This study was aimed at assessing the adequacy of the management development activity and its support by top management in the public service of the North West province. The South African public service is a key instrument by which service delivery can be ensured, as a result there is a need to enhance its capacity. Management development, particularly for senior management, should be seen as the most important component of human resource development in the public service, which should be improved. Certainly there are considerable benefits to be derived from an effort by any developing country to develop its public service senior managers. Current research reveals that management development is accepted as a contributor to organisational performance. Whilst this is the case, often not all management development programmes meet the needs of the organisation. Some management development programmes fail because of lack of top management support, together with organisational conditions and practices that are supposed to contribute to their effectiveness and overall organisational effectiveness. Thus, an assessment of the adequacy of the management development activity of the public service of the North West province should often be conducted so as to improve on it and thereby contribute to the enhancement of service delivery. In terms of research design and methodology, this study was evaluative in nature. The study involved the systematic collection of information on the worth of the management development programme, which has to make value judgements concerning the worth of such a programme. The target population for this study was all senior managers in the public service of the North West province. The accessible population comprises of those senior managers who were based in Mafikeng, the capital of the province and the seat of government in which all-administrative head offices of all provincial departments are located. The research sample was drawn from senior managers within some departments that form the North West provincial administration. Structured questionnaires and unstructured interviews were used in this study as data collection instruments. Combinations of both qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis are used. To interpret the data collected from the Management Development Audit section of the Questionnaire, a scoring and interpretation worksheet was adapted for use. Some managers were also interviewed in order to find out their opinions about management development effectiveness. The findings of the study revealed that the management development activity in the public service of the North West is inadequate and requires to be improved. The recommendations based on the findings of this study can be summarised by stating that 88% of the management development activity requires improvement. / Thesis (M. Phil.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2004

Acacia erioloba (synonym: Acacia giraffae) commonly known as Mpatsaka (Sotho), Mokala (Tswana), Kameeldoring (Afrikaans) and camel Thorn (English) is an indigenous leguminous tree that is adapted and commonly found in semi-arid savanna environments of South Africa. Being a leguminous plant, Acacia erioloba can fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. The objective of this study was to quantify the concentration of plant nutrients in soils beneath the canopies of Acacia erioloba trees in three land-use practices viz: fallow, grazing and bare land. Three trees were randomly selected in each land-use practice and soil samples were collected from beneath and beyond the tree canopies at depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm. Consistently, soil analysis revealed that the concentration of nutrients (N, P, Ca, Mg, Zn and Mn) and soil biological properties (organic carbon, particulate organic matter, microbial biomass nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon) among the land-use practices were in the order: fallow > grazing > bare. Differences in the concentration of soil nutrients between the land-use practices seemed to be influenced by management within the land-use practices. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc were significantly higher (p<0.05) in land under grazing while calcium and magnesium, were significantly higher (p<0.05) under fallow land. As expected, bare land had the lowest concentration of all the nutrients studied. The presence of animals around Acacia erioloba trees contributed to higher concentration of nutrients in land under grazing. The differences in the values of biological properties were considered to be likely due to higher plant biomass on the topsoil compared to the subsoil that increased the microbial activity. The improved biological properties are thought to have improved the nutrient concentration through processes such as mineralisation of nutrients from organic matter. With the exception of phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and zinc (Zn), concentration of all other nutrients (N, Ca, Mg and Mn) was not significantly different (p<0.05) in soil from beneath the tree canopy and those from beyond the tree canopies in all land-use practices. Topsoil (0-1 0 cm) had, significantly higher (p<0.05) concentration of all nutrients and biological properties that were measured compared to the sub soil (10-20 cm). This was attributed to the fact that much of the decomposition of soil organic matter takes place on the surface layer of the soil where most of the organic materials are added. Nutrient uptake from deep soil layers by roots of the trees may be another important mechanism that could enrich surface soils beneath Acacia erioloba tree with nutrients. The availability to a wheat crop of the nutrients found beneath the canopies of Acacia erioloba was evaluated using a "Neubauer" seedling technique in a glasshouse. Wheat seedlings were grown into PVC pots filled with soils collected from beneath and beyond the tree canopies. The wheat that was grown in soils collected beneath Acacia erioloba trees had significantly higher (p<O.OS) growth ~d nutrient uptake than that grown in soils from beyond tree canopies. Plant height, dry matter yields and nutrient uptake by the wheat seedlings were in the order fallow>grazing>bare land. The plant height were 20.9, 16.4 and 14.2 cm for fallow, grazing and bare, respectively. This was attributed to the high accumulation of organic matter from different sources such as leaf litter, grass residues and animal wastes under fallow and grazing land. Fallow and grazing promotes large organic matter inputs and therefore create conditions that favour rapid decomposition of organic matter and mineralisation of nutrients. Correlation coefficients between soil nutrients and nutrients in the tissues of wheat show that there was a strong and significant relationship between the two. It was suggested from these results that Acacia erioloba trees has a potential to be used in agroforestry systems within the farming systems of the small-scale farmers in the semi-arid savanna ecosystem of the North-West Province. Such systems could include agrislviculture and sylvopastoral. If Acacia erioloba trees are to be included in agroforestry systems, the densities need to be increased. This would imply increasing their propagation. More techniques of propagating the tree need to be researched. The nitrogen fixing potential of Acacia erioloba needs to be thoroughly investigated. / Thesis (M.Sc (Agric.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

The focal point on this research project is restructuring which is intended at producing an efficient public service capable of meeting developmental and socio economic challenges facing the National Department of Public Works in the North West Province. The problem facing the department is that the department's operational plans could not be met due to high vacancies within the management/supervisory levels. One other problem that related to restructuring was that there was no clear description of what the department's strategic vision and plans were. Qualitative method was identified as the most suitable method for this research. The data was collected by means of questionnaires given to both senior and junior managers. A sample of 71 respondents randomly selected from a population of 182 employees. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted in order to get the perception of how people think about restructuring. The aim was to collect information from both senior managers and lower levels. The findings from the collected data is that employees do not understand the business processes in order to gain confidence in what the Department wants to achieve. The expectation from employees was that Human Resource division will develop an HR plan which will accommodate employees with lower qualifications, current and past experience expertise in the relevant fields of work. This emphasizes the need for more engagement between management and staff. Some of recommendations are:- • Information technology infrastructure must fully support new processes thereby enabling the achievement of departmental objectives. • Restructuring must create a conducive environment which encourages or facilitates effective utilization of resources. • Policies to be clear and applied uniformly • The department must consider the constitutional obligation to transform the Public Service to ensure the delivery of quality service in accordance with the mandate of a better life for all. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The researcher is motivated by the numerous concerns raised by public officials in South Africa for an answer to performance management in the public service. There are numerous misconceptions in regard to performance management in public institutions. The objective of writing on this topic is to enlighten both the employer and employee of their obligations, rights and legal framework in the management of performance. The focus of the study is on the impact of performance management systems, the existence of training and development of staff as well as the availability of the physical resources on performance management. Poor management of performance translates into lost productivity, increased absenteeism, lower morale of employees and it further hampers service delivery. The study comprises of five chapters, containing the orientation of the study; literature review; research design and methodology; data analysis and results and summary, findings and recommendation, respectively. The instrument employed to gather data was applied in five divisions, and data was gathered from a sample of 39 out of a target population of 66 employees. / M. Admin. (HRM) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

This research study investigates some of the problems or challenges faced by SMMEs in the Mafikeng and Mmabatho area of the North West province. It strives to find out the extent as to which these problems occur and the impact they have on these businesses. The research focuses on two major problems considered to be hindering the growth of SMMEs in this area, namely the lack of entrepreneurial management and financial skills. The lack of these skills in the running of small businesses results into poor business management, poor quality products or services. lack of demand for produce, lack of access to credit as well as poor marketing techniques. The absence of entrepreneurial education or sensitizing young people in a way that could encourage them to enter businesses and acquire a culture of entrepreneurship is one of the causes of the lack of these skills. A stratified random sampling method was employed, with stratifying variables being area and size of the business. Primary data were sought for this study, and gathered through structured questionnaires which were distributed to owners and managers of the sampled businesses. The descriptive statistics method of analysis was employed using a computer aided statistical analysis, the SPSS programme. Some of the significant findings of this research study are; that majority of entrepreneurs in the area do not have the necessary entrepreneurial, management and financial skills to run their businesses; that the educational and training levels of the members of top management of small businesses are relatively low; and many businesses do not have access to credit. The lack of entrepreneurial, management and financial skills can hamper the performance and growth of SMMEs in the area, which can cause many businesses' failure or closure. Education plays an important role in the overall running of a business enterprise in terms of revenues. Many entrepreneurs are unable to finance their own businesses. yet there is little support from financial institutions and government bodies. SMMEs in the Mafikeng and Mmabatho area need to be assisted in every way in order to enhance their performance, growth and sustainability. In order to achieve this. government needs to take the initiative to form collaborations with these business enterprises, in order to identify areas of need such as training and funding. This endeavour will impact positively to the economic growth, in tem1s of job creation to the entire province. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

(MBA) North West University, Mafikeng campus, 2005

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University, 1991. / Cover title. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 410-420).

The aim of this study was to explore how the newly acquired democratic dispensation in South Africa has affected the lives of secondary school learners. A literature review was undertaken on democracy, democratic citizenship and democratic government. An empirical investigation using a qualitative phenomenological approach examined the situation of secondary school learners using the various agencies of citizenship, namely the family, peer groups, the school and the community. Data was gathered by focus group interviews. It emerged from the examination of the collected data that democratic citizenship has improved the situation of secondary school learners regarding their interpersonal relationships with their families, peer groups, school-mates and other members of the community at large. However, the findings indicated that the democratic dispensation has not yet had a significant impact on the situation of secondary school learners at school and in their communities. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

This essay is divided roughly into two main sections; in the first I have discussed the Tswana as a whole, their environment, their origins and their more recent history. In addition to this, I have tried to give a clear picture of their tribal political structure and economic activities, as well as their domestic activities, all of which are integrally linked to the kind of house form adopted by the Tswana. The last, and most important, part of the first section is a presentation of some of the earliest written descriptions of Tswana dwellings made by the first white travellers to enter Tswana territory. The second section takes the form of a presentation of findings observed during the course of personal field research undertaken in the Tshidi-Rolong village outside Mafikeng. This research was done by means of a number of questionnaires drawn up by myself and filled in on the spot with information supplied by house owners and sometimes the builders themselves. This survey was carried out largely at random, with several of the houses chosen arbitrarily because of an interesting feature which set them apart from other dwellings. This written information is backed up by a large bulk of visual information in the form of photographs taken personally, both of the dwellings in general, and of details of the houses. Although this essay may appear to be rather fragmented, my aim is to give a graphic account of changes in Tswana dwellings by comparing features of contemporary dwellings with those observed in the early nineteenth century. The fact that among the Tswana , the building style of one sub-tribe may vary slightly from that of another subtribe, has not affected my study to any large extent , since I was fortunate enough to have done my field research among a branch of one of the original groups, namely the Rolong, whose houses, along with those of the Tlhaping, were the first to be documented. Therefore, most of the differences which have occurred between the dwellings of the contemporary Tshidi-Rolong and those from the early nineteenth century are a direct result of the process of westernisation.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document Please note that pages 28, 199 and 264 were missing in the used copy / Dissertation (MSc (Wildlife Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted