Pre-schoolers' agency through learning for well-being in inner-city early childhood centres : the role of the practitioners

This study explored the diverse ways in which practitioners' roles manifest to develop pre-schoolers’ agency through learning for well-being in inner-city early childhood centres (ICECCs). Findings served as the foundation for a training programme for practitioners to develop pre-schoolers’ agency in South Africa. Various factors that have an impact on the development of pre-schoolers’ agency and ways in which preschoolers express agency were further explored through using the tool of pedagogical documentation. A conceptual framework was based on the Framework of Learning for Well-being, the Framework of Indigenous Well-being and the Reggio educational approach, which supports the notion that pre-schoolers can express themselves and influence their lifeworlds. Myself, three practitioners and nine pre-schoolers participated in the study. I made use of participatory action research (PAR) to generate qualitative data. The various data collection tools used were: Conversations with pre-schoolers; semi-structured interviews with practitioners; focus group interviews between myself and the practitioners; observations of circle time discussions; practitioners' open-ended questionnaires and self-reflective notes on fake Facebook pages; notes in my selfreflective journal; and documentation of pre-schoolers' four art projects. A manual thematic analysis of the data was done and feedback obtained during final interviews. Practitioners indicated the following insights into their practice during and upon completion of the research process: Discoveries of the capabilities of pre-schoolers to express agency; the need to ask more probing and open-ended questions; the importance of listening to pre-schoolers; an awareness of the diverse capabilities of preschoolers; and knowledge and understanding of the value of the tool of pedagogical documentation to make pre-schoolers' agency visible. Aspects that posed challenges were highlighted, such as lack of technology, time constraints, work load and concerns of parents over the academic performance of their children. Upon conclusion of the study the following recommendations were made: a new theme in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS); a module in Foundation Phase education on children's agency; a one-day workshop for practitioners to develop pre-schoolers'Psychology of EducationPh.D. (Psychology

Developing a methodology for the qualitative and quantitative credit analysis of banks in Kenya and Nigeria from a South African perspective

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-108).This study presents research on credit risk assessment in emerging market countries with particular emphasis on the Kenyan and Nigerian markets. Using prior emerging market research, information from credit rating agencies and information gained from a country visit, a revised methodology is devised. Using this methodology, the individual banks scores are in line with the expectations of how they would rank relative to each other in terms of qualitative and quantitative factors

An assessment of a quick response case study in an apparel textile pipeline in the Western Cape

Bibliography: leaves 165-172.The aim of this thesis was to establish whether South African companies implementing Quick Response in an apparel textile pipeline moved towards flexible specialisation and post-Fordism or a neo-Fordist method of production. I also determined whether these companies implemented Quick Response according to the theory or to suit their environment. Manufacturing 6 Fordism or mass production became the most important manufacturing system in the early 20th century. When it was in crisis a new era, post-Fordism, was born. The change in manufacturing in post-Fordism was labelled flexible specialisation. It utilises new technology and flexible ways of organising work to help companies become more competitive. However, some people believed the new era was not new, but rather a modification of Fordism. They called this modified system neoFordism, consisting of both Fordist and post-Fordist features. The clothing and textile industries South Africa's textile and clothing industries are faced with increased competition due to the country's re-entry into the world economy and the subsequent drop in tariffs. One way for textile and clothing companies to compete is by developing a Quick Response approach - a type of flexible specialisation. It could help these companies fight cheaper imports as it cuts lead times and allows companies to use their local proximity to deliver the right products at the right time. Methodology using qualitative research methods I attempted to describe Quick Response in this pipeline by finding out what it is, what its features are, how it is implemented and what its effects are. I combined descriptive and explanatory elements in my study. I used semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions to interview workers, middle and upper management of the companies in the pipeline. I also used nonparticipant observation by attending meetings these companies held. Quick Response or not? The system that this pipeline implemented has some of the main trademarks of Quick Response. The companies improved their relationships, shared some information, cut the lead times, and relied on sales figures to determine production. All of this resulted in an increase in sales, Quick Response's ultimate goal. However, this system lacked many features of Quick Response such as worker involvement, full information sharing, Pareto improving measures to ensure no company is worse off than before, and cutting lead times constantly. Despite this I still believe this system could be classified as Quick Response as it was mainly about cutting lead times and this pipeline did that in a small way. Post- or neo-Fordism? Although these companies introduced elements of Quick Response, Fordist production features were still evident. These include manufacturing with long runs, just-in-case or safety stock, power differentials, mistrust, managerial prerogative, and large wage gaps. It is clear that Quick Response as described in the theory is a type of flexible specialisation, which is the change in manufacturing in the post-Fordist era. However, the version used in this pipeline contained many elements of Fordist production combined with post-Fordist methods. So the conclusion is that the companies who implemented Quick Response moved towards a neo-Fordist method of production. Only when they import Quick Response as an integrated package might their methods be described as post-Fordist

Corporate social responsibility: a personal reflection on Clover Mama Afrika

Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate social investment (CSI), the term preferred by most South African busines-ses, has been studied from the 1950s, up to date no universally ac-cepted definition has been formulated. However, the basic concepts put forward in the definition of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (2000) are generally accepted as forming the core of CSR

Proposing a Holistic Physical Asset Management Strategy to Implement in Food and Beverage Industries in South Africa

Due to the increased demand for high-quality products, quality has been identified as the key to success in many food and beverage manufacturing organizations. In order to fulfil the customer’s/consumer’s demand for high-quality products, not only quality, but delivery time and cost need to be considered as the production process of the food industry requires continuous operation of production line equipment. Thus, a good asset management system is important for a manufacturing organization to enhance its competitiveness. For this reason, ISO 55000 series of international standards are advised to provide a standardized framework for an asset management system. Although many food and beverage industries strive to continuously improve operations, external factors are outing the industry under pressure to maximize production capacity, improve product quality, and better align assets to market dynamics. Thus, responding to this pressure, a holistic asset management strategy that focus on asset care is suggested to the food and beverage industry, hence this study investigates this statement. In attempt of implementing ISO 55000 alongside total quality management (TQM), this study propose that a holistic physical asset management strategy will be achieved. This would enable the organizations to develop and sustain within this competitive environment by aiming to earn the status Best-in-Class. A business case for the holistic approach was developed, engaging the examination of the requirements, objectives, organization alignment, financial benefits and the impact that this approach will generate. This study therefore endeavour to improve overall organization excellence in developing countries as well as aims to inform relevant South African food and beverage organizations on the topic of the need and importance to implementing a holistic asset management strategy as it represents a potential source of improvement. Keywords: Holistic strategy, physical asset management, TQM, food, beverage

Nutrient partitioning and response to insulin challenge at different planes of nutrition during lactation in goats of high vs. low milk production potential

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of genetic selection for milk production on nutrient partitioning at a high vs. a low plane of nutrition. Twelve Indigenous goat does and eight Saanen x Indigenous crossbred does were allocated to either a basal diet formulated to provide energy for maintenance or the basal diet supplemented with maize so as to maintain a plasma glucose concentration of 3.5 mmol/l throughout lactation. Milk yield was not reduced by the low plane of nutrition in either genotype. The sustained rate of milk production at the low level of nutrition was achieved by increased mobilisation of endogenous nutrients from body reserves, evidenced as a greater loss of body mass at the low plane of nutrition in both breeds. The Saanen crossbred genotype, which produced twice as much milk as the Indigenous genotype, lost 19% of initial mass by week 10 of lactation, whereas mass losses in the indigenous goat never exceeded 7%, with the result that repletion of initial (week one) mass was achieved by week six of lactation. Plasma glucose concentrations were depressed to a smaller extent by insulin in the Saanen crossbred than in the Indigenous goat at weeks 3, 7 and 11 of lactation. Although there was evidence for a genotype x nutrition interaction during early lactation, this did not persist throughout lactation. The majority of data derived from this study indicates that the two genotypes reacted in a similar manner to plane of nutrition, with the main differences between milk yield potential being occasioned by differences in the extent of mobilisation of endogenous body reserves mediated by differences in insulin sensitivity. (South African Journal of Animal Science, 2000, 30(3): 178-185

Implications of human interaction for health of past populations in Asia

Drivers of human mobility such as migration, trade and conflict is today recognised to considerably influence the spread and prevalence of infectious diseases globally. Additionally, these factors are known to impact nutritional levels of migrating populations. However, the impacts of interactions between two or more populations, which occurs following human mobility, has received little attention in the palaeopathological literature. This thesis investigates whether human population interaction significantly influenced the health of prehistoric populations in Asia. Six skeletal assemblages across three case studies (n=450) in Asia’s prehistory were explored to assess the level of nutritional and infectious diseases. These were the Middle to Late and Final Jomon (5000-2300BP), Pre-Neolithic to Neolithic Vietnam (6900-3500BP) and Bronze Age to Xiongnu Period Mongolia (4500 to 1800BP). The questions proposed for this thesis were: 1) Did increasing levels of population interaction over time significantly affect the health of populations in prehistoric Asia? And; 2) How did population interaction interplay with a range of other sociocultural, biological and ecological factors to influence the health of populations in prehistoric Asia? It was hypothesised that human interaction would have a considerable impact on the health of prehistoric populations from Asia, but that other sociocultural, environmental and biological factors would mediate the degree of impact. To assess the implications of human population interaction on prehistoric health, protocols of weighted diagnostic criteria for differential diagnosis of infectious diseases, nutritional diseases and anaemias in dry bone were developed to standardise identification where they do not yet exist in the palaeopathological literature. Additionally, inclusion criteria for an overall infectious disease prevalence, that encompasses specific and non-specific infectious diseases, was developed. A three-stage statistical approach was applied to address the research questions. This involved analysis within assemblages (site level), diachronically across two assemblages in the same region (regional level) and across all assemblages to assess general trends in the influence of human population interaction on disease dynamics (continent level). The results of this study demonstrated that varying levels of human population interaction influenced the prevalences and diversity of infectious diseases in Asia, but only indirectly influenced the prevalences of nutritional diseases. However, residential mobility and population density served to mediate the impact that human population interaction had on infectious disease prevalences and diversity in past populations. Therefore, the hypothesis was supported for infectious diseases but not nutritional diseases. Additionally, the impact of disease on mortality was variable and dependent on the pathogens introduced through human population interaction processes