Shockwaves from the 2007–2010 financial crises caused a huge economic downturn and impacted countries and market centres globally. This blemished the reputation of the banks with many blaming the global financial crisis on reckless banking and lending practices. As a result, there was an increased focus on regulatory reform. The Sub-Saharan Africa regional integration is aimed at strengthening the effectiveness and credibility of economic policies, economic performance and trade improvement. Africa embarked on global integration of economic and financial systems to reduce poverty and sustain economic growth. This research examines the adaptability and responsiveness of South African banking regulations in Sub-Saharan Africa in relation to regional economic integration. An improved understanding of this relationship provides key principles and a greater understanding for regulatory bodies and banks to enhance their management of regulatory change in emerging markets. Unstructured interviews were held in this research with banks and financial and regulatory authority members in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The research results were inconclusive in terms of the adaptability and responsiveness of South African banking to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. Bank challenges were identified in terms of regulatory development, implementation and regional integration. The lack of empirical data indicated the need for quantitative research and understanding integrational factors that could be used to measure the rate of integration and adaptability. New categories were identified which need further research to gain a comprehensive understanding on the adaptability and responsiveness of South African banking to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of some non-genetic factors on birth weight of Kalahari Red goats. Data on pedigree, breeding and performance records (N=1902) of Kalahari Red goat kids born in the Northern, Southern and Eastern regions of South Africa during the period from 2008 to 2017 were used. Least squares analysis revealed that season of birth, sire age, dam age, sex of kid, breeder, year of birth and Litter size were significant (p<0.05) sources of variation for birth weight in Kalahari Red goats kids. The average birth weights (BW) were 2.45 ± 0.57 kg, 3.33 ± 0.15 kg and 3.14 ± 0.08 kg kg for Eastern, Northern and Southern regions, respectively. Kids born in the Northern region were heavier (3.33 ± 0.158 kg) than those born in the Eastern regions (2.45 ± 0.57 kg). However, region had no significant effect (p>0.05) on birth weight. Breeder effect was significant (p<0.05). Kidding interval was not significant (P>0.05). The average birth weight of male kids was higher than female kids (3.05 ± 0.21 kg: 2.89 ± 0.20 kg), and the difference was significant (P<0.05). The research found a significant effect (p<0.05) of Litter size with the average birth weight of single, twins, triples and quadruplets kids being 3.10 ± 0.19 kg, 2.9 ± 0.20 kg, 2.99 ± 0.20 kg and 2.87 ± 0.36 kg respectively. The kids that were born as single were heavier than those that were born as multiple (twins, triplets and quadruplets). There were four seasons of birth analysed in the study, which were found to be highly significant (P<0.05) on birth weight. Year of birth had significant effect (p<0.05) on birth weight. The kids born in the year 2015 were heavier in BW (3.39 ± 0.23 kg) than those born in the other years, while the kids born in 2016 had the lowest BW (1.91 ± 0.21 kg). Age of dam and sire had a significant effect (p<0.05) on birth weight. It was then concluded that season of birth, sire age, sex of kid, dam age, breeder, year of birth and Litter size significantly influence birth weight of Kalahari Red goat’s kids and, therefore, need to be included in genetic evaluation models. Keywords: Adaptability, Growth potential, Parental effects, Reproduction potential.

Evidence indicates that flexible self-regulation is a key mechanism of adaptation to major life stressors. To date, various domains of flexible regulation and their role in adaptation to a major life stressor, including coping strategies, affective regulation, and cognitive abilities have been conceptualized and studied in isolation. Further, there is limited understanding of the longitudinal impact of dimensions of flexible coping in the context of bereavement. This dissertation filled several gaps in the literature with three empirical studies. Study 1 clarified the longitudinal impact of divergent sets of coping strategies that underlie flexible coping following the loss of a loved one. Study 2 determined how separate, validated domains of flexibility would empirically cluster together, and tested the cross-sectional impact of the empirically derived latent composites on adaptation following a significant potentially traumatic event (PTE). Study 3 augmented findings from Study 2 by using the empirically derived composites to predict longitudinal adaptation following a PTE, exploring the moderating role of demographic variables, and comparing the predictive utility of the latent composites versus their original features. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

In this study, ecosystems were examined to reveal the adaptational processes of individual, family environments, and work environments during and following organizational restructuring. Reorganizing the workplace was expected to lead to changes in the employee's organizational ecosystem as well as the family ecosystem. Transactions between the family and work ecosystems and the individual were examined. The sample of 10 women and 5 men were from a restructured state agency. Transactional human ecology provided the theoretical framework for the study. In-depth interviews were used to gather the data. Document analysis and personal viewpoint provided additional data. Experiences that facilitated the adaptation process were individuals' choosing change, work support groups, families who listened, personal attitudes, and manager's style. Bringing a language of community and concepts of support from the family environment into the work ecosystem also aided adaptation. Experiences that hindered adaptation were the competitive hiring process, conflicts between team work and function work, misinformation, and "little bureaucratic things." In addition, apparent contradictions between the rhetoric of the restructuring vision and reality from the participants' perspective hampered adaptation. Analysis of the collected data provided the beginning of a grounded theory of adaptation to organizational restructuring. Under restructuring implemented in a manner like that at the agency, employees remaining after the downsizing required time to adapt. They also needed time to grieve for their colleagues who were laid off. Participants' feelings of uncertainty and tension increased if they did not have time to adapt to the new structure and to grieve for laid off colleagues. / Ph. D.

Intermittent business travel has become an essential part of professional life for many. This exploratory study focused on two types of business-related travel. Short-term travel included frequent trips which lasted a week or less. Long-term travel included trips which lasted a minimum of three weeks at a time. Twenty couples, in which the husband was the business traveler, completed questionnaires and were interviewed individually. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-FACES III (Olson, Portner, & Lavee, 1985) was used to measure couple functioning. No significant differences on either adaptability or cohesion were found between the two groups of business travel couples. The couples in this study reported a significantly higher level of adaptability when the mean score on the adaptability scale of each of these two groups was compared with the mean score of the sample upon which FACES III was normed (p <.0001). Significant group differences were reported on the ways the couples dealt with the eminent departure of the husband, the couples’ adjustment when the husbands returned, the stress resulting from travel reported by the husbands, and the amount of contact the couples had while the husbands were away. Methods of coping used by husbands and wives and support systems used by the wives were also explored. Implications of the findings and suggestions for further research are included. / Master of Science

Salesperson performance has been heavily researched in the marketing literature. Previous research has identified various personality traits, salesperson behaviors, and situational characteristics that affect salesperson performance. Results indicate that no single approach to the study of salesperson performance is sufficient by itself. This study investigated the interactions among personality, situational, and behavioral characteristics of salespeople, and their effect on salesperson performance. Since the adaptive behavior construct has been cited as a key determinant to understanding these interactions, an examination of the adaptive behavior-performance relationship was undertaken. A model of adaptive selling behavior was developed and empirically tested. An analysis of the data suggests that adaptive behavior (e.g., salesperson planning process) affects salesperson performance. ln addition, several of the situational characteristics (i.e., sales position characteristics, customer variables, salesperson-customer relationship, personal resources, and managerial variables), utilized in this study, were found to affect both adaptive behavior (i.e., salesperson planning process and customer interaction) and salesperson performance. The results of this study provide theoretical, methodological, and substantive implications concerning the adaptive behavior to performance relationships. The study concludes with suggested directions for future research. / Ph. D.

by Leung Hiu Tung, Vivien. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-184). / Chapter Chapter One: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1) --- Economic Restructuring in Hong Kong --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2) --- An Agenda Of and For Working Class Families --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3) --- Synopsis of Arguments --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4) --- "Methodology, Sampling and Limitation" --- p.13 / Chapter 1.5) --- Structure of This Thesis --- p.16 / Chapter Chapter Two: --- "Gender, Family and the Economy" --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1) --- Social Dimension of Economic Restructuring --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2) --- "Family, Gender and the Economy" --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3) --- Unpacking the Chinese Family --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4) --- Reconceptualizing Family Strategy --- p.26 / Chapter 2.5) --- Framework and Conceptualization --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter Three: --- The Socio-Political Context of Economic Restructuring in Hong Kong / Chapter 3.1) --- The Hong Kong Way of Economic Restructuring --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2) --- Economic Restructuring: A Private Problem of Workers --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3) --- The Gendered Labour Market Under Economic Restructuring --- p.46 / Chapter Chapter Four: --- Gender Embeddedness of Strategization --- p.50 / Chapter 4.1) --- Major Concerns of Coping Responses --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2) --- Strategic Orientation --- p.55 / Chapter 4.3) --- Familial Resources and Constraints in Devising Coping Responses --- p.59 / Chapter 4.4) --- Subjective Engagement of the Actors --- p.63 / Chapter Chapter Five: --- Familial Embeddedness I-- Strategization of Impoverished Families --- p.68 / Chapter 5.1) --- The Predicaments of Impoverished Families --- p.69 / Chapter 5.2) --- Impoverished Traditional Families: Patriarchal Household Resource Mobilization --- p.73 / Chapter 5.3) --- Impoverished Flexible Families: Negotiating Household Resource --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4) --- Impoverished Solitary Families: Relying on External Resource --- p.93 / Chapter 5.5) --- Strategization in Impoverished Families --- p.96 / Chapter Chapter Six: --- Familial Embeddedness II-- Strategization of Sustainable Families --- p.99 / Chapter 6.1) --- Sustainable Traditional Families: Securing Breadwinner's Employment --- p.101 / Chapter 6.2) --- Sustainable Flexible Families: Negotiating Couple's Employment --- p.113 / Chapter 6.3) --- Strategization in Sustainable Families --- p.123 / Chapter Chapter Seven: --- Familial Embeddedness III-- Strategization of Affluent Families --- p.127 / Chapter 7.1) --- Mobilizing Breadwinner's Employment --- p.128 / Chapter 7.2) --- Trivializing Wife's Employment --- p.131 / Chapter 7.3) --- Strategization in Affluent Families --- p.138 / Chapter Chapter Eight: --- Conclusion --- p.140 / Chapter 8.1) --- The Gender Embeddedness and Familial Embeddedness of Strategization --- p.141 / Chapter 8.2) --- The Social Impacts of Economic Restructuring -- Gender and Intraclass Differences --- p.143 / Chapter 8.3) --- Theoretical Implication: Family Strategy Revisited --- p.147 / Endnotes --- p.155 / Appendix / Chapter 1: --- Tables --- p.162 / Chapter 2: --- Profile of the Informants and of their Families --- p.164 / Chapter 3: --- Question Set for In-depth Interviews --- p.169 / Bibliography --- p.174 / LIST OF TABLES / Table 1.1 Gender Difference in Strategization --- p.5 / Table 1.2 Familial Embeddedness in Strategization --- p.7 / Table 4.1 Gender Difference in Strategization (Same as Table 1.1) --- p.51 / Table 4.2 Categorization of Informants Across Attitudes and Major Concerns in Strategization --- p.51 / Table 5.1 Familial Embeddedness in Strategization (Same as Table 1.2) --- p.68 / Table 5.2 Categorization of Families According to Different Familial Contexts --- p.69 / Appendix 1 / "Table I Persons and Percentage Engaged in Selected Economic Sectors, 1985-94" --- p.162 / Table II Establishments and Persons Engaged in the Manufacturing Sector --- p.162 / Table III Nominal and Real Wage Indices of Payroll per Person Engaged --- p.164

In order to assess flexibility in acquiring and using conflicting response rules, rats with selective lesions of the NBM or sham-lesion controls were subjected to serial reversal training in a simple operant discrimination paradigm. The NBM lesion group did not differ from the control group in acquisition of the original rules; the NBM lesion group required more time to master the changes in rules in the first reversal, but not in subsequent reversals.

This study addresses the factors that assist families towards family adaptation during adversities and contribute to family resilience. The study aimed to identify, describe and explore family resilience factors that enable urban Shona Christian families to withstand life crises in the midst of a society facing economic hardships and manage to bounce back from these challenges. The study also sought to reach out to families facing challenges and who are struggling to adapt and recover from their challenges. The Resiliency model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation was used as a theoretical framework for this study (McCubbin, Thompson & McCubbin, 2001). A quantitative method was employed. A total of 106 participants including parents and adolescents from 53 families independently completed 6 questionnaires including a biographical questionnaire. The questionnaires measured family adaptation and aspects of family functioning in accordance with the Resiliency model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation. The data collected was subjected to correlation regression analysis which was computed using SPSS to identify family resilience factors that assisted families in family adaptation. The results showed that family adaptation was fostered by first, the family’s internal strengths; affirming and less incendiary communication; passive appraisal; and control over life events and hardships. Secondly, the family’s external strengths; seeking spiritual support; social support from within the community; and mobilising the family to acquire community resources and accept help from others. These findings could be used to develop interventions that promote family resilience and establish the potential of family members within a family when facing adversities. / Psychology / M.A. (Social Science)

Disputats, Stockholm 2007.