Cautioning the careless writer: The importance of accurate and ethical legal writing

Legal professionals are required to write ethically, skilfully and accurately. Growing concerns over the quality of graduated students entering the profession has led to an increased sensitivity about the teaching of writing skills. This article will not consider the how to, but instead focus on the issue of why legal writers should be vigilant in guarding against the proclivity to write in a careless manner. It will be argued that the results of careless legal writing could have devastating consequences for the legal professional’s career as well as his client’s wallet. Legal writing has to be professional and ethical and reflect the writer’s respect for his or her own workmanship as well as for the intended recipient. Careful legal writing aims to avoid misunderstandings and litigation and aids in developing and clarifying legal analysis. It recognises the permanent nature of what is being written and the persuasive potential innate to legal drafting. Responsible legal writers are mindful of the specific legal consequences of their writing and recognise that they have, in their writing, the ability to appeal to the aesthetic sensibilities of the reader

e-Governance: Supporting pragmatic direct deliberative action through online communities of interest

Authors often report on the limited success of e-Government initiatives in developing nations. Top down, national strategies are developed to target improved government services, but maintain hierarchical, citizen-state conceptions of governance through representative democracy. An alternative conception, direct deliberative democracy, frames the potential role of the internet in governance differently. Web based platforms might support locally animated deliberations, which target pragmatic outcomes, while the resulting social networks afford collective learning through connections across traditional boundaries. This paper presents an investigation of direct deliberative governance as it occurs in online 'communities of interest', and is based on research with such a community in southern Africa. We investigate contributions to the online governance process and develop an action typology distinguishing between degrees of 'agency freedom'. Network analytic techniques are then used to understand how acts of varying degree are expressed in terms of the structure of a social network. The aim, more broadly, is to understand how the environment shapes acts of direct deliberative governance, and, in turn, how the acts shape the evolution and effectiveness of the community. The preliminary results suggest design considerations for online governance communities, and highlight their role to not only provide deliberative space, but to mediate social network connections

Christelike Hoër onderwys en die Natuurwetenskappe

Dit is van belang dat met hierdie mylpaal in die geskiedenis van die P.U.K. vir C.H.O. teruggeblik word op die ontwikkelingsgang van die natuurwetenskappe aan genoemde inrigting en verantwoording in verband met toekomsideale gedoen word

Afrika die Onbekende: Die Federasie van Rhodesie Njassaland (I)

Die grondgebied van die Federasie van Rhodesië en Njassaland strek oor 14° 15’ in ’n N.-S.-rigting (vanaf22“ 30’ S. to t 8° 15’ S.) en ongeveervanaf 22° 0 to t 36° 0. Dit verteenwoordig afstande in albei gevalle van tussen 900 en 1000 myl

Totius as teoloog

Die modeme teenstelling en probleem van sogenaamde ontwikkelde, dikwels oorontwikkclde, lande en volke teenoor ander wat onder- of onontwikkeld is, geld vandag tot ’n baie groot mate ook in die teologie. Basies moet ons dankbaar wees dat in die geleerde teologie vandag soveel aandag gegec word aan die Bybel as Woord van God, op welke wyse dan ook al, en dat tegelykertyd Bybelverkope orals in die wêreld toeneem en glo onlangs ’n hoogtepunt in Suidelike Afrika bereik het

The impact of selected stakeholders on family business continuity and family harmony

The growth, survival and success of a family business are often influenced by issues relating to family relationships and family harmony. Not only do the actions of family members influence the success or failure of the family business, but so does the behaviour of non-family stakeholders. The success or failure of the family business may also have important emotional and financial ramifications for the different stakeholders involved in the business, whether that involvement is physical or emotional. Yet, very little is known about the impact that the various stakeholder groups have on the success of the family business, its continuity or the family harmony that prevails. Consequently, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of selected stakeholders, namely non-family members, inactive family members, the senior generation and the incumbent generation on the success of family businesses. Success, for the purposes of this study, was measured using two variables, family harmony and perceived future continuity. Respondents were identified by means of convenience sampling,and a total of 468 usable questionnaires were returned. The data collected were subjected to various statistical analyses. The validity of the measuring instrument was assessed by means of an exploratory factor analysis and reliability by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The relationships proposed in the hypothesised model were assessed by means of structural equation modelling (SEM).The empirical results of this study reveal that family harmony influences the perceived future continuity of family businesses. In turn, inactive family members and the incumbent generation have a significant impact on the family harmony that exists in the family business.Key words: family business, inactive stakeholders, active stakeholders, continuity, family harmon

Review and analysis of work sampling methods : the case of an automated labour performance measurement system using the work sampling method

Published ArticleThis paper analyses work sampling and time study as work measurement methods with the view of employing them in an automated labour performance measurement system. These are compared with respect to Hawthorn effect, labour intensiveness, cost, tediousness and knowledge extensiveness. The analysis proves that work sampling is a better option for developing an automated labour performance measurement system that employs computer vision. Web cameras are used to feed real-time images to a central computer via USB extenders. The computer runs a standalone C++ application that uses a random function to establish when measurements are to be taken. The developed video camera footage is converted into a pixel matrix using OpenCV. This matrix is then filtered and analysed, enabling the tracking of a worker. The data generated is stored in text files. After the work sampling period has elapsed, the data is transferred into Microsoft Excel for analysis. Finally a report of the labour utilisation is generated in Microsoft Excel and then send to the analyst for review

Die voorkoms van lewenstylverwante koronêre risikofaktore by Suid-Afrikaanse bestuurslui

The presence of lifestyle related coronary risk factors among South African business executivesThe general health status of an employee often displays a direct relationship with his productivity. This phenomenon, to a large extent, initiated the trend in several companies to provide the so-called “employeesupporter programmes" which concentrate on a holistic approach towards total well-being. The lifestyle of the South African executive is to a large extent destructive of health and total well-being. In many cases this leads to premature retirement, serious illnesses and even death. Executives (388) of 20 companies representing the mining, steel, construction, financial and motor industry, were evaluated for the purpose of this article. The mean age of the respondents was 44,6 ± 0.6 years. In 74,3% of the cases a low physical working capacity was found (<2,5 Watt kg-1), while 4,6% of the executives showed a percentage body fat of >20% which is regarded as a coronary risk factor. In 38,7% a n d 58,2% of the cases elevated systolic a n d diastolic blood pressure values were respectively found. The following amount of respondents showed elevated values with regard to the biochemical parameters: total cholesterol(69,5%), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (64,8%), triglycerides (24,1%) and total cholesterol/HDL ratio (77,0%). In 42,2% of the cases an abnormally low level of high density lipoprotein was found.

Peering into the black hole - the quality of black mortality data in Por~ Elizabeth and the rest of South Africa

In the year ending 30 June 1989, 26,8% of 5345 deaths in the Port Elizabeth area were classified as ill-defined. A study was undertaken in an attempt to identify the reasons for the high proportion of such deaths. Copies of all death notifications and death register forms of black people in the area served by the Port Elizabeth City Health Department were collected for a 6-week period. Of the 316 deaths, 154 (48,7%) were certified by medical practitioners at a hospital, 158 (50%) by the police and 4 (1,3%) by private medical practitioners. Of the police-certified deaths 116 (73,4%) were recorded as due to 'natural causes', with the remainder being submitted to autopsy. Of the hospital deaths, 26% were not adequately described in the section for the cause of death on the death certificate. Review of national mortality data for 1985 showed that only 29,9% of ill-defined deaths (in all population groups) were certified by a medical practitioner. The prime source of deaths classifed as ill-defined, both in Port Elizabeth and nationally, were those not certified by a medical practitioner. Strategies aimed' at minimising the number of deaths certified by the police need to be developed