Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on the problem of knowledge retention and transfer in the face of the imminent retirement of experts, who are hard to replace for demographic or skill shortage reasons. Distinctions between technical, social and structural knowledge are made, and the theory on what makes knowledge “sticky” for transfer between generations of workers is reviewed. Thereafter, a case study of the knowledge retention situation at a public water utility is presented. In this regard, a large number of technical experts are due to retire within the next five years. Knowledge audit interviews were conducted with fifteen experts that have been with the organisation for most of their career and are due to retire soon. They were asked about what they considered to be their ‘hard to replace’ knowledge and professional networks, to what extent this could be captured or transferred, and what they considered to be the difficulties in terms of retaining this knowledge and these networks after their retirement. It was found that the motivation of experts to contribute to knowledge transfer and retention was low. This had to do with the perception that more junior members of the organisation are in any case likely to leave and with an organisational culture that was not supportive of knowledge transfer and retention activities. Moreover, a lack of knowledge leadership and formal knowledge management systems hindered knowledge transfer and retention practices. This study concludes that as far as the case in question is concerned, there is a need for a formal knowledge management system and strategy, and that top management commitment is critical for the success of knowledge transfer and retention. With regard to the theory of the stickiness of knowledge, the case study highlighted the importance of organisational culture and trust when it comes to the motivation of retiring experts to transfer their knowledge. It also emphasised that a silo-type organisational structure limits absorptive capacity, and that the social knowledge of professional networks, rather than technical knowledge, are the most difficult to retain. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis fokus op die problem van kennisbehoud en –oordrag teen die agtergrond van diensverlatende spesialiste wat moeilik vervangbaar is vanweë redes van demografie of vaardigheidtekort. Onderskeidinge word getref tussen tegniese, sosiale en strukturele kennis en ʼn oorsig word gegee van die teorie oor “klewende kennis” in die oordrag van kennis tussen generasies van werkers. Daarna word ʼ n gevallestudie van die kennisbehoudsituasie in ʼ n publieke waterverskaffer ondersoek. In hierdie geval sal ʼn groot getal tegniese spesialiste binne die volgende vyf jaar die organisasie se diens verlaat. ʼ n Kennis-oudit is met behulp van onderhoude met vyftien sulke spesialiste, wat die grootste deel van hulle loopbane by die onderneming werksaam was, onderneem. Hulle is uitgevra oor wat hulle sien as die kennis wat met hulle diensverlating vir die organisasie verlore sou gaan en omtrent die professionele netwerke wat hulle onderhou. Hulle is gevra tot watter mate hierdie twee kategorieë van kennis oordraagbaar is om so vir die organisasie behou te kan word en wat hulle reken die probleme is wat in die pad van kennisbehoud na hulle aftrede staan. Daar is bevind dat die spesialiste se motivering om by te dra tot kennisbehoud en –oordrag laag was. Dit het te make met die siening dat die jonger lede van die organisasie in elk geval die organisasie sou verlaat en met ʼn organisasie-kultuur wat nie kennisbehoud en –oordrag ondersteun nie. Verder is dit toe te skryf aan ʼn gebrek aan kennisleierskap en formele kennisbestuursisteme. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat sover dit die gevallestudie aangaan, ʼn formele kennisbestuurstelsel en –strategie krities is vir die sukses van kennisbehoud en –oordrag. Met betrekking tot die teorie oor klewende kennis het die gevallestudie die belang van organisasie kultuur en vertroue wanneer dit kom by die motivering van spesialiste om hulle kennis te deel belig. Dit het ook beklemtoon dat ʼn silo-gebaseerde organisasie kultuur die kennis absorpsie vermoë verlaag en dat die sosiale kennis van professionele netwerke moeiliker is as tegniese kennis om te behou.

Submitted by Bruna Rodrigues (bruna92rodrigues@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-10-10T13:51:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissWM.pdf: 576272 bytes, checksum: 2aed9c1a9025d2818155f1b5a16ffc54 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T13:33:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissWM.pdf: 576272 bytes, checksum: 2aed9c1a9025d2818155f1b5a16ffc54 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T13:34:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissWM.pdf: 576272 bytes, checksum: 2aed9c1a9025d2818155f1b5a16ffc54 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-21T13:34:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissWM.pdf: 576272 bytes, checksum: 2aed9c1a9025d2818155f1b5a16ffc54 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-17 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / We present a study of rank-one perturbations of self-adjoint and unitary operators, in particular related to the so-called Kotani’s trick. In Chapter 2 we recall relevant definitions and elementary facts. In Chapter 3 we present recent results by Marx, which involve self-adjoint operators and Hausdorff measures. A generalization of such results to the set of unitary operators is described in Chapter 4. / Apresentaremos um estudo realizados sobre pertubações de posto 1 de operadores auto-adjuntos e unitários, particularmente relacionados ao chamado truque de Kotani. O Capítulo 2 consiste na exposição de definições elementares e fatos básicos que serão utilizados nos outros capítulos. O Capítulo 3 consiste na exposição de um estudo feito de um artigo recente de Marx sobre o tema, envolvendo operadores autoadjuntos e medidas de Hausdorff. Uma generalização dos resultados obtidos no artigo já mencionado para o contexto de operadores unitários é discutida no Capítulo 4.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-01-03T19:59:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CarlosAugustoPitombeiraViana_DISSERT.pdf: 6091129 bytes, checksum: 6b322f3b76880a60304c936d6e6bd65b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-01-09T11:06:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CarlosAugustoPitombeiraViana_DISSERT.pdf: 6091129 bytes, checksum: 6b322f3b76880a60304c936d6e6bd65b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-09T11:06:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CarlosAugustoPitombeiraViana_DISSERT.pdf: 6091129 bytes, checksum: 6b322f3b76880a60304c936d6e6bd65b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-30 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho, analisamos os mecanismos que regem os processos que governam o aquecimento do disco gal?ctico atrav?s da din?mica das velocidades espaciais U, V e W extra?das do Cat?logo Genebra-Copenhagen. N?s partimos da premissa, at? ent?o aceita a priori, de que os processos que atuam no disco gal?ctico s?o de natureza aleat?ria e respons?veis por um aquecimento puro revelado pela componente W. Em seguida, n?s utilizamos um modelo baseado na Mec?nica Estat?stica N?o-Extensiva onde derivamos as fun??es de distribui??o de probabilidade que quantificam o afastamento da Gaussianidade dado o perfil da cauda da distribui??o mensurado pelo ?ndice entr?pico q. Nossos resultados revelam que a aleatoriedade ocorre apenas em regi?es limitadas de idade independente da velocidade espacial e faixa espectral, contrariando assim a premissa acima destacada. Al?m disso, utilizando as distribui??es do tipo n?o-Gaussianas para descrever o comportamento das velocidades U, V e W, n?s encontramos que o aumento da dispers?o da velocidade, sigma, com a idade das estrelas segue uma lei do tipo lei de pot?ncia, indicando que existe um desencadeamento do tipo avalanche ocorrendo em diferentes escalas. Finalmente, nossos resultados colocam um novo olhar nessa quest?o e abre um caminho para o estudo das componentes cinem?ticas Gal?cticas pela ?tica de modelos estat?sticos mais robustos que levam em conta os efeitos de n?o-gaussianidade e n?o-linearidade.

This study analyses whether the advent of strike action has an effect on the value and volatility of the South African Rand compared with the US Dollar. The literature suggests that strike action can have a significant effect on the exchange rate in terms of either value or volatility, and consequences can result that cause inefficiencies in the economy; inhibiting employment and economic growth. Strike action has become common place in South Africa, with 2012 alone recording 99 strikes, 45 of which were “wildcat” or unprotected strikes. This study uses GARCH and Intervention Analyses to determine what the resulting effects of the strikes might be on the exchange rate. The analysis used ZAR/USD exchange rate data for the period January 2000 to October 2013, and covered 72 of the most significant strikes in terms of lost man-days. The results are mixed, suggesting that the effects of strikes do not always conform to expectations (increased volatility and a depreciation in the Rand), and that outside factors affecting the global economy may have a more significant effect on the exchange rate than strikes on their own.

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Problem der zufälligen Wärmeausbreitung in beschränkten Gebieten. Dieses Phänomen wird dabei durch eine lineare parabolische Randanfangswertaufabe beschrieben, wobei die Anfangsbedingung und die Neumannrandbedingung als zufällige Felder mit gegebener Wahrscheinlichkeitsverteilung angenommen werden. Des Weiteren werden die zufälligen Felder als homogen und epsilon-korreliert mit einer kleinen Korrelationslänge epsilon > 0 vorausgesetzt und sollen glatte Realisierungen besitzen. Zur Lösung der Randanfangswertaufgabe werden sowohl die klassische Formulierung als auch die Variationsformulierung herangezogen und in diesem Zusammenhang die Fourier Methode sowie die Finite-Elemente Methode betrachtet. Die Finite-Elemente Methode und die Fourier-Methode führen auf einen expliziten funktionalen Zusammenhang zwischen der zufälligen Lösung der betrachteten Randanfangswertaufgabe und den Einflussgrößen, so dass Momentenfunktionen davon abgeleitet werden können. Das Hauptinteresse dieser Arbeit liegt auf der Berechnung dieser Momentenfunktionen, welche durch die gewählten Eigenschaften der stochastischen Einflußgrößen bestimmt werden. Basierend auf dem Finite-Elemente Ansatz bzw. dem Fourier Ansatz werden verschiedene Approximationsmöglichkeiten insbesondere für die Korrelationsfunktion erörtert. Des Weiteren wird die Möglichkeit der Simulation des zufälligen Randanfangswertproblems betrachtet. Hierzu wird zur Simulation der zufälligen Einflussgrößen auf die Theorie von Moving Average Feldern zurückgegriffen. Der letzte Teil der Arbeit widmet sich dem Vergleich der erhaltenen analytischen Resultate anhand konkreter numerischer Beispiele.

Objective  Paper I: Most screening and opportunistically detected abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are small and kept under surveillance for several years before preventive surgery. Living with the diagnosis of an AAA may have an influence on the patient’s life. The aim was to review systematically review the current knowledge of the effect on health related quality of life (HRQoL) and patients’ experiences of living with an AAA while under surveillance. Paper II: To investigate HRQoL and comorbidity in men with screening detected AAA, Sub-Aneurysmal aorta (SAA) and Controls at baseline screening and after long-term follow-up. Methods  Paper I: A systematic literature review of quantitative and qualitative studies, which were quality assessed according to the GRADE system, was carried out. PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE were searched. Narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were performed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Paper II: Between 2006 and 2015, 16 689 sixty-five-year old men participated in the aortic screening program in the county of Uppsala in Sweden. All 539 men diagnosed with an SAA or AAA were invited to participate in the study UpAAA and 324 accepted. Baseline questionnaires was distributed after screening, and at 5-year follow-up. For each year a control group of approx. 50 men, participating in the screening program with normal aorta, were included.  Results Paper I: Synthesis and meta-analyses of studies based on the Short Form-36 demonstrated that patients with an AAA consistently rated their general health lower than controls and conveyed no significant negative impact for patients with an AAA when assessed at follow up and compared with pre-screening. Analysis of HRQoL estimates of mental health, anxiety, and depression demonstrated no significant differences for patients with AAA compared with controls, or within the AAA group. Qualitative studies revealed that patients with an AAA felt safe being under surveillance and receiving a diagnosis of AAA set thoughts and feelings in motion regarding health, ageing, and mortality. Patients’ lack of knowledge about the disease, its progression, and future planning can cause insecurity and worries. Paper II: AAA and SAA group both has impairment in the physical dimensions of HRQOL and a higher prevalence of co-morbidity at baseline, compared to controls. At 5-year follow-up, the similarities between AAA and SAA group remained with no difference in HRQOL but a higher prevalence of CVD, hypertension and diabetes in men with AAA. Compared with controls both AAA and SAA had significantly higher impairment in HRQoL, and prevalence of co-morbidity and the AAA group was most affected.

Hoër Onderwys in Suid-Afrika is in 'n proses van transformasie. Hierdie transformasie is onder meer as gevolg van internasionale wereldtendense en die historiese agterstande van onderwys in Suid-Afrika. Dit is derhalwe noodsaaklik dat instellings, soos die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon, strategiese beplanning in sy bestuursaktiwiteite behoort te inkorporeer. Hierdie studie het strategiese bestuur as sentrale tema met komponente in die Filosofiese Antropologie en in Sakebestuur. In hierdie studie is ondersoek gedoen na strategiese bestuur as dialektiese strategiese bestuur met kenmerke van bi-polere, dualistiese en kontensieuse aard. Dit is vanuit hierdie vertrekpunt dat dialektiese strategiese bestuur in die kategoriee van menswees, soos onder meer synsopenheid, dialoog, toekomstigheid, paties-dinamiese gerelasioneerdheid, verbeelding, selfbewussyn, waardes en vryheid en besluitneming, gefundeer kan word. Dit kan gekonstateer word dat dialektiese strategiese bestuur 'n menslike aktiwiteit is wat in die Filosofiese Antropologie en in die Aksiologie gefundeer is. 'n Ondersoek is ook geloods na faktore wat die toekomstige strategiese posisie van die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon kan beinvloed en/of bepaal Internasionale en nasionale onderwysfaktore is ondersoek en 'n nie-empiriese opname is onder personeel, studente en werkgewers uitgevoer om inligting te verkry wat in strategiese bestuur gebruik kan word. Die gevolgtrekkings van hierdie studie is in die vorm van strategiese tendense en 'n moontlike bestuursplan uiteengesit wat as 'n vertrekpunt in 'n strategiese plan vir die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon gebruik kan word. / Higher Education in South Africa is in a process of transfonnation. This transfonnation is, amongst others, due to the international global tendencies and the historic backlog of education in South Africa It is therefore imperative that institutions, such as the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon, should incorporate strategic planning in its managerial activities. This study has strategic management as a central theme with components in the Philosophical Anthropology and in Business Management. In this study strategic management has been investigated as dialectic strategic management with characteristics of a bi-polar, dualistic and contention nature. It is from this departure that dialectic strategic management can be funded in the categories of being human, namely openness to being, dialogue, futurity, pathic-dynamic relatedness, imagination, self consciousness, values and freedom and decision making. It can thus be stated that dialectic strategic management is a human activity funded in the Philosophical Anthropology and in the Axiology. An investigation has also been done pertaining factors which can influence and/or determine the future strategic position of the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon. International and national educational factors have been investigated and a non-empirical survey was made among stafl: students and employers as to obtain infonnation that can be used in strategic management. The conclusion of the study is presented in the form of strategic intents and a probable management plan that can be used as a point of departure in a strategic management plan for the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Filosofie van die Opvoeding)

Hoër Onderwys in Suid-Afrika is in 'n proses van transformasie. Hierdie transformasie is onder meer as gevolg van internasionale wereldtendense en die historiese agterstande van onderwys in Suid-Afrika. Dit is derhalwe noodsaaklik dat instellings, soos die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon, strategiese beplanning in sy bestuursaktiwiteite behoort te inkorporeer. Hierdie studie het strategiese bestuur as sentrale tema met komponente in die Filosofiese Antropologie en in Sakebestuur. In hierdie studie is ondersoek gedoen na strategiese bestuur as dialektiese strategiese bestuur met kenmerke van bi-polere, dualistiese en kontensieuse aard. Dit is vanuit hierdie vertrekpunt dat dialektiese strategiese bestuur in die kategoriee van menswees, soos onder meer synsopenheid, dialoog, toekomstigheid, paties-dinamiese gerelasioneerdheid, verbeelding, selfbewussyn, waardes en vryheid en besluitneming, gefundeer kan word. Dit kan gekonstateer word dat dialektiese strategiese bestuur 'n menslike aktiwiteit is wat in die Filosofiese Antropologie en in die Aksiologie gefundeer is. 'n Ondersoek is ook geloods na faktore wat die toekomstige strategiese posisie van die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon kan beinvloed en/of bepaal Internasionale en nasionale onderwysfaktore is ondersoek en 'n nie-empiriese opname is onder personeel, studente en werkgewers uitgevoer om inligting te verkry wat in strategiese bestuur gebruik kan word. Die gevolgtrekkings van hierdie studie is in die vorm van strategiese tendense en 'n moontlike bestuursplan uiteengesit wat as 'n vertrekpunt in 'n strategiese plan vir die Oos-Rand Kampus van die Vaaldriehoekse Technikon gebruik kan word. / Higher Education in South Africa is in a process of transfonnation. This transfonnation is, amongst others, due to the international global tendencies and the historic backlog of education in South Africa It is therefore imperative that institutions, such as the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon, should incorporate strategic planning in its managerial activities. This study has strategic management as a central theme with components in the Philosophical Anthropology and in Business Management. In this study strategic management has been investigated as dialectic strategic management with characteristics of a bi-polar, dualistic and contention nature. It is from this departure that dialectic strategic management can be funded in the categories of being human, namely openness to being, dialogue, futurity, pathic-dynamic relatedness, imagination, self consciousness, values and freedom and decision making. It can thus be stated that dialectic strategic management is a human activity funded in the Philosophical Anthropology and in the Axiology. An investigation has also been done pertaining factors which can influence and/or determine the future strategic position of the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon. International and national educational factors have been investigated and a non-empirical survey was made among stafl: students and employers as to obtain infonnation that can be used in strategic management. The conclusion of the study is presented in the form of strategic intents and a probable management plan that can be used as a point of departure in a strategic management plan for the East Rand Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Filosofie van die Opvoeding)

M.Sc. (Zoology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) was implemented on 1 September 1995 in the context of the country's political and economic liberalisation and the major structural shift in government policy and the trade regime. In an intensely competitive global environment, the strategies of a few dominant motor vehicle manufacturers, mainly operating from the Triad regions of North America, Europe and Japan, impact significantly on the developments of the global automotive industry. Over the past decade the small, highly protected and inwardly focused South African automotive industry has become fully integrated in the global strategies of foreign parent companies. As South Africa's leading manufacturing sector, the automotive sector is contributing significantly to the country's economy in terms of exports, investment, employment and the gross domestic product. The objective of the study was to establish and measure the relevance and value of the MIDP as a promotional tool in the global automotive environment by capturing the responses and perceptions of direct automotive industry exporters and stakeholders for * the South African automotive industry in general, and * the companies forming part of the empirical survey. To satisfy the objectives of the study, the research methodology incorporated an extensive primary and secondary research phase (qualitative and quantitative). A structured empirical survey was used to collect the primary data. The survey data were captured and processed by the Bureau for Market Research (BMR), Unisa. The main findings of the study are that: * The promotional relevance and value of the MIDP as a promotional tool is embedded in the programme's ability to trigger interest in the South African automotive industry, to generate business and to attract investments. * The MIDP is successful in contributing to the automotive sector's international competitiveness and is therefore a very important promotional tool for convincing foreign parent companies to consider South Africa as an investment destination. * The South African automotive industry would not be able to cope with global competition without the MIDP. * Different factors impact on the business operations of the South African automotive industry in general and the specific company in particular and the factors are viewed differently by the selected groups based on their demographic details. The process of trade liberalisation is forcing many South African companies to encounter both intensified competition and new forms of competition. The South African government's target of a 6 percent economic growth rate by 2010 will largely depend on the ongoing successes achieved in priority sectors such as the domestic automotive sector. / Business Management / M. Comm. (Business Management)