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An Evaluation Of An Academic Literacy Programme Among First-Year Education Students Specialising In Languages At A University Of Technology
Get PDFDissertationSouth Africa, as a developing country, needs well-qualified professionals to help with the socio-economic development of the country. The importance of quality education to eradicate poverty and develop our human capacity to become a leading country in Africa is widely recognised. It is a well-known fact that our students do not perform as expected at tertiary institutions and they are not adequately prepared to cope academically. Although there may be several other factors influencing under-preparedness, the under-prepared student in literacy, mainly in English language and communication, creates a challenge that universities have to address. A number of studies about the standard of academic literacy of students depict a perturbing picture which raise questions about students’ ability to meet the linguistic demands of tertiary study. The primary aim of this research study was to investigate the success or not of the Academic Literacy Programme that was introduced as an intervention strategy for all first-year students to eliminate the problem of “under-preparedness” of students at a university of technology. This programme was introduced as a strategy to bridge the gap between secondary school literacy and the demands needed at tertiary level. The target group was a selected group of second year students registered for a B Ed Languages degree at a South African university of technology. All participants were registered for English, a compulsory subject for the language specialization. In order to determine the success of an Academic Literacy Programme, a questionnaire with a Likert scale approach was completed by the student sample, and qualitative interviews were done with the lecturers of the Academic Literacy Programme regarding their perception on the programme used by the CUT, Welkom campus. Results indicate that the Academic Literacy Programme appears to be successful in bridging the gap between secondary school communication skills and the academic literacy requirements of second year B.Ed. students specialising in English although the analysis indicates that there is a difference between what the lecturers and the students perceive as a successful Academic Literacy Programme. It appears the students feel they have the adequate skills required but in reality, the lecturers are of a different opinion
Assessing The Soft Skills Training Needs Of Owner Managers Of Emerging Construction Firms In The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipal Area, South Africa
Get PDFDissertationLiterature suggests that just like the so called hard skills, soft skills competencies are
essential for the sustainability of small businesses in the construction industry. The
identification of the soft skill needs of owner managers of emerging construction firms
(hereafter ECFs) in South Africa is therefore essential for the development of effective
training curriculum for enhancing the managerial capability hence sustainability of this
cohort of businesses in the construction industry. Yet literature review indicates that soft
skills training of owner managers of ECFs has been relegated to the periphery in South
Africa with focus on the so called hard skills. To bridge this gap, a sample of 100 owner
managers of ECFs in the Mangaung Metropolitan Area in South Africa was surveyed to
assess their soft skill training needs.
Several interesting findings were made. First, the results indicate inadequate soft skill
competency among majority of the owner managers. Significant differences were found
in soft skills training needs based on certain firm and owner manager demographics.
According to the results, the three most preferred training and development modes for
owner managers of ECFs in their order of preference are: the face to face contact mode,
traditional fully face to face contact mode and the face to face contact flipped classroom
mode. The results also showed that training mode preferences among owner managers
of ECFs differ in terms of gender, age, educational level and working experience.
Based on these and other findings, it is recommended that in order to design training
programs that suit the specific personal circumstances of ECFs, demographic
characteristics such as gender, age, educational level, working experience, firm age and
firm size should be considered
Investigation of the viability of an integrated cloud-based electronic medical record for health clinics in Free State, South Africa
Get PDFThesis (Master of Information Technology) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2019The use of paper-based medical records leads to gaps in patient healthcare. Paper-based records are prone to challenges such as lack of real-time access to patient data, and inability to share and exchange medical data among different health institutions. A solution to address most of the challenges associated with paper-based medical records is to have an information system, such as an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. EMRs have proven to be more complete and quicker to access as opposed to paper records.
Although EMRs may help resolve some of the problems with paper-based medical records, if the EMR systems are not linked or integrated, the problem of real-time accessibility and exchange of patient data remains unresolved. This leads to challenges in monitoring a patient’s health progress and providing continuity of care.
The emerging cloud-computing model, which leverages the Internet to allow the sharing of IT resources as online services, may offer a cost-effective solution of integrating diverse EMR systems. It can serve as an electronic medical record storage centre which simplifies the complexities with EMR exchange methods between different systems and saves the equipment setup expenses for smaller healthcare facilities. In addition, cloud computing may improve healthcare services and benefit medical research.
Despite the benefits offered by cloud computing, the adoption of cloud computing in the healthcare industry is the slowest compared to other industries. Further, adopting cloud computing involves many factors which require rigorous evaluation prior to introducing the new computing model to an organization. Very few empirical studies have focused on exploring factors influencing the adoption of cloud computing, especially in the public health sector.
This study aimed to investigate the viability of an integrated cloud-based EMR system by exploring factors which influence the intent to adopt cloud computing at public healthcare facilities in the Free State province, South Africa. Through a review of literature on existing studies on the adoption of cloud computing and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, TOE factors were identified and adopted to suit the study’s context. The study carried out a quantitative cross-sectional research by collecting data using a questionnaire which was surveyed to a sample of five principal network controllers from all districts of the Free State and 31 public healthcare facilities in the Free State (FS), South Africa. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 19. The study’s hypotheses were tested by conducting a Spearman’s Coefficient Correlation.
Results of the study revealed that most of the public healthcare facilities are using paper-based medical records with some form of IT to record basic patient information. Further, results of the study showed that some of the Health Information Systems (HIS) utilized at these healthcare facilities in the FS include Meditech, PADS, PharmAssist, Tier.net, HPRS, Rx Solutions, RDM, ETR and DHIS. According to this study, investments into IT infrastructure need to be considered by these health facilities as the current internet facilities will not be able to accommodate the use of cloud computing and only some facilities have internet facilities in place. Despite these challenges, these healthcare facilities are willing to adopt a cloud-based EMR system. Lastly, results of the study revealed that the factors associated with the intent to adopt cloud computing included relative advantage, security concern, organization readiness and top management support
The Prevalence Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In Street-Vended Foods
Get PDFDissertationIn recent years, the street-food vending industry has expanded globally, especially in developing countries and the expansion continues (Bereda et al., 2016). This industry has played a significant role in the socioeconomic development of these countries. In addition, it has a positive impact on urban dwellers as the majority of them depend on these foods for convenience (Bereda et al., 2016). Despite the economic benefits of street foods, there is a need to reflect on the hazards imposed by foods prepared within the food-vending industry. These foods may play a role in the transmission of disease-causineg microbes within a population (Ogidi et al., 2016) that may exhibit antibiotic resistant profiles.
Several studies have been carried out in South Africa to establish the relationship between food handling and the occurrence of food contaminants. However, few studies have been conducted in the Free State, therefore this area formed the basis of this study. This study had three aims, the first of which was to assess hygienic practices of the street food vendors and secondly, to evaluate factors that contributed to contamination and isolated microbes from surfaces and foods. This was followed by an assessment of the susceptibility of isolated microbes towards antibiotics. The study was carried out in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. In the current study, the data on the hygiene practices and potential risk factors was collected using questionnaires and an observation checklist. The results obtained indicated that even though the vendors had a positive attitude towards food safety, non-compliance with food safety regulations was observed. Some of the vendors did not wash their hands and did not wear aprons during the processing and serving of food. Moreover, the vendors reported that they had not received any training in food safety and hygiene. It was also observed that the material used for the construction of the stalls was not able to protect the food from dust, given that all the stalls were situated by the roadsides, which were dusty and prone to fumes from motor vehicles. Furthermore, a lack of sanitation facilities was also a major problem identified.
Total viable counts were recorded on food preparation surfaces at various vending stalls in Thaba Nchu, Bloemfontein and Botshabelo. Microbial counts obtained in Botshabelo (1.1x104 to 1.1 x106 CFU/m2) showed higher microbial counts as compared to those in Bloemfontein (1.1x104 to 1.1 x105 CFU/m2) and Thaba Nchu (1.1x104 to 1.1 x105 CFU/m2). These counts were found to be higher than the national standard (100 CFU/m2). Other than food preparation surfaces, microbial counts of meat samples obtained in Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo were also found to be lower than the national standard (100 CFU/g). Nevertheless, the results showed the presence of S. aureus and E. coli indicates poor hygiene. This indicates that improper food handling practices were somehow carried out by food handlers, thereby contributing to the presence of these foodborne pathogens. The predominant species identified were S. aureus and E. coli. The presence of these species is a major cause of concern because S. aureus and E. coli are the most common bacteria that play a significant role in human diseases (Setlhare, 2013).
In addition, when antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed, S. aureus isolates showed resistance to gentamycin (100%), streptomycin (63%) and tetracycline (68%) which would make the treatment of infections with this species difficult. Moreover, 62% of Shigella spp. showed resistance to ampicillin, followed by Escherichia hermannii which showed 50% resistance to ampicillin. Lastly, E. coli showed 100% resistance to ampicillin. This indicates that ampicillin will no longer be useful for treatment of any infection caused by Shigella, E. hermannii and E. coli. As these bacteria have developed resistance against the tested antibiotics, food contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria can also be a major threat to public health, because antibiotic resistance determinants can be transferred to other pathogenic bacteria potentially compromising the treatment of several bacterial infections (Eromo et al., 2016) within a population. Results from this study also indicate that the general public can easily be exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria daily through conventional food intake because the street vendors are non-complaint with food safety hygiene practices. Exposure of consumers to antibiotic-resistant bacteria may make them vulnerable to various food diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens
Internet of things-based framework for public transportation fleet management in the Free State
Get PDFThesis (Masters: Information Technology) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2019The poor service delivery by the Free State public transportation system inspired us to design a framework solution to improve the current system. This qualitative study focuses on improving the management of the public transportation fleet. One of the most recently developed technologies in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), namely the Internet of Things (IoT), was utilised to develop this framework.
Existing problems were identified through research observations, analyses of the current system, analyses of the current problem areas, as well as participants’ questionnaire answers and recommendations, the participants being the passengers, drivers and vehicle owners.
The framework was developed in two phases, namely a hardware phase that makes use of ICT sensors (e.g. RFID, GPS, GPRS, IR, Zigbee, WiFi), and a software phase that uses an internet connection to communicate with the different ICT devices. The software utilised a Graphic User Interface (GUI) to ensure that the software is user-friendly and addresses possible problems and barriers such as multiple language interfaces and different ICT skills levels. The newly designed framework offers different services and solutions to meet the participants’ needs, such as real-time tracking for public transport vehicles to help passengers manage their departure and arrival times, as well as for vehicle owners to monitor their own vehicles. In turn, vehicle arrival notifications will encourage passengers to be on time so that vehicles will not be delayed unnecessarily. Another feature is counting devices that can be installed inside the vehicles, which will inform vehicle owners how many passengers are being transported by a vehicle. The passenger pre-booking system will support the drivers when planning their trips/routes.
Finally, the framework was designed to fulfil all the participants’ needs that were indicated in the questionnaires in order to achieve the goal of the research study
Re-framing the gallery: South African exhibition spaces as case studies
Get PDFArticleIn South Africa, both the public art museum and
commercial art gallery, as distinct spatial building
types, have a level of framed separation from the urban
context. By drawing general comparisons between local
examples, and a direct comparison with two commercial
galleries as case studies, I argue that it may be valuable to
re-frame the place of the art gallery and the image of the
gallery within the city. I propose a contextual reading of
galleries as significant material sites in the contemporary
urban landscape. This paper explores the thresholds
between exhibition space and city, depiction and reality
and interior and exterior space. Edward Casey’s definition
of boundary as pliable and porous, as distinct from the
restrictive edge of a border, establishes a basis for the
theoretical investigation. Both these definitions require
consideration when viewing urban thresholds related to
museum and gallery interventions. I refer to Werner Wolf
and Joan Ramon Resina and the terms frame and framing
as a conceptual tool to clarify the role of the building as a
framing device and image in the city. This article builds on
previous published research (2014, 2016, 2018) and aims
to address the subtle border between an art institution
and its immediate urban environment, and the relevance
of architecture in this act of situating and framing. The interactions with the urban environment if it is viewed as a gallery and buildings as architectural works within it extends this aim
Analysis Of Client’s Perceptions Of Service Delivery In The Department Of Home Affairs, Welkom Regional Office, South Africa: A TQM Perspective
Get PDFDissertationEvery organisation must be sensitive to client perceptions about its service quality for its good. Given recent protests across the country about poor service quality, government departments in South Africa will do well to ensure that the services they provide meet the expectations of clients to arrest these protests that sometimes result in property destruction and fatalities.
At the same time, since a primary focus of total quality management (TQM like most Quality Management Systems (QMS) is to improve customer satisfaction by having a customer focus and consistently meeting customer expectations it, needs to be emphasised that government departments across South Africa need to ensure that their QMS conform to TQM. Literature indicates top management commitment, employee involvement, employee training, organisational culture as the key TQM dimensions.
This study utilised the quantitative approach by conducting a sample survey to investigated client perceptions of service quality in the Welkom regional office of The Home Affairs Department in South Africa along these dimensions of TQM. The key finding is that clients have positive perceptions about service quality dimensions tangibility, assurance, reliability and empathy but hold negative perception about responsiveness.
Among others Based on the findings, the following recommendations are made to based on the findings from the study. Firstly, to enhance service quality, the department needs to make TQM a priority. Also, the department should establish a dedicated research unit should with the key task being to continuously seek for clients’ feedback on services provided by the department
Assessing The Level Of Compliance With Iso 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems At Eskom Distribution Project Execution And Plant
Get PDFDissertationThe literature reviewed for this study indicates that the ISO Quality Management System (QMS) standards can benefit any organisation that complies with them regardless of size. Benefits to complying organisations can be internal or external. Internal benefits include, but are not limited to, improved documentation management, planning of activities and the management of employees. Some external benefits include, but are not limited to, increased competitiveness of the business and customer satisfaction.
Research has revealed five ISO QMS versions since its inception in 1987. However, the focus of this research was based on the fourth one, ISO 9001:2008 which has six mandatory procedures, namely: control of documents; control of records; internal audit; control of non-conformity; corrective action; and preventative action. The main objective of this study was to assess the level of compliance with these procedures of QMS to improve Eskom’s QMS.
The study was conducted in two departments, namely Project Execution and Plant at Eskom, Bloemfontein only. The following were investigated: level of awareness of QMS requirements; compliance with the six mandatory procedures; which requirements are challenging to employees; the involvement of management; and, lastly, what Eskom should do with non-compliance. The main finding was that despite it being management’s main function to maintain required levels of QMS maturity, reviews were not conducted as mandated by the organisation. As a result, a recommendation was that management involvement in issues of QMS not only be top management’s ordinance, but line managers, as well as the latter, should maintain QMS in their respective departments by monitoring maturity through procedures in place at Eskom
Use Of Magnetic Field Nutrient Solution Amended With Mycorrhizal And Ratio Of Calcium To Magnesium On Yield And Oil Quality Of Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens L.)
Get PDFHolistic improvements of oil yield and quality could be realised through integrating the knowledge of mycorrhizae and magnetic field stimulation. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of Ca:Mg ratios and the inclusion of mycorrhizal fungi in the root media on the yield and oil quality of rose geranium exposed to static magnetic field (facing south). The experiment was structured as a 3×2 factorial experimental design, with three levels of Ca:Mg ratios (2.40:6.78, 4.31:4.39, and 6.78:2.40 meq L-1), two levels of MF (zero MF, denoted by 0MF, and 110.1 mT, denoted by 1MF), and two levels of mycorrhizae amendment (none, denoted by 0Myco, and 20 ml of mycorrhizae amendment per plant, denoted by 1Myco) as a split-plot factor. The results showed that the application of Ca and Mg in approximately equal proportions of 4.31 and 4.39 meq L-1 had significant effects on leaf Zn and stem Mg content. The application of Ca and Mg in equal proportions and in combination with either an MF or mycorrhizae had significant effects on plant height, chlorophyll content, stem N, stem Cu, and stem Zn contents. Furthermore, high Ca and low Mg (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution significantly reduced the concentration of Mg in the leaves. On the other hand, a ratio of high Ca to low Mg (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution caused a small increase in the Zn concentration in comparison to that resulting from a ratio of high Mg to low Ca (6.78:2.40 meq L-1) in the nutrient solution. Although plant height and the number of leaves per plant were affected by equal proportions of Mg and Ca with 1MF and mycorrhizae use, this effect did not increase the oil yield and C:G ratio which favour essential oil of rose geranium, but the oil quality was within the acceptable international range for perfume industry. A multivariate analysis was further used to determine eigenvalue of the correlation matrix. Amongst the observed variables, only two principal components, PC1 (27.23%) and PC2 (23.78%) accounted for more than half of the total variance. Multivariate analysis revealed the antagonistic and synergetic effects between mineral elements subjected to Ca to Mg ratio, MF and mycorrhizal fungi
Effect Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus On Bone Mineral Density (Bmd) In Middle-Aged Black South African Women
Get PDFDiabetes mellitus is a serious medical condition that occurs when the body cannot utilise glucose normally. There are two main types of diabetes, known as type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common type of diabetes which can have serious complications if not treated. Osteoporosis/osteopenia (low bone mass) are hidden, major health concerns for our society as a result of their quiescence nature of the bone loss process with no signs or symptoms until a fracture occurs. Non-invasive bone densitometry utilising X-ray absorptiometry enables accurate evaluation of bone mass and the diagnosis of osteoporosis in asymptomatic individuals prior to fracture. Bone mineral density is a vital component in the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis regarding bone strength, since fracture risk increases exponentially as bone mineral density decreases. A DXA scan was performed on each subject. The sites used in this study included the femoral neck (left and right), total hip (left and right) and the AP lumbar spine. This was a retrospective study. Data of 140 Black female subjects were obtained from a database. Ninety-one subjects were previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and acted as the test group, whilst 49 subjects had no diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and acted as the test group. The T-scores of the test group and the control group were compared according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization. These two groups were further divided into two subgroups according to age, as proposed by the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa. Subjects ≥ 50 years were added in the calculations for the T-score, whilst subjects < 50 years were added in the calculations for Z-score. The aim of this study was to address the effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus on bone mineral density in middle-aged Black South African women. A literature review was conducted to identify data sources for this ethnic group. Statistical analysis was used to determine whether numerical variables followed a normal distribution pattern. Numerical values used included age, height, weight, BMI, T-score, Z-score and BMD. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations and percentiles) were used to calculate for numerical data, whilst frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical data. The test and control groups were compared with calculations from the independent T-test to test for differences between mean values, whilst the Mann Whitney-U test was used to identify differences between the median values. A significance level (α) of 0.05 was used, where p≥0.05 indicates no significant difference in the mean or median values of the two groups, and p< 0.05 indicates significant differences. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare percentages of the T-score and Z-score in the two groups with the same significant level (α) p 0.05 to determine the difference between the proportions of the two groups.
The results of the test group compared with the control group according to the WHO definition of diagnosis with regards to the T-score showed no significant difference in the bone mineral density in the different areas. Osteopenia was more prevalent than Osteoporosis in both groups.
The results of the subjects ≥50 years’ T-score diagnosis according to the NOFSA guidelines indicate no significant difference between the proportions of the two groups, accept at the right femoral neck.
There was no significant difference between the proportions of the two groups at the Z-score for women < 50 years.
Although the difference was not statistically significant between the T-score, Z-score and BMD between the two groups, there is evidence of low bone mass (osteopenia) in general for this population. It has been observed that type 2 diabetes mellitus negatively affects bone strength, regardless of bone mineral density. Furthermore, diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures, and that fractures can occur at higher bone mineral density levels in patients with diabetes mellitus