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Neurocognitive effects of head and body collisions on club level rugby union players
No full textThe objective of the study was to investigate the cumulative neurocognitive effects of repetitive concussive and subconcussive events in club level Rugby Union (hereafter rugby) during the course of one rugby season, in a combined group and individualized case-based approach. Amateur adult club level rugby players (n = 20) were compared with a non-contact control group (n = 22) of equivalent age, years of education and estimated IQ (p = > .05, in all instances), although the two groups were clearly differentiated on the basis of a history of reported concussions (p = < .05). Video analyses documented the tackling maneuvers observed amongst the players during all matches across the rugby season revealing a sobering average of more than a thousand tackles per player, excluding any contact practice sessions. Five rugby players (n = 5) who were observed to have a head jarring event were also isolated for individualized postconcussive follow-up analysis of their neurocognitive profiles. Measures included the ImPACT Verbal and Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites and the Purdue Pegboard. Independent and dependent statistical analyses were employed to compare the rugby versus control group neurocognitive test profiles at and between the three test intervals. Correlational analyses explored the association between concussion, tackling and neurocognitive test outcomes. Descriptive comparisons of individual neurocognitive test scores with normative data were employed for the case analyses. Taken together, the results implicated vulnerability amongst club rugby players on the motor and speeded tasks, with less robust indications on the memory tasks. While limited in terms of its small sample size, it is considered that the outcome of the study was rendered more robust by virtue of being methodologically multifaceted with heuristic implications for future research studies in the area. The novel inclusion of tackling data as well as fine-tuned case analyses, were of particular relevance in that regard. The results add to a growing body of literature that implicates deleterious neurocognitive effects in participants of a sport such as rugby due to repetitive head jarring incidents that are intrinsic to the game
Environmental citizenship in citizen science: a case study of a volunteer toad conservation group in Noordhoek, South Africa
No full textThe endangered Western Leopard Toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus) is endemic to the
winter-rainfall parts of the Western Cape, areas which are also favoured for human
settlement. Residents in the Noordhoek area witnessed many toads being killed on roads
during their annual migration to breeding ponds. Concerned citizens mobilised a volunteer
group to mitigate this threat to the species. Toad NUTS (Noordhoek Unpaid Toad Savers), a
well-established and successful citizen science group is explored as a case study of how
environmental citizenship emerges in a citizen science group.
This research has three research goals. Firstly to probe the enabling and constraining factors
shaping the Toad NUTS practices, secondly to investigate the learning dynamics in the
citizen science group and thirdly to understand how participation in citizen science develops
environmental citizenship. Practice architectures theory (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008) was
used to explore how cultural-discursive, economic-material and social-political arrangements
shape the practices of the Toad NUTS group. The Toad NUTS group was identified as a
community of practice, therefore Lave and Wenger’s (1991) communities of practice theory
was used to better understand the social learning processes within the group. The Global
Citizenship Education international policy document was used to capture the aims of
citizenship education as it relates to environmental issues and identifies the competencies that
citizenship education initiatives should develop. The practices of the Toad NUTS group were
investigated for evidence of the goals and competencies identified in the Global Citizenship
Education policy documents of environmental citizenship.
Data was generated through documentary research, surveys, a questionnaire, semi-structured
interviews and observations. The data was stored, organised and analysed using NVivo data
management software in three phases corresponding to the three research goals. With respect
to Goal 1, the evidence suggested that there are various shaping arrangements of cultural-discursive,
material-economic and social-political configurations which influence Toad
NUTS practices. Volunteers must learn to navigate these arrangements in order to
successfully implement conservation strategies. The shaping features identified were the
WhatsApp group communication system used by volunteers; public awareness and education
strategies; equipment, material and funding required for implementing the group’s practices;
power balances and exchanges between stakeholders in the conservation field; bureaucratic
processes and scientist-lay person exchanges. Very important for facilitating social-political connections to various stakeholders, is the membership Toad NUTS enjoys on the Western
Leopard Toad Conservation Committee.
With respect to Goal 2, four interconnected components of learning were investigated. These
were: learning as belonging, learning as doing, learning as meaning-making experience and
learning as becoming. Members learn by doing things together like training, patrolling and
deliberating problems in the field. They learn by exploring what is collectively known from
past and unfolding experiences. Evidence showed that learning deepens as Toad NUTS
members perceive their praxis as meaningful and their identities evolve as their knowledge
and experience grows. This strengthens members’ sense of belonging and identification with
the Toad NUTS group. In time the group develops a reputation and the wider community
acknowledges the expertise and knowledge that resides with the group.
With respect to Goal 3, it was found that volunteers who have a predisposition for
environmental citizenship are more likely to join a citizen science group. Although
volunteers care about nature and want to make a difference, it is after gaining access to the
embedded knowledge and knowledge processes of the citizen science group that they realise
meaningful sustainable solutions to the issue(s) that the project is concerned with. It was
found that knowledge paired with reasoned practice enables the agency of volunteers to bring
about positive and meaningful change in the local environment. If facilitated carefully,
citizen science can make positive contributions to the field, in this instance, conservation,
while allowing volunteers to exercise environmental citizenship engaging in participative
governance with regard to the project
Using a classroom library to promote extensive reading in a Grade 8 class in a Fort Beaufort District School, Eastern Cape : an action research case study.
No full textThis thesis reports on a collaborative action research case study with Grade 8 learners in a rural high school in Fort Beaufort District, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The goals of the case study were firstly, to understand best practices for promoting extensive reading using a classroom library, and secondly, to use these insights to put an extensive reading programme in place with a view to improving my practice as a language teacher and to gain better understanding of ways of enhancing my Grade 8 learners’ literacy skills.
The following qualitative methods were used to collect data: observation, semi-structured interviews, class discussion, questionnaires, journal reflections and document analysis. Analysis of data involved identification of emerging themes and patterns.
The findings suggest that the strategies used in the extensive reading intervention improved my learners’ levels of engagement with reading. Putting these strategies into practice, and reflecting critically on how to refine them helped enrich my own professional insight and development in relation to the implementation of extensive reading programmes.
Since action research is usually designed in spirals of action, this research serves as a first spiral and a foundation upon which to build second and subsequent spirals (which do not form part of this research).
The study highlighted the fact that certain challenges that emerged (for example, shortage of books at the learners’ level, and a lack of parental cooperation) need to be addressed in a second spiral of intervention. The study further suggested that the implementation of effective extensive reading programmes by teachers in the middle and upper phases of secondary schooling requires further investigation
Perceived breach and violation of the psychological contract in a collectivistic culture
No full textAlternate name: Van der Merwe, SomineThe significance of relationships on economic actions and employee behaviour makes it critical for employers to understand the dynamics of employment through mutual obligations (Rousseau, 1990; Guest, 2004b). The psychological contract affords a broad platform to study the employment relationship (Thomas et al., 2010), and is an important tool for organisational success (McDermott et al., 2013).
The literature review contained in this study indicates the differences in contracting environments due to the prevailing cultural orientation. However, there is a dearth of research in collectivistic culture, to which this study will add. The literature also makes a distinction between perceptions of breach and violation. While perceptions of breach of the psychological contract is the perception that the employer has not met all obligations and promises, violation is the emotional and affective state following breach (Morrison & Robinson, 1997) and results in negative or deviant behaviours (Chiu & Peng, 2008). Both breach and violation perceptions negatively affect employee behaviours and attitudes in the workplace (Aggarwal & Bhargava, 2014).
This research assumed a constructivist paradigm and builds understanding of the outcomes of breach and violation of the psychological contract on employees’ working life in a collectivistic environment. Primary data collection was by in-depth semi-structured, one on one interviews with five employees of a state-subsidised organisation in East London, making use of convenience sampling. Follow up interviews were conducted, resulting in 7ₑ/₄ hours of interviewing time. Cultural orientation was ascertained through the use of a questionnaire.
The findings of this study confirmed that the type of psychological contract entered into influences the outcomes of perceptions of breach and violation. Both dimensions of collectivism, namely institutional and in-group, were practised in this environment, which also impacted on both the individual’s experience and outcomes for the organisation. The latter was influenced by commitment to organisational goals and supervisory or collegial relationships. Most notable of the results is the effect of expectations of transitional justice on experience of the psychological contract. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are made. This research is presented in three sections; firstly the research is presented in the format of an academic paper and includes a concise summary of literature and research method. The second section is an expanded literature review of the psychological contract and its influencing factors, as well as the outcomes of breach and violation. The last section describes and justifies in detail the design of the research and the research procedure followed
An evaluation of the implementation of Mercedes Benz production system (MPS) and the employee change readiness at Mercedes Benz commercial vehicles South Africa
No full textThe evaluation report section describes the evaluation of the implementation of
Mercedes Benz Production System (MPS) at Mercedes Benz Commercial Vehicles,
which is a division of Mercedes Benz South Africa’s manufacturing plant situated in
East London.
The section evaluates the changes the implementation of MPS brought to the Key
Performance Indicators (KPI’S) of the division and evaluates the change readiness
of the employees in the division prior to the change.
The change implementation was initiated by the management of MBCV as a
strategic organisational change to bring about continuous improvement to the KPI’s
of the organisation. These KPI’s are Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Morale
(SQDCM). The reason behind the change at the time was deemed critical to MBCV
in order to meet the annual KPI targets and remain cost competitive and sustainable.
The evaluation report further describes the results of the change with regards to the
organisational KPI’s and the level of employee change readiness which was
conducted through a questionnaire survey.
A brief literature review is included in the Evaluation Report under section one
describing key concepts about Production Systems, Lean Manufacturing and
Change Management. The evaluation section includes recommendations based on
the results of the research findings and ends with a conclusion.
The literature review section explores the literature that supports production
systems, lean manufacturing and change management concepts, its definitions,
importance and benefits. The literature review describes and critiques key concepts
of the research such as productions systems, MPS in particular, lean manufacturing
concepts and related change management topics relevant to the research. The
literature review defines production systems and the concepts of lean manufacturing, highlighting the benefits of the concepts to enhance organisations’ manufacturing
capabilities. An integrated part of lean manufacturing is people and the
implementation of lean manufacturing into an organisation requires change
management theories therefore key understanding in this particular research was to
discuss change management concepts, in particular, employee change readiness.
The literature will discuss different tools to assess employee change readiness and
from this develop an employee change readiness tool. The change management
concepts evaluated change readiness and the consequences if organisations are not
ready for change.
The research methodology section describes how that the research was
conducted in two phases, one to evaluate the implementation of MPS with regards to
the organisational KPI’s (SQDCM). This was assessed through reports from projects
and presentations made by the project teams on improvements of the organisational
KPI’s. The second phase evaluated the change readiness of the employees prior to
the implementation of MPS. This phase of the research was intended to retrieve
quantitative data with an adapted questionnaire which was distributed to employees.
To evaluate the change readiness, a change model known as ADKAR was used as
an evaluation instrument.
The modified ADKAR questionnaire was distributed to employees in hard copies and
completed during a weekly team meeting. The results were summarised and
descriptive statistics were used to analyse the final results. Microsoft Excel (2010
version) was used to illustrate and display the graphs. Section three discussed the
research methodology in more detail.
The study shows that although there were some positive changes that came from
the implementation of MPS in MBCV, especially to the following KPI’s (Safety,
Quality, Delivery and Cost), real consideration should be given to employee morale
and the level of change readiness of MBCV employees
An analysis of the tax consequences of the double tax agreement between South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo
No full textAs a result of the different tax systems adopted by countries, foreign-sourced income earned by taxpayers may be subject to double taxation. This may therefore impede cross-border trade and investment. Double taxation relief is provided unilaterally, in terms of a country’s domestic laws or bilaterally in terms of Double Taxation Agreements. South African residents earning income from the Democratic Republic of Congo may be subject to tax in both countries. To eliminate such double taxation the South African Income Tax Act, No 58 of 1962, provides for unilateral relief from double taxation in the form of exemptions, rebates and deductions. The double tax agreement between South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo came into effect recently and double taxation relief for South African residents is now also available in terms of tax treaty law.
The objective of the research was to determine whether the combination of the unilateral measures and the double tax agreement provide relief in respect of all types of income earned by South African residents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It was concluded that the double tax agreement, together with the unilateral relief provided for in the Income Tax Act will grant relief for all types of income earned by South African residents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
An empirical study on staff turnover and retention within Eskom : Eastern Cape Operating Unit
No full textThis research paper is broken up into three sections, namely an evaluation report, a literature review
and a description of the research methodology. The evaluation report section is an assessment of the
factors that could contribute to staff leaving the organisation and why staff would choose to remain
with the organisation.
The Distribution Division of Eskom is divided into nine separate Operating Units (OU's), in line
with the nine Provinces. According to an Eskom Human Resource Manager (Mjali, 2013), as at
March 2012 there were 2231 employees in the Easter Cape Operating Unit, while the staff turnover
for the same period was 4.53%. Of the 101 staff that had resigned for the period 01 April 2011 to 31
March 2012, there were 27 transfers, 26 resignations and 30 retirements. The balance of 18 staff
that left was due to dismissals and deaths. While the statistics suggest a healthy level of staff
turnover at present, given the current pressures that Eskom employees are under, it is important to
investigate their future intentions and to see what Eskom can do to continue to retain their services.
The literature relating to staff turnover and retention was examined to determine the meaning of the
terms retention and turnover and to review the relevant turnover topics that were emerging from the
exit interview data.
The research conducted was quantitative in nature, and a questionnaire was distributed to all
managerial staff within the Eastern Cape Operating Unit of Eskom. The questionnaire was sent
electronically to the participants via email with the link to the questionnaire. Participants were
requested to respond on questions relating to factors on turnover and retention, and the responses
were used to assess employee's intention to either remain with the organisation or to leave.
The feedback received was analysed with the use of data analysis in Microsoft Excel (2010). The
results of the research showed that there were two distinct themes related to employees' intention to
remain with the organisation, namely job satisfaction and career development. On the other end of
the scale, themes which would cause staff to want to leave the organisation were the performance
management system of the organisation, not being listened to (i.e. to the ideas and views of staff)
and leadership (i.e. the way the organisation was being led). Recommendations are made to management. The study also recommends future research that can be done to get greater insight into
factors relating to staff turnover and retention.
A detailed review of the literature is included in Section two of the report. Only essential
components of the literature are included in Section one of report. Section three of the report
provided a detailed description of the research design and the research procedure that was followed
Minding your own game : self-regulation and psychological momentum among golfers
No full textPsychological momentum (PM) is often regarded as an important phenomenon that influences athlete performance. Nevertheless, conceptualisations of PM are criticised for being speculative, vague and impractical for scientific inquiry. In contrast, self-regulation is a long-standing, well researched concept used to explain performance outcomes, yet not clearly integrated in current PM conceptualisations. Hence, this thesis explores self-regulation relative to PM. Golf was considered to be an appropriate context for the empirical inquiries on the basis that it serves as a metaphor for managing life’s challenges. Three studies were conducted. The first study entailed a systematic conceptual analysis of PM based on previous conceptualisations and studies in relevant scientific literature. Self-regulatory processes were identified among the key psychological mechanisms and moderators related to PM. The second study aimed to identify key self-regulation strategies in PM experiences among 16 golfers. A mixed method approach including novel “walk-along” and “think aloud” data collection techniques was used. An inductive thematic analysis yielded a comprehensive typology golfing strategies. Nevertheless, the study did not find consistent strategy patterns in positive or negative PM phases. The third study explored the self-regulation of identity (ego-regulation) in relation to PM phases. A staggered multiple-baseline single-case research methodology was used with five golfers (three professionals and two amateurs). Ego-regulation was manipulated through a mindfulness-based schema mode program tailored to golf (Mindfulness for Golf; MFG). Pre-, mid- and post-intervention data showed positive changes among the participants on two dimensions of PM as well as performance outcomes. Overall the results suggest that golfers use idiosyncratic self-regulation processes to facilitate performance, but these are not directly linked to PM phases. Nonetheless, there are promising indications that enhancing ego-regulation through the MFG program facilitates positive momentum among golfers. Based on the results of the studies in this thesis, and for the sake of scientific parsimony and pragmatism, it is recommended that self-regulation models incorporating motivation are used to explain momentum in athletic activity. In this view, PM has the function of describing, not influencing, goal-driven performanc
Contextualising work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape
No full textThe focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender
ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within
the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct
validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social
support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the
influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine
whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’
perceptions of work-family conflict.
A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from
five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument
consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson,
Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, &
Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008).
The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family
Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and
Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use
with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also
indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and
behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a
difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict,
except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant
difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was
reported for strain-based work interference with family.
The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and
validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are
dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made
meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family
initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare
institution
Woody species composition and congregant appreciation of the cultural and spiritual services provided by cemeteries and church gardens in Grahamstown, South Africa
No full textUrbanization has increased rapidly throughout the world. The densification of urban areas has greatly reduced the number of natural areas occurring within the urban environment as well as impacting the ecosystem services that these areas provide. Urban greening and sustainable practices have been advocated as a means to once again provide the urban population with ecosystem services. Sacred natural areas that occur in surrounding forest, temple and cemetery sites have been known harbour a variety of biological diversity, as well as provide people with a number of cultural and spiritual benefits. Much of the literature on sacred natural sites comes from rural or eastern countries, leaving a large gap in the knowledge pertaining to information on these sites in both developed nations as well as urban areas. The aim of this study was to determine the abundance and composition of woody species, as well as the spiritual and cultural significance of sacred natural sites in Grahamstown. This study defined a sacred urban area as any form of garden surrounding a church, temple or mosque, as well as cemeteries. It looked at a total of 28 church gardens, one Hindu garden, one Mosque garden and five cemeteries in Grahamstown, South Africa. For each site the area was calculated and a tree and shrub inventory was done for all individuals above 1.5 m tall. Church/cemetery age, denomination and appearance were recorded as well as soil samples collected. An ordination of the data was done to summarize the community data, relating the community variation to environmental gradients. Questionnaires were completed by congregants who attended a religious building with a garden, as well as those that were not surrounded by a garden. These questionnaires were used to determine the cultural, spiritual and aesthetic value of trees and the sacred area, as well as the perceived and felt benefits that these areas provide. Those that were completed by congregants without gardens looked to find out whether or not it was believed that these areas would improve their experiences. There was an average plant density of 106.1 woody plants per hectare, with a total of 139 different species encountered. Of these, 56 percent were exotic species. This is slightly lower than that of studies done elsewhere in the world, but may be due to the omission of non-woody ornamentals and lawn species in this study. Of the top 11 most frequently occurring species, only two were indigenous. There was generally low similarity between plant assemblages found at the different sites. A significantly positive
relationship was found between site size and woody plant basal area as well as the total number of woody plants. Site age and religious denomination had little influence on woody plant density, basal area, species richness or woody plant abundance. Congregants stated that a garden surrounding a religious building improved both their spiritual and aesthetic experiences. Stated spiritual and aesthetic experience was significantly influenced by basal area, while abundance significantly influenced stated aesthetic experience. Greenery was therefore important to many of the congregants, however, the species that were present were less influential. A greater sample size from a variety of religions and sacred areas within urban environments throughout the world would prove to be an interesting comparison for future research