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"Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit"
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
"SAPS don't hurt any more of our children"
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
"With a name like blade he should be able to cut out fees"
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
March down Somerset Street
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
One march many agendas
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
Prof Dirk Klopper on the solidarity march
No full textOn Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest
Critical success factors to improve direct labour productivity
No full textAn increase in the global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re-look their facility from a labour productivity standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive avantage must at all times support the organisation’s objective. It is therefore critical that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the ever changing needs in the market. Purpose – The main objective of this research is to identify the critical success factors to improve direct labour efficiency within Johnson Controls Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd (JCI).
Design/methodology/approach – A combination of a comprehensive literature review and visits to the Uitenhage plant and head office were employed in the study. JCI practices were observed to highlight the level of direct labour productivity. This was followed by interviewing relevant and key personel who had an involvement in achieving direct labour productivity in the plant. A questionnaire-based research approach was adopted for this purpose and a total of 83 valid survey responses were received from staff in the Uitenhage plant, together with head office staff who directly supported the plant. The questionnaire was designed to identify and test perceptions of employees, regarding the factors of production, identified as sub variables. The research aim was to determine the most practical and effective strategies to improve direct labour productivity. Results were analysed and interpreted after which recommendations were formulated. Findings – Several critical success factors identified as sub variables were tested to understand their impact on direct labour productivity. Empirical results showed that organisational culture, leadership culture, employee engagement, communication and skills, development and training, had a significant effect on direct labour productivity. Respective ratings of these elements were discussed with the focus of improving this going forward. Research limitations/implications – Continued scepticim within JCI about the benefits of direct labour productivity to their business is one of the fundamental limitations this research faces.
Originality/value – The novelty of the research project stems from the realization of key factors contributing to the improvement of direct labour productivity within the JCI enviroment. The results would provide JCI with indicators and guidelines for a successful implementation of direct labour productivity initiatives in the Uitenhage plan
Application of bacteriocins in the preservation of fruit juice
No full textBacteriocins (BCNs) are ribosomally synthesized polypeptides or proteins with antimicrobial activity, produced by different groups of bacteria. Many lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce BCNs with broad spectra of inhibition. The antimicrobial activity of BCNs against spoilage organisms (SPOs) has raised considerable interest in their application in juice preservation. The objectives of the study were to: (i) isolate, identify and screen BCN producing bacteria for antimicrobial activity against spoilage bacteria and fungi, (ii) optimize production of BCN from selected
producers and (iii) investigate the industrial application of the BCN as a preservative in fruit juice. Eleven LAB strains of BCN producers were screened for antimicrobial activity. BCNs from Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus 34 were the most effective against juice spoilage bacteria and fungi. The effect of medium components on bacteriocin production in L. plantarum and P. pentosaceus 34 was also determined. Clementine:Valencia (1:1) juice was used for the first time as the growth medium for L. plantarum and P. pentosaceus 34. The BCN from L. plantarum showed the highest activity and was, therefore, chosen for juice fermentation studies. The identification of L. plantarum was confirmed by biochemical tests, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the recA gene. The highest BCN activity was observed for L. plantarum grown in De Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) and a combination of all supplements (i.e. peptone, MnSO4.H2O, Tween 80, glucose and whey), followed by MRS and Tween 80, peptone, MnSO4.H2O and MRS alone. MRS was a better medium for BCN production than juice [Clementine:Valencia (1:1)]. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used to isolate the active L. plantarum BCN fraction which corresponded to an approximate molecular weight of 3.2 kDa and was proteinaceous in nature. Plantaricin structural genes (plnEF, plnJ, plnK, plnN) were detected in the L. plantarum strain by PCR and sequenced, and were chromosomally encoded as no plasmids could be detected. This implies that the BCN from L. plantarum is most likely a type of class IIa plantaricin which is responsible for the broad inhibitory activity observed. For the industrial application studies, L. plantarum BCN-containing cell free
supernatant (BCNsup) added to “Ready to Drink” (RTD) Clementine:Valencia (1:1) juice at concentrations of 3 600 - 500 000 ppm decreased growth of SPOs, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus. At 250 000 ppm, the L. plantarum BCNsup achieved 5.3 and 6.8 log reductions of the L. acidophilus, after 24 and 48 h, respectively, which is larger than the USFDA (2001) requirement of a 5 log reduction in SPO activity, for preservation of fruit juices. However, there was a decrease in the activity when the BCNsup was applied to industrial (Valor) RTD juice (mango-orange) at decreasing concentrations of 100 000, 50 000 and 25 000 ppm. Organoleptic tests showed that the BCN did not alter flavor or taste of the juice and did not cause toxicity or allergic reactions. A food safety risk assessment was conducted in order to determine the Critical Control Point(s) [CCP(s)] at which the BCN could be applied to control identified microbiological hazards, and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan was developed. This is the first report on the optimisation of L. plantarum BCN production in juice
[Clementine:Valencia (1:1)], followed by inoculation into RTD juice (mango-orange), including a HACCP plan for the application of the BCN as a preservative in juic
Guidelines for the responsible use of social media by nursing students
No full textSocial media use is becoming a popular activity among students at Nursing Education Institutions in South Africa, with Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Blackberry Messaging, Mxit and Google Plus being some of the social networking sites adopted for various reasons by nursing students. However, lack of accountability and unethical use of social media by nursing students in South Africa has been reported. Owing to the lack of accountability and unethical misconduct associated with the use of social media, guidelines for responsible usage are needed.
A qualitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual research study was conducted to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students regarding the responsible use of social media. Nursing students registered for the undergraduate nursing degree at a Nursing Education Institution in the Eastern Cape, South Africa were interviewed using a semi-structured individual interview method in order to elicit rich descriptions of their perceptions regarding the use of social media.
The goal of the study was to develop guidelines for the responsible use of social media by nursing students. In phase one, the researcher explores and describes the perceptions of nursing students regarding the use of social media. In phase two, guidelines for the responsible use of social media by nursing students were developed, using the findings of the study.
Tesch’s method of thematic synthesis was utilised to analyse the data. To ensure rigour and trustworthiness in the study, the researcher used Guba and Lincoln’s criteria, namely: credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. To protect the rights and dignity of the participants and to safeguard the integrity of this study, the researcher complied with the following ethical principles: beneficence and non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, privacy, and confidentiality.
Twelve in-depth, semi-structured interviews provided saturated data, which was then transcribed and coded to yield the major and sub-themes that were identified in this study. The information shared by the participants provided the basis for the development of guidelines for the responsible use of social media by nursing students, which are intended to provide guidance for legally and ethically acceptable social networking.
Three themes that emerged from the data were: Nursing student’s lives are centred around social media, Nursing students experience blurred personal and professional boundaries and lack of accountability, and Students expressed a need for the guidelines for the responsible use of social media. Six principle guidelines focusing on accountable and ethically acceptable use of social media were developed. The study concludes with the recommendations regarding nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research.
The limitations of the study were that data was collected from students in the undergraduate nursing degree programme and therefore the experiences of the nursing students in the postgraduate degree and diploma programmes regarding the use of social media are not known. The researcher depended solely on the story as told by the participants and did not get the opportunity to observe their social networking conduct, so the researcher made inferences based on the information that was supplied by students. The paucity of research in this topic made it a challenge for the researcher to find context-specific research articles for South Africa.
Recommendations from this study could be used to influence further research aimed at establishing the effectiveness of the guidelines. The findings of this research study could also be used to influence policy making at national and provincial levels of government regarding the use of social media at healthcare facilities
An investigation of enabling and constraining factors affecting the supply and demand of specific biodiversity scarce skills to the biodiversity sector
No full textThis study is situated within the context of the emerging South African Biodiversity Sector
and focuses on the supply of and demand for scarce skilled biodiversity professionals. It does
so through investigating the transition a young biodiversity professional makes from a higher
education institution to the workplace by drawing attention to the factors encountered or
perceived to be encountered during this development.
The study forms part of a research programme established between Rhodes University,
GreenMatter and the Culture Arts Tourism Hospitality Sport Education and Training
Authority (CATHSSETA), which seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to
"green" skills development and retention within the South African biodiversity sector. It is a
qualitative study, comprising nested case studies within two larger case studies of scarce
skills – those of wildlife veterinarians and freshwater ecologists – as identified by the
biodiversity priority scarce skills list (SANBI & Lewis Foundation, 2012). The study is
supported by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems theory and underpinned by the
principles of basic critical realism and emergence (Archer, Bhaskar, Collier, Lawson, &
Norrie, 1998).
Data was generated through a range of data collection methods, including semi-structured
interviews, participant observation and document analysis. The aim of these methods was to
enable a greater understanding of the factors influencing transitioning and the unique
transitions of selected individuals. Findings revealed that the transitions of the participants,
although unique to each of them, included the following commonalities: exposure to
biodiversity at an early stage in an individual's life paved the way for the development and
nurturing of an interest or passion in biodiversity; experience gained prior to entry into the
workplace is a powerful enabling factor; the presence or absence of a mentor can be pivotal
in the transition of an individual; the gap in knowledge pertaining to demand side or
workplace information is a large constraining factor; workplace dynamics affect the demand
for, and eventual supply of, biodiversity professionals; the presence of human capital
development strategies and structures is beneficial to the individual's transition, and the
overall ecosystemic development of an individual has an effect on the supply of specific
scarce-skilled individuals to the workforce.
This study demonstrates that through the employment of nested case studies, similar research
focussing on other scarce skills within the biodiversity sector, as per the GreenMatter Priority
Skills List of 2012, can be produced, which would help to address the knowledge gaps
pertaining to scarce skills, as indicated by the Biodiversity Human Capital Development
Strategy (2010)