Ubuntu leadership as a predictor of employee engagement: A South African study

Orientation: Ubuntu leadership is increasingly being promoted as a suitable leadership philosophy for South African workplaces, necessitating further exploration of its application and outcomes. Research purpose: This study thus investigates Ubuntu leadership as a predictor of employee engagement (EE) in the South African context, considering ethnicity, age and tenure as moderating variables. Motivation for the study: The necessity to study perceptions of Ubuntu leadership and its influence of EE lies in the need to understand how this culturally rooted leadership style can enhance organisational performance, employee well-being and inclusivity in diverse workplaces. Research approach/design and method: The study adhered to a positivist philosophical perspective, employing a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 193 South African participants through a self-administered online questionnaire. Main findings: The study findings indicated that the practice of Ubuntu leadership, as perceived by employees, significantly predicted EE. Practical/managerial implications: Organisational leaders and managers hold a crucial role in shaping the workplace environment, and their acknowledgment of Ubuntu leadership’s fundamental principles, such as fostering authentic relationships, empathy, collaboration and respect, has the potential to boost EE. Contribution/value-add: The research outcomes offer valuable insights into how Ubuntu leadership can enhance EE and provide proactive measures for its implementatio

The Consumption of Wild Edible Plants

Wild edible plants are of great importance in both former and current human societies. Their use embodies evolutionary trends, continuing interactions between men and nature, relevant traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage. A conceptual approach to wild edible plants, including the contribution of such species to people's diets and daily lives, focusing on nutritional and cultural value, food sovereignty and security, as well as the huge legacy for future generations, leads to a general overview of new tendencies and availability of wild plant resources according to geographic regions. The potential benefits and the continual need for conservation strategies of plants, habitats, and associated knowledge are also discussed, enhancing biodiversity and biocultural patrimony. Finally, some examples of culturally significant edible wild plants are described, emphasizing the importance of knowledge transmission and sustainable uses in a changing world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Costing analysis of an SMS-based intervention to promote HIV self-testing amongst truckers and sex workers in Kenya

Objective HIV testing rates in many sub-Saharan African countries have remained suboptimal, and there is an urgent need to explore strategic yet cost-effective approaches to increase the uptake of HIV testing, especially among high-risk populations. Methods A costing analysis was conducted for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with male truckers and female sex workers (FSWs) registered in the electronic health record system (EHRS) of the North Star Alliance, which offers healthcare services at major transit hubs in Southern and East Africa. The RCT selected a sample of truckers and FSWs who were irregular HIV testers, according to the EHRS, and evaluated the effect of SMSs promoting the availability of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits in Kenyan clinics (intervention program) versus a general SMS reminding clients to test for HIV (enhanced and standard program) on HIV testing rates. In this paper, we calculated costs from a provider perspective using a mixed-methods approach to identify, measure, and value the resources utilized within the intervention and standard programs. The results of the analysis reflect the cost per client tested. Results The cost of offering HIVST was calculated to be double that of routine facility-based testing (USD 10.13 versus USD 5.01 per client tested), primarily due to the high price of the self-test kit. In the two study arms that only offered provider-administered HIV testing in the clinic, only 1% of truckers and 6% of FSWs tested during the study period, while in the intervention arm, which also offered HST, approximately 4% of truckers and 11% of FSWs tested. These lower than expected outcomes resulted in relatively high cost per client estimates for all three study arms. Within the intervention arm, 65% of truckers and 72% of FSWs who tested chose the HIVST option. However, within the intervention arm, the cost per additional client tested was lower for FSWs than for truckers, at USD 0.15 per additional client tested versus USD 0.58 per additional client tested, driven primarily by the higher response rates. Conclusion Whilst the availability of HIVST increased HIV testing among both truckers and FSWs, the cost of providing HIVST is higher than that of a routine health facility-based test, driven primarily by the price of the HIV self-test kit. Future research needs to identify strategies which increase demand for HIVST, and determine whether these strategies and the subsequent increased demand for HIVST are cost-effective in relation to the conventional facility based testing currently available

Reducing initial loss to follow up among people with bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis: LINKEDin, a quasi-experimental study in South Africa

Every person diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) needs to initiate treatment. The WHO estimated 61% of people who developed TB in 2021 were included in a TB treatment registration system. Initial loss to follow up (ILTFU) is the loss of persons to care between diagnosis and treatment initiation/registration. LINKEDin, a quasi-experimental study, evaluated the effect of two interventions (hospital-recording and an alert-and-response patient management intervention) in six sub-districts across three high-TB burden provinces of South Africa. Using integrated electronic reports, we identified all persons diagnosed with TB (Xpert MTB/RIF positive) in hospital and at primary healthcare facilities. We prospectively determined linkage to care at 30 days after TB diagnosis. We calculated the risk of ILTFU during the baseline and intervention periods and the relative risk reduction in ILTFU between these periods. We found a relative reduction in ILTFU of 42.4% (95%CI:28.5,53.7) in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and 22.3% (95%CI:13.3,30.4) in the Western Cape (WC) with no significant change in Gauteng. In KZN and the WC, the relative reduction in ILTFU appeared greater in sub-districts where the alert-and-response patient management intervention was implemented; KZN (49.3% (95%CI:32.4,62) vs 32.2% (95%CI:5.4,51.4)); and WC (34.2% (95%CI:20.9,45.3) vs 13.4% (95%CI:0.7,24.4)). We reported a notable reduction in ILTFU in two provinces using existing routine health service data and applying a simple intervention to trace and recall those not linked to care. TB programs need to consider ILTFU as a priority and develop interventions specific to their context to ensure improved linkage to care

The operational benefits of ERP adoption by third-party logistics organisations in South Africa .

MBA ThesisThe prevalence of ERP systems in 3PL organisations internationally has grown over the past decade and as a result, has filtered into the South African market because of the associations with these multinational logistics organisations. There has been a significant amount of research conducted to understand the factors that contribute toward the success and/or failures of ERP system implementations within the sector. However, the operational benefits as perceived by the operational and IT staff has not been studied in great detail. This research focused on the perceived operational benefits of ERP implementation as perceived by operational and IT staff that were actually involved in the adoption process. The data collection was qualitative and stemmed from in-depth interviews of senior management staff. These management staff had operational and IT portfolios within their respective organisations. The interviews were used to establish their perceived operational benefits of ERP implementations pre and post the adoption process in order to ascertain if any operational benefits were realised. The interview process was also used to understand the influence of end user capability to realise the operational benefits. The findings that were obtained indicated that many of the operational benefits that were realised were similar to the perceived benefits prior to the implementation and adoption process as per the operational and IT management staff that were involved and that the end-user capability influenced those benefits. There were, however, challenges encountered when adopting ERP systems due to financial and time constraints of these organisations, which need to be recognised. The perceived operational benefits are often the product of experience or prior learnings. The reality is that ERP system implementations have a high rate of failure and the effects are often detrimental to organisations. The concise understanding of operational benefits and the influence that the end user has to realise those benefits can be valuable to organisations considering adopting ERP systems or moving to more complex systems. The results of this research should provide a better understanding of the implications for organisations that do not factor in the influence of end users to impact the operational benefits of ERP systems. The findings of the study also highlight the fact that strategies, visions and goals of companies are seldom communicated throughout the whole organisation, leading to tunnel views in divisions and departments. Efficiencies could be enhanced in line with the overall strategies, visions and goals if these could be reviewed and disseminated regularly at all levels as to their application on a hands-on basis for all systems and processes.NM201

Right upper lobe pulmonary sequestration masquerading clinically and radiologically as malignancy: a case report

Abstract Bronchopulmonary sequestration is a rare disease in which a non-functional region of pulmonary tissue receives an aberrant vascular supply and lacks normal communication with the tracheobronchial tree. We present the case of a 30-year-old female with a primary complaint of unexplained weight loss and no other additional signs or symptoms. In view of this, computed tomography imaging was ordered, showing a 33HU mass in the right upper lobe. A specialist radiologist reviewed the images and concluded that the most likely differentials were mediastinal lymphoma or thymic malignancy. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed, when it was seen that no malignancy was present, but rather a bronchopulmonary sequestration. Histology confirmed the diagnosis; the patient fared well post-operatively. Bronchopulmonary sequestration is a rare pathology, with most cases occurring in the lower lung lobes. This case is highly atypical, due to the lack of clinical features and the lesion radiologically mimicking the appearance of malignancy.</jats:p

Morphological classification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma that predicts molecular subtypes and correlates with clinical outcome

IntroductionTranscriptional analyses have identified several distinct molecular subtypes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) that have prognostic and potential therapeutic significance. However, to date, an indepth, clinicomorphological correlation of these molecular subtypes has not been performed. We sought to identify specific morphological patterns to compare with known molecular subtypes, interrogate their biological significance, and furthermore reappraise the current grading system in PDAC.DesignWe first assessed 86 primary, chemotherapy-naive PDAC resection specimens with matched RNA-Seq data for specific, reproducible morphological patterns. Differential expression was applied to the gene expression data using the morphological features. We next compared the differentially expressed gene signatures with previously published molecular subtypes. Overall survival (OS) was correlated with the morphological and molecular subtypes.ResultsWe identified four morphological patterns that segregated into two components (‘gland forming’ and ‘non-gland forming’) based on the presence/absence of well-formed glands. A morphological cut-off (≥40% ‘non-gland forming’) was established using RNA-Seq data, which identified two groups (A and B) with gene signatures that correlated with known molecular subtypes. There was a significant difference in OS between the groups. The morphological groups remained significantly prognostic within cancers that were moderately differentiated and classified as ‘classical’ using RNA-Seq.ConclusionOur study has demonstrated that PDACs can be morphologically classified into distinct and biologically relevant categories which predict known molecular subtypes. These results provide the basis for an improved taxonomy of PDAC, which may lend itself to future treatment strategies and the development of deep learning models.</jats:sec

The cost per additional client tested across study arms for truckers and FSWs.

The cost per additional client tested across study arms for truckers and FSWs.</p