Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [310]-315). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [310]-315). Also available on the Internet.

This manual was developed to support the Cosmetology program at Fullerton College. The skills and competencies incorporated are based on the recommendations of the Fullerton College Cosmetology Department Advisory Board. Course of study includes the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Somatology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Background Internationally medical professionals have become increasingly aware of services that somatologists offer as adjunctive interventions. These include pre-surgery preparative and post-surgery maintenance treatments to enhance client recovery time and experience. This practice has led to the increasing utilisation of aestheticians/somatologists in medical practices internationally. In turn, the demand for aesthetic procedures has sparked great interest amongst medical professionals, more specifically dermatologists. Conversely, within the South African context, specifically KwaZulu-Natal, Vosloo (2009) revealed a poor response regarding the referral practices between medical professionals practicing non-invasive aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine, and somatologists. Thus a paucity of literature limits our understanding of the role and placement of somatology services, as well as the referral practices and their impact on the client within the medical practice. Aim: To determine whether a professional relationship currently exists between somatologists and medical professionals within the eThekwini area, in order to support the development of effective inter-professional relationships which promote higher procedure success rates and reduced client recovery time. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in eThekwini. A total of 579 questionnaires were issued. The final sample size consisted of 172 somatologists and 21 medical professionals. The response rates were 31% and 81% respectively. A self-selection sampling technique was used. Structured questionnaires were hand-delivered to the participants’ work setting. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics were used to describe quantitative data. Correlation and regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between actual dimensions of two variables at a time. Results: Currently 91% of medical professionals refer aesthetic treatments to somatologists through word-of-mouth. High levels of awareness were revealed amongst medical professionals with regards to the somatology treatments/services beneficial in a medical practice. All medical professionals felt that further information regarding the somatology curriculum was necessary. Somatologists preferred to establish a referral relationship with dermatologists. A lower referral relationship (55%) was revealed by this group. Conclusion: Currently, a collaborative relationship between dermatologists and somatologists exists within the eThekwini area. Regulation of the somatology profession is crucial in order to promote this growing relationship.

This study identified the skills necessary to successfully complete the beauty culture program of Alberta. The (Alberta) beauty culture teachers (N =40) were surveyed, with their responses being used to assess the perceived skills. The instument, a 41 item survey, was established through the use of a Delphi panel to establish content validity. The reliability was calculated by using the Hoyt-Stunkard analysis of variance technique. The instrument's reliability showed a +0.95 level of internal consistency. The means for the items ranged from a high of 5.85 (an affective skill) to a low of 4.12 (a cognitive skill). All items indicated a need to retain the existing beauty culture competencies. The items were divided into three taxonomies; namely, cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. This was done to inform the respondent of the nature of the tasks. All three of the affective skills ranked in the highest frequency group, with two of the items being placed in the first and second spot. R-mode factor analysis was used to group the items into clusters according to the respondents' ratings on the six-point scale. With the initial loading set at 0.50, only one task was found to be spurious. Seventeen clusters (factors) were produced and were spread across affective, cognitive, and psychomotor skill areas. Skills involving manipulative procedures varied in importance levels. Technologically advanced methods of achieving cosmetology outcomes were not considered as important as the learning of basic tasks. This indicated a need to teach only the basics in preparation for completion of the beauty culture program in Alberta. / Graduation date: 1993

Hair, as it is fashioned in this research project, is a lens which brings embodiment, if only ephemerally, into a place of expressive focus. This thesis considers, as its subjects of research, women between the ages of 20 and 30 in Victoria, BC, Canada, who purposefully use the hair styling services of a regular stylist to negotiate social anxieties and play with possibilities of identity through the medium of hair. I engage with the concept of embodiment specifically in order to approach current theoretical concerns in anthropology with how commodity culture plays out and is played upon, both materially and ideologically, through the bodies of social actors. Hair is particularly well suited to a theoretical concern with embodiment because it is a biological medium of cultural pliability; it occurs at the interface of a biological entity, upon which it grows, and a cultural being, who styles it.

M.Tech. (Somatology) / The somatology industry has seen a rapid advancement in the use of technology to address physical concerns of clients in terms of addressing the visible signs of skin ageing, issues around centimetre reduction, cellulite and other aspects. In South Africa, the Somatology curricula vary between public and private higher education institutions. Even more diversity has been noted within the private somatology higher education providers. The electrical equipment curriculum that is taught in specifically nationally and/or internationally accredited private institutions has not been updated in years and is perceived as outdated. These students are still being taught and examined on electrical equipment that was popular during the 1980’s and that have since been replaced with updated and modern machines. The purpose of this study was to establish the perceived proficiency of newly-qualified nationally and/or internationally accredited graduates in using electrical equipment currently used in the modern health and skincare industry. This study made use of a mixed method design, incorporating three different data-collection techniques. These techniques included unstructured and semi-structured personal telephone interviews and structured questionnaires. Collecting data from three perspectives allowed for triangulation, ensuring validity and reliability. The results of this study concluded that the graduates, from selected specified nationally and/or internationally accredited private higher education institutions, did not deem themselves to be proficient in the use of modern electrical equipment. This sentiment was supported by their employers in the health and skincare industry, and verified by the lecturers who facilitated their learning during their two-year qualification.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The aim of this research study was to suggest the business sophistication levels of the informal sector hairdressing salons in Cosmo City. This aim was achieved through two research objectives, namely; identifying the characteristics that categorise the hairdressing salons as informal sector enterprises under the umbrella of Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs), and determining the business management practices that are currently implemented by the hairdressing salons. South Africa’s informal sector has the potential to contribute towards poverty alleviation and employment amongst the semi–skilled and unskilled poor. However, businesses in this sector apply less developed business management practices as compared to their formal counterparts. Furthermore, the challenges faced by these enterprises in implementing sound business management practices contribute to a lack of sophistication in their business operations, which in turn reduces their performance and sustainability. The adoption of good business management practices can have a significant impact on the performance of an enterprise, as well as on its productivity and output. This is true for an enterprise of any size. As a business becomes more mature in the implementation of business management practices, the longer that enterprise’s sustainability horizon may become. The research was conducted amongst Cosmo City’s hairdressing salon and the data was collected by means of interviewer–administered questionnaires. A total of 24 out of the 36 hairdressing salons that were identified to participate in the research study completed the questionnaires. The study employed a qualitative research approach during the data collection process; however the data analysis was quantitative in nature. In support of the first research objective, it was confirmed that the hairdressing salons operated within the informal sector, specifically in the lower end Business Sophistication Measures (BSM) categories 1, 2 and 3. With regards to the second research objective, it was confirmed that particularly because the informal sector hairdressing salons had low BSM they lacked good business management practices. Due to the size and nature of their operations, low managerial competence and skills, limited business support, small–scale marketing initiatives, the lack of documentation of policies and procedures and inadequately maintained business information; the informal sector hairdressing salons are too undeveloped to embrace good business management practices and as such have lower to low medium business sophistication levels that may prevent further growth and sustainability.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy