Success of Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is mostly determined by high utilisation rate of EAP services. However, there are various factors that contribute towards utilisation of EAP services in the workplace such as confidentiality, marketing and accessibility. Good and high utilisation of EAP services positively affects the company s bottom line, (Berry, 2010:1) resulting in improved productivity, low staff turnover, high employee morale, low levels of absenteeism and low cost of health care in the workplace (Brennan & Beidel, 2006:36).The researcher conducted a quantitative study in a waste management company using a questionnaire which was distributed to 128 selected respondents from four different depots that falls within Cluster South, referred to as Custer B in the study. The study explored factors affecting the utilisation of EAP services in a Waste Management Company. The results of the study proved that the success and utilisation of EAP services depends on various factors. Amongst the factors, awareness and marketing of EAP services were found to encourage utilisation of EAP by all stakeholders. Regular communication with employers was also found to promote EAP services and high utilisation rate. EAP s success and credibility was found to depend on the maintenance of confidentiality. Supervisors are the key players in implementing EAP services and are the EAP s most significant lint to the company. Support from top management was found to be one of the contributing factors in making the EAP a success through their buy-in of the programme. Other important factors that affected utilisation of EAP services included the physical location of EAP offices, the level of employees education, gender, and perception. Stigma and discrimination also affected utilisation of EAP service. It can be assumed that organisations with successful EAP services benefits through the reduction of workplace accidents and errors, lost workdays as well as increase in the morale of workers and productivity. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

In the absence of an effective state led mechanism for dealing with issues of transitional justice in Zimbabwe following the violent 2008 elections, civil society organisations have sought some form of remedy for those affected by the violence through the engagement of state processes as well as through informal processes within communities affected by the violence. Through various advocacy and lobbying initiatives, civil society has sought to challenge impunity, push for the reform of state institutions that have perpetuated violence, as well as to push for effective and inclusive policies that will address the concerns arising from the aftermath of political violence. They have also sought to change and influence structures that have promoted violence particularly in communities that were most affected by the 2008 electoral violence. These roles have been played in an environment that has largely been described as not conducive to dealing with the concerns of transitional justice. This environment is characterised by the absence of a change in political dispensation, where those responsible for the violence have remained at the helm of the state and political power. The aim of this research was to describe and explore the informal mechanisms put in place by civil society organisations in Zimbabwe to deal with issues of accountability and acknowledgement with regards to the 2008 electoral violence. The research also aimed to examine the consequences of such approaches to post conflict justice on the relationship between the state and civil society and more broadly on the achievement of the goals of transitional justice. The research asked: How has civil society addressed the issues of transitional justice in relation to the 2008 electoral violence in Zimbabwe? More specifically, the research also asked: Why has civil society employed informal processes to deal with transitional justice relating to the 2008 electoral violence and what have been the consequences of civil society instituting informal transitional justice mechanisms without the support or involvement of the state? The research findings showed that civil society organisations have employed informal processes of transitional justice as a response to the lack of political will by the state to address the concerns of transitional justice. It also found that despite the importance of the role being played by civil society organisations in dealing with these concerns, this approach was not comprehensive both in terms of geographic spread and also due to the absence of authority by civil society to enforce accountability. This study concludes that the gap of transitional justice for the 2008 electoral violence in Zimbabwe is a consequence of the lack of political will by state actors to deal with the concerns arising from the aftermath of the violence as well as the failure to create an environment that allows for these concerns to be addressed. The study also concludes that the state remains the key actor in the transitional justice discourse and through cooperation with civil society actors, an effective and more comprehensive response to the concerns arising from the 2008 electoral violence as well as other epochs of violence witnessed in the country could be instituted. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted

Employee assistance programmes are workplace programmes developed to assist work organisations to address productivity issues resulting from the psychosocial problems experienced by employees. These psycho-social problems may include health, marital, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect job performance. EAPs also serve the organisation by consulting with the organisation about matters that may have an influence on the organisational performance and by giving assistance to individual employees. In the beginning (19th century), EAPs were more concerned about helping employees with alcohol problems in the workplace, which later changed to a more broadened scope to address a wide range of problems. Services are currently rendered according to best practices based on the application of core technologies. These core technologies include training and development, marketing, case management, consulting with the work organisation, networking, monitoring, and evaluation and are essential for the operation and functioning of successful EAPs. Furthermore, EAP standards were developed to benchmark practice and provide guidelines to encourage EAP practice to implement proactive strategies, interventions and tools consciously and purposely. The researcher believes that employee assistance intervention can help prevent the development of more serious psycho-social problems which may in turn impact negatively on the health and productivity of an employee. The premise of the study is on describing the structure and operational functioning of the EAP at UAH in order to redesign the EAP, if indicated. ? A literature study was carried out to illustrate the EAP core technologies and standards and its role in and impact on the structure and operational functioning of EAP. . The study seeks to enquire the structure and operational functioning of EAP and their influence on each other through the following objectives:- to explore and describe the profile of the UAH as an organisation (which forms part of designing an EAP); ? to explore the needs of the hospital (management, union members, and operational staff members) in terms of the EAP; ? to explore the existing structure and operational functioning of the EAP, with specific reference to the EAP core technologies; and ? to provide recommendations to the management of the UAH, for the redesign of the EAP, should such redesign be indicated. The empirical findings obtained from a sample of employees from Universitas Academic Hospital (supervisors, unions, and employees) revealed the core aspect of the study through the quantitative research method. The research had applied the quantitative approach, since observations were systematically undertaken in a standardized statistical procedure. The study also used applied research since it aimed at solving a problem in practice, by providing specific recommendations to the management of the institution. Data were collected by means of a survey where a questionnaire was developed and distributed amongst members of the target group (supervisors, unions, and employees). The study indicated that there is a need for implementation of other core technology in the EAP, e.g. training and development, marketing, consulting with the work organisation, networking, monitoring, and evaluation rather than only focusing on counselling in the administration of the programme. The study also revealed the importance of conducting needs assessment of an organisation before designing an EAP to ensure that the needs of the organisation and its employees are met and to enhance the utilisation rate of the programme. The study further indicated that for the programme to function effectively, it had to have a steering committee represented at the highest level and representative of all sections in the organisation. The research conclusions and recommendations served as a basis for developing guidelines to enhance the structure and operational functioning of EAP in the UAH. These recommendations seek to assist the management of UAH to promote the effective operational functioning of an EAP and enhance the well-being of employees and good service delivery. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

The primary objective of this study is to analyse electoral violence in Nigeria using the Hoglund analytical framework on electoral violence. More specifically, the study undertakes to analyse incidents of electoral violence in the 2003 and 2007 elections in Nigeria. The second objective of the study is to identify how the changing nature of politics, elections, and electoral institutions have interacted to perpetuate electoral violence in the 2003 and 2007 elections; identify the nature, spread and pattern of electoral violence in those elections with the aim of explaining the variations and concentration of such violence; and to identify the extent to which Hoglund s analytical framework can explain the causes of electoral violence in Nigeria. Electoral violence is defined as an act that seeks to determine, delay, or influence an electoral process through threats, verbal intimidation, hate speech, disinformation, physical assault, forced ?protection , blackmail, destruction of property, and/or assassination. Information for the study was gathered through existing publically available documents on elections (including electoral acts), as well as reports on elections by both local and foreign observer missions, to analyse the 2003 and 2007 electoral violence in Nigeria. The link between electoral violence and Nigeria s 2003 and 2007 elections is analysed based on Hoglund s analytical framework of electoral violence, as well as its applicability to the Nigerian political situation. The framework is centred on three elements: the nature of politics, the nature of elections, and electoral institutions. The nature of politics refers to the political system and the relationship that exists between leaders and followers, which includes the acceptable and unacceptable democratic standards. The nature of elections represents the political mobilisation and competition in the electoral process which relate to the nature of actors that participate in the elections as well as the stakes involved in losing or gaining political power, whilst electoral institutions encompass electoral systems, electoral management and electoral regulations. Electoral violence in Nigeria is abetted by patrimonial rule, conflict cleavages, stakes of electoral competition, and the winner-takes-all arrangement of the electoral system, as espoused by Hoglund in his framework. This study finds that electoral violence in Nigeria s 2003 and 2007 elections was stirred through the politics of godfatherism and the high remuneration of elected representatives, and it thus contributes to the general systematic studies of electoral violence, and Nigeria s electoral violence in particular. The high prevalence of electoral violence examined in this study suggests the need for interventions to reduce the reoccurrence of such violence in subsequent elections, and hence the need for future studies to deal with problems of godfatherism and high remuneration of elected officials as approaches to combat electoral violence in Nigeria. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Political Sciences / PhD / Unrestricted

Institutional autonomy is a university s academic freedom to guide and direct the teaching and scholarship of its students and faculty. In this thesis I reveal the extent to and manner in which, despite the ideal of institutional autonomy, councils of universities in Nigeria are unable to resist political and external control over affairs of their universities. I further point to legislation that relieves universities of certain statutory powers. I argue that the regulation of institutional autonomy of universities in Nigeria is such that it takes away the normal functions of a university, so lowering academic standards and impeding realisation of the objects of universities. Government established the National Universities Commission (NUC) to regulate academic standards. This function was hitherto within the purview of the Senate of a university. Also, with the establishment of the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) in 1978 senates of universities ceased to determine student admission criteria. I argue that on account of such regulation, also the academic freedom of staff and students can no longer be guaranteed. The state of university autonomy as at present is not in the best interest of staff, students and the university. This manifests most clearly in the area of on-campus discipline, the enforcement of which has in some cases been externalized. I recognize the gaps and omissions in laws regulating universities and submit that the various laws have to be revisited and the scope of operation of bodies like the NUC, JAMB, Governing Councils, Senates have to be reviewed. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Public Law / LLD / Unrestricted

Facing the reality of a diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and preparing for the possibility of losing one s ability to speak is extremely challenging. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the perceptions of ten persons with MND (PMNDs), 11 significant others (SOs) and 17 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) about message banking, a process where messages are pre-recorded so as to use them in a speechgenerating device. A quantitative, non-experimental, multi-group, posttest-only survey design was used. The 38 participants listened to a short presentation of what message banking entails and how it is done and then individually completed a questionnaire about their perceptions. Data was compared between the three participant groups to investigate the similarities and differences between them. Results indicated that most PMNDs and SOs reported they had never heard of AAC or message banking. SLPs knew only a little about AAC. Only 43% of SLPs were currently using AAC strategies for PMNDs. AAC methods that were most recommended for PMNDs were gestures, letter boards or communication boards. Participants agreed most with the statement that message banking was a good idea for PMNDs in general, although only 80% of PMNDs and 36% of SOs showed an interest in doing message banking for themselves or their loved one with MND. SLPs showed 100% interest in doing message banking with their patients with MND. PMNDs ranked messages important for message banking in descending order namely: social closeness, needs and wants, social etiquette and sharing information. SOs mostly agreed but thought that messages about needs and wants were more important to bank than were messages about social closeness. The SOs also thought that sharing information was more important than social etiquette, which was different to what PMNDs thought. In conclusion, all participants confirmed an awareness of AAC and message banking, although participants perception about AAC and message banking differed somewhat. They also had slightly differing views about the categories of messages that were important to bank during message banking. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / MA / Unrestricted

Owing to the increasing prevalence of stress experienced by the employees of the SA Post Office in the Central Region, where the researcher is employed, a research project was launched to determine the sources of this stress and to make recommendations on possible ways of managing it more effectively. The respondents were randomly sampled from the population of the employees who consulted at the Employee Wellness office, as well as those who were booked off with stress-related illnesses. A self-developed questionnaire was distributed to 100 respondents/employees after a review of literature on the sources of stress in the workplace. However, out of 100 possible respondents, only 36 responded to the online questionnaire. The self-developed questionnaire was designed with the use of Qualtrics, a user-friendly software package which allowed the respondents to complete the questionnaire on-line. A link was e-mailed to the respondents giving them access to the on-line survey. Responses were automatically and anonymously submitted to a central data base hosted by Qualtrics at the University of Pretoria. The original mail, with the link and two reminder e-mails, were mailed from the office of the researcher s supervisor at the university. In conclusion, the research conducted indicated that the respondents were satisfied with the SA Post Office as an employer. They were, however, dissatisfied with the job promotion prospects, the lack of performance feedback in the organization, the ineffective communication in the organization and the fact that there were no policies on workplace violence and industrial action which may contribute or even cause stress to these employees The respondents also acknowledged that they experienced personal stress from time to time. However, this did not impact on their productivity. Although not a majority of the respondents experienced workplace stress, and 75% of them confirmed, that work-related problems impacted on productivity. In order to uplift employee morale and improve the quality of life of the employees, the following recommendations were made to the SA Post Office management: ? A standardised stress management programme for all the SA Post Office employees should be developed and offered to the employees. ? Services rendered by the Employee Assistance Programme should be marketed much more aggressively to increase the levels of awareness and the use of the EAP. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

The term poor white is not uncommon and neither is the whole phenomenon. The topic dominated much of the academic, media and entertainment spheres for the better part of the twentieth century. This dissertation examines poor whites in fiction and non-fiction and attempts to demonstrate that there is a certain overlap. Thus by combining the two types of literature it shows that the selected novels, written during the first half of the twentieth century by authors from the Realist genre, may be considered cultural historical sources in their own right in terms of portraying the daily lives and struggles of poor whites. This study considers the processes of combining fiction and non-fiction and the different types of sources written about the poor whites. The authors and the period in which they lived are examined to create a better understanding of the time context, the genre and the topic itself. The different types of poor whites and the different definitions of poor whites, in the academic sources, are compared to the poor whites who are portrayed in the novels and thus one could argue in popular consciousness. The different causes of poor white poverty in the academic texts are compared to those in the novels. Lastly, poor white women, a rather marginalised sector, are examined in terms of the volksmoeder concept and how the novels redefined the term. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Historical and Heritage Studies / MA / Unrestricted

This study locates and describes the programmatic meanings in Rautavaara s piano suite, Ikonit, Op. 6. It makes use of an interdisciplinary paradigm that borrows perspectives gathered from the new musicology . The various contexts that inform this analysis and interpretation include the composer s biography and style, the Russian Orthodox tradition of iconography and the compositional structure of Ikonit. The study constructs a biographically and culturally sensitive interpretation of the suite, which can contribute to better-informed performances and readings of the music. It contributes to English language scholarship on Rautavaara s music. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

In September 2014 the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) of the world met in Apia, Samoa to chart a new development pathway that takes into consideration their specificities and vulnerabilities. This family of island nations has been for many years at the forefront of key global discussions to make the international community aware of the challenges facing them such as global shocks, climate change, limited land space and capital and human resources shortages which impose severe challenges on their economic and social development. Seychelles, located 1,800 km east of the East African coast, is geographically isolated, its population of under a 100,000 inhabitants has limited production and is continuously experiencing trade imbalances. Low production capacities and weak manufacturing industries have turned Seychelles into a net importer and this has exerted additional pressures on the already limited foreign exchanges reserve. Being a small open economy, Seychelles is a price taker in the global market and is subjected to most, if not all, of the disruptions that occasionally occur. It was therefore imperative for Seychelles to strategize on how to get out of that economically unhealthy situation. In the mid of the 1990s, the government set out to explore favorable trade agreements being undertaken by Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the region. It was found that regional integration could address key problems. The expectations included cheaper imports from the region and securing the necessary raw materials to boost local production with the aim of further increasing exports back to the region. As a result, Seychelles made regional integration an important foreign policy objective and joined the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), an organization which has as its main objective the enhancement of economic prosperity through regional integration. By that time Seychelles was already a member of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). A regional organization composed exclusively of islands and a key advocate for the specificities and vulnerabilities of SIDS. The objectives and programmes of the IOC were however not addressing the immediate needs of Seychelles since there was an absence of trade agreements among its member states and for Seychelles the focus is on Free Trade Area (FTA). Being a fully-fledged member of a REC such as COMESA entails being party to a number of binding agreements, which provide the legal framework for cooperation in various areas. When signed and ratified these agreements are mechanisms for locking countries into one size fits all approaches to development. As a result of being geographically detached from mainland Africa and lacking in adequate infrastructure development proper trade in goods suffered. One of the main challenges for Seychelles remains the fact that COMESA programmes are geared towards the achievement of a customs union . Theoretically, the two most important characteristics of a customs union are: the total or partial elimination of barriers between the members and the application of a Common External Tariff (CET). To date, 87% of Seychelles tariff lines are currently at zero and below COMESA s CET. Being a member of a customs union entails an increase in the price of goods and services and has a negative impact on the economy whilst also being an unpopular political move nationally. Hence the status quo is problematic and a re-thinking is required. As it stands, there is no national strategy for regional integration in Seychelles and the following questions need to be considered: ? Are the commitments that Seychelles is making in COMESA aligned to its national policies? ? With the absence of a regional integration strategy and a National Development Plan (NDP), how does such a small country, prone to international shocks, ensure that its foreign policy address its needs? Is COMESA still the right REC for Seychelles? With these three key questions we need to re-examine the significance of regional integration for Seychelles. It is imperative to ensure that regional integration is properly managed in order for it to contribute to the national goals. This calls for the right policies to facilitate the domestication of regional integration into national planning. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted