The politics - administration interface in South Africa between 1999 and 2009

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management March 2016The critical observation for public administration and governance in South Africa has been the relationship between senior managers and political officials since the establishment of the democratic government in the country. The first documented observation in the United States of America by Woodrow Wilson marked the launch of public administration as an independent faculty, breaking away from the political sciences. The dominant theory that characterised public administration was that there must be a clear distinction between politics and public administration. This theory suggested that politics had nothing to do with public administration and, therefore, politicians should not intrude into matters of public administration. For contemporary academia, it is crucial to ask questions about the relevance of Wilson’s perspective with regard to the relationship between senior managers and political officials. Nevertheless, contemporary scholars are challenged by the emergent need to study the dual nature of public administration, suggesting that public administration should not be separated from politics, since public administration is merely the expression of the political ideology. Hence, politics and public administration should be inseparable. To refute or reaffirm these notions, this thesis explores this study by reviewing the relationship between senior public managers and political officials through analysing the politics– administration interface in South Africa between 1999 and 2009. In congruence with the main research questions of this study, the researcher utilises four pre-claims to examine the politics–administration interface and the factors that lead to strained relationships around the interface. The first pre-claim in this study examines the notion suggesting that it is the nature of the political bureau to dominate public administration. The second pre-claim examines the notion suggesting that there could be conflicting leadership styles between a political official and a senior public service official. The third pre-claim is that political officials may have a different political ideology as compared with the political ideology upheld by a senior public service official. The fourth pre-claim is that political officials or public service officials or both parties may have some disregard for documented duties and responsibilities. Consequently, this study examines the politics–administration interface in South Africa within the scope of the pre-claims as presented in the introduction to the study. The study found that the colonial legacy in the Commonwealth Nations with features of the Westminster system of governance perpetuates political bureau dominance over public administration. The study further found that it is conventionally accepted that the political bureau should provide guidance to the public administration bureau and dominate public administration which is only the expression of the prevailing political will. The researcher has examined the pre-claim of conflicting leadership styles between the elected officials and senior public servants. The study found that between 1999 and 2009 there was a transition from the collective leadership of the ruling political bureau to a closed conventional leadership system where political power was centralized in the presidency, resulting in leadership through fear and mistrust. Regarding the pre-claim on different ideologies, this study argues that public administration is the implementation of political ideologies, and public service managers are at the apex of implementing policies for the benefit of the social classes on behalf of the political bureau, which drives the ideologies of a ruling political party. Therefore, different political ideologies between the political bureau and the administration bureau may be one of the factors of a strained politics–administration interface. The study found that in cases (Buthelezi and Masetlha as well as Zille and Mgoqi) where officials from different political parties attempted to work, the arrangement resulted in a power struggle in the politics–administration interface. With regard to the pre-claim on disregard for documented rules and responsibilities, the study found that the problem in the interface is not always the neglect of documented rules and responsibilities, but rather that in some cases the documented rules and responsibilities are not always clear, resulting in grey or nondescript areas in the politics−administration interface that are ultimately claimed by the political bureau. This study has further proposed a public service governance structure with an added governance responsibility for the Public Service Commission to oversee the administration in order to distance the political bureau from public administration operations and direct engagement with senior public servants, such as the directors-general.MT 201

MODELING THE AUTOIGNITION, COMBUSTION AND POLLUTANT FORMATION IN A HIGH-SPEED DIRECT INJECTION DIESEL ENGINE

With ever increasing challenge in meeting emissions standards dictated by countries, engine manufacturers are turning to computer models to help predict engine performance. In order to reduce pollutant emissions, engines have to sacrifice some efficiency. By understanding the basic combustion processes, we further our knowledge into the physics behind actual phenomena in our bid to gain some control over it. One technology that benefits from this research is diesel combustion

Design and Implementation of Robofly Wing Flapping Mechanism Using Piezoelectric Crystal

Micromechanical Flying Insect (MFI) or simply ‘robofly’ is a newly introduced air vehicle which is tiny and maneuverable. It is a project requiring collaboration from several academic areas such as biology, robotics and engineering. The target robotic insects are electromechanical devices propelled by a pair of independent flapping wings to achieve sustained autonomous flight, thereby mimicking real insects. Part of the research involves trying to figure out how insects, and specifically flies, flap their wings with high speed and intensity. Initiation stage of this project was to conduct thorough study and research on the robofly. Considering high frequency of flapping motion, robofly is best actuated by piezoelectric ceramics. The direct piezoelectric effect is that piezo ceramic generates an electrical charge during mechanical distortion or load. During an inverse piezoelectric effect the piezoceramic body changes under the influence of an electrical field. The Piezoelectric effect can occur under the influence of external forces. Depending on the force direction electrical charges with corresponding polarity are generated. An inverse piezoelectric effect takes place under the influence of electrical fields. The body changes its dimension along with the change of voltage. The main objective of this project is mainly the design of the thorax structure for robofly and it is defined as the most critical part during this project ongoing. The most efficient method for the robofly to take off into the air is to design a flapping mechanism actuated by piezoelectric. Using a four bar linkage, small piezoelectric linear displacement can be converted to rotational wing motion at high frequency. Solid model design and motion simulation has been generated for both options. The output from both designs are to be compared and the best output in terms of wing stroke angle being picked as best design

Infected foot ulcers in male and female diabetic patients: a clinico-bioinformative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study aimed at (i) characterizing the mode of transmission of <it>bla</it>_CTX-Mand <it>bla</it>_TEM-1among extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing <it>Escherichia coli </it>strains isolated from infected diabetic foot ulcers, and (ii) identifying the risk factors for "sex-associated multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterial (MDRGNB)-infection status" of the ulcers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventy-seven diabetic patients having clinically infected foot ulcers were studied in a consecutive series. The <it>E. coli </it>strains isolated from the ulcers were screened for <it>bla</it>_CTX-M, <it>bla</it>_TEM-1, <it>armA</it>, <it>rmtA </it>and <it>rmtB </it>during the 2-year study-period. PCR amplified <it>bla</it>_CTX-Mgenes were cloned and sequenced. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR was used for the analysis of genetic relatedness of the ESBL-producers. Risk factors for "sex-associated MDRGNB-infection status" of ulcers were assessed. Modeling was performed using Swiss-Model-Server and verified by Procheck and verify3D programmes. Discovery Studio2.0 (Accelrys) was used to prepare Ramachandran plots. Z-scores were calculated using 'WHAT IF'-package. Docking of cefotaxime with modeled CTX-M-15 enzyme was performed using Hex5.1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 51 <it>E. coli </it>isolates, 14 (27.5%) ESBL-producers were identified. Only 7 Class1 integrons, 2 <it>bla</it>_CTX-M-15, and 1 <it>bla</it>_TEM-1were detected. Ceftazidime and cefotaxime resistance markers were present on the plasmidic DNA of both the <it>bla</it>_CTX-M-15positive strains and were transmissible through conjugation. The residues Asn132, Glu166, Pro167, Val172, Lys234 and Thr235 of CTX-M-15 were found to make important contacts with cefotaxime in the docked-complex. Multivariate analysis proved 'Glycemic control at discharge' as the single independent risk factor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Male diabetic patients with MDRGNB-infected foot ulcers have poor glycemic control and hence they might have higher mortality rates compared to their female counterparts. Plasmid-mediated conjugal transfer, albeit at a low frequency might be the possible mechanism of transfer of <it>bla</it>_CTX-M-15resistance marker in the present setting. Since the docking results proved that the amino acid residues Asn132, Glu166, Pro167, Val172, Lys234 and Thr235 of CTX-M-15 (enzyme) make important contacts with cefotaxime (drug) in the 'enzyme-drug complex', researchers are expected to duly utilize this information for designing more potent and versatile CTX-M-inhibitors.</p

Trust as a predictor of innovation network ties in project teams

We examine the influence of trust on the formation of social network ties for the idea generation and idea realisation stages of innovation. Drawing on data from 153 employees working in project teams at two firms, we find two dimensions of trustworthiness, Ability and Benevolence, predict tie formation for both idea generation and idea realisation, whereas Integrity predicts tie formation for idea generation only. Moderation analyses across both firms and stages of innovation reveal that a lack of benevolence makes ability largely irrelevant as a criterion for choosing a partner for innovation activities, whereas high benevolence increases the extent to which ability influences partner choice. Additionally, a lack of integrity makes ability either irrelevant or a negative criterion for partner section. Overall the results suggest that people need to perceive others as benevolent and not lacking in integrity in order to seek out their skills and knowledge for innovation in project teams

Comparison of Outcomes of Open Tension-free Mesh Repair and Totally Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Repair of Inguinoscrotal Hernias

Background: This study aimed to determine the differences in postoperative complications experienced by patients with inguinoscrotal hernia after laparoscopic versus open repair, and the association of risk factors to development of postoperative complications. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients with inguinoscrotal hernias who had either Lichtenstein repair or totally&nbsp; extraperitoneal laparoscopic (TEP) repair from January 2014 to December 2017. Results: The study was performed on evaluable data that could be extracted for 49 patients: 14 were offered TEP repair and 35 Lichtenstein repairs.&nbsp; There was no statistical difference in the mean operative time and mean time taken to return to normal activities between the two groups. The length of hospital stay was one day for both groups. Two patients from the TEP repair group and one patient from the Lichtenstein repair group developed recurrence. Three patients from the TEP group and one patient from the Lichtenstein repair group developed chronic groin pain. One patient from the totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic repair group developed a seroma. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a trend towards better postoperative outcomes in the Lichtenstein repair group than in the TEP group. Keywords: Open tension-free mesh repair, Totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic repair, Inguinoscrotal hernia

E-commerce and Fashion Retail Industry: An Empirical Investigation On the Online Retail Sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

The aim of this study is to examine the digitalization factors affecting Ecommerce in the fashion retail industry and propose an expanded model for a behavioral intention to use the e-commerce shopping channel that incorporates the Theory of Reasoned Action(TRA) and its extensions of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A data of 872 respondents was collected, who were fashion retail customers in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries of United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS and Sequential Mediation Analysis using Process Macro were used to validate the proposed conceptual framework. Furthermore, a comprehensive demographic analysis was conducted using ANOVA at the respondent’s country level. Findings include age and university education of the consumer did moderate the relationship between the study constructs, whereas gender, income level and work location did not moderate. Trust and perceived utility of e-commerce channels acts as sequential mediators between perceived ease of use, subjective norms and behavioral intention to use respectively. Future studies will need the behavior models to be extended to incorporate the fundamental changes in consumer behavior to the pandemic. This research builds on the existing studies on online shopping intentions by including a comprehensive model incorporating all the constructs affecting online shopping continuance. It is one of the few comprehensive studies in the GCC region which is the stronghold of Brick & Mortar (B&M) shoppin

Design and Implementation of Robofly Wing Flapping Mechanism Using Piezoelectric Crystal

Micromechanical Flying Insect (MFI) or simply ‘robofly’ is a newly introduced air vehicle which is tiny and maneuverable. It is a project requiring collaboration from several academic areas such as biology, robotics and engineering. The target robotic insects are electromechanical devices propelled by a pair of independent flapping wings to achieve sustained autonomous flight, thereby mimicking real insects. Part of the research involves trying to figure out how insects, and specifically flies, flap their wings with high speed and intensity. Initiation stage of this project was to conduct thorough study and research on the robofly. Considering high frequency of flapping motion, robofly is best actuated by piezoelectric ceramics. The direct piezoelectric effect is that piezo ceramic generates an electrical charge during mechanical distortion or load. During an inverse piezoelectric effect the piezoceramic body changes under the influence of an electrical field. The Piezoelectric effect can occur under the influence of external forces. Depending on the force direction electrical charges with corresponding polarity are generated. An inverse piezoelectric effect takes place under the influence of electrical fields. The body changes its dimension along with the change of voltage. The main objective of this project is mainly the design of the thorax structure for robofly and it is defined as the most critical part during this project ongoing. The most efficient method for the robofly to take off into the air is to design a flapping mechanism actuated by piezoelectric. Using a four bar linkage, small piezoelectric linear displacement can be converted to rotational wing motion at high frequency. Solid model design and motion simulation has been generated for both options. The output from both designs are to be compared and the best output in terms of wing stroke angle being picked as best design

Finding knowledge in students social network

Social networking has been one of the widely used approaches in the communication technology movement. It is become a new trend of getting connected to other people and definitely it stores huge data including user activities and their shared materials. Many have seen the importance of collecting data for future benefits. In recent years, many companies have successfully analyzed their customer behaviour using various data mining techniques. One of the latest applications of data mining is in social network sites or environments. The objective of this paper is to present the analysis of social network user behaviour using clustering technique and centrality coefficient on university students’ involvement. The result of the analysis is then validated with a questionnaire-based personality test. The study discovers the patterns of students’ participation in social networking can be related to their personal behaviour that reflected by their characteristic and online activities. The analysis extends the research on promoting dynamic study culture at the higher learning institutions through online social network