated domestic partners did not necessarily experience much difficulty in adjusting to South African culture as they did, for example, adjusting to not being able to work for the duration of their stay. The research has also shown that the unmarried domestic partners of expatriate employees are at a disadvantage compared to their married counterparts; receiving less assistance from the companies of their partners. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that companies refine and streamline the assistance they offer to the domestic partners of their expatriate employees, providing all domestic partners with the same pre-departure training and entitling them to the same benefits.
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A theoretical study on the Alexander technique for the organ

  • Authors: Boonzaaier, Devandre
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Musicians -- Health and hygiene , Alexander technique , Organ (Musical instrument) -- Instruction and study , Organists -- Training of -- South Africa , Music -- Performance -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:8520 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015727
  • Description: The aim of this research is to provide a theoretical framework of the Alexander Technique for organists. Frederick Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor who developed a technique to enable and enhance his own performance. This innovative technique is now used across the world, including South Africa. In this study the researcher provides a Literature Study of the Alexander Technique. Furthermore, he investigates and reports on the practises of a number of organists. A multiple case study approach was adapted and data was collected by means of questionnaires, personal observations and informal interviews. The data gathered in this study is described and analysed. The study culminates with a description of a theoretical framework for the application of the Alexander Technique for organists.
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A white man in exile

  • Authors: Krueger, Anton
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/229459 , vital:49677 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10137548.2011.636974"
  • Description: This article explores intersections between understandings of masculinity and nationalism. Etymologically, ‘patriotism’ refers to a love for a fatherland and a patriarchal order; it includes notions of loyalty, honour and a range of qualities often associated with conceptions of masculinity. But if gender remains fixed to these normative constructions, what happens to one’s sense of masculine identity when the national state changes? My interest lies in exploring how white South African men have been repositioned in terms of a shift in their gendered identification, with a reflection on the possibly tragic consequences of maintaining an overly rigid gender role identification. As long as masculinity is embedded within nationalism, it will be caught up within a defensive reactive mode which can turn self-destructive. In order to explore these ideas the article employs as its central metaphor the character of Dawid Olivier, who is the protagonist of Athol Fugard’s Sorrows and Rejoicings (2002).
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A “place in which to cry”: the place for race and a home for shame in Zoë Wicomb's Playing in the Light

  • Authors: Dass, Minesh
  • Date: 2011
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142588 , vital:38093 , DOI: 10.1080/1013929X.2011.602910
  • Description: In Zoë Wicomb's Playing in the Light, the main character's troubled sense of identity (brought about by her parents' shameful decision to ‘play white’) is viscerally symbolised by her discomfort in her own and others' homes. In her Cape Town apartment she has nightmares about other houses. Her visits to her family home, where her elderly father lives alone, are similarly burdened by presences and memories she finds unwelcoming. And, her extended vacation to the UK, once she has discovered her family's secret, is a choice of “a place in which to cry” (Wicomb 2006: 191).
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Abortion as disruption: discourses surrounding abortion in the talk of men

  • Authors: Hansjee, Jateen
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Abortion -- Psychological aspects Abortion -- Social aspects Men -- South Africa -- Language Men -- South Africa -- Attitudes Health attitudes -- South Africa Discourse analysis -- Psychological aspects Discourse analysis -- Social aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002493
  • Description: This research examines men’s talk around abortion using critical discourse analysis. Current literature indicates a dearth of studies addressing the topic of men and abortion in various domains. An understanding of men’s relationship to abortion, however, is crucial to understanding abortion as a social phenomenon. This study utilises the work of Foucault around discourse and power, as well as Butler’s work on gender to create a theoretical framework to approach data. Data were collected in the form of interview groups made up of men, as well as newspaper articles and on-line forum discussions that featured men as the author. What emerged from theses texts was a ‘Familial Discourse’ which posits the nuclear, heterosexual family as a long term relationship between a mother and father, which forms the ideal site to raise children. Discourses that support the family are a discourse of ‘Equal Partnership’ which establishes the man and the woman as being in a heterosexual relationship where each partner is seen to have equal power, and a discourse of ‘Foetal Personhood’ which constructs the foetus as a child in need of a family. Related to the heterosexual matrix, the formation of a family unit comes to be constructed as ‘natural’. Abortion acts as a disruptor to these discourses. By disrupting the formation of the family unit, abortion negatively affects the individuals involved. A relationship where a formation of a family unit was disrupted cannot survive. If the female partner has an abortion without her partner, it is seen as disrupting the equal partnership between the man and the woman. Men in this case see themselves as ‘powerless’ compared to women. From this point a ‘New Man’ discourse emerges, where men position themselves as loving and responsible in the context of a nuclear, heterosexual family unit. Abortion disrupts ‘Foetal Personhood’ and is constructed as murder. In the case of rape the ‘Familial Discourse’ can be invoked either to justify abortion or resist abortion, based on whether or not a family unit can be formed. These discourses reproduce patriarchy.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2011

Above ground woody community attributes, biomass and carbon stocks along a rainfall gradient in the savannas of the central lowveld, South Africa

  • Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Scholes, Robert J
  • Date: 2011
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007079
  • Description: Enumeration of carbon stocks at benchmark sites is a necessary activity in assessing the potential carbon sequestration and possible generation of credits through restoration of intensively impacted sites. However, there is a lack of empirical studies throughout much of the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. We report an estimation of species specific and site biomass and carbon stocks, and general vegetation structural attributes from three protected areas along a rainfall gradient in the central lowveld, South Africa. Estimates of biomass and carbon stocks were effected through destructive sampling to establish locally derived allometric equations. There was a gradient of increasing woody density, height of the canopy, number of species, density of regenerative stems and a greater proportion of stems in small size classes from the arid locality to the mesic locality, with the semi-arid locality being intermediate. The proportion of spinescent species decreased with increasing rainfall. The mesic locality was significantly more woody than either the arid or semi-arid sites, having double the biomass, four times the density and 40% higher basal area. Above ground carbon pools were also higher; carbon stocks were approximately 9 t/ha for the arid and semi-arid sites and 18 t/ha for the mesic site.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2011
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