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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The constant growth in information and communications technology (ICT) broadens the capabilities of researchers to understand and interpret the social world. New multidisciplinary methods of measuring social realities are constantly being developed and improved. This methodological study aims to incorporate novel methods of automated, computerised content- and sentiment analysis software in order to produce a usable instrument for measuring public expressions on democracy from the social network site, Twitter. Adapting methods developed by O‟Connor et al. (2010) and using an online platform called Chatterbox Analytics Ltd., this study attempts to complement traditional survey research data on democracy. The creation of this method allows researchers to automatically and without deep programming knowledge, extract and analyse opinionated data from a substantial segment of the population, namely Twitter users. This is the first study, as far as this researcher is aware, that develops automated instruments for the measurement of expressions on democracy from online social networks. The rationale for the development of this instrument lies in the apparent recent rise in negative sentiment on democracy in academic spheres and political realities alike. Throughout history support for democracy has swayed, which in turn placed democracy on a rocky path of development. As negative opinions on democracy became overwhelming this system of governance was forced to adapt by changing its core structure. This could be the case again today. Authors such as Crozier, Huntington and Watunaki (1975) have already warned of a crisis of democracy in the 1970s. More recently authors such as Dalton (2004) and van Beek (2012) expressed opinions indicating that globally citizens are steadily becoming more critical of political parties, politicians, political policies and the whole democratic process. These negative sentiments might be indicative of what van Beek (2012:12) calls “an erosion in support for democracy”. Traditional survey projects examining opinions on democracy, such as the World Values Survey, offer insights into global expressions on democracy, but are time consuming, costly and complicated to conduct. The method developed in this study allows researchers to complement traditional survey data with insights that are automatically gathered and analysed from the influential social media network, Twitter. This introductory study finds that automated analysis of expressions on democracy from Twitter is indeed feasible. In order to express the extent to which the developed method is feasible, this study offers an example case, examining expressions on democracy from Twitter for the period of 1 May to 31 July 2012. Furthermore the study offers a quantitative manual evaluation of the accuracy of the developed measurement instrument. With the present level of content- and sentiment analysis technology this study finds that the accuracy of the results from this method, though informative, is still limited. The study therefore concludes with an advisory section highlighting methods for future studies to improve on the accuracy of this measurement instrument. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Deur die konstante groei in inligting- en kommunikasietegnologie (IKT) word die veld waaruit navorsers kan put om die sosiale wêreld te verstaan en te interpreteer al groter. Nuwe multidissiplinêre metingsmetodes om die sosiale werklikheid te verstaan, word konstant ontwikkel en verbeter. Hierdie metodologiese studie beoog om nuwe metodes van geoutomatiseerde, gerekenaariseerde, inhouds- en sentimentanalisesagteware saam te voeg om 'n bruikbare instrument vir die meting van publieke uitsprake oor demokrasie, op die sosiale netwerk Twitter te skep. Metodes wat deur O'Connor et al. (2010) en die aanlyn platform, Chatterbox Analytics Ltd ontwikkel is, is aangepas om 'n instrument te skep wat gebruik kan word om by te dra tot tradisionele opname-navorsingsdata oor demokrasie. Hierdie nuwe metode sal navorsers toelaat om outomaties en sonder veel programmeringsvaardighede opiniegelaaide data van 'n beduidende segment van die samelewing, naamlik Twitter gebruikers, te verkry en te analiseer. Hierdie is die eerste studie, sover hierdie navorser bewus is, wat geoutomatiseerde instrumente ontwikkel vir die meting van uitsprake oor demokrasie op sosiale netwerke. Die beweegrede vir die ontwikkeling van hierdie instrument vloei uit die oënskynlike onlangse styging in negatiewe sentiment oor demokrasie in sowel akademiese- as politieke sirkels. Die ondersteuning vir demokrasie het dwarsdeur die geskiedenis sy hoogte en laagtepunte gehad en hierdie onsekerheid het die ontwikkelingspad van demokrasie taamlik met dorings besaai. Die hele kernstruktuur van híérdie regeringsisteem was geforseer om hewig aan te pas elke keer wanneer die negatiewe opinies oor demokrasie oorweldigend geraak het. Dit wil voorkom asof demokrasie weer op die rand van verandering is. Skrywers soos Crozier, Huntington en Watunaki (1975) het alreeds in die 1970's gewaarsku teen 'n krisis rondom demokrasie. Meer onlangs het skrywers soos Dalton (2004) en van Beek (2012) opinies gelug dat burgers reg oor die wêreld stadig maar seker besig is om meer krities op politieke partye, politici en oor politieke beleide en die demokratiese proses in geheel raak. Hierdie negatiewe sentimente mag dalk 'n aanduiding wees van “'n erosie in die ondersteuning van demokrasie,”, soos Van Beek (2012:12) dit noem. Tradisionele opname-navorsingsprojekte wat na opinies oor demokrasie kyk, soos die „World Values Survey‟, bied wel 'n blik op globale uitsprake oor demokrasie, maar is duur, tydsaam en moeilik om deur te voer. Die metode wat in hierdie studie ontwikkel is, kan bykomende insigte tot tradisionele opname-navorsingsprojekte bring. Díé insigte word outomaties ingesamel en geanaliseer vanuit die invloedryke sosiale netwerk, Twitter. Hierdie inleidende studie bevind dat geoutomatiseerde analise van uitsprake oor demokrasie op Twittter inderdaad moontlik is. Ten einde die mate van sukses van hierdie metode wat ontwikkel is te illustreer, analiseer hierdie studie 'n datagreep van uitsprake oor demokrasie uit Twitter oor die tydperk 1 Mei tot 31 Julie 2012. Hierbenewens bied die studie ook 'n kwantitatiewe waardasie per hand wat die akkuraatheid van die ontwikkelde meetingsinstrument toets. Met die huidige ontwikkelingsvlak van inhouds- en sentiment-analisetegnologie vind hierdie studie dat die akkuraatheid van hierdie metode, alhoewel informatief is, tog beperk is. Die studie sluit af met 'n afdeling wat advies oor hoe verdere studies die akkuraatheid van hierdie meetinstrument kan verbeter, toelig.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This dissertation examines emerging cultural attitudes, language ideologies, and discursive practices among Navajos and Navajo speakers through the lens of new media technologies on the Navajo Nation. New media such as cell phones and the Internet are significant features of contemporary Navajo communities, and act as both a context for and medium of linguistic and cultural vitality and transformation. They have opened new spaces for Navajo language use, generated emergent uses of the Navajo language, and increased the spaces of language contact and change. This dissertation explores the ways in which ideologies of language and technology have shifted and converged, and describes multiple instances of the transformative nature of technology through the mediation of communities. New technologies do not exist in a vacuum, and novel practices emerge from a wide range of existing observable styles, registers, and norms in Navajo communities. Significant are the shifting geographies of communication, expansion of social networks, and increased circulation of bilingual Navajo hane’, or publicly shared “tellings” in the form of stories, jokes, and information that accompany them. This work analyzes the appearance of new media technologies in contemporary Navajo society within broader discourses of modernity and narratives of progress about, and among, Navajo communities. New technology is not incommensurate with existing practice; rather, emergent practices are part of the broader circulation of Navajo identities, defined here as a process linked to social activities, and emergent practices index the ways in which some Navajos are “doing” community in unexpected ways and unexpected places. New expressive forms and genres have appeared, including a migration to English emails by previously monolingual, illiterate elders, the transition of traditionally oral genres to widely circulated emails, and the appearance of locally created bilingual hip-hop music. These are crucial developments that have immediate implications for Navajo language vitality and cultural continuity. / text

A Research Report submitted in fulfilment with the partial requirements for the Master of Management in the field of Strategic Marketing, in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. 2016 / Over the past few years, mobile marketing has generated an increasing interest among academics and practitioners. While numerous studies have provided important insights into mobile marketing, our understanding of this topic of growing interest and importance remains deficient. Therefore, the objective of this literature is to provide a comprehensive framework intended to guide research efforts focusing on mobile marketing via SMS/MMS as well as to aid practitioners in their quest to achieve mobile marketing success. The literature is built around brand equity and awareness and whether this form of direct marketing enhances the brand. It begins with a brief background to the research situation. Mobile marketing is also defined and the researcher also looks at mobile marketing in South Africa. The researcher also outlines mobile marketing from marketing communications mix perspective and provides a comprehensive overview of the benefit of mobile marketing. The literature concludes with a detailed description of, what’s in it for companies, along with speed and simplicity of this form of direct marketing. / GR2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, 2016 / Word-of-mouth (WOM) has been seen to be one of the most powerful resources of transmitting information. Progression in Information technology and the rise of online social network sites have changed the way information is being conveyed. This phenomenon sways consumers as this effortlessly accessible information could significantly influence their consumption decision. The purpose of this paper is to investigate Social Media factors impacting purchase intention of mobile devices amongst Working Generation Y in South Africa. The target population for this study was defined those who are between ages of 24-35 years of age and are employed. This paper relies on a quantitative analysis of the results gathered through an online survey. Measurement of items have been adapted from existing scales found in the marketing literature. Researchers reviewed the items for validity and readability. A multiple regression model procedure and Structural Equation Model is applied to test the relationship between independent and dependent variables. The research model was tested using a sample of 250 people who are South Africa’s Working Generation Y consumers and are regular social network users. Based on the resulted yielded from this research paper, it is reasonable to argue that consumer engagement will affect eWOM which may influence consumer purchase intentions. The paper outlines ways to promote a brand effectively through online consumer communities’ also known as virtual communities, as well as general guidelines for website and forum moderators for facilitating such presentation in a manner useful to the members of their online communities. While there is a substantial research stream that examines the branding of consumer’s goods and an increasing literature on product brands, little is known about social media, brand image and purchase intention in the context of online communications. This paper therefore extends existing measurement of these variables. / XL2018

Objetivo: Avaliar o uso de dispositivos eletrônicos e televisão (TV) em adolescentes saudáveis de uma escola particular da cidade de São Paulo; avaliar possíveis associações entre a presença de dor e síndromes musculoesqueléticas e o uso de dispositivos eletrônicos e TV. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal com adolescentes de uma escola particular da cidade de São Paulo. 299 adolescentes (10 a 19 anos) responderam a um questionário individual, confidencial e autoaplicável, com perguntas sobre o uso isolado e simultâneo de dispositivos eletrônicos (computadores, videogames, celular) e TV; dados demográficos; prática de atividade física e esportiva; disponibilidade, padrão de consumo, tipos de mídia utilizados e sintomas dolorosos do sistema musculoesquelético. Além da aplicação do questionário, foi realizado exame físico específico do aparelho musculoesquelético nos adolescentes que apresentavam queixas álgicas nos últimos três meses, visando à avaliação das seguintes síndromes musculoesqueléticas idiopáticas crônicas e não inflamatórias: fibromialgia juvenil, síndrome de hipermobilidade articular benigna, síndrome miofascial, tendinite, bursite, epicondilite e síndrome de dor regional complexa. Resultados: O índice de Kappa entre o pré-teste e reteste foi de 0,83. Dor musculoesquelética e síndromes musculoesqueléticas foram encontradas em 183/299 (61%) e 60/183 (33%), respectivamente. As medianas de idade [15 (10-18) versus 14 (10-18) anos, p=0,032] e os anos de escolaridade [10 (5-12) vs. 9 (5-12) anos, p=0,010] foram significantemente maiores em adolescentes com dor musculoesquelética em comparação com aqueles sem essa condição. A frequência do gênero feminino foi maior no grupo de adolescentes com dor musculoesquelética comparado ao grupo sem essa condição (59% versus 47% p=0,019), assim como as frequências do uso do telefone celular (93% contra 81%, p=0,003) e do uso simultâneo de pelo menos dois dispositivos eletrônicos (80% vs. 67%, p=0,011) foram significantemente maiores no grupo de adolescentes com dor musculoesquelética. Em relação às comparações entre os grupos com e sem síndromes musculoesqueléticas: a frequência de gênero feminino foi significantemente maior no grupo de estudantes com síndromes musculoesqueléticas (75% versus 25%, p=0,002), e os adolescentes com síndromes musculoesqueléticas apresentaram uma mediana significantemente reduzida de horas de jogos eletrônicos aos finais de semana e feriados [1,5 (0-10) vs. 3 (0-17) horas/dia, p=0,006]. Conclusões: Uma alta prevalência de dor musculoesquelética e síndromes musculoesqueléticas foi observada em estudantes adolescentes de uma escola particular. A dor musculoesquelética foi relatada em idade mais avançada, sobretudo entre as meninas e os alunos que usavam telefone celular e dispositivos eletrônicos simultaneamente. O sexo feminino e o uso reduzido de jogos eletrônicos foram associados à presença de síndromes musculoesqueléticas / Objective: To evaluate television and simultaneous electronic devices use in adolescents with musculoskeletal pain and musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 299 adolescents of a private school. All students completed a self-administered questionnaire, including: demographic data, physical activities, musculoskeletal pain symptoms, and use of simultaneous television/electronic devices (computer, internet, electronic games and cell phone). Seven musculoskeletal pain syndromes were also evaluated: juvenile fibromyalgia, benign joint hypermobility syndrome, myofascial syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, epicondylitis and complex regional pain syndrome. Results: Inter-rater agreement between pretest and retest was 0.83. Musculoskeletal pain and musculoskeletal pain syndrome were found in 183/299 (61%) and 60/183 (33%), respectively. The median of age [15 (10-18) vs. 14 (10-18) years, p=0.032] and years of education [10 (5-12) vs. 9 (5-12) years, p=0.010] were significantly higher in adolescents with musculoskeletal pain compared to those without this condition. The frequencies of female gender (59% vs. 47%, p=0.019), cell phone use (93% vs. 81%,p=0.003) and simultaneous use of at least two electronic devices (80% vs. 67%,p=0.011) were significantly higher in the former group. Further comparisons between adolescents with and without musculoskeletal pain syndromes revealed that the frequency of female gender was significantly higher in the former group (75% vs. 25%,p=0.002), and with significantly reduced median of weekends/holidays electronic games use [1.5 (0-10) vs. 3 (0-17) hours/day, p=0.006]. Conclusions: A high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain/syndromes were observed in female adolescents. Musculoskeletal pain was mostly reported at median age of 15 years and students were using cell phone and at least two electronic devices simultaneously. Reduced electronic games use was associated with musculoskeletal pain syndromes

O desenvolvimento técnico da eletrônica, a contínua redução do tamanho dos receptores GNSS, associada à diminuição do consumo de energia, transformaram estes produtos em alguns circuitos integrados ou apenas pequenos chips do tamanho de um botão de uma camisa. Desta forma pode-se promover a sua integração com inúmeros dispositivos eletrônicos. A associação com os telefones celulares foi principalmente impulsionada pelo mandato de aprimoramento dos serviços 911 (E911) da Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nos Estados Unidos, exigindo que todas as operadoras de telefonia móvel daquele país fornecessem a localização com boa precisão das chamadas de emergência. Esta necessidade estimulou a produção dos chips em larga escala e, portanto, a diminuição do custo e a sua popularização. Desta maneira quase que em sua totalidade, os telefones celulares são hoje fabricados com receptores GPS, o que torna estes dispositivos uma das fontes mais baratas de se obter o Geoposicionamento. Acontece que existe uma lacuna na literatura quanto à precisão e a exatidão das coordenadas fornecidas por estes equipamentos. O presente trabalho visa, através de testes estatísticos e da comparação com outros receptores GPS e métodos, quantificar estes valores e propor uma metodologia para melhorar tal posicionamento. Para conseguir o objetivo, a estrutura do Sistema Operacional do telefone foi modificada de tal modo que fosse possível o acesso às observáveis do chipset do GPS embarcado e convertidos para o padrão RINEX de arquivamento de dados brutos. Os testes foram executados com o equipamento original e com o equipamento modificado com a instalação de uma antena externa e mostraram que com a utilização da medida de fase da portadora o equipamento pode fornecer o posicionamento com uma precisão média de 0,069m, com o desvio padrão de 0,047m e erro planimétrico de posicionamento máximo de 0,218m e mínimo de 0,004m. / The technical development of electronics, the continuous reduction in the size of GNSS receptors, allied with the energy consumption decrease, transformed these products into some integrated circuits or in small Chips as small as size of a button of a shirt. In this way one can promote its integration with countless electronic devices. The association with cell phones was mainly driven by the mandate to enhance services 911 (E911) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, requiring that all mobile carriers of that country provide all the emergency calls location with good accuracy. So as to fulfill this necessity, the production of Chips in a large scale has been stimulated and therefore the decrease in cost and its popularity. In this way almost in its entirety, cell phones are now manufactured with GPS receivers, which makes these devices one of the cheapest sources to obtain the geopositioning. It turns out that there is a gap in the literature about how precise and accurate the coordinates provided by these equipments can be. This thesis aims through statistical tests and comparison with other GPS receivers and methods, quantify these values and propose a methodology to improve such positioning. To achieve the objective, the structure of the phone\'s operating system was modified in such a way that it was possible to access the embedded GPS Chipset observables and then converted into the RINEX standard raw data file. The tests were carried out with the original equipment and with the modified ones, with an external antenna installation which showed that using the phase measure of the carrier, the equipment can provide a positioning with an average accuracy of 0, 069m, with a default deviation of 0, 047m and a maximum planimetric positioning error of 0, 218m and a minimum of 0, 004m.

Introdução: A distrofia muscular de Duchenne (DMD) é uma doença genética e hereditária que leva ao enfraquecimento da musculatura esquelética, respiratória e cardíaca de maneira progressiva e irreversível. Para pessoas gravemente comprometidas, a realidade virtual vem surgindo como uma forma de intervenção que traz uma nova possibilidade de interação com a comunidade. Os smartphones estão se tornando a próxima modernidade funcional para pessoas deficientes, não apenas pela acessibilidade, mas também pela conveniência da comunicação. Objetivo: Verificar se pessoas com DMD melhoram o desempenho motor quando realizam uma tarefa visuo-motora de labirinto virtual em um telefone móvel (smartphone). Método: Participaram do estudo 50 pessoas com DMD e 50 pessoas controles com desenvolvimento típico (DT), com idade entre 10 e 35 anos. A caracterização da amostra foi feita por meio das escalas Vignos, Egen Klassifikation, e Medida da Função Motora. A tarefa consistiu em completar o percurso de um labirinto virtual no jogo para telefone móvel (smartphone) Marble Maze Classic®, por meio de movimentos de punho e mão para mover a bola virtual pelo labirinto. Para mensurar o desempenho motor, foi cronometrado o tempo (em segundos) utilizado para completar o labirinto. O desempenho foi avaliado considerando os resultados nas fases de aquisição, retenção e transferência, e interpretados sob o ponto de vista teórico da aprendizagem motora. Resultados: A prática do jogo de labirinto no celular promoveu uma melhora no desempenho durante a aquisição em ambos os grupos, que se manteve na fase de retenção. Nas transferências, o desempenho no grupo DMD foi similar ao grupo DT, com a exceção da transferência para a mão contralateral (não dominante). No entanto, o grupo com DMD apresentou um tempo de movimento maior em todas as fases de aprendizagem comparado ao grupo DT. Conclusão: A prática de uma tarefa visuo-motora em um jogo de telefone móvel promoveu uma melhora no desempenho com padrões de aprendizagem similares em ambos os grupos. O desempenho pode ser influenciado pela dificuldade da tarefa, e para as pessoas com DMD, os déficits motores são responsáveis pela menor velocidade de execução, mas não é um impeditivo para a utilização dos smartphones por esta população / Background: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic and hereditary disease that leads to a progressive and irreversible weakening of the skeletal, respiratory, and cardiac muscles. For the severely compromised subjects, virtual reality (VR) has been appearing as an intervention form that brings a new possibility of interaction with the community. Smartphones are likely to become the next functional modernity for handicapped, not only for accessibility but also for the convenience of communication. Objective: To verify whether people with DMD improve performance when doing a visual-motor task using a smartphone game. Method: The study included 50 patients with DMD and 50 healthy control subjects with Typical Development (TD), aged between 10 and 35 years. The characterization of the sample was given through Vignos scales, Egen Klassifikation, and the Motor Function Measure. The task consisted in to complete the journey of a virtual maze in the Marble Maze Classic® game for mobile phone (smartphone), moving a virtual ball using both hand and wrist movements. For the motor performance assessment it was measured the time (in seconds) used to complete the maze. The motor performance was assessed considering the results in acquisition, short-term retention and transfer, and interpreted from the theoretical framework of motor learning. Results: The practice of the smartphone maze game promoted an improvement in performance during acquisition in both groups, which remained in the retention phase. At the transfer phases, the performance in DMD group was similar to the performance of TD group, with the exception for the transfer to the contralateral hand (non-dominant). However, the group with DMD showed longer movement time at all stages of learning compared with the TD group. Conclusion: We conclude that the practice of a visual-motor task in a mobile phone game promoted an improvement in performance with similar patterns of learning in both groups. The performance can be influenced by the task difficulty, and motor deficits are responsible for the lower speed execution in DMD people, however, this is not an impediment for smartphone use by this population

Introdução: A síndrome de Down (SD) é uma alteração genética caracterizada pela presença de um cromossomo extra, suas principais dificuldades são causadas pelas alterações motoras e cognitivas que interferem na capacidade de realizar atividades diárias. Para propiciar funcionalidade às pessoas com SD, uma opção é utilizar tarefas em ambiente de realidade virtual para possibilitar o ganho de habilidades motoras. Objetivo: Avaliar o desempenho de pessoas com SD em tarefa virtual em telefone móvel. Método: Foi utilizado o jogo Marble Maze Classic®, onde os participantes moviam o telefone móvel para conduzir uma bola virtual por um desenho de labirinto. Foram avaliadas 100 pessoas separadas em dois grupos, sendo o grupo 1 (controle) formado por 25 participantes com Desenvolvimento Típico e grupo 2 (experimental) formado por 25 pessoas com SD, sendo o desenho do labirinto do grupo 2 totalmente oposto ao do grupo 1. Como variável dependente utilizou-se o tempo em segundos e foram submetidas a ANOVA. As comparações post-hoc foram realizadas por meio do teste Tukey-HSD (p < 0,05). Resultados: O grupo controle manteve o desempenho na fase de retenção e conseguiram transferir tanto no labirinto 1 como no 2. Já o grupo SD conseguiu transferir a tarefa apenas no labirinto 2. No labirinto 1 não conseguiu transferir quando invertemos o início e o fim do trajeto. Conclusão: Pessoas com SD conseguiram se adaptar a tarefa proposta, porém com desempenho sempre inferior às pessoas com DT. Assim como, demonstraram dificuldade em manter o desempenho com o aumento do grau de dificuldade da tarefa, o que sugere que novas tecnologias devem ser adaptáveis às dificuldades de pessoas com SD, permitindo assim maior funcionalidade / Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder characterized by the presence of an extra chromosome, which is typically associated with motor and cognitive changes that interfere with the ability to perform daily activities. To provide functionality to individuals with DS, one option is to use tasks in a virtual reality environment to enable gains in motor skills. Objective: To evaluate the performance of individuals with DS in a virtual task on a mobile phone. Method: The game Marble Maze Classic® was used, in which the participants moved the mobile phone to conduct a virtual marble through a maze design. We evaluated 100 individuals divided into group 1 and 2, where each group consisted of 25 participants in the control group (typical development) and 25 in the experimental group (DS), with group 2 using a maze design totally opposite to group 1. The dependent variable used was time in seconds and was subjected to ANOVA. Post-hoc comparisons were performed using Tukey\'s Honest Significant Difference test (p <0.05). Results: The control group maintained performance in the retention phase and was able to transfer both in maze 1 and 2. The DS group managed transfer to the task only in maze 2. In maze1, the DS group failed to transfer when we inverted the start and end of the path. Conclusion: People with DS have managed to adapt the proposed task, but with always underperform people with DT. As demonstrated difficulty in maintaining performance with increased task difficulty, suggesting that new technologies must be adaptable to the difficulties people with DS, thereby enabling increased functionality