The aim of this study was to assess the effective functioning of the Middle Management Learning Programme (MMLP) within the South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as evaluate the performance and effectiveness of employees who were sent for training to enhance their skills and develop their capacity in order to improve service delivery within the broader South African society. The research focused specifically on middle managers who had completed the MMLP. The MMLP was presented at the SAPS Academy in Thabong from 2007 to 2011. According to Meyer et al. (2004:225), a learning programme is a coordinated combination of learning activities, methodologies, processes and other elements of learning, crafted to assist learners to acquire the required knowledge, skills and attitudes. The primary objective of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the effective functioning of the MMLP within the SAPS and to provide sound recommendations based on the empirical findings. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to determine the effectiveness of the MMLP and obtain information from the respondents who completed the programme during the 2007/8 and 2009/10 financial years. The literature review, interviews and completion of the questionnaires by respondents confirmed the objectives of this study. The overall results indicated that the MMLP had a positive impact on middle managers in the SAPS. The middle managers appear to be driven by a need for recognition, and authorities could exploit this to its advantage by providing a reward system for good performance. The study concludes by, inter alia, recommending that the SAPS review its military culture or style, because the managers who attended the MMLP are unable to advise their seniors, respondents feel overwhelmed, powerless, and helpless and this leads to ineffectiveness in their performance. The requirements to attend the MMLP should be placed on record and should not be compromised to suit particular individuals. The MMLP should also be made a prerequisite for promotion as invaluable skills are transferred to course attendees. / Thesis (Master of Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Assim como outros investimentos em tecnologia da informação, os sistemas de Business Intelligence (BI) também têm sido questionados em relação aos benefícios e retornos obtidos depois de sua implantação. Isso porque o produto de BI é inteligência, ou, em outras palavras, algum tipo de informação processada, e o valor da informação é difícil de avaliar. A presente pesquisa pretende contribuir ao estudo desse problema de pesquisa, abordando o tema da avaliação dos sistemas de BI por meio do modelo de sucesso de sistemas de informação proposto por DeLone e McLean. Além das dimensões tradicionais inter-relacionadas do modelo: capacidade de BI, qualidade da informação, satisfação dos usuários e nível de uso, foi incluída a variável a abordagem de decisão, pois um dos principais objetivos dos sistemas de BI é processar dados advindos de diferentes fontes, para produzir informação que sirva como suporte para a tomada de decisão. Uma vez que a capacidade de BI e a qualidade da informação são constructos multidimensionais, uma das contribuições desta pesquisa foi realizar um levantamento na literatura sobre as dimensões que operacionalizam esse constructo e avaliá-las empiricamente. A capacidade de BI foi definida em termos de acessibilidade, capacidades analíticas, flexibilidade e integração, e qualidade da informação em termos de atualidade, completude, oportunidade e precisão. O problema de pesquisa foi abordado por meio da metodologia de survey, em que os respondentes foram convidados a participar da pesquisa via e-mail e o questionário foi disponibilizado em forma eletrônica através da ferramenta SurveyMonkey. No total, foram obtidas 483 repostas, das quais 246 foram válidas. Já que o modelo conceitual proposto inclui múltiplas relações de interdependência, a técnica estatística selecionada para analisar os dados foi a modelagem de equações estruturais. O software utilizado foi o SmartPLS que testa o modelo estrutural por meio do método de mínimos quadrados ordinários. Foi possível comprovar empiricamente todas as relações de causalidade propostas entre as dimensões de sucesso dos sistemas de BI, a exceção da relação de moderação da variável abordagem de decisão na relação de causalidade entre satisfação e nível de uso. Um teste subsequente permitiu observar que essa variável poderia ser preditora do nível de uso. Segundo os resultados, é possível afirmar que o sucesso de BI pode ser definido em termos da capacidade de BI, qualidade da informação, satisfação dos usuários e nível de uso. A operacionalização realizada dos constructos multidimensionais \"capacidade de BI\" e \"qualidade da informação\" poderia dar luzes sobre quais características devem ser priorizadas na implantação e/ou desenvolvimento dos sistemas de BI nas empresas. / As well as other investments in Information Technology (IT), Business Intelligence (BI) systems have also been questioned in relation to the benefits and returns obtained after its implementation. These questions arise because the BI product is intelligence, or, in other words, some kind of processed information and the value of information is difficult to assess. This research aims to contribute to this by addressing the issue of evaluation of BI systems through the information systems success model proposed by DeLone and McLean, beyond the traditional dimensions that are interrelated: BI capabilities, quality of information, user satisfaction, and level of use. The decision approach was included as a variable since a key objective of BI systems is to process data coming from different sources to produce information that serves as a basis for the decision-making process. Once the BI capability and information quality are multidimensional constructs, one of the contributions of this study was to review the literature available about the dimensions that operationalize this construct and evaluate them empirically. BI capability was defined in terms of accessibility, analytical capabilities, flexibility and integration, and the information quality in terms of opportunity, completeness, timeliness and accuracy. The research problem was addressed by the survey methodology: the respondents were invited to participate in the survey via email and the questionnaire was made available in electronic form through the SurveyMonckey tool. A number of 246 responses were usable out of the 483 total responses that were obtained. Since the proposed conceptual model includes multiple interdependencies, the statistical technique selected to analyze the data was the structural equation modeling. The software used was the SmartPLS, which tests the structural model using the ordinary least squares method. It was possible to prove empirically all the causal relationships proposed between success dimensions of BI systems, except for the moderation effect of making-decision approach variable on the relationship between satisfaction and usage level. A subsequent test allowed us to observe that this variable could be a predictor of the level of use. According to these results, we can say that the success of BI can be defined in terms of BI capability, the quality of information, user satisfaction and the level of use. The operationalization of the variables BI capability and information quality as a multidimensional construct could enlighten the decision about which features should be prioritized in implementing the development of BI systems in companies.

Currently a need exists in South Africa for an age-, linguistically- and culturally appropriate perceptual speech assessment protocol for Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable perceptual speech assessment protocol for Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate based on the international guidelines (www.eurocran.org). Furthermore the clinical applicability and relevance of these guidelines for the perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech in the Zulu language were determined. The aims were reached by following a mixed methods research approach and by conducting the research in four phases. In phase one the protocol was compiled with the assistance of an expert Zulu linguist, in phase two the protocol was pre-tested on 12 normal Zulu-speaking pre-school children between three and six years of age; in phase three the perceptions of speech-language therapists regarding the clinical applicability of the protocol were determined after administration thereof on 12 Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate between the ages of three and six years; and finally in phase four the relevance of applying the international guidelines to the Zulu language was reflected on. A critical analysis of the protocol indicated that the international guidelines (www.eurocran.org) could be used to develop a perceptual speech assessment protocol in an African language namely Zulu. Results of the pilot study revealed that the protocol was age, culturally and linguistically appropriate for normal Zulu-speaking pre-school children. The speech-language therapist participants indicated that the protocol was clinically applicable to Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft lip and palate in terms of cultural sensitivity, administration time and its ability to elicit and identify cleft palate speech characteristics. The international guidelines (www.eurocran.org) could be applied to the Zulu language with an emphasis on the click sounds in Zulu. The results have clinical implications for cleft palate service delivery in South Africa. These implications were for in-service training of speech-language therapists regarding cleft palate to provide them with evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice. Implications for further research included the development of norms of speech development in the Zulu language and the standardization of the perceptual speech assessment protocol. This study is valuable as it is the first tool for the perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech in Zulu. The research methodology may serve as an example for the development of similar speech assessment protocols for children with cleft palate in other African languages. AFRIKAANS: Tans bestaan daar ‘n behoefte in Suid-Afrika vir ‘n ouderdoms-, taal- en kultureel toepaslike persepsuele spraak assesseringsmateriaal vir Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n betroubare en geldige Zoeloe persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol vir voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte te ontwikkel gebasseer op die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org). Die kliniese toepaslikheid en relevansie van die internasionale riglyne vir die persepsuele assessering van gesplete lip en verhemelte is bepaal. Die doelwitte is bereik deur ‘n gemengde kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode te volg asook deur die navorsing in vier fases uit te voer. In fase een is die protokol ontwikkel met die bystand van ‘n Zoeloe taalkundige, in fase twee is die protokol getoets op 12 normale Zoeloe-sprekende kinders tussen drie en ses jaar, in fase drie is die persepsies van drie spraak-taalterapeute verkry aangaande die kliniese toepaslikheid van die protokol na afloop van evaluasies op 12 Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte tussen drie en ses jaar, in fase vier is gereflekteer op die toepaslikheid van die internasionale riglyne vir Zoeloe. ‘n Kritiese analise van die protokol het aangedui dat die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org) gebruik kon word om ‘n persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol in ‘n Afrika taal, naamlik Zoeloe, op te stel. Resultate van die voorstudie het aangedui dat die protokol taal-, ouderdoms- en kultureel toepaslik was vir die normale Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders. Die spraak-taalterapeute as deelnemers het aangedui dat die protokol klinies toepaslik was vir voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte in terme van die kulturele sensitiwiteit van die protokol, administrasie tyd asook die vermoë om die spesifieke gesplete lip en verhemelte spraakkenmerke te ontlok. Die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org) kon gevolg word vir Zoeloe met insluiting van die suigklanke in die Zoeloe taalstruktuur. Die resultate het implikasies vir dienslewering in Suid-Afrika met betrekking tot gesplete lip en verhemelte. Hierdie implikasies sluit in-diens opleiding van spraak-taalterapeute in om aan hul riglyne te verskaf vir beste praktyk. Implikasies vir verdere navorsing omsluit die ontwikkeling van norme in terme van die spraak ontwikkeling in Zoeloe asook die moontlike standardisering van die persepsuele spraak asesseringsprotokol. Die studie is waardevol aangesien dit die eerste poging was om ‘n persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol in Zoeloe te ontwikkel vir die evaluasie van kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte. Die navorsingsmetodologie kan gevolg word vir die ontwikkeling van soortgelyke spraak assesseringprotokolle vir kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte in ander Afrika tale. Copyright / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

No description available.

Aim Develop an IT artifact that provides formative feedback for students based on their programming assignments. Background One of the best methods to learn programming is by practice. Providing feedback to students is an important and a valuable factor for improving learning, which plays a vital part in the student’s possibility to enhance and improve its solutions. Software development courses have several assignments and each course instructs about 100 students. To assess and provide feedback for all the students and each assignment demands considerable resources. In a survey conducted by TCO (2013) half of the respondents’ state that feedback is rarely or never given in reasonable time. Method Action Design Research (ADR) was used to intervene an organizational problem in parallel with building and evaluating an IT artifact. Conclusion The results from the study were four generated design principles and a proposed solution on how to use existing static code analysis tools for provide formative feedback to students.

Most households from rural areas did not have access to basic municipal services prior to the advent of democracy in 1994. The most affected were those from the former homelands and deep rural areas from the former South Africa. Hence, since 1994, the South African government has inherited huge infrastructure backlogs which affect effective delivery of basic municipal services, particularly Free Basic Services (FBS), to alleviate the plight of the rural and poor communities. Municipalities have to be self-sustainable for effective service delivery, even though their revenue base is such that they cannot generate enough income to maintain, extend and sustain basic services. Yet, they are mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 to deliver services to all communities within their areas of jurisdiction, irrespective of whether the beneficiaries of the services contribute to their revenue. For this reason, the national government has committed in the Constitution to allocate funding to municipalities through the equitable share allocations to subsidise the costs of providing FBS to indigent households. However, the impact of the FBS programme on indigent households in the Polokwane Local Municipality has not been significant, given the effective management of the programme. Hence, this study was conducted at the Polokwane Local Municipality to establish the effectiveness of the management of the funding allocated for the provision of FBS. The primary aim of the study was to determine the extent to which the Polokwane Local Municipality effectively manages the provision of FBS and the related funding to establish deficiencies in the system, with a view to improve the effectiveness of FBS delivery to indigent households. The data comprised responses to a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, documents and studies conducted at the Polokwane Local Municipality. The study highlighted that the Polokwane Local Municipality has developed an indigent policy for the implementation of the FBS programme; however, it is only applied in urban or established areas, thus only covering Polokwane city, Seshego and Westernburg out of a possible 265 settlements. Proper planning is also only done around these three areas, while estimations are made for rural areas or villages in terms of targeted households and budgets. Furthermore, National Treasury provided more than three times the funding budgeted by the municipality to fund the FBS programme. This suggests that the rest of the funds allocated for FBS delivery were used for municipal operations rather than for benefitting indigent households. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Polokwane Local Municipality does not manage the funding allocated for FBS effectively, given the limitations in the registration of indigent households as well as the planning, budgeting and implementation of the FBS programme. Finally, the study could not establish whether the municipality is making any impact on the lives of the indigent households as the municipality has not assessed the impact of the FBS programme on the indigent households since the inception of the programme in 2000. The study will enable the development of proposals and recommendations which can assist in improving the effectiveness of the Polokwane Local Municipality’s management of funding allocated for the provision of FBS. / Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

Risk assessment, analysis, insolvency law, insolvency codex, methods, novelisation.

The diploma thesis deals with problems of depression in older people. Mainly the work is focused on identifying and analyzing the role of nurses in screening for depression in older people in primary care, acute care, long-term care and home care. This thesis was focused on theoretical direction and was used the method of design and demonstration. In this thesis was set one main goals with five research questions. The main goal was to identify and analyze the role of nurses in screening for depression in the elderly. RQ 1: What is the role of the nurse in screening for depression in the elderly? RQ 2: What is the role of the nurse in the primary care in screening for depression in the elderly? RQ 3: What is the role of the nurse in screening for depression in hospitalized patients in acute care? RQ 4: What is the role of the nurse in screening for depression in seniors in long-term and home care? RQ 5: What rating scales and methods are used in screening for depression in the elderly? The thesis introduce the concept of depression. The following are specified the causes of and the important factors that affect depression in the elderly. It also deals the differences in the clinical symptomatology of depression in old age. It explains possibilities and various barriers in the diagnosis of depression. Another chapter introduces complete geriatric examination, diagnostic classification systems, possible screening methods and scales for detection of depression in the elderly population. It also deals methods of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment and its possible complications associated with older age. By reason of increased suicide rate caused by depressive disorder the issue of suicidal behavior in the elderly is introduced. The next chapter deals with the nursing process, which is used by nurses in practice. It consists of the evaluation of the patient's health condition, making nursing diagnosis, creating nursing plan and subsequent implementation and evaluation. The nursing process is also needy for providing quality care. The nursing process in the stage of nursing diagnosis, introduces possible nursing diagnosis for a patient suffering from depression, which are based on the latest classification. Finally is described the role of nurses in screening for depression in the elderly in different health facilities and their contribution to the timely evaluation of depression in the elderly. This chapter introduces the role of nurses, nursing screening and collaboration with a physician. The role of nurses in screening for depression in different medical facilities is based on the first phase of the nursing process of assessment. On the basis of objective and subjective information, the nurse will assess the overall health and mental condition of the patient. Primarily, it was investigated what is the role of the nurse in screening for depression. On the basis of content analysis and synthesis it was necessary to used and processed domestic and foreign literature. A number of relevant sources are the results of various studies and Meta-analyzes, mostly from abroad, but also from the Czech Republic. The thesis can serve as a basis for nurses. The result of this thesis is to create e-learning material available for students in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice in the tutorial called Moodle.