Ounongo Repository (Namibia Univ. of Science and Technology)
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The current state of research development in Namibia.
No full textNamibia has a number of unique features including history, the landscapes, a diversity of cultures, and the small population. All these attract researchers and thus create a need for a liberating yet ethical and stable research environment. The need for research support structures and mechanisms, and multi-disciplinary research teams working across institutions within the country cannot be debated
The Archives and the keys. Address by Mr. Werner Hillebrecht, Chief Archivist, National Archives of Namibia, On the occasion of the DNA mobile exhibition opening, 9 August 2011, NUST Library.
No full textDigital Namibian Archives Opening (2011 August 9: Windhoek
Assessment in practice: A case study of the NUST and the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in the Netherlands.
No full textThis paper examines the problem of splitting views on assessment methods at the NUST. This problem led to some lecturers being unaware of what assessment method is relevant to their courses. The paper evaluated the literature on major assessment categories of formative (continuous) and summative (exam-based) using a comparative case of the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in the Netherlands and the NUST. The major finding is that assessment methods stipulated in the NUST Prospectus are not clear. This has resulted in a gap between the assessment methods and even questions the objectives of the courses. The paper recommends that the Prospectus Regulations should be revisited to make the assessment methods strong. With a momentum towards increased strong hybrid assessment it is appropriate to assess the correlation between student performance in continuous assessment work and in more traditional end of course written examinations
Skills imperatives in Namibia. Presentation at the 1st IPM Annual Conference, 21-23 November 2011, Safari Conference Centre, Windhoek Namibia.
No full textIPM Annual Convention (1st : 2011 Nov. 21-23 : Windhoek
Investigating the sources of poverty in the informal settlements using Greenwell Matongo as a laboratory test ground.
No full textPoverty is undoubtedly one of the main challenges facing mankind. In this study Questionnaires were designed and used to collate relevant data and subsequently analyzed. The findings of the study indicate that most informal settlement breeds poverty and the following factors were implicated as accounting for the high degree of poverty in the informal settlements: Unemployment, low literacy rate, the absence of basic infrastructures, including low income levels. The study recommends various interventionist policies that could be used to address and possibly ameliorate the magnitude of poverty currently eating deep into the Namibian society. The paper concluded by encouraging other social researchers to carry out more studies regarding the issue of poverty in Namibia
An investigation on the effects of feeder outages and non-linear loads on 11kV ring distribution network efficiency.
No full textThis study investigates the impact of power quality problems on the efficiency of a ring distribution network. The paper focuses on the effects of outage and harmonics on the distribution network efficiency and the practical implications on power system economics and reliability. An 11 kV ring distribution network was modeled and simulated in DigSilent PowerFactory (Demo version) 14.0.512 software package. Five case studies were conducted on the
network for normal operation conditions and abnormal conditions (outage and harmonics). A methodology to estimate the technical losses (economic losses) in the distribution system was developed and used as a basis for
determining the network efficiency. A load flow based analysis was carried out on the distribution system to determine the voltage and current profiles under normal and abnormal conditions.
It emerged that the loss of feeder cables or lines in the network has an adverse impact on the efficiency of the network. This raises the question on the existence and the need of an optimum supply configuration. It also puts an increased focus on the need of improved reliability engineering in
distribution systems as the costs of failures could be high.
The authors conclude that the efficiency of a ring distribution network is affected adversely during contingency (outage and harmonics). The degree to which the efficiency is affected depends on the initial optimal design configuration and the nature of the disturbance or contingency condition. Preventative steps that can be taken to “harden” equipment and systems to
PQ problems are also suggested
Evaluating XYZ's performance management system implementation.
No full textDissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Leadership and Change Management at the NUST and Leeds Metropolitan UniversityThere has been considerable academic and business interest in the subject of performance measurement in recent years as evidenced by the many academic papers and articles on the subject in recent times. (Bourne M, Mills J, Wilcox M, Neely A and Platts K, 2000; 2003; Kaplan and Norton, 1992). According to Bourne et al., (2003a, Abstract) there is evidence that many an organisation‟s attempts to implement performance management systems (PMS) have not been successful. These authors found that one reason for the low success rate is a lack of guidance on implementation.
This study was based on the implementation of a PMS by XYZ Corporation (Pty) Limited, which was centred on the balanced scorecard (BSC), giving specific focus to the change management processes applied. The study looked at whether technical knowledge of the BSC and PMS together with a change management process that fosters the participation of management and employees in goal setting can aid the successful implementation of a PMS.
The researcher employed a combination of a qualitative case study and survey research and collected data through interviews, survey questionnaires and secondary data analysis. A sample of 65 out of 146 participants was identified for the survey and two (2) semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data gathered was reviewed against literature on the subject. Excel was used to analyse responses from questionnaires and group common outcomes.
Initial attempts to introduce the PMS in XYZ yielded little progress. The researcher found that this initial attempt was technically flawed as there was no purpose, vision and strategy commonly shared and understood within XYZ. Progress was however evident after the company had concluded its strategic plan. Management participated in strategy formulation, goal setting and employees were involved in the design of individual performance agreements. Implementers however reported facing resistance
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and low attendances at scheduled PMS training sessions. This resistance was partially overcome by linking reward and punishment to the PMS.
Despite efforts by the company to foster participation, respondents still perceived the PMS as being imposed by management. The study found that there was a lack of commitment on the part of employees whilst senior management was committed to the successful implementation of the PMS. There were also perceptions that performance evaluations were not being done fairly and equitably. The company‟s PMS was identified as a source of stress.
The researcher generated conclusions summarised above on the study based on the outcome of the information gathered and by reference to literature on PMS and managing change, made recommendations and suggestions that may assist in further development of study on this field as well as XYZ and other corporations in implementing and embedding the PMS. These propositions outline the various considerations that organisations can incorporate in performance management designs, implementation and processes in order to successfully roll out such a system with minimum business disruptions and maximum benefits.Supervisors: Mr. M. Hill, DR. A. Dawodu, Dr. H. Kershaw-Solomo
Statement by His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia, on the occasion of the 16th Graduation Ceremony of the NUST, 14th October 2011, Windhoek.
No full textGraduation Ceremony of the NUST (16th : 2011 Oct. 14 : Windhoek, Namibia
Cognitive stylistics and petit recit: An examination of the narrative consciousness in the "God of Small Things".
No full textPoetics & Lingguistics Association Conference (2011 July 4-8: Windhoek, Namibia)As has been pointed out be many critics, “God” in The God of Small Things by
Arundhati Roy functions as a metaphor for Velutha and becomes symptomatic of
power relations that cut across the several binaries: man/woman, postcolonial,/
imperial, upper caste/lower caste, Hindu/ Christian, upper class/lower class
resulting in notions of “big things ” and “small things ” which, one realizes as one reads the novel , acquire multiple meanings. The subversion of the “big things ” by the “small things ” is articulated by the variegated narrations of Rahel, who, in her own person, projects this dichotomy. She is one of a twin, a girl as opposed to her male twin and the narration through her consciousness is dualistic because it encompasses both her voice as a child and also as an adult creating a rich and complex narrative that confounds as it explicates lending itself to various
interpretations. While there have been many interpretations of the novel both in
terms of its themes and its language, and most critics praise Roy for painting a
canvas that is both multihued and multilayered, and yet congealing into a
harmonious whole, they have largely ignored the narrative voice of Rahel and the
ambivalence that is projected through it.
My paper is an attempt to unravel the plurality of the competing discourses
through Cognitive Stylistics. I argue that the Derridean slippage that occurs in the
novel is because of the different schemas of Rahel ‘s narrative as a child and as an
adult. Cognitive stylistics therefore provides a useful tool in the analysis of the novel thereby affirming what is stated in the epigraph: “Never again will a single story be told as though it is only one.” ( The God of Small Things:1997)
On universities ranking: Hype or substance?
No full textPreprint of an article to be published in Nawa, Journal of Language and Communication.Universities ranking systems rose to prominence in the earliest 21st century with no less than three methodologies emerging at about the same time, followed by more several years later. These systems aim to rank universities according to sets of variables, all collected through seemingly scientific methods, including from the world wide web. The concept of ranking itself has both its detractors and proponents, while the methods are even more hotly debated. The most well known ranking methodologies will be introduced and partially investigated