Beyond hierarchy: The archaeology of collective governance

The question interrogated here, through the case study of agricultural resources, is whether the governance of collective rights of property in past non-literate communities can be explored through archaeological methods. Property rights and the structures for their governance are an expression of social relations. According to Alchian and Demsetz (1973, 16), the ‘techniques, rules, or customs to resolve conflicts that arise in the use of scarce resources’ that underlie property rights and their governance are likely to be consonant with each community’s perceptions of individual and collective relationships, rights and obligations in relation to others both within and beyond their own territory. This paper explores through seven brief illustrative exemplars the development of a methodology for inferring the practical details of collective governance of agricultural property in the non-literate past.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in World Archaeology on 15 Oct 2013, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00438243.2013.847634

A truth universally acknowledged?: Morphology as an indicator of medieval planned market towns

The paper explores, through the case study of March, a large town in the northern part of the Cambridgeshire peat fens, the general invariability of interpretation as planned markets of new medieval settlements that include both regular plots and one or more geometric open spaces. It asks whether manorial lords might achieve similar ends to those derived from medieval market grants — an increase in income from rents and tolls — by applying lessons learned from commercial planned settlements in other economic contexts.David Edwards was generous enough to provide a copy of his transcript of Rev Walker’s note on the date of origin of the early seventeenth-century estate map. Edna Stacey at March Museum was kind enough to allow access to the Museum’s photostat copy of the estate map, which is printed in greater contrast (and thus shows more detail) that those in the Cambridge University Library and the Cambridge Archives.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01433768.2013.79719

Manifestasies van Marxisme in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewingsverband

The question is often asked why Marxism is so credible still for people of the Third World. The author maintains that this is often so because Marx's description of the position of the worker in a capitalist society has consistently appealed to workers in developed industrial countries, and has helped them to define their position within society for themselves. He goes to explain how Marx's definition of the worker's position in nineteenth century England can be made applicable to the position of the worker in most Third World countries - and in particular also to the position of the Non-White worker in South Africa . He points out a few of the most striking similarities, and comes to the conclusion that there is no doubt that most Non-Whites in South Africa find a socialist/communist dispensation more appealing than a capitalist one. The only way that he can see to change the definition that the Non-White has of changing his definition of his sociopolitical situation is to change South African society. He then outlines certain changes which should enjoy a very high priority in South Africa

Board diversity and sustainability performance

The purpose to this study was to describe and explore the difference in the board composition and characteristics of sustainability performing companies compared with other companies in terms of gender, ethnicity, affiliation and, uniquely, the inclusion of directors from a non-business background.This exploratory study used a cross-sectional design in the form of a quantitative comparative analysis, and a longitudinal design in the form of a trend analysis to compare the differences in board composition between a sample of sustainability performing companies and a sample of other companies listed on the FTSE/JSE All Share Index between 2004 and 2010. Inclusion on the Social Responsibility Investment (SRI) Index was used as a proxy for sustainability performance.The study provided support that director background as a board attribute may be linked to overall sustainability performance. It further provided insight into who board members should be, namely non-executive directors with non-business backgrounds.The findings of this study suggest that the nomination committees of companies wanting to improve sustainability performance should consider the recruitment and appointment of non-executive directors from non-business backgrounds on to their boards. The study provides grounds for further empirical studies on the causal relationship between board compositions and sustainability performance.Keywords: sustainability, sustainability performance, boards of directors, board diversity, corporate governance, SRI index, director background, King Report, integrative model of board performance, corporate social responsibilit

Post traumatic stress disorder: undiagnosed cases in a tertiary inpatient setting

Objective: Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common, debilitating anxiety disorder characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that may occur after exposure to a severely traumatic event. Since it occurs commonly as a comorbid diagnosis with other mood- and anxiety disorders, we postulated that this disorder may be under- diagnosed in therapeutic wards where anxiety and mood disorders are treated. The study thus sought to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed PTSD in an inpatient population, and to compare the demographic details and comorbid diagnoses of subjects with and without PTSD. Method: The Clinician-administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS) was administered to 40 subjects who were inpatients in a therapeutic ward of a large psychiatric hospital and who had never had a diagnosis of PTSD before. Results:16 (40%) subjects met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. We did not find significant clinical differentiating factors between subjects with and without PTSD; however subjects with PTSD were more likely to use cannabis. Conclusions: PTSD remains undiagnosed in many patients admitted to therapeutic units. Keywords: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Diagnosis; Inpatients;African Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 11 (2) 2008 pp. 119-12

Beyond hierarchy: archaeology, common rights and social identity

It is an archaeological commonplace that grazing across extensive pastures in many periods was shared, often over extended lengths of time, by kin-based communities who met there seasonally in large groups. Such explanations are richly implicit with models of social relations – there were large communities, they were made up of one or more kin groups, they shared pasture, and they had regular assemblies. How did that general framework of social structure and social relations work in practice, particularly at the level of the individual landholding? This paper explores the practical implications of a property rights approach to those questions, briefly illustrated in indicative examples drawn from the English fenlands across the longue durée. Its central contention is that the mutualities implied in the equitable, ‘horizontal’ governance of shared resources complemented and enriched ‘vertical’ hierarchies of power and status in complex societies of which they were both part.This paper is based on a paper given at the University of Glasgow in September 2015 at the annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. I am grateful to Mr Peter Herring and other participants for their helpful comments, as well as those of the anonymous referees. Figures 1 and 4 were drawn by Mrs Sarah Wroot.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2016.118026

Culture and identity in the early medieval fenland landscape

The fen­‐basin is located in a region in which material culture had become largely Germanic by the mid­‐fifth century. This paper evaluates the contribution made to an understanding of that process of cultural change by place-­names, archaeology and documentary records. Archaeological evidence indicates little post-‐Roman abandonment of the fenland; the region continued to be inhabited and exploited. Patterns of intercommoning, the Tribal Hidage, and stray pieces of information recorded by Bede and Felix, demonstrate the presence of territorial groups across the whole basin by the mid­‐seventh century in a complex, almost certainly dynamic, hierarchy of subordinate and dominant polities, principalities and kingdoms, some with some Brittonic territorial names and others with names based on Old English elements. Most of the people who gave these place­‐names were like to have been descended from the Romano‐British and prehistoric inhabitants of Britain. Different cultural traditions cannot be identified in their material culture, and many may have been bilingual. Such commonalities together with continuity across the region in structures governing rights of common pasture suggests that it is as likely that some sub­‐Roman polities evolved into sub­‐kingdoms as it is that other polities were created anew. There is nothing so out of the ordinary in such political changes that they might be ascribed to the influence of incomers. The influence of migration on the evolution of early medieval fenland culture remains enigmatic.This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Taylor & Francis

'Juggling the glass balls ...': Workplace spirituality in women leaders

This qualitative study explored workplace spirituality in women leadership in higher education institutions (HEIs). Interviews were conducted with women leaders of the Higher Education Research Service network across eight institutions. Observations were made in one organisation. Findings show that women leaders are highly aware of their spirituality and religious affiliation which influence their work and work spirituality. Workplace spirituality includes how women leaders approach life and work, how spirituality expands their concept of religion and how the interwoven concepts of spirituality and religion help them to manage their work optimally. The study was limited to a relatively small sample size of 23 women leaders and was further bound to the qualitative research methodology. This study provides valuable insights into workplace spirituality regarding women leaders in South African HEIs. The findings provide a base for future research on women leaders in organisations and for leadership training of women within HEIs.

Recovery of sulphur and calcium carbonate from waste gypsum

Gypsum is produced as a waste product by various industries, e.g. the fertiliser industry, the mining industry and power stations. Gypsum waste disposal sites are responsible for the leaching of saline water into surface and underground water. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate a process for converting waste gypsum into sulphur and calcium carbonate. The process evaluated consisted of the following stages: reduction of gypsum to calcium sulphide; H2S-stripping and sulphur production. Thermal reduction showed that gypsum could be reduced to CaS with activated carbon in a tube furnace operating at 1 100 °C. The CaS yield was 96%. The CaS formed was suspended in water to form a CaS slurry. The reaction of gaseous CO2 with the CaS slurry leads to the stripping off of H2S gas and the precipitation of CaCO3. During batch studies sulphide was stripped from 44 000 mg/ℓ to less than 60 mg/ℓ (as S). The H2S generated in the previous step was then reacted in the PIPco process to form elemental sulphurKeywords: gypsum, CaS, thermal studies, H2S stripping, sulphur, thermal reduction, CaCO3 precipitatio

A retrospective study evaluating the efficacy of identification and management of sepsis at a district-level hospital internal medicine department in the Western Cape Province, South Africa...

Full Title: A retrospective study evaluating the efficacy of identification and management of sepsis at a district-level hospital internal medicine department in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, in comparison with the guidelines stipulated in the 2012 Surviving Sepsis CampaignBackground. Currently there is little information on the identification, management and outcomes of patients with sepsis in developing countries. Simple cost-effective measures such as accurate identification of patients with sepsis and early antibiotic administration are achievable targets, within reach without having to make use of unsustainable protocols constructed in developed countries.Objectives. To assess the ability of clinicians at a district-level hospital to identify and manage sepsis, and to assess patient outcome in terms of in-hospital mortality and length of hospital stay given the above management.Methods. A retrospective descriptive study design was used, analysing data from the routine burden of disease audit done on a 3-monthly basis at Karl Bremer Hospital (KBH) in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.Results. The total sample size obtained was 70 patients, of whom 18 (25.7%) had an initial triage blood pressure indicative of sepsis-induced hypotension. However, only 1 (5.5%) of these 18 patients received an initial crystalloid fluid bolus of at least 30 mL/kg. The median time that elapsed before administration of antibiotics in septic shock was 4.25 hours. Furthermore, a positive delay in antibiotic administration (p=0.0039) was demonstrated. The data also showed that 8/12 patients (66.7%) with septic shock received inappropriate amounts of fluids. The in-hospital mortality rate for sepsis was 4/24 (16.7%), for severe sepsis 11/34 (32.3%) and for septic shock a staggering 9/12 (75.0%).Conclusions. The initial classification process and management of sepsis by clinicians at KBH is flawed. This inevitably leads to an increase in in-hospital mortality