Organisations play a major and increasingly important role in the lives of us all, especially with the growth of large-scale business and the divorce of ownership from management. The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. The power and influence which many business now exercise should be tempered, therefore, by an attitude of responsibility by management. The importance of the exercise of social responsibility can no longer be based on the assumption that the self-interest of the owner of the property will lead to the public good, or that self-interest and public good can be kept apart and considered to have nothing to do with each other. On the contrary, it requires of the manager that he assume responsibility for the public good, that he subordinate his actions to an ethical standard of conduct, and that he restrain his self-interest and his authority wherever their exercise would infringe upon the common weal and upon the freedom of the individual. South Africa is one of the countries with the fastest growing incidents of HIV/AIDS in the world. More people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa than in any other country in the world. Just in the past decade, the life expectancy in South Africa has dropped from 67 to 43 years. The social and economic impact of the disease is hard to overstate. HIV/AIDS affect companies through its impact on costs, on productivity, and on the demand for products. Competitiveness can be directly and adversely affected as companies are obliged to increase worker-related expenses for health benefits or insurance that are utilised more as result of the epidemic. Even without monetary outlays, the economic costs can be substantial. Absenteeism rises both directly, as workers begin to show HIV/AIDS symptoms and require more sick leave, and indirectly, as HIV/AIDS deaths increase and co-workers take leave to attend increasingly frequent funerals. In the medium term, company productivity will be hit, as the death of so many workers means that companies must constantly hire replacements, which raises training costs and lowers the average work experience - and hence productivity - of the labour force. The objective of this study is to determine the social responsibility of the South African mining companies dealing with HIV/AIDS employees and included the following aims: To develop a comprehensive HIV/AIDS intervention strategy to manage HIV/AIDS at the workplace. To guide the employer in implementing the anti-HIV/AIDS programme in the workplace. To support the employer in addressing the HIV/AIDS-related health, living, safety and working conditions of employees. The most important conclusions that could be drawn from this study are: Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviours, or organisational practices. The recognition of the importance of the social responsibility can be gauged in part by the extent of government action and legislation on such matters as, for example, employment protection, equal opportunities, companies acts, consumer law, product liability, health, and safeguarding the environment. More information is needed on the social, political, and economical costs of HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many managers fear that if information about HIV prevalence, and programmes are made public, their company's image will suffer. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the workforce especially on productivity, absenteeism, health, safety, working conditions and intervention programmes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The benefits of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) have been thoroughly investigated. Much of this work has focussed on steel FRC subjected to monotonic loads. Data on the structural behaviour of macro-synthetic FRC or FRC under cyclic loads is scarce. A pilot investigation on the shear behaviour of macro-synthetic FRC and on the behaviour of FRC under reversed cyclic in-plane shear loading was carried out. Five in-plane shear panel tests were performed. The parameters under study were the fibre material type (steel or macrosynthetic) and loading protocol. Additionally, a number of compression, direct tension, and flexural tests were performed to determine the material properties of the concretes for comparison. The material response of 2.0% by volume of macro-synthetic FRC matched closely with 1.0% steel FRC. Finally, building upon an existing steel FRC model, a model for macro-synthetic FRC in tension was proposed and a short verification study was undertaken.

Darbo „Duomenų kompiuterinės statistinės analizės technologijos“ tikslas – išanalizuoti ir palyginti įvairių populiarių statistinių paketų galimybes bei pateikti rekomendacijas vartotojui. Šiame darbe buvo išanalizuoti SPSS 8.0 for Windows, STATISTICA 7 ir Minitab 15 English statistiniai paketai. Atlikti statistiniai skaičiavimai su anketos „Apie tai, kaip tu gyveni“ duomenimis, panaudojant minėtus statistinius paketus. Įvertintos šių statistinių paketų galimybės. Sudarytos statistinių paketų lyginamosios analizės lentelės. Pateiktos rekomendacijos vartotojui, padedančios jam pagrįstai pasirinkti tinkamiausią statistinį paketą, atsižvelgiant į vartotojo poreikius ir galimybes. Statistiniam paketui STATISTICA 7 sukurtos dvi makrokomandos, panaudojant šiame pakete integruotą VISUAL BASIC programavimo kalbą. Pirmoji makrokomanda skaičiuoja tiriamųjų anketų užpildymo baigtumo laipsnius. Antroji makrokomanda filtruoja pasirinkto kintamojo duomenis pagal pasirinktą kriterijų. Darbas inovatyvus tuo, kad sukurtos dvi makrokomandos, praplečiančios statistinio paketo STATISTICA 7 galimybes. / The aim of work “The technologies of computer-based statistical analysis of data”- to analyse and to compare the potentials of various popular statistical packages and to propose the recommendations for the consumer. In this work there were analysed SPSS 8.0 For Windows, STATISTICA 7 and Minitab 15 English statistical packages. Using these mentioned packages there were accomplished statistical calculations according to the questionnaire “About that, how do you live” data. There were assessed the potentials of these statistical packages. There were composed the charts of comparative analysis of the statistical packages. Recommendations were given for the consumer, helping him to pick reasonably the best statistical package, considering consumer’s requirements and possibilities. For the statistical package STATISTICA 7 there were created two macros, using VISUAL BASIC computerese integrated in this package. The first macro calculates the completeness degrees of the investigative questionnaires filling. The second macro filters the data of chosen variable according to the chosen criterion. This work is innovative that there were created two macros, extending potentials of statistical package STATISTICA 7.

<p><font face="Helvetica"> <p align="left">The objectives of this study were:&nbsp / To review and understand flow and transport processes in unsaturated zones. In this study, particular emphasis is placed on understanding mechanisms that cause non-uniform (preferential) flow for two casestudies, namely the Cape Flats sandy environment and the Mpumalanga Highveld fractured rock environment.&nbsp / To evaluate the adequacy of models, in particular MACRO 5.0, in simulating flow and transport in the vadose zone, by making use of two case study sites (Cape Flats and Mpumalanga Highveld). Of particular importance is the evaluation of transfer coefficients to represent fluid and solute exchange between macropores and matrix.&nbsp / To run a sensitivity analysis with MACRO 5.0 in order determine which input model parameters are the most relevant in describing the effects of preferential flow in water and solute transport.</p> </font></p>

<p>The impact of trade policies on the pursuit of gender equality is often ignored. Recognising the link between trade and gender, this dissertation aims to enhance the capacity of policy-makers to mainstream gender in trade policy and to help identify ways for using trade to respond to women&rsquo / s needs in South Africa. In order to meet this objective, it analyses the impacts that trade liberalisation has had on the economy and on gender in general and in South Africa in particular. In addition, it evaluates the impacts on men and women in order to see if trade has contributed to reducing, accentuating or perpetuating gender inequality in South Africa. Findings have confirmed that Trade liberalisation has had both positive and negative impacts on women and men. But, they have also demonstrated that trade liberalisation has affected women and men differently having negative influences on the pursuit of gender equality. The research has, however, concluded that the impact of trade liberalisation on the pursuit of gender equality is influenced by other key factors. As strategy to mainstream gender in trade policies, the research suggests that policy-makers should analyse the implications for women and men of any trade policy before adopting such policy. This analysis would help him/her to see the possible imbalances of the new policy and implement policies and programmes to eradicate them. Also, it will help him/her to identify possible ways for using trade to empower women. The research is based on the idea that the elimination of the existing inequalities will put women at the same stage with men and will, therefore, contribute to women&rsquo / s empowerment in South Africa.</p>

The benefits of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) have been thoroughly investigated. Much of this work has focussed on steel FRC subjected to monotonic loads. Data on the structural behaviour of macro-synthetic FRC or FRC under cyclic loads is scarce. A pilot investigation on the shear behaviour of macro-synthetic FRC and on the behaviour of FRC under reversed cyclic in-plane shear loading was carried out. Five in-plane shear panel tests were performed. The parameters under study were the fibre material type (steel or macrosynthetic) and loading protocol. Additionally, a number of compression, direct tension, and flexural tests were performed to determine the material properties of the concretes for comparison. The material response of 2.0% by volume of macro-synthetic FRC matched closely with 1.0% steel FRC. Finally, building upon an existing steel FRC model, a model for macro-synthetic FRC in tension was proposed and a short verification study was undertaken.

Dans ce travail, l'oxydation totale du toluène et de la butanone sur des catalyseurs à base d'or et de palladium supportés sur un oxyde de titane macro-mésoporeux a été étudiée. Nous avons tout d'abord discuté l'effet bénéfique du dopage (V, Nb, Fe, Ce, Ni) du support TiO₂ macro-mésoporeux sur l'activité catalytique de ce matériau. Une interaction existant entre le dopant et le support a joué un rôle important dans l'augmentation de l'activité des matériaux dopés par rapport à celle du titane pure. Une phase active constituée d'or et/ou de palladium a été ensuite déposée sur les solides dopés et la performance des catalyseurs préparés a été suivie dans l'oxydation du toluène et de la butanone. La présence de la phase active a assuré une sélectivité totale pour le CO₂ avec la formation de sous-produits en particulier dans l'oxydation de la butanone. Par ailleurs, l'oxydation du mélange des deux COVs a montré l'existence d'une compétition entre les molécules en terme d'adsorption sur le support, ce qui a favorisé leur éliminationà de basses températures. Une étude operando DRIFT réalisée dans l'oxydation du mélange toluène/butanone a vérifié la présence de cette compétition.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the social field as described by Pierre Bourdieu as well as to explore the possibility of creating a more focused and tailored set of conditions in the form of a model to repurpose the field theory to more clearly be applicable to bilateral negotiations. The methodological approach is conceptual analysis based on the epistemology of critical realism. The supporting theories for the approach are a combination of systemic, chaos and complexity theory while the fundaments for the implementation of the methodological approach are the four main concepts in Bourdieu’s theory of the social field:  the field, habitus, illusio and symbolic capital. One of the main points of repurposing this specific dynamic is to explicitly allow for deliberate human agency within the field. Analytical data consists purely of the secondary type. This essay is not empirically based but rather theoretical and abstract. The paper is founded on the basic principles of macrosociology and presumes social agency where appropriate. This paper focuses on creating a tentative framework model based on repurposed concepts derived from Bourdieu. The results are arguably interesting but are mostly limited to affecting further development of this tentative model and prefacing application of it through attempting to implement it in an analytical manner on empirical data.

Cette thèse se situe dans le cadre de la planification de la production à moyen et court terme dans un environnement de production à la commande et s'intéresse plus particulièrement à une problématique d'ordonnancement de tâches. Elle propose une approche décisionnelle à deux niveaux permettant conjointement l'ajustement charge-capacité des ressources et l'ordonnancement des opérations appartenant à un ensemble d'Ordres de Fabrication (OF). Le niveau supérieur (macro-ordonnancement) positionne les OF sur un horizon moyen-terme discrétisé en périodes et aide le décideur à élaborer une planification agrégée optimisée compte tenu de la politique de gestion retenue (heures supplémentaires, sous-traitance, retards, etc.). Ce niveau est modélisé par un programme linéaire en variables mixtes. Des mécanismes d'agrégation sont proposés. Ils permettent d'associer au niveau supérieur des données agrégées (par macro-périodes) obtenues à partir des données détaillées (définies sur le temps continu). L'étude s'intéresse également à des extensions du modèle de macro-ordonnancement dans le cas de la prise en compte de différents types de leviers décisionnels, de la prise en compte de ressources alternatives,... Le niveau inférieur (ordonnancement) positionne finement (en temps continu, horizon court-terme) les opérations sur les ressources pouvant être utilisées. Il est chargé de "suivre" le macro-ordonnancement ayant optimisé le positionnement grossier des OF. Afin d'intégrer les deux niveaux décisionnels, différents mécanismes de "guidage" sont proposés. Ces mécanismes permettent de désagréger les décisions prises au niveau supérieur. Ces mécanismes permettent l'utilisation de logiciel d'ordonnancement standard au niveau inférieur. Des expérimentations numériques sont effectuées afin d'étudier les performances de la structure multiniveau. Ces expérimentations permettent d'apprécier le comportement de la structure décisionnelle face à différents grandeurs d'éléments c aractéristiques de l'approche : pas de discrétisation, mécanismes de guidage, taux de contraintes,...

Organisations play a major and increasingly important role in the lives of us all, especially with the growth of large-scale business and the divorce of ownership from management. The decisions and actions of management in organisations have an increasing impact on individuals, other organisations and the community. The power and influence which many business now exercise should be tempered, therefore, by an attitude of responsibility by management. The importance of the exercise of social responsibility can no longer be based on the assumption that the self-interest of the owner of the property will lead to the public good, or that self-interest and public good can be kept apart and considered to have nothing to do with each other. On the contrary, it requires of the manager that he assume responsibility for the public good, that he subordinate his actions to an ethical standard of conduct, and that he restrain his self-interest and his authority wherever their exercise would infringe upon the common weal and upon the freedom of the individual. South Africa is one of the countries with the fastest growing incidents of HIV/AIDS in the world. More people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa than in any other country in the world. Just in the past decade, the life expectancy in South Africa has dropped from 67 to 43 years. The social and economic impact of the disease is hard to overstate. HIV/AIDS affect companies through its impact on costs, on productivity, and on the demand for products. Competitiveness can be directly and adversely affected as companies are obliged to increase worker-related expenses for health benefits or insurance that are utilised more as result of the epidemic. Even without monetary outlays, the economic costs can be substantial. Absenteeism rises both directly, as workers begin to show HIV/AIDS symptoms and require more sick leave, and indirectly, as HIV/AIDS deaths increase and co-workers take leave to attend increasingly frequent funerals. In the medium term, company productivity will be hit, as the death of so many workers means that companies must constantly hire replacements, which raises training costs and lowers the average work experience - and hence productivity - of the labour force. The objective of this study is to determine the social responsibility of the South African mining companies dealing with HIV/AIDS employees and included the following aims: To develop a comprehensive HIV/AIDS intervention strategy to manage HIV/AIDS at the workplace. To guide the employer in implementing the anti-HIV/AIDS programme in the workplace. To support the employer in addressing the HIV/AIDS-related health, living, safety and working conditions of employees. The most important conclusions that could be drawn from this study are: Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable. The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviours, or organisational practices. The recognition of the importance of the social responsibility can be gauged in part by the extent of government action and legislation on such matters as, for example, employment protection, equal opportunities, companies acts, consumer law, product liability, health, and safeguarding the environment. More information is needed on the social, political, and economical costs of HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many managers fear that if information about HIV prevalence, and programmes are made public, their company's image will suffer. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the workforce especially on productivity, absenteeism, health, safety, working conditions and intervention programmes. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.