The role of strategic leadership in effective strategy implementation: Perceptions of South African strategic leaders

A review of the literature reveals that strategy implementation isan important component of the strategic management process.Research indicates that the ability to implement a strategy is viewedas considerably more important than strategy formulation, andthat strategy implementation, rather than strategy formulation, isthe key to superior organisational performance. However, the highfailure rate of strategy implementation efforts is well documented,and many barriers to effective strategy implementation exist. A lackof leadership, and specifically strategic leadership, at the top ofthe organisation has been identified as one of the major barriersto effective strategy implementation. In turn, strategic leadership isalso viewed as a key driver to effective strategy implementation.In the light of the identified problem, the primary objective of thisstudy was to investigate the perceived role of strategic leadershipin strategy implementation in South African organisations. Theconclusion is that strategic leadership positively contributes toeffective strategy implementation in South African organisations

Developing a Learner's Corpus: the case of a First-Year Module in Mathematics

A learner's corpus is a body of writing for use by a student whose first language is not (in this case) English to improve his/her use of (in this case) academic scientific terminology. In this case study, a learner's corpus was developed for a first-year mathematics module for students in the biological sciences. Lecturers struggle with big classes and a fairly high failure rate which they have addressed in a variety of ways. The learner's corpus is one of an array of support mechanisms built into the teaching-learning process and aims to support the development of academic literacy in this module in particular. In the process of developing and refining this learner's corpus it was compared to Coxhead's Academic Word List to determine whether a gen-eral academic word list may not include enough terms to render tailor-made learner's corpora unnecessary. The study concludes that the most frequent terms used in this module either do not appear in the Academic Word List or have such a specialised meaning that general academic sup-port on the basis of the word list would probably not be very useful for students. Keywords: learner's corpus, academic word list, academic language support, mathematics word list, pedagogic application of corpora, case stud

Improvement of common bacterial blight resistance in South African dry bean cultiver teebud

Common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli is an important seed-borne disease of dry beans in South Africa.  Development of resistant cultivars is considered the best control measurement for the disease. Backcross breeding was used to improve  BB resistance in the small white canning bean, cv. Teebus, using resistance sources XAN 159 and Wilk 2. High resistance levels in near-isogenic lines, developed in two independent breeding programmes, indicated successful  transfer of resistance from both sources. Presence of SCAR-markers, SU91 and BC420, in 35 of 39 XAN 159 derived Teebus lines and all lines derived from Wilk 2, confirmed successful resistance transfer. AFLP studies conducted to determine genetic relatedness of two near-isogenic Teebus lines, showed a similarity of 96.2% with the maximum similarity between  these lines and Teebus being 93.1%. One cultivar, Teebus-RCR2 with yield similar to Teebus and improved resistance to CBB has been released from the programme

Semi-automated segment generation for geographic novelty detection using edge and area metrics

An approach to generating accurate image segments for land-cover mapping applications is to model the process as an optimisation problem. Area-based empirical discrepancy metrics are used to evaluate instances of generated segments in the search process. An edge metric, called the pixel correspondence metric (PCM), is evaluated in this approach as a fitness function for segmentation algorithm free-parameter tuning. The edge metric is able to converge to user-provided reference segments in an earth observation mapping problem when adequate training data are available. Two common metaheuristic search functions were tested, namely particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and differential evolution (DE). The edge metric is compared with an area-based metric, regarding classification results of the land-cover elements of interests for an arbitrary problem. The results show the potential of using edge metrics, as opposed to area metrics, for evaluating segments in an optimisation-based segmentation algorithm parameter-tuning approach

Assessment Of The Management Practices Of Emerging Sheep Production Systems In The Eastern Free State: Can The Extensionist Make A Difference?

Published ArticleThe aim of the study was to investigate factors that may prevent small-scale farmers from succeeding. Poor sheep production is generally associated with the ineffective management of these production systems. It would therefore be valuable to assess small-scale farmers’ management of sheep production systems to investigate what causes the high rate of morbidity and mortality as well as increased costs of maintenance associated with ineffective sheep production systems. The management practices followed in the production of sheep, including reproduction, nutrition, and health management; the management of farming equipment; and marketing strategies were also investigated. Structured questionnaires were used to gather the required data from small-scale farmers in the Eastern Free State, South Africa. The questionnaire was designed to include both open and closed-ended questions and was administered through personal interviews. A total of 40 small-scale farmers participated in the study. The results revealed that the specific limiting factors that small-scale farmers face are poor animal health management skills, poor animal nutritional management, and inadequate support services from the government and other related stakeholders. Furthermore, insufficient land availability to expand production, inadequate agricultural farming equipment, a lack of reproduction and production management skills, and poor marketing skills were the most obvious challenges. Finally, the results from the study highlighted that agricultural extensionists have a crucial role to play in improving the sheep production systems of small-scale farmers as they are well positioned to render training and advisory services. If the Department of Agriculture (DoA) joins forces with agricultural institutions like the Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO), the National Wool Growers Association (NWGA), and breeders’ societies, this objective will be achieved

Relationship between performance measurements and sale price of Dorper rams in the Northern Cape Veld-Ram Club

The sale prices of 1 609 Dorper rams sold between 1990 and 1999 were compared with their measured performances. An analysis of variance was carried out in order to determine which variables influenced sale price. The most importance factors were classification (stud vs. commercial), auction weight and coat type (hair, wool or a mixture). Buyers seem to show a preference for animals with hair and a mixture of hair and wool over those with predominantly woollen coats. Buyers recognise the importance of performance data in the selection of breeding rams. (South African Journal of Animal Science, 2000, 30(2): 128-132

An examination into the role of a peer academic online mentoring programme during Emergency Remote Teaching at a South African residential university

For residential universities, the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020 academic year necessitated the suspension of in-person lectures and a swift transition of classes and other in-person activities to emergency remote teaching (ERT). This included the academic module mentoring programme, cognisant of the potential challenges experienced by first-year students during a period of ERT. The role of an in-person module mentoring programme before ERT was only to provide academic support to first-year students within an introductory financial accounting module to promote student success. This study investigated the role of an academic online mentoring programme for students in an introductory financial accounting module during ERT. A web-based survey was conducted to source the perceptions of both mentors and mentees who participated in an introductory module academic mentoring programme both before and during ERT to analyse whether the role of the academic module mentoring programme had shifted beyond that of academic support in an ERT environment. While academic support remained at the forefront as the main perceived benefit of the online mentoring programme, with the transition to ERT, the findings of this study illustrate an altering role that is more inclusive of additional psychological and peer support and engagement perceived benefits for first-year students who participated in an academic mentoring programme for students in an introductory financial accounting module during a period of ERT. Understanding student perceptions of the value derived for first-year students from an academic online mentoring programme is important in understanding first-year student needs and to provide relevant and applicable training to first-year students to promote student success during ERT. The findings of this study provide insight to institutions and in considering the addition of academic interventions such as offering academic online mentoring programmes during ERT and highlight the perceived value-add from both a mentor and mentee perspective

'These Discussions Aren't Happening': Experiences of People Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Talking About Sexual Well-being with Health Care Professionals.

Background Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] affects all aspects of life, yet little is known about the impact of the condition on intimacy and sexuality and if such concerns should be discussed with health care professionals. This hermeneutical phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of people living with inflammatory bowel disease and discussing their sexuality concerns with health care professionals. Methods Participants [n = 43] aged 17–64 years were recruited. Data were collected via in depth interviews and anonymous narrative accounts [Google Forms]. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results An overarching theme ‘These discussions aren’t happening’ with four main themes were generated. The main themes were: ‘I can’t image talking about sex’; ‘I am a person, not my IBD’; ‘We need to talk about sex’; and ‘Those who talked about sex, talked badly’. Participants described the lack of conversations with their health care professionals on sexual well-being issues, in spite of the importance they gave to the topic, and identified barriers to having such conversations. They made suggestions for future clinical practice that would better meet their needs. The few who had discussed sexual well-being issues with health care professionals reported negative experiences. Conclusions Patients’ needs and preferences, about addressing during clinical appointments concerns related to their sexual well-being, should be addressed routinely and competently by health care professionals. Understanding the implications of inflammatory bowel disease for intimate aspects of the lives of those living with the condition could improve the quality of the care provided