UNAM Open Access Journal University of Namibia
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Current prospects and challenges of enterprise resource planning (ERP) adoption in developing countries
Get PDFEnterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an enterprise system that helps organizations to integrate their functional areas such as finance, human resources, accounting etc. It improves transparency, productivity and communications in organizations. It also improves the flow of information between departments. ERP has originally been developed with the best practices of large organizations, however Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are also implementing ERP in order to remain competitive. Furthermore, ERP is not only implemented in developed countries where it originated, organizations in regions such as Africa and Asia are also implementing ERP. Considering the fact that ERP systems were developed in first world countries, their in-built processes are compatible with organizational structures of those countries. But ERP has taken over the whole world. Due to the differences on how organizations operate, organizations from other regions experience challenges when implementing ERP. This study explored the adoption of ERP implementation in developing countries, focusing on challenges and risks that they face. The study has found unreliable vendors, lack of skilled human resources, misfits between the ERP system’s built-in processes and the companies’ business processes as the main challenges
Namibian multilingualism and sustainable development
Get PDFThis position paper provides a critical discussion on the significance of indigenous languages in development in Namibia. The importance of the relationship between language and society is unquestionable as language in general allows communication to take place in society. The premise of this line of reasoning is to argue that though multilingualism may provide a challenging linguistic scenario for a country like Namibia which has a fragmented population running across different ethnic groups, the role of native languages in economic and social development should not be ignored as native languages can perpetuate sustainable development. This paper used qualitative content analysis, employing a desktop examination of secondary sources that pertain to language and economic development. As a desktop study, the data was collected through critical reading and analysis of language and development literature
The role of drama in teaching English: Towards the Enhancement of students’ communicative skills at the University of Namibia
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore the role of drama in teaching English to enhance students’ communicative skills at the University of Namibia. The discussions of the research focused on assessing the benefits of using drama in the teaching of English to increase students’ motivation and self-confidence, as well as to enhance their communicative skills. Research findings revealed the effectiveness of drama oriented English lessons to the benefits of students’ speaking skills, motivation, self-esteem and confidence in their abilities to communicate in English. In addition, the findings revealed that drama activities aided students develop a community and foster group cohesiveness, which helped in building students’ confidence when speaking English in front of their classmates. Moreover, the study results revealed that motivation is linked to self-confidence as the drama activities accorded students the opportunity to use the target language in real life situations
An analysis of linguistic features in the selected speeches of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni in the pre-independence era in Namibia
Get PDFLinguistic features were used by Bishop Kleopas Dumeni of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) in the pre-independence era to persuade the audience to support the struggle for independence. Bishop Kleopas Dumeni used linguistic devices in an attempt to convince his target audience that the Namibians suffered a great deal at the hands of the colonial authorities. Thus international community support was desired to break the shackles of colonialism. Although Bishop Kleopas Dumeni employed various linguistic features in his speeches as a tool to whip up support for struggle for independence of Namibia, his language choices were never subjected to a critical examination to unravel their contribution to the effectiveness of the speeches. This paper thus examines how Bishop Dumeni used linguistic devices in his speeches to appeal to his audience as well as the effects these features had on the audience to support the struggle for Namibian independence. The paper is pegged on Aristotelian theory to reveal how language choice affects the three appeals of Aristotle namely, ethos, logos and pathos. Content analysis was used to deconstruct the selected speeches of Bishop Dumeni thereby identifying and evaluating the linguistic features in the speeches. The conclusion from this investigation is that Bishop Kleopas Dumeni effectively used the linguistic devices to woo his audience to his side to support in his efforts to end the wickedness of colonialism in Namibia
The essence of English Literature in communicative based ESL classrooms: Reflections on Namibia's state of affairs
Get PDFThis study is a depiction and portrayal of the views of Namibian Grade 11 and 12 teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) on the use of English literature in ESL classrooms. The study also presents the rationale and conceptualisation underlying the significance of the use of English literature in the quest to improve English proficiency levels of students. The study was premised on a Humanistic Communicative Approach which is anchored in the Learner Centered Philosophy; a vanguard of Namibia’s epistemology for language learning and teaching. A questionnaire that contained both qualitative and quantitative items was used to gather data. The respondents in general agreed that the study of literature could be used to enhance learner proficiency in the ESL classroom. They agreed that the benefits of literature in an ESL classroom are multidimensional. These benefits include among others; attainment of pragmatic skills, grammar and vocabulary expansion, extensive reading motivation, intercultural awareness, language skills and critical thinking skills
High school teachers perceptions on reflective practice in teaching at one selected school in Khomas region, Namibia
Get PDFThis paper presents a case study of high school teachers’ perceptions on reflective practice in teaching at one selected school in the Khomas region. A qualitative approach was used in this study and fourteen teachers were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Three types of data tools were used to gather information, namely; the lesson observation schedule, the interview schedule and an open-ended questionnaire. The data from the questionnaire was thematically analysed. The views of the teachers on reflective practice were transcribed, analysed, and presented in the descriptive form and the data from classroom observations? The findings revealed that most teachers at the selected school were familiar with the concept of reflective practice and they used reflective journaling and reflective supervision. Based on the study findings, it can be concluded that the teachers had different views on reflective practice in teaching. The majority indicated that reflective practice is a crucial component of teaching and learning and should be incorporated in daily teaching, while few teachers were of the opinion that reflective practice takes time away from valuable teaching time and as such, it should not be a component of the teaching process. It is recommended that further studies are needed to get a broader view of teachers’ perceptions in Namibia on reflective practice
The role of rural school libraries on childrens exposure to literacy in the Namibian context
No full textThe link between libraries and reading development has been found to be a determining factor in literacy development by scholars the world over. Based on the findings of a study on the constraints encountered by teachers in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in rural combined schools in the Oshana region, this paper analyses the role of school libraries in rural schools in Namibia. The study made use of the qualitative approach to investigate some of the causes of ineffective teaching and learning in rural schools. Each year, the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessments (DNEA) reveals poor academic performance in the National Senior Secondary Certificate examinations, particularly in the English subject. This study found that poor learner reading skills coupled with learners’ limited access to reading materials constrained the teaching of ESL. Although there were libraries at each school that participated in the study, physical set-up of the libraries often did not qualify them to be libraries in a prototypical definition of a library. It is introspection worthy to examine the role of these rural school libraries on children’s exposure to literacy in an environment of limited reading materials
Minimizing academic English lexicon gap between English first language students and English second language students
Get PDFVocabulary, much more than grammar, is the key to any learner to understand what she/he hears and reads in school; and to communicate successfully with other people. For this reason it is very important for a learner to quickly build up a large store of words. Research studies have shown the strong links between having an extensive vocabulary and achieving school success. Lewis (1993) states that “Lexis the core or heart of language”. As English Second Language students develop greater fluency in English it is significant for them to acquire more productive academic vocabulary knowledge and to develop their own personal vocabulary learning strategies. This conceptual paper aims to highlight the academic lexicon gap between English First Language students and ESL students. Moreover, it defines what academic vocabulary is and how vocabulary is learned. Finally it provides effective vocabulary teaching strategies that could be employed in the ESL classroom in order to minimize the lexicon gap between English first language students and ESL students
Usanifishaji wa Kiswahili Afrika Mashariki: Changamoto na namna ya kukabiliana nazo
Get PDFThe process of standardizing Kiswahili language started before East African countries attained independence. Despite adopting different objectives and methods, the process has been ongoing even after independence of the East African countries. When discussing this process, it is of paramount importance to take into consideration the growth of terminologies, especially scientific and technological terms, which are created almost on a daily basis. It is also important to take cognizance of an increase in the number of universities in this region in which Kiswahili is one of the subjects studied by many students. Taking into consideration the fact that Kiswahili is the medium of the subject’s instructions these universities, students need sufficient textbooks and reference books written in Kiswahili, among other things. As such, East African Community member states need standard terms in various sectors, including research. This being the case, it is important to carefully coordinate the process of standardizing Kiswahili terms for use in various domains of the East African Community. The main objective of this article, therefore, is to examine the challenges of standardizing Kiswahili in the new East African Community. The article also provides recommendations on what can be done best to facilitate effective use of Kiswahili language among East African Community member states
Evaluation of article structure components in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) with reference to the target users
Get PDFThis paper evaluates the article structure components in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) with reference to the target users. For any bilingual dictionary to satisfy the needs of the target users, it should be user-friendly. Important aspects that have to be considered when one compiles a bilingual dictionary are, among others, orthography, pronunciation, inflections, parts of speech, and translation equivalents. All these aspects are all parts of the microstructure (Gouws, 2002; Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005; Svensén, 2009). A target user should also be defined in any bilingual dictionary, and should be indicated in the dictionary’s front matter texts (Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005). EKD was compiled in 1954, about four and half decades ago, and there is no comprehensive research done to analyse its quality. The study’s theoretical frameworks are the Function Theory and the Text theory. Sven Tarp and Henning Bergenholtz are the leading proponents of theFunction theory which was established in the late 1980s, and deals with dictionary functions and the user needs. The Text theory, proposed by Herbert Ernst Wiegand in the 1990s, deals with dictionaries’ textual structures. It is a qualitative study in a form of text analysis. Systematic dictionary research, which consists of two types, functional text segmentation as well as philological methods, is adopted. The findings reveal that EKD has become old and much needs to be improved in terms of aspects such as orthography. EKD’s target users are not defined in the dictionary’s front matter text, therefore, this paper recommends that lexicographers should define their target users in their future dictionaries’ front matter texts. They should also take into consideration the correct presentation of article structure aspects, based on the comment on form and the comment on semantics, such as spelling, parts of speech indication, lemma inflection, morphology and translation equivalents