Human resource management as a profession in South Africa

Orientation: Various countries recognise human resource (HR) management as a bona fide profession. Research purpose: The objective of this study was to establish whether one could regard HR management, as practised in South Africa, as a profession. Motivation for the study: Many countries are reviewing the professionalisation of HR management. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the professional standing of HR management in South Africa. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a purposive sampling strategy involving 95 participants. The researchers achieved triangulation by analysing original documents of the regulating bodies of the medical, legal, engineering and accounting professions internationally and locally as well as the regulating bodies of HR management in the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA) and Canada. Seventy- eight HR professionals registered with the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) completed a questionnaire. The researchers analysed the data using content analysis and Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Main findings: The results confirm that HR management in South Africa adheres to the four main pillars of professionalism and is a bona fide profession. Practical/managerial implications: The article highlights the need to regulate and formalise HR management in South Africa. Contribution/value-add: This study identifies a number of aspects that determine professionalism and isolates the most important elements that one needs to consider when regulating the HR profession

Abrasion of rubber and the effect of lubricants

Fracture mechanics has previously been applied to relate the rate of abrasion of rubber by a blade (in the absence of lubrication) to the horizontal force on the blade and to the crack-growth characteristics of the rubber. The effect of lubrication (reported here) is to decrease the rate of abrasion by an order of magnitude or so, but the horizontal force falls by only ten or twenty percent. This apparently conflicts with the theory. It is suggested that lubricants alter the geometry of deformation, making tearing less efficient. A model deformation is proposed which largely restores agreement with the theory

Predicting the effect of temperature on the performance of elastomer-based rail damping devices

Damping devices for railway tracks have been developed in recent years in which a tuned mass-spring absorber system is formed by an elastomeric material and embedded steel masses. The loss factor and stiffness of the elastomer are very important for the performance of the system but, unfortunately, both properties are sensitive to changes in the temperature. Although having a high loss factor gives good noise reduction, it also means greater variation of stiffness, and consequently tuning frequency, with temperature. Conversely, with lower loss factors the tuning frequency can be kept close to the target but a smaller noise reduction is achieved.To investigate the effect of the temperature on the performance of a generic rail absorber, a simple Timoshenko beam model of the track is used. To this is added a single-frequency continuous tuned absorber. The noise reduction at each frequency is estimated from the ratio of the track decay rates of treated and untreated rails.There is a physical link between the damping loss factor and the stiffness variation with temperature, of which account must be taken. The rate of change of stiffness with log frequency is established by assuming a constant value of loss factor. Using the time-temperature superposition principle, this is expressed in terms of temperature dependence. This is used in the prediction of decay rates and thereby noise reduction at different temperatures. This leads to an assessment of the relative importance of using a high damping loss factor or a temperature-independent stiffness.Finally, a method of weighting the noise reduction at different temperatures is investigated. A distribution of rail temperatures at a site in the UK is used to develop a weighting procedure. This is extended to account for temperature variations at other locations, where less data are available

Predicting the effect of temperature on the performance of elastomer-based rail damping devices

Rail dampers have been developed in recent years, formed by an elastomeric material and embedded steel masses. The loss factor and stiffness of the elastomer are very important for the performance of the system but, unfortunately, both are sensitive to changes in the temperature. Although having a high loss factor gives good noise reduction, it also means greater variation of stiffness, and consequently tuning frequency, with temperature. To investigate the effect of the temperature on the performance of a generic rail damper, a Timoshenko beam model of the track is used, to which is added a single-frequency tuned absorber. The noise reduction at each frequency is found from the ratio of the decay rates of treated and untreated beams. This is introduced into a typical noise spectrum obtained using TWINS. Account is next taken of the physical link between the damping loss factor and the stiffness variation with temperature. By assuming a constant loss factor, the rate of change of stiffness with log frequency is established. Then, using the time-temperature superposition principle, this can be expressed in terms of a temperature-dependence. This is finally used in the prediction of decay rates and thereby noise reduction. The results allow the relative importance of a high loss factor or a temperature-independent stiffness to be assess

Experiences of self-monitoring: Successes and struggles during treatment for weight loss

We interviewed 15 individuals who completed a behavioral weight loss treatment study with the aim of exploring participants' reflections on their feelings, attitudes, and behaviors while using a paper diary to self-monitor their diet. Constant comparative and matrix analysis procedures were used to analyze interview data; the qualitative results were then interfaced with descriptive numerical data on individuals' adherence to self-monitoring and weight loss. Three categories of self-monitoring experience were identified: (a) well-disciplined - those who had high adherence to self-monitoring, high weight loss, and a "can do" positive approach, (b) missing the connection - those who had moderate adherence, moderate- to low weight loss, and an "it's an assignment" approach, without integrating self-monitoring into everyday life, and (c) diminished support - those who had poor adherence, poor weight control, and were adversely affected by coexisting negative factors. Given the variations in how individuals integrated the process of self-monitoring, we need to consider individualizing self-monitoring strategies to improve adherence. © 2009 The Author(s)