Modelling risk in farm planning

In this article a mathematical model is presented to assist management decisions on an integrated crop and livestock farm. Risk is incorporated into the model as the negative deviation of the actual gross income from the expected value of an activity's gross income. The model includes crop production (permitting and optimising a crop rotation system), dairy production and wool sheep production. Relevant data from a farm in the Swartland region of the Western Cape were used to test and validate the model. The results show that the adoption of crop rotation is superior in terms of gross margin to that generated from a mono-crop strategy. Empirical results also indicate that the complex interrelationships involved in a mixed crop-livestock farm operation play a major role in determining optimal farm plans. These complex interrelationships favour the introduction of crop rotation in the crop production activities of the farm under investigation. Solutions of the model with risk indicate that the crop rotation strategy and animal production levels are sensitive to different risk levels, and that the incorporation of risk greatly affects the level of land allocation to crop rotation and animal production level of the farm. Finally, the results suggest that the introduction of crop rotation is of paramount importance in improving the profitability and sustainability of the farm, thus the inclusion of forage crops such as medics into the integrated crop-livestock production is beneficial for sustained profitability.Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

A reconsideration of what and who is middle class in South Africa

In this paper, we revisit 'what and who' is middle class in South Africa using data collected in the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study. First we consider how to identify the middle class based on two broad definitions adopted in the international literature: a middle class defined by the middle share of the national income distribution; and a middle class defined by an absolute level of affluence and lifestyle. We explore alternative ways of capturing the ‘middle strata’ of the national income distribution; and we suggest an approach for identifying threshold levels of income associated with middle-class affluence. Second, we show that both the size and the composition of the middle class in South Africa are very sensitive to how the middle class is defined. In particular, we demonstrate that there is very little overlap between the two broad definitions, a finding which reflects very high levels of poverty and inequality in the country. Lastly, both definitions of the middle class are shown to be robust to two common issues of measurement, namely the inclusion of implied rental income, and the use of expenditure as opposed to income as the basis for measuring class status.middle class; income strata; middle-class affluence; income distribution

Evolving Role and Nature of Workplace Leaders and Diversity: A Theoretical and Empirical Approach

Blumer (1962) regarded the ‘many possibilities of uncertainty as inherent to the process of joint action.’ Joint action reflects the efforts of participants to work out the line of action in light of what they observe each other doing. Leadership appears to be approached from two fundamental perspectives: an organisational perspective (the influence that is exercised to change the direction of the organisation), and an individual task perspective (the influence that is directed at changing the work behaviour of an individual). In this article, it is suggested that the symbolic interaction of perspective integrates the two fundamental perspectives in that both perspectives require meaningful, reflexive integration and meaning, group membership, organisational role and experience. The evolving role of leaders to attract, retain and connect with a diverse workforce in a changing environment gives rise to interactive leadership competency requirements. This article suggests that managing diversity requires business leaders to adopt an approach to diversity management that is sensitive not only to race and ethnic differences, but also to the background and values of all individuals at work. The empirical study was done and four hundred and forty (440) leadership styles were measured in eleven (11) organisations. The study used the Hall and Hawker (1988) inventory leadership styles and a diversity questionnaire to measure diversity management experience.discrimination, diversity management, engaging leadership style, experience, heroic leadership style, management, transformational leadership

Leadership Competencies for Managing Diversity

The new understanding of diversity involves more than increasing the number of different identity groups on the payroll. An important proposal is that the experience of diversity in an organisation results from pervasive styles of management. This article dealt with the specific paradigms of diversitymanagement and leadership style theory used to address the research problem in the empirical study, namely ‘Is diversity management experience related to leadership styles or competencies?’ The models of diversity and inclusion indicators are used to examine the experience of diversitymanagement. The population of this study into the experience of diversity management is two thousand six hundred and sixty nine (2669) respondents. Leadership styles were obtained from four hundred and forty (440) leaders. The Cronbach alpha values were determined in order to indicate internal validity and reliability.diversity management, engaging leadership style, experience, heroic leadership style, management, symbolic interactionism

Primjenjujući kritička sredstva na kritičku teoriju. Uz nekoliko primjedbi na implikacije u muzikologiji

This article applies three tools of critical analysis to critical theory (in both the wider and narrower sense of the term) and its use in musicology. The tools in question are taken from a set of philosophical theories that the author has been working on for a number of years. These theories can be linked together to form the subtheories of a comprehensive, unified approach called DA (Discourse Archaeology) theory. The subtheories or analytical tools that will be used here, are those that comprise an ideology theory, a rationality theory, and a theory of conceptual key-formulas. Using these tools, certain deficiencies in critical theory - and its application to music - are exposed; note is taken of the special case of Derrida and deconstruction; and in the end the theme of music itself as a form of ideology critique, is also addressed. The possibilities of music as critique is framed in the context of the future possibilities of theory and its tools. A future disclosure (theoretical) and experience (practical) of reality as being much more relative than even post-modernism or deconstruction allows, is the final perspective that is briefly developed. Six of the subsections of this article are provided with endsummaries, each formulating a "deconstructive" goal (in terms of the DA approach) for self-critically engaged critical theorists to pursue.U ovom članku pristupa se kritičkoj teoriji (KT) sa stajališta teorije arheološkog diskursa (teorija AD). Ova druga sastoji se od nekoliko isprepletenih podteorija. Od toga niza analitičkih sredstava za primjenu na KT odabrano je troje: teorija ideologije, teorija racionalnosti i teorija pojmovnih ključnih formula. Pretpostavka od koje započinje članak jest da će ova sredstva otkriti neke ključne manjkove u KT te da će to imati neke važne implikacije za muzikološku upotrebu raznih modela KT. No kritička otkrića AD u odnosu na KT mogu se formulirati kao razne "dekonstrukcije" koje se trebaju izvesti na KT kao cjelini, ali i na pojedinim teorija"a ili modelima kao što su Adornova estetička teorija ili Habermasov system critique ili sama Derridaina dekonstrukcija. Na kraju gotovo svih pododjeljaka ovoga članka tražene AD "dekonstrukcije" izrijekom su formulirane kao ciljevi ili namjere kritičkih teoretičara ili kritičkog muzikologa, koji je uistinu dovoljno kritičan da se upusti u radikalno kritičku samorefleksiju. U procesu formuliranja takvih ciljeva uvodi se model ideološke teorije koji je daleko složeniji i sveobuhvatniji od postojećih pristupa. U svjetlu toga modela složenost ideološke kulture postaje očitom, pa je upravo ova višeslojna "topografija ideološke kulture" ono o čemu se mora voditi računa kada se analizira odnos između glazbe i ideologije. Jedno od kritičkih otkrića u tom pogledu je da se čini da Adorno nije bio sasvim svjestan toga kako su njegova vlastita kritička estetika i njegovi pogledi na glazbu bili stvarno prihvaćeni na "pastoralnoj" razini same ideološke kulture koju je tako snažno kritizirao. Valja istaknuti da ideološki model koji se ovdje predlaže ne smatra nijednu teoriju čistom i slobodnom od ideologije, a to se tiče AD kao cjeline i DA ideološke teorije posebno. Što se teorije racionalnosti tiče, pokazano je kako je na primjer napetost koju je Adorno konstruirao između pojmovnosti i glazbenog iskustva tipična za antiracionalistički način mišljenja. Ali to se također vezuje s određenom razinom ideološke kulture i zapravo predstavlja pretjeranu iracionalnu reakciju protiv formalističkog racionalizma. Uvođenje sredstva ključnih formula u KT pokazuje da razne teorije i svi modeli KT barataju nekom vrsti pojmovnog ključa za (kritičko razumijevanje) stvarnost(i). Ali muzikolozi također pokazuju sklonost da se implicitno ili eksplicitno oslone na takve ključeve. Odlomak koji se bavi ovom temom objašnjava strukturu filozofskih ključeva i rasvjetljuje ulogu Derridae i dekonstrukcije u vezi s time. Potom se ilustrira stvarna funkcija tih ključeva na primjerima iz likovne umjetnosti, estetike i glazbe. Ispostavlja se da u najvećem broju slučajeva ključne formule proizvode iskrivljenu (grubo pojednostavljenu) sliku stvarnosti i da su zbog toga prijemljive za imanentnu kritiku ili "dekonstrukciju". Ključni i prožimajući problem koji se ističe ovim člankom - uz pomoć spomenutih sredstava - leži u tome što složenost postojećih "stanja stvari" i jedinstvenost i koherentnost stvari koje postoje unutar te mreže složenosti nije dovoljno shvatila nijedna od glavnih KT alternativa. One sve završavaju time što naglašavaju nešto do te mjere da to postaje privilegirano na način koji pruža iskrivljenu sliku onoga što je "stvarno" na kocki. Samo naše iskustvo o glazbi moglo bi se promijeniti kada bi se različita vrsta svjetonazora uistinu dohvatila onih koji komponiraju, slučaju i kritički odgovaraju na glazbu. Bio bi to svjetonazor gdje bi se stvarno potvrdila radikalna relativnost postojanja na svim mogućim razinama, i to do krajnjih razmjera ili do razmjera koji bi bili barem znatno napredniji nego što je to trenutno slučaj

Planning for the year 2000

In September 1975 the Planning Advisory Division of the World Bank published an updated list of National Develop­ment Plans. This list included the plans of some 88 sovereign nations and of a few overseas territories. An analysis of this publication shows that in 1975 only a handful of countries had development plans which extend as far as 1980 while only one country, South Korea, went beyond the present decade, and then only to 1981. I mention this to indicate how loath governments are, and also how difficult it is, to make official, concrete planning proposals beyond the short-term

A theory of macromotives

This essay sketches in outline a theory of macromotives. The latter term refers to certain encompassing themes, something like ultimate values, which are of directive importance to cultural development and span cultures ancient and modern. From a possible class of such motives, four are identified: the motives of nature, knowledge, power, and personhood. They are discussed in turn, with attention to their individual histories, and also with a view to analysing the kind of “emotive" logic by which each of these motives contends for the status of final point of reference. Then follows a brief reflection on the ways in which these motives not only impact on world history, hut also on some of the most intimate aspects of our personal lives. The penultimate section is devoted to a comparison o f the approach developed here with Dooyeweerd's theory of ground motives. The essay closes with a brief refection on the postmodern questioning of metanarratives

Painting a picture of possibility: the transmission of symbolic violence in an urban township school

The purpose of this study is to explore the narratives and non-verbal communication of students and teachers in one low socioeconomic status school, with particular reference to the messages that are conveyed about student performance and student aspirations, and student responses to these messages. The validity of these messages is evaluated in relation to the contexts, conditions and interactions within the school. To this end, the study employs conceptual resources drawn from Bourdieu and Lefebvre, especially Bourdieu’s notions of symbolic violence and misrecognition. Data is derived primarily from interviews with teachers and students and from observations within the school. The study finds that students are confronted with several messages of promise and threat at school which link ‘success’ and performance to individual effort and choices. However, such messages ignore the ways in which the contexts and conditions in which schooling takes place impact on student performance and constrain their future opportunities. Even students who have great ambitions, who adopt a positive mind-set and who work hard have to reckon with the realities and narrow possibilities that come from being in an under-resourced school in a poor community. The study suggests that managerialist and meritocratic explanations of student performance, that are currently dominant in South African policy discourse, present too narrow a view of the realities that produce underperformance and that such explanations imply that students and teachers are to blame for disadvantages that are produced by systemic inequalities