The implications of comprehensive and incremental approaches to public sector reform for the creation of a developmental state in South Africa: Case study of the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa

In 1994, the first democratically elected government in South Africa faced the significant task of shaping new institutions and delivery transmission mechanisms capable of developing and implementing policies aimed at inclusive socio-economic growth and development. Evidence shows that the South African public sector is generally not yet able to be a key driver of development, at least not to the extent required to reduce poverty and inequality to the levels envisioned in the National Development Plan. The study argues that comprehensive public sector reform based on the principles of New Public Management was inappropriate given the unique South African political and institutional context and that incremental approaches to development are more likely to achieve results. This leaves room for the emergence of islands of effectiveness where public entrepreneurs or multi-stakeholder governed arrangements could be employed as alternative or complementary delivery transmission mechanisms. Operation Phakisa, an adaptation of the Malaysian Big Fast Results methodology, introduced a radical new approach to improving government impact. The Operation Phakisa methodology made certain assumptions about (or perhaps deliberately ignored) prevailing principal-agent relationships in South Africa and the readiness of these relationships to be challenged and transformed. Through the development and application of an analytical framework, the study examines the role of islands of effectiveness (using the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa as a case study) as possible alternative or complementary delivery transmission mechanisms. While the Oceans Economy Operation Phakisa did not create sufficient scope for multi-stakeholder governance arrangements, some initiatives, most notably the Oil and Gas initiative, did benefit from public entrepreneurs that were able to navigate complex political and institutional realities to achieve results. Based on the outcome of the analysis, the study concludes with recommendations that could enhance the effectiveness of future iterations of Operation Phakisa

Neil Diamond: A Personal Educational Appreciation of an Excellent Artist’s Live Performances

In this article the performances of the singer Neil Diamond in South Africa are studied to enable the author, a lecturer at a South African university, to learn from Diamond how to develop on professional level. Since the singer announced in 2018 that he would, because of a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, no longer be performing live, the study was conducted in reflection on his performing career, which stretched over more than four decades, and the effect that it has had on the lecturer’s professional development. Embedded in the theory of transformative learning, the methodology that was used, namely the 5D framework of appreciative inquiry, was selected because it provided the scaffolding for the reflective research process. After conducting interviews with six people who attended one of Diamond’s performances, five themes were identified and are presented and discussed in this paper: the interaction between Diamond and his audiences; keeping up with the latest technology; Diamond’s enjoyment of what he did and his enthusiasm about his performances; his neat black clothes and professional appearance; and his passionate immersion in those performances. To capture the essence of Diamond’s performances, the author wrote a poem and painted a painting to represent what he learned from Diamond. The effect that his engagement with Diamond has had on the technology and decoration in his lecture hall is also explained

Introducing in-between decision points to TOC's five focusing steps

This paper builds on the original five focusing steps as defined by Goldratt and Cox (1992) as one of the constructs of the theory of constraints (TOC). The shortcomings identified are the sequential nature suggested by the five seemingly sequential steps, the lack of clarity relating to decisions that allows moving to next or previous steps, the assumed inapplicability of the five steps to dealing with market- and non-physical constraints (such as policy and behavioural constraints) and the lack of clarity surrounding an ideal constraint location. Deductive reasoning is applied to existing literature to arrive at conceptual solutions to the identified problems. The paper transforms the five focusing steps into a decision map which still includes all five steps, but allowing appropriate decision points to guide application of this process. It expands the applicability of the five focusing steps to both market and non-physical constraints, as well as presenting a logical argument why the best possible constraint location is ‘the size of the market chosen to be served well’. Finally, further clarity is provided why exploiting and subordinating to the constraint is necessary before constraint elevation should take place.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tprs20hb201

The STEAM vs STEM Educational Approach: The Significance of the Application of the Arts in Science Teaching for Learners' Attitudes Change

This article critically examines existing literature on the importance of incorporating the arts into the teaching and learning of science subjects in schools. It explores the significance of the STEAM educational approach as an option in science teaching and learning that might provide a range of benefits to STEM learners. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics while STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The argument in the article is focused on why leveraging such skills as creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, communications, self-direction, initiative, and collaboration, which are inherent in the arts, to strengthen the effective teaching and learning of science within the STEAM educational context is important for STEM learners. The STEM educational approach to science teaching and learning employs an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving aimed at equipping learners with 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, self-direction, initiative, collaboration, effective communication, and morals. It also aims at providing them with the opportunity to apply these skills through the practices, contexts, and processes of hands-on activities. These are targeted at understanding science and viewing science differently, which might enable them to participate in a STEM-career pathway. However, the framework for STEM does not fully support an understanding that creativity can exist in science and that science can be taught in multiple ways, including application of the arts. STEAM, on the other hand, is grounded in a transdisciplinary approach to science teaching and learning. It explores the application of the arts in science teaching and learning. This is aimed at improving the confidence, attitudes, and interests of learners in science through new approaches to problem-solving which might strengthen positive attitudes towards science. This approach incorporates the common processes of science and arts, which includes discovery, observation, experimentation, description, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, wondering, visualising, exploring, and communication

A Model of Competitive Intelligence for e-Health Technologies

Competitive intelligence is an important part in enterprises’ competitive strategy and decision support. It entails the collection of data, analyzing the data and delivering the analyzed data by means of available information on the behavior outside the organization. The study is based on research where competitive intelligence has been explored. The study also reviews e-Health technology and its impact. A proposed model is developed from Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework for competitive intelligence for e-Health technologies. Subsequently, efforts made extend to elaborate on the construct, measurement items, hypotheses and research questions which will be used in the validation of the framework. Future work will use confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the variables from the constructs and Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) will also be used for the reliability and the validity of the construct of the framework

Disinfection of purified sewage effluent with monochloramine

Please read the abstract in the front section of this documentDissertation (MSc (Water Utilization))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Chemical Engineeringunrestricte

Exposing the false paradigm used in management decision making

This article discusses Economic Value Added (EVA) which is a popular shareholder value measurement. The main driving factors that influence EVA can be deduced from a modification of the Du Pont financial model. However, if these drivers are communicated to the organisation, and goals are set around achieving specific components of the drivers, the results achieved might be suboptimal. This is a direct consequence of the fact that the organisation is a system, and that EVA is an emergent property of the system. Systems theory should therefore be applied to discover the reasons for these counterintuitive outcomes in an organisation. Dilemmas (conflicts) in the system are a result of the paradigm used in understanding the system. A method to examine the conflicts that occur in a system is the three-cloud technique. By applying this technique, it is possible to find the root cause of suboptimal performance in organisations: the false underlying paradigm used in the decision making process. The incorrect paradigm is to assume that a local optimal outcome is equivalent to a global optimal outcome.Hierdie artikel bespreek Ekonomiese Toegevoegde Waarde (ETW), 'n gewilde maatstaf van aandeel-houerwaarde. Die belangrikste drywers wat ETW beinvloed, kan afgelei word uit 'n gewysigde Du Pont model. Indien doelwitte in die organisasie rondom hierdie drywers in isolasie gestel word, kan die resultate suboptimaal wees. Die suboptimale resultate is 'n direkte gevolg van die feit dat die organisasie 'n stelsel is, en dat ETW 'n stelseleienskap is. Stelselteorie moet dus toegepas word am die onderliggende redes vir hierdie suboptimale resultate te vind. Dilemmas (konflikte) binne ' n stelsel is 'n direkte resultaat van die paradigma wat gebruik word om die stelsel te verstaan. ' n Metode om die konflikte in 'n stelsel te ondersoek is die drie-wolk metode. Deur hierdie metode toe te pas, is dit moontlik om die grondliggende oorsaak van suboptimale prestasie in 'n organisasie te vind: die foutiewe bestuursparadigma wat vir besluitneming gebruik word. Die foutiewe paradigma is om aan te neem dat 'n positiewe lokale impak van 'n besluit sal lei tot 'n positiewe globale impak.http://sajie.journals.ac.z

Voorspelling van oorlewing in 'n chirurgiese intensiewesorgeenheid

Doel: Om die voorspellingswaarde van , 14 bestaande voorspellings programme op chirurgiese intensiewesorgpasiente te toets en om n oorlewingsvoorspellingsmodel vir die chirurgiese intensiewesorgeenheid (ClSE) te ontwikkel wat as instrument kan dien om kliniese besluitneming te vergemaklik. Ontwerp: Retrospektiewe en prospektiewe versameling en rekenarisering van kliniese, fisiologiese en biochemiese veranderlikes. Student se t-toets, logistiese regressie, sensitiwiteits- en spesifisiteitsberekening met behulp van tweerigting tabelle. Plek: Chirurgiese  Intensiewesorgeenheid, H. F. Verwoerd-hospitaal, Pretoria. Pasientpopulasie: Retrospektiewe deel van studie: 188 pasiente; prospektiewe deel: 104 pasiente. Bevindingsmaatstawwe: Statisties betekenisvolle verskille tussen die tellings van oorlewendes en nieoorlewendes. Aanvaarbare sensitiwiteit en spesifisiteit van ontwikkelde model. Resultate: AI 14 bestaande voorspellingsprogramme beskik oor die vennoe om te onderskei tussen die opnamedagtellings van oorlewendes en nie-oorlewendes en het, by implikasie, dus prognostiese geldigheid. Die statistiese betekenisvolheid geassosieer met die onderskeie programme het gewissel van P < 0.01 tot P < 0.0001. 'n Reeks van opeenvolgende oorlewingsvoorspel1ingsmodelle, ontwikkel deur logistiese regressie-analise op die bes passende voorspellingsprogramme, het uiteindelik gelei tot die ontwikkeling van 'n model met 'n sensitiwiteit van 93% en 'n spesifisiteit van 66%. Gevolgtrekking: Verskeie bestaande voorspellingsprogramme kan bydra tot kliniese besluitneming. Voorspellingsmodelle hieruit ontwikkel moet voor implementering herhaaldelik op opeenvolgende groepe van die teikenpopulasie getoets word. Beide die programme en die modelle behoort as bykomstige prognostiese ondersteuningsfaktore gebruik te word eerder as absolute aanduidings van uitkoms.S Afr Med J 1996: 86: 1417 -142

Business design in the enterprise life-cycle

The purpose of this paper is to facilitate systematic management of the design of Enterprises throughout their life-cycle by identifying the events (requirements) which should initiate (re)design. It identifies the high level capabilities required to execute the design and also provides suggestions about the allocation of design responsibilities to organisational elements.http://sajie.journals.ac.z