AA 2005 Volume 37 Issue 2

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  • ItemOpen Access
    The pains and gains of incorporation: reflections from inside a redeployed faculty
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Bauer, Constanze; Wilkinson, Annette
    English:The restructuring of the higher education system in South Africa forms part of the social transformation process of the South African government. The incorporation of the Bloemfontein campus of Vista University into the University of the Free State (UFS) is also part of this process. The literature reveals that strategic institutional leadership, strong governance and staff participation, together with honesty and trust, are crucial factors in ensuring successful mergers/incorporation. Incorporations have been known to fail due to a clash of institutional cultures. Communication among all parties must be open, transparent and effective, but the human factor can be regarded as the most important aspect of incorporation. This article reports on the findings of a study concerned mainly with the “people issues” within an incorporation process.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Discerning similarities: concept and word at the intersection of analogy and metaphor
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Strauss, Danie
    English:The uniquely human abilities to analyse (in the sense of “distinguish” as well as “identify”) and to signify make possible the complex phenomena known to us as concepts and words. In debate with the theory of “conceptual metaphor” as developed by Lakoff and Johnson and with the earlier ideas of Cassirer, Rickert and Reichling, this article sets out to clarify the connections between the logical-analytical and the sign modes of reality. This approach proceeds from the ontological distinction between modes of being and concrete entities and actions. Although any concrete act of thinking or speaking functions in principle at once within the logical-analytical and the lingual aspects, this does not resolve the problem of the order relation between these two aspects, and more refined arguments are required.
  • ItemOpen Access
    E-governance in South Africa: are we coping?
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Kroukamp, Hendri
    English: Governments in developed as well as developing countries are making increasing use of electronic governance to interact and communicate with one another and with their citizens, as well as to deliver more effective services. In developing countries such as South Africa, where social and developmental challenges are acute, it is particularly important to develop well-articulated public policies and ICT plans that will promote effective e-governance. This article evaluates the current and imminent efficacy of e-governance in South Africa.
  • ItemOpen Access
    How deconstruction can be constructive: inward- and outwardbound academic entrepreneurship as drivers for change
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Rosseel, Peter
    Abstract not available
  • ItemOpen Access
    The experiences of redeployed educators from down-sized schools
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Maile, Simeon
    English: The process of redeployment is viewed in this article from the perspective of the theory of managerialism in order to explain why educational institutions change. Redeployment is seen as part of the transformation process. Redeployment victims suffer a syndrome characterised by feelings of loss, anxiety, anger, insecurity, mistrust and stress. This syndrome is described by means of empirical data. The article compares arguments from theoretical propositions and integrates them with the data drawn from empirical investigation. While redeployment has succeeded in distributing educators across the education system, it has also brought misery to the careers of some educators, especially those who have experienced the process first-hand.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Globalisation and its effect on the South African labour market: evidence from the manufacturing sector
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Pretorius, Anmar; Blaauw, Derick
    English: This article investigates the impact of globalisation on employment and wages in the South African manufacturing sector for the period 1993 to 2001. Globalisation has led to a more open economy. Export volumes have increased and manufactured goods have gained ground in relation to mining products. Within the manufacturing basket, labour-intensive goods have become more important. Productivity has increased, but there has been no nett job creation or incrrease in unskilled wages. Regression results indicate that exports have a positive effect on employment, but only for highly skilled workers, not for semi-skilled or unskilled employees.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The Bill of Rights: implications for South African schools ten years into democracy
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Alston, Ken; Van Staden, Johann; Pretorius, Loots
    English: Law reports prior to 1993 indicate that, de jure, school powers were not unlimited. The failure of schools to follow established procedures would result in occasional legal challenges and judgements against such schools. The imposition of the Bill of Rights in 1996, with its shift from parliamentary sovereignty to a constitutional democracy, made it crucial for South Africans to comprehend and accept this fundamental change, whose implications are currently playing themselves out in a variety of situations, including schools. Despite ten years of democracy there appears to be considerable lack of understanding of the Bill of Rights in the context of South African schools. The Bill’s application, conflicts among various rights, and differences between the constitution and majority views remain problematic issues.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The nature and development of the construct “quality of work life”
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Kotzè, Tina
    English: Major changes have taken place in the nature and composition of organisations in South Africa. The greater importance of knowledge workers, the different ethnic composition of the membership of organisations, and changes in value systems and beliefs may be seen as factors influencing the quality of employees’ work life (QWL). There is a significant lack of clarity regarding QWL as a construct, and no single instrument to promote consistency in its measurement. This article therefore attempts to provide more information on the content of the construct by means of a literature review. The origin and development of the construct, as well as the different approaches taken to define and measure it, are discussed. QWL emerges as a multifaceted and ambiguous construct with no universal identity. How it is defined, how to approach or measure it appear to depend on the goals of the various researchers and management practitioners
  • ItemOpen Access
    The provision of teaching/learning materials in Swaziland high schools
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Magagula, Cisco
    English:This study set out to establish whether there was any government policy regarding the provision of textbooks and stationery to high school learners in Swaziland; to determine whose responsibility it was to provide learners with these materials, and to assess the system used by high schools to give learners access to them. The study found that there was no government policy regulating the provision of textbooks and stationery to learners in high schools; that parents were solely responsible for providing such materials, and that most high schools used the book loan system (which has its advantages and disadvantages, and should be refined) to give learners access to the requisite materials.
  • ItemOpen Access
    An analysis of the diaries of patients with bulimia nervosa
    (University of the Free State, 2005) Owen, Keely; Stuart, Anita
    English: Organised cognitive structures leading to the development and maintenance of eating disorders appear to be represented in the core psychopathology of bulimia nervosa. This study investigated the self-statements of bulimic patients by analysing self-report diaries from patients who had completed a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. Patients were assigned to one of two groups according to the outcome of therapy: successful (n=21) or unsuccessful (n=7). The results showed that there were statistically significant decreases in the use of specific self-denigrating words indicating thoughts relating to both eating disorder and affective disorder for the successful group but not for the unsuccessful group.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The constitutional dynamic of civil society and the role of the churches in South Africa
    (University of the Free State, 2005) De Freitas, Shaun
    English: The concept of “civil society” is an important facet of the relationship between church and state. Civil society, as an acceptable and extremely relevant element in presentday constitutional and political theories, contains characteristics which promote democracy and the freedom of religious expression. The churches in South Africa need to promote their religious interests by means of the insights associated with civil society. It is, in fact, through this generally accepted and dynamic concept, that the churches, without reservation, must be included as effective role-players in the public arena.