bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HIV/AIDS Perceptions, attitudes and awareness of undergraduate students
Authors: Van Wyk Christo
Published: June 2016

The central question to be examined revolves around the perceptions, attitudes and awareness regarding HIV/AIDS among undergraduate students at the North-West University (Vaal Triangle Campus). Therefore, the objective of this research was to assess these perceptions, attitudes and awareness regarding HIV/AIDS. A convenience sample of undergraduate students was used in a cross-sectional design (N = 290). A semi-standardised questionnaire as well as a biographical questionnaire was administered. The semi-standardised questionnaire was proven to be reliable. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of between 0.65 and 0.71 was obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results indicated that students experienced and perceived differences with regards to their biographical variables in terms of their perceptions, attitudes and awareness regarding HIV/AIDS. Differences were also found between students in different study modules and study years. The findings revealed that the majority of the students were quite knowledgeable regarding HIV/AIDS. While some students had detailed knowledge of the disease and its prevention, others (the minority) were either completely ignorant about it or deny its existence. Recommendations were made for future research in the area of HIV/AIDS within the context of tertiary education.
Humanism and nature – some reflections on a complex relationship
Authors: Rüsen Jörn
Published: June 2016

The paper starts with a systematical analysis of the interrelationship of humanism and nature. It proceeds to a historical reconstruction of this relationship in the development of Western humanism from ancient Rome via Renaissance till the Enlightenment of the 18th century. In both respects the result of the analysis is the same: The Western tradition of humanism is characterised by a gap between an emphasis on the cultural quality of human life on the one hand and nature on the other one. Men are entitled to dominate and govern nature and use it for their purpose. This fits into an idea of a progressing destructive relationship between man and nature in the West. On the other the tradition of humanism has put the gap between man and nature into a harmonising cosmological or theological context. In this context a simple destructive relationship between man and nature is not possible. The humanism of today has to pick up the challenge of the ecological crisis and to refer to its tradition where man and nature are mediated into a meaningful and sense-bearing interrelationship. Instead of simply referring to the traditional cosmology a convincing idea of this mediation or even synthesis can only be made plausible by referring to the already pre-given synthesis between nature and culture, the human body.
Man and nature in the Confucian tradition: some reflections in the twenty-first century
Authors: Huang Chun-Chieh
Published: June 2016

Amidst the trend of globalisation, this paper is focused squarely on the most fundamental and urgent problem for the twenty-first century: the relationship between man and nature. It explores this question by analyzing traditional Chinese Confucian thinking regarding the relationship between man and nature in the hope of utilizing this traditional wisdom to show in what ways traditional Chinese culture offers new insights into this and related twenty-first-century issues.
Water and the human culture of appropriation: the Vaal River up to 1956
Authors: Tempelhoff Johann W.N.
Published: June 2016

There is discernable evidence of the human presence having historically appropriated the 1300 kilometer long Vaal River of South Africa as it extends itself from the Drakensberg Plateau into the arid Karoo region. This hard-working tributary of the Orange River, which was instrumental as a supply of water to the Witwatersrand, in the era of the region’s gold mines, has been used by humans in a variety of ways. First it was used as a route of communications, then as a borderline demarcating the territorial spaces of states and colonies. Later it was used for purposes of economic development. In the study the objective is to point towards the manner in which humans have influenced the river and its hinterland, particularly from the nineteenth century, up to the 1950s. The process of appropriation, it is argued, has had a different effect when humans laid claim to the river and its environment for social, economic and political purposes.
Would it be inconvenient to ask: ‘What if ... ’?
Authors: Tempelhoff Johann
Published: June 2016

No abstract available.
Dignity and work: global market and self-sustenance
Authors: Venter J.J.
Published: June 2016

It is argued here that market fundamentalistic theories ignore the issue of human agency in work, and the different types of work, because – focussing on the market mechanism, supply, demand, and price - they have lost track of that which economic activities (work) are intended for, namely self-sustenance. They have also minimised human agency in the economic theory, and therefore the understanding of being-human is lost from both economic theory and practice. Thus they cannot explicate the role of work for the individual and the community – namely care for self and others – the significance quality work as part of human dignity is forgotten. I am arguing for a restoring of meaningful self-sustenance as the norm for work, and the recognition of the dignifying role of such self-sustenance – both for the community and the individual.
How to make sense of the past – salient issues of Metahistory
Authors: Rusen Jorn
Published: June 2016

This aerticle provides an overview of current issues in metahistoty. Basic categories of historical thinking, such as memory and historical culture, or historical consciousness, are outlined and contextualised in the field of historical studies. The leading question adresses the process of historical sense generation and its fundamental principles and criteria. In respnse to the traumatic historical experiences of crimes against humanitiy in the 20th century two culturally established procedures of sense generation are applied to historical thinking: mourning and forgiving. The author tries to widen the horizon of historical thinking into the dimension of intercultural communication. In the process he responds to the challenge of globilization. There is an accent on the need to pursue new approaches in history.
‘When we are tired we shall rest’: bus boycotts in the United States of America and South Africa and prospects for comparative history
Authors: Catsam Derek Charles
Published: June 2016

This article looks at some of the practical, methodological, and disciplinary issues connected to comparative and transnational history through the lens of bus boycotts in South Africa and the United States in the 1950s. Comparative history by its very nature requires historians to transcend both the restrictive boundaries that the profession sometimes imposes as well as a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach to scholarship. Yet as the suggestive comparisons between boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Transvaal in the mid-1950s show, such work can be rewarding in providing a transnational framework for understanding protest movements that transcend national borders. Catsam argues in the end of his article that “a deeper understanding of both [the American and South African] struggles together may well help us better to grasp the significance of each separately.”
Transdisciplinary research in the cooperation between intercultural philosophy and empirical sciences
Authors: Kimmerle Heinz
Published: June 2016

This article will examine how philosophy and empirical sciences can cooperate in research. It is presupposed that in philosophy and in the empirical sciences different types of discourses are used. This difference causes a large gap between them, which has to be bridged. Intercultural philosophy is understood as a specific approach to philosophy as a whole. It is necessary to make philosophy fit into a world in which exchanges are happening on a global level in many fields. In the dialogues between the philosophies of different cultures, support is needed from certain empirical sciences for the understanding of the philosophy, which is based on the the participation of philosophers in everyday life and everyday language. Therefore, in addition to the the support by empirical sciences, living in a foreign culture, participating in its life, is necessary for intercultural philosophers.
HIV/AIDS awareness among first year pharmacy students and the role of the university
Authors: Bezuidenhout Selente , Summers Rob
Published: June 2016

As HIV/AIDS continues to spread and affect the lives of millions of people, a sense of urgency has developed about the imperative need to stop the epidemic. Education is the key to change knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. There is currently a gap in educationprogrammes targeting youths of ages 18-24 years, for example, those enrolled in tertiary institutions. The aim of the study was therefore to establish the level of HIV/AIDS awareness among undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus)/ Tshwane University of Technology Schools of Pharmacy. A structured questionnaire was administered to pharmacy students on entry to the programme. Although the students of 2003, 2004 and 2005 obtained mean percentage HIV/AIDS awareness scores in the range of 70%-80%, they had inadequate knowledge of some transmission routes, events that occur when HIV invades the body, the “window period” and some symptoms. These knowledge gaps should be addressed by universities by integrating HIV/AIDS policies and education fully into all aspects of their planning, operations andteaching.
Conceptualisation of the consequences of land use decisions on water resources in the central region of South Africa: an agent based modelling perspective
Authors: Woyessa Y. E. , Welderufael W. A. , Kinyua J. D.M.
Published: June 2016

Over the past few decades, numerous researchers have improved measurements of land use change through representation of much more complex processes of land use and its impact on water resources. Understanding the causes of land use change has moved from a simplistic representation of a few driving forces to a much more detailed understanding that involves situation-specific interactions among a large number of factors at different spatial and temporal scales using agent-based models. The agent- based perspective is centred on the general nature and rules of land use decision making by individuals and represents the motivations behind decisions and the external factors that influence decisions about land use. In this paper, an attempt is made to conceptualise the social and biophysical interactions as the driving forces that lead to decisions of land use, and its potential impact on water resource, including factors such as interventions and technologies that influence the decision of land use change in rural agricultural areas. The development of the conceptual model was done through a series of meetings and workshops and by visualising the relationships between the different factors, such as biophysical and socio-economic factors, using a brain mapping technique. The resulting conceptual model illustrates the main domains of the environment, the socioeconomic factors, and captures all the factors and their interaction that lead to decision in land use change. The socio-economic factors and their interaction will be captured by the ABM module while the biophysical factors that have direct impact on runoff and stream flow could be handled by the hydrologic module which will then be integrated into the ABM model. This, however, is a primary effort in the development of an ABM within the Modder River Basin system and needs continues refinement for optimum functionality and simulation of the real world.
Neighbourhood effects and household responses to water supply problems in Nigerian cities
Authors: Acey Charisma
Published: June 2016

Between 1990 and 2004, Nigeria’s urban population jumped to nearly half the national population, while access to improved sources of water in urban areas dropped by nearly 15 per cent during the same period. This paper presents preliminary results on the relationship between water supply, neighbourhood characteristics, and household strategies in response to dissatisfaction with water provision as reported by 389 respondents in 10 neighbourhoods in Lagos and Benin City, Nigeria between October 2007 and February 2008. In this paper, a conceptual model of consumer demand for water is used, based upon Hirschman’s exit, voice and loyalty (EVL) framework. The model explicitly factors in the quality of water provision and variables at the household and neighbourhood levels that could affect perceptions about quality and the strategies that households use to cope with inadequate public services. Preliminary results show that reported household strategies to secure water are affected by community-level factors such as the range, cost, and quality of water supply alternatives, as well as neighbourhood composition. Furthermore, the percentage of urban migrants and households that live in rented flats in a neighbourhood seems to be associated with the use of exit strategies (as opposed to voice) in response to problems with their primary water supply.
Privatisation and water governance in Africa: implications of a rights-based approach
Authors: Olowu Oladejo
Published: June 2016

Early in the post-independence era, the control of water resources in many African states was a task of central planning. Regrettably, water management soon became a miry adventure in most African states largely because of warped planning and implementation. This article examines the phenomenon of private sector involvement in water resources management and seeks to understand the effect of such involvement on the right to water in Africa in the context of the Millennium Development Goals. The article explores the continuing relationship between African governments and non-state actors in the management of water resources in the privatisation age. The article further analyses the role of various national water governance initiatives vis-à-vis the efficient management of water resources and the sharp contradictions in their frameworks from a rights-based perspective. It evaluates the normative frameworks of access to water as a human right in Africa and contends that the human being must be placed at the centre of water discourses in assessing all role actors and their responsibilities. Extrapolating from experiences from various states within and outside Africa, this article advocates a rights-based approach to water issues and its value for the ultimate purpose of human- centred development.
Water and the public trust doctrine – a South African perspective
Authors: Van der Schyff Elmarie , Viljoen Germarie
Published: June 2016

The legal principles concerning rights to water have been changed considerably by the provisions of the National Water Act 36 of 1998. The National Water Act aims to redistribute water rights to previously disadvantaged people and communities by the introduction and application of a public trust doctrine to South African natural resources law. It is proposed that these legislative measures will ensure that water as a natural resource will be used to the benefit of the nation as a whole. However, the practical application of the public trust doctrine needs to be analysed, especially with the view of determining the actual benefits to poor and deprived people.
The status of governmental relations with reference to decentralisation of public safety and security
Authors: Ababio Ernest , Tengeni Tamsanqa Edgar
Published: June 2016

Two of the challenges facing South Africa are crime and victimisation. This article explores the effectiveness of governmental bodies in the whole-of-government approach to ensure accountability and oversight over safety and security. Significantly, the article highlights the prevalence of weaknesses in the decentralisation of safety and security powers and responsibilities. Recommendations are offered to help improve and bridge these gaps.
Some southern African entry points into global history
Authors: Parsons Neil
Published: June 2016

So-called Global History has taken off in the Unites States to liberate undergraduates from Big Power parochialism, and has been the topic of a major conference held in London in May this year. The key element of Global Studies is to demonstrate the connectedness between different peoples and lands and periods of time. This paper is an attempt to crack the small-end of the egg by starting studies in one familiar region of the world, rather than the big-end approach of starting with general explanations or theory and then relating them back to particulars. It suggests three ways in which Southern Africa could be used as the starting point to throw more general light upon the world’s history. First, by taking cues from and asking questions about the latest genetic research which suggests that modern human population dispersal about 60 000 years ago began in Angola-Namibia frontier region. Second, by taking cues and asking questions about Indonesian contact with Africa and coastal settlement that may account for significant influences on southern African societies. Third, by tracing the biographies of real individuals whose careers encompass not only southern Africa but other parts of the world and in doing so demonstrate not only inter- connectedness of cultural, social, political and economic histories but also significant points of comparison in the experience of global trends and events.
HIV and AIDS knowledge of Pharmacy students at the University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus)/Tshwane University of Technology before and after a teaching intervention
Authors: Bezuidenhout Selente , Summers Richard
Published: June 2016

Healthcare workers need to be qualified to deal with the specific requirements of the HIV/AIDS syndrome, which demands technical and scientific knowledge and understanding of the disease. Adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS is an important means to reduce stress and could result in better care and improve information to the general public. Because of the community service nature of pharmacies, pharmacists are in the front line when it comes to treating minor illnesses, as patients will often approach a pharmacist with a health query before they see a medical practitioner. Hence, pharmacists have opportunities to recognise potential opportunistic infections or other HIV-associated complications and to refer patients for evaluation and management.The objective of this study was to assess the level of scientific knowledge of HIV/AIDS of undergraduate pharmacy students before and after a teaching intervention aimed to improve students’ scientific knowledge of the subject. A controlled study was carried out by administering pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to control and study groups. The study group was taken from the various BPharm student groups during 2004 and 2005. Although each group acted as its own control, an additional control group of first year dentistry students was included in 2005. The mean HIV/AIDS knowledge scores and the knowledge gains of the control and study groups were compared before and after the intervention. The knowledge gains from the interventions were statistically significant. The increases indicate the positive effect of the teaching intervention. The teaching intervention can therefore be recommended to be part of the undergraduate BPharm curriculum.
Efficiency measurement of basic service delivery at South African district and local municipalities
Authors: Dollery Brian , Van der Westhuizen Gert
Published: June 2016

South Africa has experienced immense changes in the post- apartheid era and coordinated local public policy has sought to expand and improve the level of basic services provided to previously disadvantaged people. Local government has played a pivotal role in this process and has been subjected to intense reform in an effort to enhance its effective- ness and broaden its range of activities. While a number of scholars have examined the administrative, political and social dimensions of the local government reform program, little attention has focused on the economic efficiency of service delivery. This paper seeks to remedy this neglect by evaluating the productive efficiency with which municipal councils have delivered electricity, domestic waste removal, sanitation and water in line with their new responsibilities using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques applied to cross-sectional data covering the period 2006/2007 for 231 local municipalities and 46 district municipalities.
Constructing an XML database of linguistics data
Authors: Kroeze J H , Bothma T JD , Matthee M C
Published: June 2016

A language-oriented, multi-dimensional database of the linguistic characteristics of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament can enable researchers to do ad hoc queries. XML is a suitable technology to transform free text into a database. A clause’s word order can be kept intact while other features such as syntactic and semantic functions can be marked as elements or attributes. The elements or attributes from the XML “database” can be accessed and proces sed by a 4th generation programming language, such as Visual Basic. XML is explored as an option to build an exploitable database of linguistic data by representing inherently multi-dimensional data, including syntactic and semantic analyses of free text.
Universal dignity, justice and accountability: protection of human rights and dealing with atrocities
Authors: Oelofse M
Published: June 2016

The notion that human beings have rights as humans is part of the contemporary world and its pol itics . With respect to human rights , the United Nations (UN) plays a major role in promoting, protecting, and expanding internationally accepted rights through establishing several comprehensive agreements and mechanisms since 1945. Thus, on a global level, human rights and the violations thereof have become a legitimate concern of international society. However, there is a difference between declaring and practising human rights.Consequently, political changes have occurred all over the world in recent years where several repressive regimes have been replaced with democratic or semi-democratic governments. In the process, these regimes are confronted with the question of justice and that accountability is due after atrocity. The widely held belief is that crimes against humanity must be addressed and perpetrators have to be called to account, while justice has to be determined.The article will focus on what is understood by “human rights” and how the UN went about to guarantee human rights and el iminate the violations thereof by implementing a network of human rights instruments and mechanisms. The article will also indicate that, in practice, there are certain difficulties with the enforcement of these UN Conventions. The different options to be considered by countries in dealing with a violent legacy will be examined to explain why many transitional societies prefer to establish a truth commission.
Meervoudige denke: Versmoor/vermoor instellings denke?
Authors: De Beer C S
Published: June 2016

Denke is die mees uitsonderlike vermoë van mense. Vir mense om volwaardige mense te wees, is die volle ontwikkeling van hierdie vermoë noodsaaklik. Wanneer dit afgeskeep word, word mense tot minder as mense en alle verhoudinge waarby mense betrokke is ly op een of ander wyse skade. Hierdie skade kan mettertyd katastrofiese afmetings aanneem. Dit kan samelewings in duie laat stort; dit kan selfs die ondergang van beskawings beteken.Hierdie artikel besin oor die belangrikheid van meervoudige of komposisionele denke, as die ideale denkvorm, oor die wesenlike probleem dat denkontwikkeling verhinder word omdat daar eerder op enkelvoudige denke, as maklik aanleerbare denkvorm, klem gelê word en oor die moontlike armoedige gevolge hiervan vir indiwidue en samelewings van sodanige strategieë, soos dit veral in institusionele verbande tot uitdrukking kom, verwesenlik word, selfs afgedwing word: onderwys, politiek, kultuur. Die versmoring/vermoording van denke word ‘n werklikheid. Uiteindelik word enkelvoudige denke die houding van die hele samelewing.Die ernstige afmetinge wat die verlies aan deeglike denke reeds aangeneem het, is van groot omvang. Dit raak skole, universiteite, wetenskapwerk, politieke instellings, administratiewe aktiwiteite oor ‘n breë spektrum – eintlik alreeds die hele samelewing. Hiermee word ons voor groot uitdaginge gestel. Indien hierdie oorwoë argumente geldig is, soos baie inderdaad beweer, moet die situasie ten alle koste omgekeer word. Voorstelle word in hierdie verband gemaak.Dit is allereers nodig om die gebrekkigheid van gebrekkige denke en die gevolge daarvan te bedink. Verder moet besef word dat gesindheid en ingesteldheid ten opsigte van armoedige denke moet verander, die armoede daarvan moet aanvaar word en ook dat ander denkweë moontlik is. Terselfdertyd behoort ‘n besef lewendig gehou te word dat die kompleksiteit van die werklikheid, mensewerklikheid en natuurwerklikheid, groot en meervoudig in omvang is. Geen enkelvoudige, lineêre en dus reduktiewe denke, sou afdoende antwoorde op hierdie uitdagings van so ‘n werklikheid kon verskaf nie. Slegs denke wat bereid is om die volle rykdom van die werklike te aanvaar en dienooreenkomstig aan die dink te raak, kan hoop op sinverwesenliking en mens-en werklikheidsverryking bewerkstellig.Trefwoorde: lineere denke; protesterende denke; meervoudige denke; komposisionele denke; meervoudige werklikheid.Dissipline: Interdissipline
The psychosocial well-being of orphans in Southern Africa: the perception of orphans and teachers
Authors: De Witt M W , Lessing A C
Published: June 2016

The escalation in numbers of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa has become a human catastrophe. If governments do not deal with this phenomenon as a priority it might spiral beyond control. Very few studies have been done to investigate the psychosocial impact of orphanhood on children and communities in developing countries. Very little is known about the life world of orphans in developing countries and even less is known about factors in these children’s lives which can affect their mental health. The researchers decided to undertake research in three areas in Southern Africa to investigate the psychosocial well-being of orphans and to compare the findings with existing research findings. A survey was done in three rural areas to determine the perceptions of orphans regarding their own personal experiences and emotional feelings which may reflect on psychosocial well-being, as well as the perceptions of teachers working with these orphans. Except for depression, the findings with regard to most of the psychosocial aspects were in accordance with the literature. The most important findings were that bereavement practices and approaches fit for developed communities might be of little value in developing settings. We are, however, more than aware that orphans from developed counties or even urban settings might differ from those of developing or deep rural areas.Keywords: Orphans; psychosocial well-being; bereavement; poverty; stigmatisation
Natural disasters in African countries: what can we learn about them?
Authors: Lukamba M T
Published: June 2016

Problems posed by disasters have become increasingly important for all African governments. Every year a variety of disas ters occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa and these are becoming more prevalent. This article presents an analysis of statistical surveys for natural disasters in different regions of Africa over a 30-year period from 1974 to 2003. It shows that disaster frequency is increasing on the continent. The investigation of the data demonstrates that the East Africa region is under the greatest threat from natural disasters. In 2008, climatological disasters, notably droughts, claimed many victims in the eastern part of Africa, with more than one third of the population affected in Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia. The region has experienced the highest recorded number of disaster events for the past 30 years, followed by the West Africa region. The Southern Africa region is placed third as far as the frequency of disaster events in sub-Saharan Africa is concerned. The least disaster prone region is central Africa. The observations made in this analysis relate to the economic losses in different regions from the impact of natural disasters. In some instances, recovery from economic loss could not be recouped because of stunted growth and other internal problems in these countries. In addition, this article suggests some strategies to mitigate the problem of natural hazards in sub-Saharan Africa.Keywords: Flood; drought; volcanic eruptions; political governance; climate change; specialised capabilities
Action research or transdisciplinary research?
Authors: Publishing AOSIS
Published: June 2016

NO ABSTRACT AVAILIBLE
Thinking processes used by high-performing students in a computer programming task
Authors: Havenga Marietjie , De Villiers R , Mentz E
Published: June 2016

Computer programmers must be able to understand programming source code and write programs that execute complex tasks to solve real-world problems. This article is a trans- disciplinary study at the intersection of computer programming, education and psychology. It outlines the role of mental processes in the process of programming and indicates how successful thinking processes can support computer science students in writing correct and well-defined programs. A mixed methods approach was used to better understand the thinking activities and programming processes of participating students. Data collection involved both computer programs and students’ reflective thinking processes recorded in their journals. This enabled analysis of psychological dimensions of participants’ thinking processes and their problem-solving activities as they considered a programming problem. Findings indicate that the cognitive, reflective and psychological processes used by high-performing programmers contributed to their success in solving a complex programming problem. Based on the thinking processes of high performers, we propose a model of integrated thinking processes, which can support computer programming students.Keywords: Computer programming, education, mixed methods research, thinking processes. Disciplines: Computer programming, education, psychology
Die nalatenskap van ‘n besondere driemanskap
Authors: Kapp Pieter
Published: June 2016

Marie Koopmans-de Wet, FS Malan en Frans Engelenburg het na 1895 ’n besondere driemanskap ontwikkel wat na Marie Koopmans-de Wet se dood op 2 Augustus 1906 tussen die ander twee bly voortbestaan het tot met Engelenburg se dood op 21 Augustus 1938. As bevestiging hiervan dien die artikel wat FS Malan nog in 1937 in Die Huisgenoot oor Marie Koopmans-de Wet geskryf het. Die drie se besondere nalatenskap leef vandag voort in die pragtige Kaapse herehuis in Strandstraat 353 na haar vernoem. Studies is aan aspekte van al drie van hulle se lewens gewy maar die besondere vriendskap en verhouding tussen hulle blyk nou eers uit die Engelenburg-dokumente in die argief van die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. Die nuutste studie is prof. FA Mouton se biografie van FS Malan. Malan self het in 1924 in Nederlands ’n huldigingsbiografie oor Marie Koopmans-De Wet geskryf. In werklikheid is die manuskrip gebaseer op die versameling dokumente van Marie Koopmans-De Wet wat Engelenburg oor die jare byeengebring het en was hy die man wat by Malan daarop aangedring het dat hy die werk moet voltooi. Die oorspronklike bedoeling was dat die boek reeds in 1912 moes verskyn het, maar Malan, wat as kabinetsminister uitgebreide openbare verpligtinge gehad het, het eers in 1924 die werk afgehandel. Die boek bied sporadiese blikke op die bestaan van ’n Driemanskap maar die werklike aard van die driemanskap moet uit die ander bronne bestudeer word. Linda Brink het reeds die eerste deel van ’n biografie van Engelenburg vir haar meestersgraad voltooi en tans behandel sy die res van sy lewensverhaal vir ’n doktorale proefskrif.
Change, organisational culture and the development of the South African Military Academy to 2009
Authors: Visser G E , Van dyk G AJ
Published: June 2016

This article investigates the impact of change and organisational culture on the growth and development of the South African Military Academy. It explores the impact of Nationalist Party rule since 1948 and black majority rule since 1994 on the institutional culture of the South African military and how that influenced the development of the Military Academy. This is intertwined with an investigation of the nature and impact of the diverging military and academic subcultures at the Academy. The article contends that, together with the historical exclusion of blacks and women from the military, the marginalisation of white English-speaking citizens by Nationalist Party rule denied the Academy the exploitation of a significant portion of the country’s human resource potential in the interest of institutional development. The same happened with the introduction of racial quotas and the marginalisation of whites since 1994. The Military Academy has, furthermore, historically been too reflective of the organisational culture of the South African National Defence Force and its predecessors instead of informing that culture to meet the challenges of military professionalism. The Academy has a potentially vital educational role to play in the South African and Sub-Saharan African militaries, but requires some changes in its organisational culture to fulfil that mission.Keywords: South African Military Academy, organisational culture, military culture, military education, Stellenbosch UniversityDisciplines: Military History, Industrial Psychology
Paradigm shift from New Public Administration to New Public Management: theory and practice in Africa
Authors: Vyas-Doorgapersad Shikha
Published: June 2016

The African continent is facing a number of administrative crises. The recent decline of public administration on the continent has forced some African countries to re-assess their governance systems. Their public service reforms are evidence of the emergence of New Public Management (NPM) for improved public sector administrative structures and operations. This article discusses the paradigm shifts from New Public Administration to New Public Management, as a means of meeting public administration challenges in Africa. At a contextual level, the paper examines the practical implementation by some African countries of NPM and the outcomes of NPM-led reform in these countries.Keywords: Public Administration (PA); New Public Administration (NPA); New Public Management (NPM); Public Value Management (PVM); paradigm; paradigm shift; public service reforms; governanceDisciplines: Public Management; Political Science; Sociology; Economics
The relationship between customer satisfaction, social responsibility, and long-run financial performance
Authors: Wang Yi-Chen , Venter Ben-Piet , Huang Chia-Hsing
Published: June 2016

This paper investigates the link between long-run corporate financial performance, corporate social responsibility, and customer satisfaction. Using annual financial data, customer satisfaction index, and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the paper seeks to establish whether it pays organizations to use ethical methods in striving to be sustainable. Data used for this research cover the period 2001 to 2008. We used dynamic panel data linear regression models to analyze the effect of customer satisfaction and social responsibility on short-run and long-run financial performance. It was found that it may benefit organizations to use ethical methods in pursuing sustainability. since organizations who invest time, money, and effort in corporate social responsibility activities, their good reputations and satisfied customers yield long-term cash flow growth.Keywords: corporate customer satisfaction, Corporate Social Responsibility, corporate financial performanceDisciplinesL business studies, international studies, ethics, finance studies
The perception of parents and teachers of the influence of yoga on the concentration and co-existing behaviour of learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Authors: Beart K , Lessing Ansie
Published: June 2016

This pilot study explores the perception of parents and teachers of the influence of yoga on the concentration and some co-existing behaviour of learners diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The researchers attended to impaired concentration as typical ADHD behaviour and further looked at co-existing phenomena such as aggression, anxiety, and a low self-esteem which the learners may manifest. Semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers and the learners were held. Valuable data, confirming the learners’ behaviour manifestation and serving as triangulation, was collected by using a projection test and a self-esteem questionnaire. Interviews and assessments were conducted to analyse the situation initially and again after the yoga intervention. Based on the data collected and analysed, the perception of parents and teachers was that to an extent yoga had a positive influence on the behaviour of learners with ADHD. Although no long-term influence of yoga is determined in this investigation, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there is potential in using yoga to support learners with ADHD regarding concentration, aggression, anxiety and an improvement in self-esteem.Keywords: ADHD, aggression, anxiety, concentration, self-esteem, yoga
Dimensionality of interpersonal trust and its relationship to innovativeness
Authors: Heyns Marita , Jearey Andrew
Published: June 2016

Companies striving for a competitive edge need to have insight into factors that best promote innovativeness. Our quantitative study explored the relationship between sub- dimensions of interpersonal trust and innovativeness on both lateral and vertical organisational levels. The convenience sampling technique (N=95) focused on the members of the maintenance and production teams of a division within a large petrochemical company. Data were gathered through previously validated, structured questionnaires.Research on the specific combination of sub-dimensions and organisational levels has, to the best of our knowledge, neither been linked within the same study, nor within a South African context, before.Results revealed practically significant positive correlations between several sub- dimensions of trust and innovativeness that can assist management in developing more focused strategies to develop a competitive edge.Keywords: Interpersonal trust, vertical trust, lateral trust, cognitive-based trust, affective-based trust, organisational innovativenessDisciplines: Organisational behaviour, Innovative studies, Business studies
Using perceptual control theory to analyse technology integration in teaching
Authors: Govender D W
Published: June 2016

Contrary to the more traditional scenario of instructor-focused presentation, contemporary education allows individuals to embrace modern technological advances such as computers to concur with, conceptualize and substantiate matters presented before them. Transition from instructor-focused to student-centred presentation is prone to dissension and strife, motivating educators to assess elements of learner-centred teaching in conjunction with traditional teaching mechanisms and how individuals perceive and comprehend information (Andersson, 2008; Kiboss, 2010; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2004).Computers can assist when used in the traditional teacher-student interface, but consideration must be given to teaching method variations and the students embracing these learning applications. If learner-centred teaching is to become accepted certain elements need to be introduced: revision of educators’ learning and teaching applications, time to facilitate knowledge and use of applicable contemporary technologies, and methods compatible with various technologies (Kiboss, 2010). Change is often not easy – while acknowledging the need to alter and revise methods they were taught to instil, educators may fail to embrace incorporation of technology into their teaching platform.Why are educators, who are quite knowledgeable and competent in computer applications and their merits, failing to embrace the benefits of technology in the classroom? A critical assessment of this mandates a transdisciplinary disposition in order to come to an amenable resolution. Perception, inhibition, ignorance and goals are just some reasons why educators are reluctant to incorporate technology despite their proficiency.Perceptual control theory (PCT) will be implemented to assess these reasons as a means towards achieving change and assessing how to move forward. Issues associated with educators’ short- and long-term goals as well as their perceptions – and hence the essential need to comprehend PCT – are addressed.Keywords: computer technology, teaching, student-teacher interface, learner-centered teaching, perceptual control theory, perceptionsDisciplines: Computer science, education
The new National Development Plan (2011) and the need to create jobs through agriculture: Is the South African olive industry ready for the challenge?
Authors: Taylor Susan Jean , Atkinson Doreen
Published: June 2016

This paper provides a scan of the South Africa commercial olive industry between 2008 and 2012 and argues the case for greater industry cohesion in this small agricultural sector. The National Planning Commission’s National Development Plan (NDP, 2011) has identified the olive industry as one of the country’s many small-scale, labour- intensive agricultural sectors with strong growth potential, and which must be supported to enable it to create new jobs. This paper argues that increased government support, linked to the new National Development Plan (2011), will be needed to enable the olive sector to contribute to national development objectives and create jobs. The olive producer association, SA Olive, functions as a cartel of private sector producers, without significant plans for the rapid up-scaling of the industry. While the number of commercial growers has steadily increased, black growers are under-represented, as are black entrepreneurs involved in processing and distributing olive oil and table olives. The article notes the absence of co-operative decision-making between the olive industry and government on issues of shared concern, and considers the concept of ‘corporatism’ as a potential system of interest representation for the olive industry. Corporatism would allow greater trust between government and the commercial olive sectors to be fostered. The paper discusses the example of Australia, where collaboration between business and government has contributed greatly to promoting the olive industry.Key words: Arid areas, Karoo, National Development Plan, SA Olive, development crops, commercial olive industry
Influences on the work engagement of secondary school teachers in rural Kwazulu-Natal
Authors: Dehaloo Gunram , Schulze Salomé
Published: June 2016

The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of job resources and job demands on the work engagement of secondary school teachers in the Illembe district of KwaZulu-Natal. A previously developed model for work engagement was used as conceptual framework. In the empirical investigation the authors used a mixed-method, explanatory research design. In the quantitative phase 100 teachers from five schools completed a self-constructed questionnaire which allowed for hypotheses testing. This was followed by 16 interviews with teachers from the same sample. The study revealed that the teachers exhibited low levels of work engagement. This was related to inadequate job resources and excessive job demands. The teachers were particularly displeased with their remuneration packages. However, teachers of different genders, cultures, levels of experience and educational qualifications differed in their perceptions. Through the interview data the authors gained a deeper understanding of how the above-mentioned impacted on work engagement. The study is significant for illuminating current factors that managers should consider to improve the work engagement of teachers.Keywords: Work engagement; job resources; job demands; motivation; job satisfaction; mixed-methods
Cutting the apron strings: the South African experience of decolonisation
Authors: Devenish G E
Published: June 2016

Decolonisation is a recurring constitutional and political theme in the process of change and reform in South Africa’s history during the 20th century. The constitutional emancipation of the erstwhile Union of South Africa and the subsequent internal decolonisation of designated black ethnic population and cultural groups, are two kindred processes which have interesting similarities, but also important differences. The former involved British Imperialism, the latter involved Afrikaner Nationalism and African Nationalism. The former was a natural, legitimate and spontaneous process, the latter was an artificial process that was induced by Afrikaner Nationalism, that was spurned internationally and domestically by the the international community of nations and indigenous people of South Africa respectively.The article examines the legitimacy of the process of the decolonisation of the Union of South Africa resulting in its independence, followed by the adoption of a republican form of government. In contrast, a comparison is made with the controversial and questionable evolution of the Bantustans, which emerged out of the erstwhile native reserves, a stratagem designed in effect to thwart the liberation struggle for a truly democratic form of government for all the people of South Africa. This pseudo decolonisation was an analogous process to that of genuine decolonisation. The former involved political fragmentation, whatever it was designated, that in effect, denied to the indigenous people, freedom and liberation for decades. As an odyssey it was a very protracted and painful process. Ultimately, in a belated and circuitous manner, after the inordinate suffering and oppression of South Africa’s indigenous people, a genuine democracy in a unified and consolidated state for all the people of South Africa was to transpire. This was liberation and not decolonisation, and was the final stage in the historic and traumatic process for South Africa.It is also argued that only with the inception of the Interim Constitution, following the first historic democratic election of 27 April 1994, did South Africa and its people adopt an authentic democratic and republican constitution.Keywords: Union of South Africa, Status, dominions, decolonisation, liberation movements, Afrikaner nationalism, African nationalism.
Creating sustainable postgraduate supervision learning environments through critical emancipatory research
Authors: Nkoane Molebatsi Milton
Published: June 2016

This article articulates pedagogic praxis for postgraduate supervision couched within sustainable learning environments with emancipatory aims. The paper probes the discourses of hegemony as a form of power that relies on non-coercive control by supervisors over students (master-apprentice model). Furthermore, it proposes a counter-hegemonic pedagogic praxis informed by critical emancipatory research. I amplify how postgraduate supervision could be a liberating experience, drawing from my own experiences as part of a supervisory team of 15 academics and cohort of 28 doctoral and 22 master’s students. The article interrogates the struggles on the continuum of power formations between supervisor and students. It proposes an alternative, liberating postgraduate supervision as a pedagogic praxis to counter the dominant discourse. It concludes by emphasising the importance of creating enabling sustainable learning environments with a promise of a counter-hegemonic praxis that requires rearranging master-apprentice relations.