PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LEADERSHIP STYLES OF DEANS IN ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENTAL TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) COLLEGES

The Industrial Development Strategy of 2003 has shown that considerable human resource deficits in Ethiopia are the major reason for the low rate of industrial development. This strategy confirms in its statement: “...education and a training system that is capable of producing the manpower that is both professionally and ethically capable of carrying and sustaining the responsibility of seeing to it that our industrial development program will have achieved its goals” (MOFED, 2003). Therefore, it called for efforts towards quality improvement of the workforce, to reverse the marginalisation of the industrial professions in the TVET system, and to build a culture of entrepreneurship and self-employment (MOFED, 2010). In 2009, the Southern Nations, Nationalities People’s Region (SNNPR) Centre of Competence (COC) conducted standard exams for those who graduated from TVETs. The results were disappointing, as only 12.2% of the TVET graduates and 34.9% of the TVET instructors passed the examinations (SNNPR TVET, 2010). Hence, to solve this chronic problem, high calibre deans should be appointed. In line with this idea, in the year 2003, the World Bank designed a training project to produce and assign skilled leaders in higher education in Ethiopia (World Bank, 2003). Although it failed, it was also the plan of the Ethiopian government that the percentage of TVET leaders trained in leadership would reach 100% in the year 2014 (MOFED, 2010). The TVET sector has particular significance for the reduction of poverty and for the promotion of gender equity because it stresses certain dimensions such as opportunities, skills, human resources development and empowerment. However, in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) has introduced an emphasis on developing TVET skills only since the turn of the 21st century. As a result, the MOE has required TVET practitioners not only to link up their knowledge and skills with the past in order to understand the present situation, but also to prompt them to look beyond the present to cope with this dynamic world (MOFED, 2006). The present study assumes importance in finding out perceived effectiveness of the leadership styles of deans in Ethiopian governmental technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.  Article visualizations

LEADERSHIP STYLES OF THE DEANS IN ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENTAL TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) COLLEGES

Technological advancements have driven the development of dynamic work environments leading to a need for dynamic and visionary leaders who possess leadership skills and are capable of meeting the challenges and opportunities that exist in the modern workplace that is intent on promoting the change necessary for developing and maintaining the competitive edge (Burke, Stagl, Klein, Goodwin, Salas, Halpin & Winer, 2006). Again, it is even more critical that leaders of the highest calibre are identified, developed, and sharpened within educational institutions. Avolio and Bass (1991) who in their research identified three leadership styles, namely: transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. They state that these three leadership styles can be used to identify the predictive roles of this range of leader attributes as well as the three outcomes of leadership, namely: extra effort, effectiveness and satisfaction. The FRL is regarded as a contemporary model that has the potential to explain leadership and its multidimensional nature and to measure behaviours empirically that can be used to predict leadership outcomes (Antonakis, Avolio & Sivasubramaniam, 2003; Avolio, 2010). According to Dew (1995) and Northouse (2012), leaders make an attempt to lift up motivation and morale when a transformational leadership style is put into effect. Similarly, Curtin (2004) and Conger and Kanungo (1990) propose that organisations require leadership that stimulates leaders and followers as a result of which observable change can come to the fore. For Avolio (2010), college deans should use the transformational leadership style to be the most successful. The findings of Morgenson, DeRue and Karam (2009), and Ross and Offerman (1991) have suggested that it is advantageous for organisations if they are led by lenient, more nurturing leaders. In his work, Nahavandi (2003) has tried to describe the characteristics of transformational leaders as follows: they work hard to promote self-reliance and optimism about goals and followers' ability, provide a vivid vision, initiate innovation through empowerment and rewards for followers, inspire high expectations by creating a conducive environment and, finally, form and strengthen personal relationships with followers. For Nahavandi (2003), these five characteristics of a transformational leader are of vital importance and the absence of one of these characteristics would make such a leader either ineffective or less effective in terms of his/her leadership. The present study assumes importance in finding out to what extent do the leadership styles adopted by deans have an effect on the government TVET Colleges’ perceived effectiveness as evaluated by deans, teachers, and students.  Article visualizations

Brushless direct current motor efficiency characterization

Abstract: The use of a compact lightweight efficient propulsion system is one of the main technological requirements for a long endurance electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Currently the most popular trend is to use a permanent magnet brushless direct current (BLDC) model motor. This type of motor is used because of its efficiency which can be greater than 90% when optimally driven. However the majority of manufacturers do not provide adequate performance response profiles throughout the specified motor applied voltage range. This paper presents a methodology to characterize the BLDC efficiency

The impact of succession planning on the sustainability of cane production by small-scale cane growers in the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

This paper forms part of a research study for a PhD, which has been conducted in the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal and focuses on the sustainability of emerging cane growers. The research problem of the study was that cane growers cannot be sustained beyond the current generation of existing farmers because young people are not interested. Agriculture takes place in rural areas which are characterised by high levels of poverty. Cane farming, like other agricultural production activities, is the major economic driver in these areas. However, the current cane growers are ageing and the economy will be negatively impacted unless the youth succeed their parents as farmers. Sustainability of cane production depends on the preparedness of the offspring of the cane growers to succeed them as farmers.The results of the study revealed two responses. The first response suggested that young people whose parents are cane growers are willing to succeed their parents and become cane growers. The second response suggested that where discussions on succession planning have taken place there was an increase in the number of young people indicating an interest in succeeding their parents. The paper concludes with a recommendation that there is a need for developing succession planning in the North Coast farming area.KEY WORDS: Cane grower, cane farmer, sustainability, succession planning, youth, extension implications

Fermentative attributes of wilted vs. unwilted Digitaria eriantha silage

Silages made from directly cut or wilted Digitaria eriantha treated with or without molasses were evaluated to determine fermentative characteristics. The grass was harvested at the boot stage of growth and the material was ensiled in 1 kg mini-silos. Treatments were arranged in a factorial design of two moisture levels (directly cut or wilted) and two molasses addition (with or without molasses). Each treatment was ensiled in 12 separate bottles. The pH of molasses added silage declined faster than the pH of silage without molasses. The pH of unwilted silages continued to decline up to day 120 post ensiling compared to wilted treatments. Lactic acid concentration was higher for molasses added silage than those made without molasses at all ensiling times, and also higher for directly cut silage than those wilted prior to ensiling. In direct cut silages, acetic acid concentration was lower for molasses added silage than those made without molasses at all ensiling times. In both silages, with or without molasses, the acetic acid concentrations were significantly higher for unwilted silage than silage wilted prior to ensiling. The ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) as percentage of total nitrogen (N) was higher in unwilted silage than prior wilted silage without molasses, while in the presence of molasses the effect of wilting on NH3-N as percentage of total N was not significant. Keywords: Silage, fermentation process, moisture level, Digitaria eriantha, Smutsfinger grassSouth African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (4) 2007: pp. 261-26

Control methods for Dermanyssus gallinae in systems for laying hens: results of an international seminar

This paper reports the results of a seminar on poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae. Eighteen researchers from eight European countries discussed life cycle issues of the mite, effects of mites on hens and egg production, and monitoring and control methods for PRM in poultry facilities. It was determined that PRM probably causes more damage than envisaged, with the cost in The Netherlands alone reaching 11 million euro per annum. However a great deal is still unknown about PRM (e.g. reproduction, survival methods, etc.) and that PRM monitoring is an important instrument in recognising and admitting the problem and in taking timely measures. Currently, the most promising control method combines heating the hen house in combination with chemical treatments. Future areas of development which show promise include the use of entomopathogenic fungi, vaccination and predatory mites. The final aim is to solve the problem of D. gallinae in housing systems for laying hens

Risk management as a social defence against anxiety.

Orientation: This article deals with the unconscious role of risk management in an African country. Research purpose: The aim of the study is to describe how risk management unconsciously influences behaviour when doing business in an African country. Motivation for the study: Operational risk management is a rational management imperative. However, this does not take cognisance of the unconscious role of risk management. A systems-psychodynamic perspective might be particularly relevant if the anxiety implied in risk management is not appropriately contained. Awareness of these dynamics may provide an opportunity for addressing them and allow for a more holistic way of managing risk. Research design, approach and method: The researchers conducted the study as a qualitative case study in an African country. They used purposive sampling and analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. Main findings: Viewing risk management from a systems-psychodynamic perspective allowed the researchers to identify the influence of risk management on the behaviour of people. The emerging hypothesis was that, if businesses do not address the anxiety underlying risk management, managing risk becomes a social defence against the anxiety. Practical/managerial implications: Awareness of the anxiety involved in risk management may assist businesses to manage risk in a more realistic way, making provision for, and even capitalising on, the human element. Contributions/value-add: The article provides a systems-psychodynamic, and hence a more complete, perspective of operational risk management when doing business in an African country

TarO : a target optimisation system for structural biology

This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets (SPoRT) initiative, (Grant BBS/B/14434). Funding to pay the Open Access publication charges for this article was provided by BBSRC.TarO (http://www.compbio.dundee.ac.uk/taro) offers a single point of reference for key bioinformatics analyses relevant to selecting proteins or domains for study by structural biology techniques. The protein sequence is analysed by 17 algorithms and compared to 8 databases. TarO gathers putative homologues, including orthologues, and then obtains predictions of properties for these sequences including crystallisation propensity, protein disorder and post-translational modifications. Analyses are run on a high-performance computing cluster, the results integrated, stored in a database and accessed through a web-based user interface. Output is in tabulated format and in the form of an annotated multiple sequence alignment (MSA) that may be edited interactively in the program Jalview. TarO also simplifies the gathering of additional annotations via the Distributed Annotation System, both from the MSA in Jalview and through links to Dasty2. Routes to other information gateways are included, for example to relevant pages from UniProt, COG and the Conserved Domains Database. Open access to TarO is available from a guest account with private accounts for academic use available on request. Future development of TarO will include further analysis steps and integration with the Protein Information Management System (PIMS), a sister project in the BBSRC Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets initiative.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe