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Published Article / This study focuses on the impact of societal change and related societal problems on the black youth of post-apartheid South Africa. It is argued that adolescents' perspectives on their future in this country could be negatively influenced by the extent of societal problems which are currently experienced in South Africa. Other findings indicate that the influence of traditional cultural norms and values on the black youth is slowly but surely diminishing. Middle class Black adolescents tend to share the general consumerism of South Africa's wealthy classes, and many are detached from the history of the struggle for political freedom. Amidst severe societal problems such as poverty, unemployment, HIV / AIDS and violent crime, the findings of an empirical investigation into the views of 391 black adolescents from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds indicate that a general spirit of optimism and independence exists, paired with a strong desire to escape the trappings of poverty and to fulfil their career and social expectations.

Introduction: Gene therapy is currently being developed for people with cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening condition for which there is no cure. The UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium are preparing for a multi-dose gene therapy trial of sufficient duration that clinical benefit may be seen. Aims: The current study aimed to explore the expectations and beliefs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients involved in the preparatory phase of the gene therapy trial (the Run-in study), from which participants will be selected for the multi-dose actual gene therapy trial. Method: Twelve participants (six with mild and six with moderate CF) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and then analysed using a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Results: Since entering the Run-in study, half of the patients had increased their expectations of gene therapy being an effective future treatment. Most of the participants hoped to derive clinical benefit from the trial itself though half were unsure of what to expect. Whilst half of the participants expressed the hope of a future cure for CF, the remainder saw gene therapy only in terms of an improved treatment. Participants used several strategies to manage their expectations including not thinking too far ahead and trusting the research team. Discussion: The findings indicate that participants in the Run-in trial are generally eager to be involved in the gene therapy trial and have developed a strong sense of trust in the research team conducting the trials. The levels of optimism expressed for personal benefit from trial were higher than those from earlier studies. Some of the positive expectations were unlikely to be met by the gene therapy trial and participants risk disappointment. However other patients participated with apparently realistic expectations and it seems likely that some patients would have participated even without prospect for personal benefit. Possible areas of psychological support are discussed e.g. a standard clinical interview for all those not accepted for the gene therapy trial; screening for anxiety pre-, during and post-participation.

Using a combined quantitative, quantitative approach this study explores the incongruence between educational attainment and labor force participation for Emirati women by posing several questions that revolve around the issue of their motivations and aspirations with regard to higher education and labor force participation. In interpreting the survey and interview responses, a conceptual framework that interweaved constructs taken from three different bodies of research was used. The three areas of research are: the expectations of women in higher education, family in the Arab world, and the importance of social networks in employment.The findings of the study showed that Emirati women have high educational and occupational aspirations but they are also ambiguous about the role of women in Emirati society. This ambiguity arose from the conflict between what the young women in the study believed they ought to achieve as a result of their education and what they perceived their society expected of them as daughters, wives and mothers. The link between education and employment for Emirati women was also found to be influenced by the close nature of the social networks to which Emirati women belong. Emirati's women's use of family or strong ties deprives them of information from distant parts of the social system and places them at in a disadvantaged position in the labor market.

Due to globalisation and resulting work mobility, organisations are forced to compete for talented people. As a result organisations are starting to realise the importance of their human capital, human capital is viewed as the greatest contributor to organisational success. This is evident through the war for talent throughout the world. All organisations are fighting to have the best people as it is believed that talented people add value to the bottom line of the business and give the business a competitive edge. In an attempt to retain talented people, the needs and expectations of these people must be taken seriously. The main research objective of the study was to investigate leadership expectations (what employees expect from their leaders), to what extent their expectations are met and the impact of these leadership expectations on work engagement and intention to leave. In the study, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilised to achieve the objectives. Focus groups in each department of the factory were utilised to gather information on what employees expect from their leaders. Employees were interviewed and open ended questions were utilised to give employees an opportunity to express themselves. The information gathered from the focus groups was utilised to design a new leadership expectations checklist. The aim of this checklist is to measure leadership expectations and the extent to which those expectations are met. A total sample of 156 (n =156) employees took part in the research. The result of the study indicated that employees consider the following expectations as important: Relationship with supervisor (ranked as first); Appreciation of good work and Regular feedback (both ranked second); Support from supervisor (ranked third); 2 Communication (ranked fourth) ; Studying further (ranked fifth) ; Independence (ranked sixth); and Coaching (ranked seventh). Results further indicate that leadership expectation met does predict engagement, the more the leadership expectations are met the more the engaged the employees become. Regarding turnover there was a negative relationship between leadership expectation and turnover. Recommendation to the organisation and for future research were made. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

Africa, and Southern Africa in particular, has been identified by both South African and international retail chains as an area for growth. Because conflict on the continent has all but dissipated, economic growth naturally follows political stability. Africa, with its wealth of resources, provides attractive markets for international investors. This increased investment leads to a growing middle class, with growing needs for goods and services. The reason for the interest from organised retail is therefore obvious. The challenge, however, is that, given the size of the individual markets in Southern Africa, it is not financially viable to have an independent marketing strategy for each market. There is no cross-national empirical research that has measured customers’ expectations and perceptions, allowing marketers to develop financially viable marketing strategies. This research, which can be considered an exploratory study, attempted to fill that void. Quality is an elusive and indistinct construct, and as such, it is difficult to measure. A large body of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction literature acknowledges the importance of expectations in the customers’ evaluation (perception) of their service experience. Although there are several models which have been used to measure service quality, SERVQUAL remains the most popular. It has been successfully adapted to a range of service and retail environments, more especially in emerging markets. This study also employs an adapted SERVQUAL instrument to measure customer satisfaction levels in Southern Africa. The main objective of this study was to investigate the similarities in and differences between the perceptions and expectations regarding service quality of the customer groups of retail stores in different Southern African countries in order to develop financially viable retail strategies. In order to achieve this, the following secondary objectives were identified: *To determine the applicability of the adapted SERVQUAL model in Southern African countries. *To determine, by means of a cross-national study, whether other dimensions of service quality are relevant in the development of a service quality model in a Southern African context. The research population constituted all the existing and potential customers of Beares, Ellerines and FurnCity stores in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa. Six hundred questionnaires in total were distributed, one hundred being sent to different stores in each of the six countries. Stores were chosen from both rural and metropolitan areas. This was a convenience sample and an interviewer-administered survey. Existing and prospective customers were intercepted in the store and interviewed by store managers. The findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences between expectations and perceptions in two factors of the measuring scale. Although the measuring instrument SERVQUAL was found to be both valid and reliable, only two factors were loaded during the analysis stage, and, as a result, the adaptability of SERVQUAL is questionable. The effect of culture does not form part of the SERVQUAL measuring scale yet service quality literature indicates that national cultures affect both the perceptions and the expectations of service quality. / PhD (Business Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The aim of this study is to investigate how men in the social service in Gävle experience gender biases within the social work profession. We conducted a qualitative research with five male social workers that we interviewed regarding gender biases. The main result ended up under three themes which are client influence and reinforcement; work culture; and lastly the unconscious experience. The conclusion is that male social workers experience gender biases accordingly through three themes.

The study explored the possibility that the perceived mother-child relationship of children with learning disabilities differs from that of normal children. It was further hypothesized that the manner in which the child perceives his relationship to his mother is related to the perception he has of his society in general.

This collective case study explores the confluence of educational policy and professional praxis by examining the ways art teachers in one public school district make decisions about creating and implementing curricula. Through various interpretations of one district's formal and informal expectations of art teachers, some of the complexities of standards, instruction, and assessment policies in public schools are described. The research shares how art teachers are influenced by local policy expectations by examining how five K-12 art teacher participants negotiate their ideological beliefs and practical knowledge within the professional context of their local setting, and presents an art teacher decision-making framework to conceptualize the influences for praxis and to organize analysis. Case study data include in-depth interview sessions, teaching observations, and district policy artifacts. Themes emerge in the findings through coding processes and constructivist grounded theory analysis methods. The research describes how participants interpret and negotiate expectations, finding curricular freedom and participation in public exhibition as central policy factors. Contributing the perspectives of art teachers to the literature of policy implementation and fine arts education, the study finds that balancing autonomy and mandates are primary sites for negotiating praxis and that informal expectations for student exhibition contribute to a culture of competition and teacher performance evaluations. The study presents implications for policy makers, administrators, and art educators while sharing possibilities for future research about policy expectations. The research describes how participants interpret and negotiate expectations, finding curricular freedom and participation in public exhibition as central policy factors. Contributing the perspectives of art teachers to the literature of policy implementation and fine arts education, the study finds that balancing autonomy and mandates are primary sites for negotiating praxis and that informal expectations for student exhibition contribute to a culture of competition and teacher performance evaluations. The study presents implications for policy makers, administrators, and art educators while sharing possibilities for future research about policy expectations.