1,721,221 research outputs found
Netflix - Loyal Customer Base
Get PDFNirmala Devi Jeyakumar's poster on Netflix and the loyalty of their customer base
Exploring learner resilience to school violence in a township secondary school in Durban KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The purpose of this study was to explore learner resilience to school violence in a township secondary school in Chatsworth near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Specifically, the study sought to describe the nature of school violence, identify and describe the internal characteristics of resilient school learners, determine the external factors that contribute to resilience of school learners, determine what skills resilient school learners in a township school use to cope with school violence, and develop a framework that fosters resilience among learners.
A simultaneous mixed methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative study designs was adopted. The sample comprised of 52 Learners, 6 Educators, the principal, the Head of Department for Life Orientation (LOHOD) and 7 Learner Parents. The quantitative data collection component used the Resilience Scale for Middle-adolescents in a Township School (R-MATS) questionnaire, administered to the 52 learners, and the qualitative data collection component used face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with 12 Learners, 6 Educators, the principal, the LOHOD and 7 Learner Parents.
The main factors seen as constituting risk for township school learners were that a lot of violence was seen around the community, there were many stressors, and participants spoke of bad life experiences. Among external factors, school environment was found to be the most lacking for those learners who reported that they fought a lot at school. Results indicated a neglect of problem learners by teachers, or an inability to deal with their problems. Some of the coping skills mentioned were positive commitment towards learning, taking part in extramural activities such as sports and music, and having a positive attitude towards life.
The study recommends a framework that combines both the invitational education framework and the resilience wheel framework into one framework named ‘Invitational Resiliency Framework’.Author submitted Masters dissertation at UKZN under the name : Bonita Adele Marimuthu
Exploring why some youth are engaged in criminal activities to achieve their goals in life: a study of incarcerated male offenders in the Youth Correctional Facility, Westville.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.South Africans are plagued by criminal activities which are perpetrated mostly by youth each day. A number of youths tend to deviate from socially accepted behaviours which could be due to lack of legitimate opportunities for them to develop in life. Some of the youth would pursue criminal activities for monetary or material gain, while others would conduct crime for mere prestige.
Some of them are shaped by social and political circumstances which tend to inhibit them from exploring their capacities. The mere fact of being raised in socially disadvantaged communities could be the prime cause of youth crime as they are raised in the very communities which are the breeding soil for potential offenders as they try to make ends meet. Youth who cannot bear to live under poverty opt for shortcut means to achieve success in their lives as they develop envy and greed when observing other youth of a similar age being given legitimate opportunities to showcase their talents. However such criminal means of achieving success in life are detrimental to the victims of crime and the community in general.
Those who are caught and found guilty of crime spend their valuable times incarcerated and could choose to continue with criminal careers or desist from crime if they learned their lesson when they were confined in correctional facilities. However, some studies have identified failures of preventive measures to counteract youth crime. Farrington and colleagues (2016), when they did a systematic review, found that a measure of community-based interventions involving individual, family and school-based interventions produced a mere five percent reduction in the manifestation of youth criminal behaviour.
Not even the institutions like prisons are winning the battle to reduce crime to satisfactory level, especially in South Africa. McCarthy, Schiraldi, and Shark (2016: 2) state that regardless whether the benefits and costs of youth prisons are measured on magnitude of public money spent, they are putting the very people they are suppose to help and put them in a detrimental position irrespective of the fact that prisons and other crime prevention measures have been there for generations.
The institutional failure to address the problem of crime however does not inhibit other attempts like this study to establish other motives for some people to engage in criminal activities. This is why the aim of this study was to explore why some youth decided to engage in criminal activities, to identify factors in their environments that influence criminal behaviour, and to recommend preventative measures against future youth criminal behaviour
An analysis of psycho-criminological factors of adult child sex-offenders in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Child sexual abuse is not a new issue, it has been happening for a long time, but it is only recently that it has received more attention and been defined by society and scholars. Child sexual abuse research is primarily limited to high-income societies, with few studies conducted in low- and developing-income countries. Despite the fact that there have been few studies on child sexual abuse in South Africa, the social context has allowed child sexual abuse to continue and children to be victims of sexual offences. To address child sexual abuse, it is necessary to first understand the social context that allowed children to become victims of adult child sex offenders. The study focused on the psyche-criminology of adults who sexually abuse children and was exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory in nature. Psychologists, social workers, and convicted child sex offenders from two South African prisons took part in the study. The study combines data from 20 incarcerated sex offenders with data from 11 professional participants who work with child sex offenders on a daily basis. By examining the functioning mind-set of child sex offenders, this study provided indepth information on sexual offending. The study was guided by a qualitative research approach. The collected data was thematically analysed. The study discovered six key elements influencing adult sexual behaviour toward children who are sexually abused: education, a history of abuse, low self-esteem, opportunity, preference, and environment. In order to address child sexual abuse, the study recommends the formation of a unit comprised of specialists who will analyse the challenges of responding to adult child sex offenders. According to the study, child sex offenders in prison should be assigned psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to assess them
An analysis of psychosocial factors of psychoactive illicit substance use in a select sample in Chatsworth.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.“Drug addiction has reached epidemic levels across the globe with approximately 247 million drug users worldwide” (World Drug Report, 2016).
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) (2017) uncovered that approximately 15.3 million people have been diagnosed with drug use disorders caused by the use and abuse of psychoactive illicit substances. Psychoactive illicit substances directly affect pathways in the brain, thus causing changes in the moods, behaviour, consciousness and overall thought processes of individuals. The use of these illicit substances places substantial economic, mental and health-related burdens on societies all over the world (WHO, 2004:7-10). The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use report (Dada, Burnhams, Erasmus, Parry, Bhana, Timol, & Fourie, 2017:1-2) found that illicit psychoactive substance use is an ageless social phenomenon. Substance abuse problems have been found to affect the youth and people right into their eighties (South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Report, 2017). It was against this backdrop that the current research was constructed. With the aim of investigating psychological and social factors (psychosocial) related to illicit psychoactive substance use in Chatsworth near Durban, South Africa. Data were elicited from 62 respondents who were enrolled in addiction support and therapy programs at ADF. The research took cognizance of the location (i.e., the study area) when examining the psychosocial factors related to psychoactive substance use. Three main theories were used to inform the theoretical framework of this research and in the analysis of the results; Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, the social bond theory and the social disorganisation theory. Erikson stages of psychosocial development were used understand the psychological factors, social bond theory was use to understand the social factors and lastly the social disorganisation theory was used when trying to understand the role of the location in psychoactive illicit substance use. The combinations of theories were also used to understand different dimensions of psychoactive illicit substance use. Finding from the research showed that half of the respondents (50%) believed that members of the police were involved with local drug dealers. Key psychosocial findings included; the use of illicit substances in escapism, as a stress-related coping mechanism. In addition findings showed that there was a high percentage of awareness of local dealers. Respondents claimed knowledge of other users in the community as well as awareness of
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common psychoactive substances in the community. Respondents indicated that they were influenced to use illicit substances by either family members’ or friends’ use of illicit substances. This research offers recommendations that speak to the possible use of the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), as a coping strategy that could reduce negative emotional responses associated with stress. A further recommendation is for Community organisations such as youth support groups, school counsellors, the community policing forums and community social workers to work collaboratively to provide awareness workshops and support programs
Investigating security threat of e-banking services on pensioners: a case study of Hammarsdale, Mpumalanga Township, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This thesis has made inquiry into the security threats confronting pensioners who rely on e-banking services, with a focus on Hammarsdale, a township situated within the Mpumalanga region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A comprehensive understanding of the myriad risks inherent in e-banking is indispensable, especially in the contemporary digital epoch, where electronic financial transactions have burgeoned exponentially, especially among segments of the population characterised by their susceptibility, such as pensioners. Employing a qualitative research methodology, this study used in-depth interviews to engage directly with pensioners and security officers, exploring their perspectives, lived experiences, and adaptive behaviours concerning e-banking security. Through qualitative analyses, the research examined the challenges and anxieties encountered by pensioners in Hammarsdale concerning the security of their e-banking transactions, from phishing scams and malware attacks to social engineering tactics and account hijacking. The study undertook a critical examination of the efficacy and adequacy of security protocols and measures implemented by financial institutions and regulatory bodies in fortifying e-banking transactions within the unique socio-economic setting of Hammarsdale. By examining socio-economic factors, technological landscapes, and regulatory frameworks shaping e-banking security in Hammarsdale, this research aspired to offer practical and actionable recommendations for policymakers, financial institutions, and community stakeholders, with the overarching objective of bolstering trust, resilience, and inclusivity of e-banking services for pensioners across South Africa. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this study sought to contribute meaningfully to the broader discourse on financial empowerment, digital literacy, and cybersecurity, ultimately advocating for the equitable access and enhanced security of e-banking services for all pensioners, thereby fostering their financial well-being and societal participation in the digital era
An exploratory study of women’s perceptions of safety as Automated Teller Machine (ATM) users: a select sample in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Women as active and equal citizens of South Africa enjoy equal access to South African banking facilities. Banks mobilise, allocate and invest much of the savings of a society and therefore, their ability to provide a safe banking environment has substantive repercussions on its expansion and sustainability. A banking facility that necessitates safety is the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) environment. Safety of ATM users (customers) is a human right and that makes it a necessity, user confidence and continued user participation.
Against this landscape, the current study sought to explore women’s perceptions of safety as ATM users in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Thus, the aim of the study was to explore a select sample of women’s perceptions of safety as ATM users. The objectives of the study were to understand women’s perceptions of safety as ATM users in the eThekwini municipality by making use of a quantitative research design. A survey instrument, the questionnaire was constructed and used as the data gathering tool for the study. 100 survey questionnaires were administered to participants using snowball sampling. This sampling technique was most appropriate given the sensitive nature of the study namely seeking perceptions on ATM safety. The participants were all women from the four main race groups in KwaZulu-Natal namely African, Indian, White and coloured. They represented six age categories namely from 18 to 65 years of age. Participants were recruited from ABSA, Standard, First National, Nedbank and Capitec banks.
Findings show that participants were aware of precautions to take irrespective of age, race or banking institution. First National and Standard Bank participants scored the highest in terms of agreeing with their level of awareness. In terms of feeling safe using ATM’s where a security guard is present the 42 to 49 year old women had the highest responses. Further findings show that the responses in the disagree and neutral scales were particularly interesting when participants were posed with the question: “My banking institution does not need any more ATM safety measures”. In the 42 to 49 year age category 17.2 % of participants believed that their banking institutions actually need more ATM safety measures followed by 15.2 % of the 34 to 41 category. The lowest response to this statement was generated from the 18-25 year category of participants. Findings also show that when participants were asked to respond to the statement “I am not afraid to use ATM's at a well-lit, open, high traffic area” the majority responses were in the neutral and agree scales. Findings of the study revealed that women across all race groups are equally vulnerable to ATM crime or feelings of insecurity when using ATM’s. Although the study makes a variety of recommendations for future research in the area, one critical recommendation is for a mixed method research design that could also inquire from participants what they consider suitable remedies for women victims of ATM crime. Here the focus should be on indirect costs of ATM crime including pain, suffering, psychological impact and the trauma experienced by the victim
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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