A staff inducing programme for hotels in South Africa

Published ArticleThis paper discusses the development and enrichment of a theoretical framework for a staff induction programme for South Africa. Such a research project could add value to the hospitality industry in South Africa and further afield, by providing a solution to the challenges involved in the recruitment, development and retention of qualified and skilled hospitality employees. A literature review paved the way for the formulation of a generic four-stage staff induction programme. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with five representatives responsible for the staff induction programmes at five of the best companies to work for in South Africa, to contextualise this to the South African context. Personal interviews were then conducted with two representatives of two major hotel groups in order to contextualise the staff induction programme to the South African hospitality industry. This led to the proposal of a staff induction programme that consists of three stages, namely the anticipatory, encounter and adjustment phases. The implementation of this proposed staff induction programme for hotels in South Africa may act as a best practice in the development of new staff induction programmes, and may improve the effectiveness of current staff induction programmes. This may lead to better staff retention rates, reduction in absenteeism, a higher level of skills and productivity, as well as increased staff morale and motivation

Territorial Tactics: The Socio-spatial Significance of Private Policing Strategies in Cape Town

This paper analyses the policing strategies of private security companies operating in urban space. An existing literature has considered the variety of ways that territory becomes of fundamental importance in the work of public police forces. However, this paper examines territory in the context of private security companies. Drawing on empirical research in Cape Town, it examines how demarcated territories become key subjects in private policing. Private security companies are responsible for a relatively small section of the city, while in contrast the public police ultimately have to see city space as a whole. Hence, private policing strategy becomes one of displacement, especially of so-called undesirables yielding a patchworked public space associated with private enclaves of consumption. The conclusions signal the historical resonances and comparative implications of these political-legal-security dynamics. © 2013 Urban Studies Journal Limited

Immune response of Merino sheep to inactivated Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis vaccine

The brand of yeast extract used for medium production is critical for the cultivation of large numbers of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. The agglutination test was used to measure the antibody response which followed the inoculation of various inactivated C. pseudotubermlosis vaccines . The best results followed two subcutaneous injections of 5 ml vaccine prepared by inactivation with 0,5% formalin and standardized so that each dose contained a total of 0,025 ml packed cells. The addition of adjuvants to the vaccine had a negligible effect on the antibody response, but increasing the interval between the primary and secondary injections from 2 or 4 to 6 weeks resulted in a higher level of agglutinating antibodies. The antibody titres, however, returned to pre-immunization levels within 3 to 4 months. Freshly prepared vaccine was very toxic, apparently due to incomplete toxoiding of the exotoxin, but older vaccine was shown to be quite safe. A method was devised whereby chronic pulmonary abscesses could be established in experimental animals. Exposure of immunized sheep to artificial infection showed that they were well protected against subacute infection and death but that they were not able to restrict the development of abscesses effectively. The possible reasons for the disappointing results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms of immunity which may be involved.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590;300dpi. adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

Ontogenetic scaling patterns and functional anatomy of the pelvic limb musculature in emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) are exclusively terrestrial, bipedal and cursorial ratites with some similar biomechanical characteristics to humans. Their growth rates are impressive, as their body mass increases eighty-fold from hatching to adulthood whilst maintaining the same mode of locomotion throughout life. These ontogenetic characteristics stimulate biomechanical questions about the strategies that allow emus to cope with their rapid growth and locomotion, which can be partly addressed via scaling (allometric) analysis of morphology. In this study we have collected pelvic limb anatomical data (muscle architecture, tendon length, tendon mass and bone lengths) and calculated muscle physiological cross sectional area (PCSA) and average tendon cross sectional area from emus across three ontogenetic stages (n = 17, body masses from 3.6 to 42 kg). The data were analysed by reduced major axis regression to determine how these biomechanically relevant aspects of morphology scaled with body mass. Muscle mass and PCSA showed a marked trend towards positive allometry (26 and 27 out of 34 muscles respectively) and fascicle length showed a more mixed scaling pattern. The long tendons of the main digital flexors scaled with positive allometry for all characteristics whilst other tendons demonstrated a less clear scaling pattern. Finally, the two longer bones of the limb (tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus) also exhibited positive allometry for length, and two others (femur and first phalanx of digit III) had trends towards isometry. These results indicate that emus experience a relative increase in their muscle force-generating capacities, as well as potentially increasing the force-sustaining capacities of their tendons, as they grow. Furthermore, we have clarified anatomical descriptions and provided illustrations of the pelvic limb muscle–tendon units in emus

Reconceiving Reproductive Health

While reproduction is fairly often touched upon in theological and Christian ethical discussions, reproductive health is not. However, reproductive health is a matter of theological and ethical concern. Discussion pertaining to reproductive health includes a number of debates about, for instance, abortion and the termination of pregnancy, reproductive loss, childlessness, infertility, stillbirth, miscarriage and adoption. Additionally, new reproductive possibilities made available by the development of reproductive technology have necessitated theological and ethical reflection on, for example, surrogacy, post-menopausal pregnancies, litter births, single mothers or fathers by choice, in vitro fertilisation and the so-called saviour siblings. These new developments compel us to reconceive our notions of what reproductive health is or should be. Many of these topics are receiving increasing attention in a variety of theological publications. The focus of this volume is unique, however, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first volume dealing not only with reproductive issues, but also reflecting theologically and ethically on reproductive health. It makes a contribution by providing a variety of perspectives from different theological fields on this theme, and in many chapters, focussing especially on the South African context. These discussions are also part of urgent debates within churches, which require developing life-giving theological language and imaginative theological alternatives that may speak to experiences of matters relating to reproductive health. The popular books, TV series and films that touch upon these discussions – including The Handmaid’s Tale and Mother! – strengthen the perception that a more in-depth theological and ethical discussion on the theme may be necessary, particularly towards exploring stories and confessions from our faith tradition that may provide us with a timely opportunity to do the important work of theological ‘reconceiving’

Experimentally manipulating light spectra reveals the importance of dark corridors for commuting bats

© 2018 The Authors Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd The rapid global spread of artificial light at night is causing unprecedented disruption to ecosystems. In otherwise dark environments, street lights restrict the use of major flight routes by some bats, including the threatened lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros, and may disrupt foraging. Using radio tracking, we examined the response of individual female R.hipposideros to experimental street lights placed on hedgerows used as major flight routes. Hedgerows were illuminated on one side over four nights using lights with different emission spectra, while the opposite side of the hedge was not illuminated. Automated bat detectors were used to examine changes in overall bat activity by R.hipposideros and other bat species present. R.hipposideros activity reduced significantly under all light types, including red light, challenging a previously held assumption that red light is safe for bats. Despite this, R.hipposideros rapidly adapted to the presence of lights by switching their flight paths to the dark side of the hedgerow, enabling them to reach foraging sites without restriction. Red light had no effect on the activity of the other species present. Slow-flying Myotis spp. avoided orange, white and green light, while more agile Pipistrellus spp. were significantly more active at these light types compared to dark controls, most probably in response to accumulations of insect prey. No effect of any light type was found for Nyctalus or Eptesicus spp. Our findings demonstrate that caution must be used when promoting forms of lighting that are thought to be safe for wildlife before they are tested more widely. We argue that it is essential to preserve dark corridors to mitigate the impacts of artificial light at night on bat activity and movements

Knowledge Boundary Spanning Mechanisms in a Shared Services Centre Context

This study focuses on the roles of knowledge boundary spanning mechanisms and intellectual capital (human, structural, and relational) in managing knowledge sharing in an IT-specialized shared services centre (IT-SSC) context. Although the literature stresses the growing utilization of the SSC as an outsourcing model, there is a lack of studies that examine the dynamic process of knowledge sharing across the organizational boundaries in this specific business model. Drawing on the literatures on SSC and on cross-boundary knowledge sharing we propose a conceptual framework based on four research propositions that were validated with primary and secondary data. The results suggest that IT-SSCs present high human capital, but encounter challenges developing relational and structural capitals. It also appears that IT-SSC management tends to prefer the utilization of boundary spanners and boundary objects instead of boundary discourses and boundary practices as mechanisms for efficient boundary spanning

The Bantustan State and the South African Transition: Militarisation, Patrimonialism and the Collapse of the Ciskei Regime, 1986-1994

This article examines the Ciskei bantustan and processes of state formation during the transition to democracy. In the Ciskei, the rule of Brigadier Gqozo rested on the continued support of the South African state: identified as the weakest link in the National Party’s conservative alliance, the Ciskei became the first target for the African National Congress’ mass action campaign of 1992. The struggle in the Ciskei thus had some significance for the shape of the transition. While at a constitutional level the National Party eventually conceded to the re-incorporation of the bantustans in late 1992, it continued to stall change and to bolster the bantustans through covert military operations and land transfers to bantustan elites. These dynamics of state formation are critical aspects of the history of the transition and were at the heart of the emerging political conflict in the Ciskei, which by mid-1992 was escalating into civil war. This article examines mass mobilisation, political repression and the consequences of the patrimonial militarisation of the Ciskei state in the Ciskei/ Border region. By focusing on processes of state formation and struggles over the fabric of the state, this article provides a corrective to the prevailing academic focus on the elite negotiations and argues for the value of social histories of the bantustan states for understanding the enduring legacies of these regimes

Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-19(1,2), host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases(3-7). They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease.Radiolog