[pt] A tese analisa o processo dialético entre a institucionalização da Autoridade Palestina (autogoverno palestino) e a implementação dos acordos de paz com Israel. Observou-se por um lado, que a estrutura formada para uma solução política do conflito israelense-palestino restringiu a institucionalização da Autoridade Palestina iniciada em 1994. Por outro lado, verificou-se que o processo de formação e consolidação dessa instituição teve impactos na arena doméstica palestina (oposição interna ao autogoverno e governabilidade); e afetou sua capacidade de implementar os termos dos acordos, influenciando, por conseguinte, a evolução do processo de paz israelense- palestino entre 1994 e 2004. Com esse estudo, buscou-se cobrir lacunas da literatura sobre a resolução de conflitos internacionais no que se refere à fase de implementação de acordos e ao grau de institucionalização de um ator envolvido em um processo de paz. / [en] This thesis analyses the dialectic process between the institutionalization of the Palestinian Authority (Palestinian self-government) and the implementation of the peace agreements with Israel. It was observed, on one hand, that the structure created for a political solution for the Israeli- Palestinian conflict constrained the institutionalization of the Palestinian self-government which started in 1994. On the other hand, it was verified that the process of formation and consolidation of this institution had impacts on the Palestinian domestic field (internal opposition and governability); and affected its capability for implementing the terms of the agreements, influencing, in turn, the evolution of the peace process between 1994 and 2004. This study aimed to cover breaches in the literature of international conflict resolution on the implementation phase of the agreements and on the degree of institutionalization of an actor involved in a peace process.

The study intended to investigate conflict management capacity in local government authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. Specific objectives embrace to: identify types of conflict; find out causes of conflict within Tanzania LGAs; find out positive and negative effects of conflict; explore mechanisms available for conflict resolution; identify the problems encountered in resolving conflict; and recommend policy options and strategies for managing conflict in LGAs. Research questions included: what types of conflict persist in the city and municipal councils in Tanzania?; to what extent does conflict lead to the strengthening or weakening of the relationship between the councilors and the permanent public officials?; and what are the available mechanisms for conflict resolution? The study was conducted in Iringa Municipal Council and Tanga City Council using a case study design. This involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total number of 1012 respondents constituted a study sample. The research instruments included: observation, interviews, questionnaires, consultations with informants and informal discussions, focus group discussions and documentary reviews. The study found that conflict existed in the councils because of factors like inadequacy of funds, lack of transparency, lack of accountability and low level of education among the councillors. The available mechanisms for conflict resolution included: mediation, disciplinary committees, meetings, informal discussions, seminars and guidance and counselling. However, these mechanisms were not effectively used in managing conflict. Lastly, the respondents suggested measures for improving conflict resolution skills. They include: frequent meetings, provision of education and training, increased transparency, definition of roles through job descriptions, increased participatory decision-making, and increased sources of funds. / Public Administration / D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

The study intended to investigate conflict management capacity in local government authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. Specific objectives embrace to: identify types of conflict; find out causes of conflict within Tanzania LGAs; find out positive and negative effects of conflict; explore mechanisms available for conflict resolution; identify the problems encountered in resolving conflict; and recommend policy options and strategies for managing conflict in LGAs. Research questions included: what types of conflict persist in the city and municipal councils in Tanzania?; to what extent does conflict lead to the strengthening or weakening of the relationship between the councilors and the permanent public officials?; and what are the available mechanisms for conflict resolution? The study was conducted in Iringa Municipal Council and Tanga City Council using a case study design. This involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total number of 1012 respondents constituted a study sample. The research instruments included: observation, interviews, questionnaires, consultations with informants and informal discussions, focus group discussions and documentary reviews. The study found that conflict existed in the councils because of factors like inadequacy of funds, lack of transparency, lack of accountability and low level of education among the councillors. The available mechanisms for conflict resolution included: mediation, disciplinary committees, meetings, informal discussions, seminars and guidance and counselling. However, these mechanisms were not effectively used in managing conflict. Lastly, the respondents suggested measures for improving conflict resolution skills. They include: frequent meetings, provision of education and training, increased transparency, definition of roles through job descriptions, increased participatory decision-making, and increased sources of funds. / Public Administration and Management / D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

Victorian society had strict written and unwritten laws about what was permissible in terms of personal relationships. Anglican patriarchal church values governed behaviour between the classes and enforced codes of conduct on gender related boundaries of private individuals. Society subscribed to the traditional family of man, woman and children in the context of marriage. Homosexuality amongst men was punishable by prison. Government and religion preached Christian morality, yet the number of prostitutes had never been greater. This dissertation explores the problems of a pro-homosexual and anti-establishment Victorian author writing about human relationships forbidden by society. It exposes the consequences suffered by Oscar Wilde due to his investigative insights into the `Other' in the context of individual rights of preference in regard to sexual orientation, as expressed in selected texts, and his resolution of conflict, in De Profundis. / English Studies / MA (English)

Pentecostal churches are growing significantly across the world, but occasionally theological tensions arise within Pentecostal churches, sometimes related to intergenerational differences, which hinder both quantitative and qualitative growth. This study analyses the dynamics of a particular generation gap in one South African Pentecostal congregation. It explores the initiatives of a cell group from the younger generation, aimed at enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of the congregation's witness. The cell group initiatives highlighted issues of leadership, biblical hermeneutics, and the need for a theological re-assessment of local traditions that had always acted as identity markers for the older generation. This study contends that the conflict between a more collectivist older generation and a more individualist younger generation can be bridged through well prepared conflict resolution processes led by credible intervention teams and through some form of accommodation of the views and desires of both generations. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

This study sought to investigate and redefine the initial training of pastors, including the management training of student pastors at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG) of South Africa. Unlike in the past when pastors could lead churches without proper formal training based on their spirituality as viewed by the IAG and them professing to be called as ministers, today in this church tradition the need for the formal educational formation of pastors is taken for granted. This stance raises questions about the quality of graduates as well as matters of curriculum development, as the world is continually in a state of flux with far- reaching consequences for training institutions. It is generally accepted that churches play an important role in the lives of citizens in a predominantly Christian country like South Africa. On the other hand there is a continuing contestation and debate regarding the role pastors play in their churches in management and administrative issues. This also relates to the preparedness or unpreparedness of graduate pastors for their job. The day to day performance of duties by serving pastors in their organisations is generally viewed as below expectation compared to their counterparts in other occupations. A qualitative research approach was followed to elicit the necessary information to answer the research questions. Participants who were regarded as information rich cases on the training of pastors of the IAG were selected to shed more light on this particular aspect. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. The interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees, serving pastors, directors of the training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study and a newly graduated student. The current curriculum of initial training programmes was reviewed. Within a transformational management framework and utilising a purposeful intervention strategy, the study posits the Community Needs Responsive Management Training Model (CNRMTM) to enhance the initial training programmes of pastors and to use aspects of this model in the development and presentation of life-long learning programmes arranged for serving pastors. Recommendations and suggestions for future research were made. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

In this dissertation a formalisation of nonmonotonic reasoning, namely Default logic, is discussed. A proof theory for default logic and a variant of Default logic - Prioritised Default logic - is presented. We also pursue an investigation into the relationship between default reasoning and making inferences in a neural network. The inference problem shifts from the logical problem in Default logic to the optimisation problem in neural networks, in which maximum consistency is aimed at The inference is realised as an adaptation process that identifies and resolves conflicts between existing knowledge about the relevant world and external information. Knowledge and data are transformed into constraint equations and the nodes in the network represent propositions and constraint equations. The violation of constraints is formulated in terms of an energy function. The Hopfield network is shown to be suitable for modelling optimisation problems and default reasoning. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computer Science)

Situated at the heart of Africa, the DRC has been transformed into a battlefield where several African states and national armed movements are simultaneously fighting various wars. In order to achieve peace, security, and stability in the DRC, SADC intervened with the international collaboration of the UN and AU. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate SADC’s role in the DRC conflict resolution process from 1998 to 2003. A qualitative research method has been chosen and two theories, namely New Institutionalism theories and Rupesinghe’s model of conflict transformation were adopted. The research concludes that SADC military and diplomatic efforts to end the war have been positive. It is true that violence continues and peace remained fragile, but the conflict had ended. The weakness of the DRC government has allowed continued violence. As an organisation of states, SADC has not been able to do anything about this fragility. / Political Sciences / M.A. (International Politics)

The study focused on the role of the School Governing Body (SGB) in the management of conflict in schools. The investigation was done in one of the secondary schools in Gauteng Province. Causes of conflict and the challenges facing the SGB, teachers, learners and parents have been discussed. Types and nature of conflict have been listed and discussed including the resolutions and management of conflict. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered definitions of conflict, conflict management strategies, conflict resolution, governance and qualities required for a successful SGB in governing conflict in a secondary school. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by means of interviews with the SGB. Finally a synopsis of findings and recommendations was made to assist the policy makers, departmental officials, SGBs, principals, teachers and parents in proper management of conflict in secondary schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This thesis examines the processes of the peace negotiations in Cambodia (1987-1993) and El Salvador (1989-1993) in order to address the following question: What does the interplay between the national factions and the external interveners in peace negotiations tell us about their chances of achieving their goals? By using the concept of ‘interplay,’ this study reinterprets the negotiation processes as the negotiating actors’ exchanges of strategic moves. In particular, it explores how the negotiating actors’ attitudes towards the core negotiation issues changed in the two cases and how the changes affected their counterparts’ negotiating strategies. There are two aspects to the findings of this thesis, one descriptive and the other explanatory. First, this study has investigated the characteristics of the negotiating actors’ strategies and the pattern of the interplay between them. As for the interveners’ strategies, this thesis finds that impartial third parties generally employ diplomatic intervention methods, while advocate states enjoy a wider range of options. In addition, national factions’ behaviour is generally affected by three factors: their fundamental goals, the domestic resources under their control, and the incentives or pressure from external interveners. It is also observed that the stronger the intervention becomes, the more that national factions’ provisional strategies are inclined to be receptive towards the intervention. Nevertheless, the national factions rarely fully accepted proposals that they deemed harmful to the achievement of their fundamental goals. Second, based on the descriptive findings, this thesis highlights the importance of mutual understanding between national factions and external interveners. The case studies of Cambodia and El Salvador show that the effectiveness of a particular intervention depends not so much on the type of method employed but on the context in which it is applied. An intervention is more likely to be effective when it is used in a way that national factions can understand and is supported by the consistently strong attention of external interveners. In addition, it is observed that actors’ ethnocentric perceptions on core concepts of conflict and negotiation as well as their lack of an effective communication capability are some of the common causes of the misunderstandings that arise during negotiation processes.