11613 research outputs found
Sort by
Effectiveness of nursing employee retention strategies and performance of organisations in the private healthcare sector
No full textDissertation (M.Com.(Business Management)))--University of the Free State, 2022The healthcare sector is nurse-based, as nursing employees are entrusted with a core function in healthcare organisations. However, there is a prevailing phenomenon of high turnover for nursing employees in the healthcare sector. The lack of effective retention of nursing employees poses profound complications for organisations in the healthcare sector. The phenomenon of high turnover for nursing employees does not only tarnish service delivery, but it also dwindles the finances of healthcare organisations. Accordingly, private healthcare organisations ought to maintain adequate levels of nursing employees' retention in order to enhance organisational performance. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of nursing employee retention strategies and how employee retention affects organisational performance in the private healthcare sector in South Africa. The study was conducted through the quantitative research method. The target population was nursing employees who work in the private healthcare organisations in South Africa. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Through a non-probability sampling method, 226 nursing employees were contacted to participate in the study. The participants were employed by private healthcare organisations located in the Free State province and KwaZulu Natal province. The findings of the study revealed that the retention strategies in the form of compensation, training and development, leadership and supervision, working conditions and work-life balance, have positive correlations with employee retention. The results further revealed that employee retention enhances the performance of organisations. The study concluded that nursing employees in the private healthcare sector do not intend to stay longer in their current jobs. Consequently, the study deduced that the performance of organisations in the private healthcare sector is not at an optimal level. Private healthcare organisations should consider enhancing fringe benefits for nursing employees as a remedial action to increase retention. Leadership and supervision styles within the private healthcare sector should be improved to increase nurses' intention to stay longer in their jobs. Furthermore, the private healthcare sector should sustain existing working condition elements as well as training and development initiatives, as the study's findings revealed that nursing employees are satisfied with these measures
Online faculty development in low- and middle-income countries for health professions educators: a rapid realist review
No full textBackground
Health professions educators require support to develop teaching and learning, research, educational leadership, and administrative skills to strengthen their higher education role through faculty development initiatives. Where administration has pursued face-to-face and online faculty development initiatives, results have positively influenced health professions educators. There is limited evidence demonstrating how online faculty development works for health professions educators in low- and middle-income countries who engage in online health professions education (HPE) faculty development.
Methods
A Conjecture Map for online HPE faculty development courses identified candidate theories for a rapid realist review. The Conjecture Map and candidate theories, Community of Inquiry and the Conversational Framework guided the development of search terms and analysis for this review. Three searches using EbscoHost databases yielded 1030 abstracts. A primary and secondary research team participated in a multi-reviewer blinded process in assessing abstracts, selecting full-text articles, and data extraction. The primary research team analysed eight articles for this rapid realist review to answer the research question: How do online HPE faculty development courses work, or not work, in low- and middle-income countries? Data were analysed and mapped to the initial Conjecture Map and the research question.
Results
The research references US-based organisations forming partnerships with low- and middle-income countries, and who provide funding for online HPE faculty development initiatives. These initiatives design courses that facilitate learning through engagement from which participants report beneficial outcomes of professional and career development. The review does not clarify if the reported outcomes are generalisable for facilitators from low-and middle-income countries. The findings of this review demonstrate the role of a community of practice as the dominant mechanism through which the outcomes are achieved, based on a design that incorporates six triggering events. The design aligns the triggering events with the three categories of the Community of Inquiry—a theory for designing online learning environments.
Conclusion
Health professions educators in low- and middle-income countries can develop professional and interpersonal skills through a well-designed, specifically constructed online community that prioritises active discussion.Publisher's versio
The effect of selenium foliar application on the physiological responses of edamame under different water treatments
No full textDrought has devastating effects on crops, posing enormous risks to food security. This study investigated the impact of foliar applied selenium [at four concentrations (25, 50 and 75 mg/L)] on the photosynthesis capacity, antioxidative enzyme activities [ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX)] and yield parameters of a drought susceptible edamame under optimal watering and drought-stressed conditions. The study was conducted in the greenhouse under controlled conditions with leaf sampling done at vegetative, flowering and pod filling stages. Treatment of drought-stressed plants with selenium selectively induced PIabs and chlorophyll content at the vegetative stage. Ascorbate peroxidase was the only parameter induced at the flowering stage by selenium under drought stress. Selenium had no effect on all parameters under drought stress at pod filling, suggesting that the efficacy of selenium declines with time. In addition, yield parameters were not substantially affected by selenium under drought stress. Although selenium was effective for selected parameters, the application should only be limited to edamame growing under drought stress because, under well-watered conditions, it had negative impacts. Future studies should explore the responses drought stressed edamame after secondary application of selenium (i.e., at vegetative, flowering and pod filling).Publisher's versio
To remain
No full textThesis (LL.D. (Laws))--University of the Free State, 2022An undeniable inroad made into the regulation of property ownership has been the requirement that evictions may only take place with the permission of a court of law. In the South African context, this requirement has been further augmented by the “just and equitable” measure. This means that not only are evictions only allowed on the basis of a court order, and but also only to the extent that a court has exercised a “just and equitable” discretion. The exercise of the just and equitable discretion has resulted in three distinct types of eviction orders. The first of these orders are those instances in which the courts grant an eviction application and then suspend the order, enabling unlawful occupiers to continue living on the land/property while the State looks for alternative land to resettle the occupiers. The second, are instances in which a court grants an eviction but, for whatever reason, enforcement becomes impracticable, resulting in unlawful occupants remaining on private property that belongs to someone else. The third type of orders are those instances where a court denies an eviction application, enabling unlawful occupiers to indefinitely remain on land that belongs to someone else.
In this thesis I look into the fact of remaining as a consequence of the third type of order. The effect of the court decision not to grant the eviction order results in the practical situation of the unlawful occupier remaining on such land. The unlawful occupier remains on land belonging to another notwithstanding the fact there is no countervailing right to do so. While the intervention to bring evictions under the ambit of justness and equitability more so in an unequal and deprived society such as South Africa is laudable, the failure of the courts to address the legality and tenure security posed by the eviction order not to evict despite unlawfulness of occupation having been established negates the good intention. In this regard, I contend that hesitancy to address the legitimacy and tenure security of this identified fact of remaining has to do with the structure and approach to the law, which supports indifference and detachment. This indifference and detachment minimise the law's (constricted) inherent capacity to remedy the asserted problem of tenure insecurity
A mobile application to protect groundwater during unconventional oil and gas extraction
No full textUnconventional oil and gas (UOG) is an important energy source for many countries, but requires large quantities of water for its development, and may pollute water resources. Regulations are one of the main tools to achieve government policy on natural resource protection. South Africa, which is energy-constrained, but also water-scarce, is currently considering UOG extraction as an additional energy resource. UOG development could commence as soon as regulations to protect natural resources such as water have been published. Such regulations are, however, often not effectively enforced, which negatively affects the protection of water resources during UOG extraction. This study addresses these enforcement challenges in South Africa. It focuses on the science–society–policy interface by proposing a civic informatics platform to assist with on-the-ground enforcement of regulations via a mobile application. This mobile application aims to address both groundwater monitoring and management as well as UOG extraction operations in a single platform, to enable regulators to protect groundwater resources more effectively during UOG extraction, while simultaneously enhancing transparency in the UOG industry.Publisher's versio
Mapping vegetation species succession in a mountainous grassland ecosystem using Landsat, ASTER MI, and Sentinel-2 data
No full textPublisher's versionVegetation species succession and composition are significant factors determining the rate of ecosystem biodiversity recovery after being disturbed and subsequently vital for sustainable and effective natural resource management and biodiversity. The succession and composition of grasslands ecosystems worldwide have significantly been affected by accelerated environmental changes due to natural and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, understanding spatial data on the succession of grassland vegetation species and communities through mapping and monitoring is essential to gain knowledge on the ecosystem and other ecosystem services. This study used a random forest machine learning classifier on the Google Earth Engine platform to classify grass vegetation species with Landsat 7 ETM+ and ASTER multispectral imager (MI) data resampled with the current Sentinel-2 MSI data to map and estimate the changes in vegetation species succession. The results indicate that ASTER MI has the least accuracy of 72%, Landsat 7 ETM+ 84%, and Sentinel-2 had the highest of 87%. The result also shows that other species had replaced four dominant grass species totaling about 49 km2 throughout the study
Oath taking viewed biblically and perjury by South African politicians
No full textAs it is the case with many other countries around the world, South Africa has a unique and strong tradition of religious devotion, encompassed by belief in God which is even expressed in the constitution’s preamble invoking the presence of God. To ensure that the judicial system carries out its duties responsibly and upholds the fair administration of justice, courts of law, judicial authority and commissions of inquiry discourage perjury by requiring witnesses or the accused to take an oath or certify that the content of their testimony is true and accurate. The recent lenient sentencing whereby the former Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini was found guilty of perjury has certainly set a bad precedent and created the impression that anyone with more money can lie under oath and buy their way out of the transgression. The case of Ms Bathabile Dlamini is significant both from the perspective of the judicial system and perhaps more importantly from the perspective of the broader religious teachings in general and the Christian teachings in particular, as it points to a society that has lost its Christian ethics and is somewhat polluted by individuals, especially political figures who are conducting themselves as though they are not obliged to take the practice of oath seriously, thus inadvertently seriously questioning the religious doctrines of oaths and even the consequences of lying under oath. This paper will highlight the impact of perjury on both the religious and judicial integrity in a society like South Africa. It argues that the punishment of perjury should firstly, reflect differences in the seriousness of the offense that gave rise to the perjury and, secondly, take into account the public standing of the offender in relation to the extent of his or her influence on society. It then concludes with a plea that, on the one hand, the religious communities, especially Christianity, should strengthen their teachings about taking an oath. On the other hand, the courts must increase the punishment for perjurers, especially if these individuals hold public office.Publisher's versio
Economic inequality and trust from a Smithian perspective
No full textGlobally, and specifically in South Africa, income and wealth inequality are on the increase. This has negative consequences for socio-political stability and sustainable economic growth. These negative consequences are in many cases directly linked to the breakdown of trust in financial institutions and society in general. However, the breakdown is encompassing and also includes interpersonal relations, trust in institutions and systems, and general perceptions of the unfair distribution of wealth. Trust is one of the pillars of economics and social stability in the work of Adam Smith. Although the economics of Smith’s time (18th century) were far less complex and technologically not as advanced as contemporary economics and markets, his work is the foundation of contemporary economics and it remains important because it provides a value- driven and empirical perspective on economics. This value-driven and empirical perspective delves into the cognitive aspects of our being and instincts that are crucial to build trust. The purpose of this article is to revisit the notion of trust in the work of Smith to provide an analysis of trust and possible alternatives for sustainable economics and the flourishing of society. Generally, Smith views trust as multidimensional, with two dimensions of trust that can be distinguished, namely relational and structural trust. I will argue that multidimensional trust is important for the functioning of society and for economic justice.Publisher's versio
Proposing a seamless learning experience design (SLED) framework based on international perspectives of educators from five higher education institutions
No full textSince seamless learning (SL) is still a rather unknown concept in higher education many educators classify it under the same categories as mobile, blended, online or hybrid learning. The purpose of this study is first to clarify the historical evolvement of the seamless learning concept over the past decades and, to position the seamless learning concept as it is understood today. Secondly, to find the most important concepts which can be proposed for a useful seamless learning experience design framework to assist educators with their course design. Considering this context, the research question for this study is formulated as follows: “Which concepts constitute a seamless learning experience design framework for students in higher education?” To answer this question, an inductive qualitative research analysis was conducted by collecting data from educators from countries on five continents on their views on this topic. Following a thematic coding approach of the combined dataset, five emerging themes crystallised, and are presented as part of a proposed Seamless Learning Experience Design (SLED) framework. They include core, positive, practical, human and design concepts – including sub-themes. The framework contributes to quality assurance processes in e-learning practices by providing a tool for developing seamless learning experiences for students.Accepted versio
COVID-19 shock and sectorial index response in South Africa: a cross-sector analysis
No full textThe prime objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 shock on sector returns of the South African Stock market. The study employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model estimated with a Pooled Mean Group estimator on a sample of daily stock returns of 10 Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) sectors. The results indicate a heterogeneous behaviour in sector stock return response to COVID-19 shock. The study shows that the Pandemic negatively impacted the majority of the sectors. However, some sectors were positively affected by the outbreak, while some were resilient to the shock. The pooled ARDL panel results show a negative relationship between COVID-19 and stock market returns in the short run. The study found an insignificant relationship between stock market returns and COVID-19 cases in the long run. The study also shows that sector and stock return response to different factors is time-varying. The results imply that COVID-19 shock is short-lived, the negative impact of the Pandemic is corrected in the long run. Stock market investors should thus focus on the long-run behaviour of stock returns. The results evidence the significance of diversification in different stock market sectors for investorsPublisher's versio