South Africa’s manufacturing performance relative to its’ peers and other local sectors has been in decline in the wake of globalisation and global value chains and reduced competitive advantage. Firms are central actors in the competitive advantage of competing value chains. In order to achieve and sustain competitive advantage firms, and especially manufacturing firms, have to continuously explore new market possibilities while at the same time leveraging existing competencies in an exploitative fashion. When firms pursue explore and exploit in combination the firms can be described as being ambidextrous organisations. When it is left up to individual employees of these firms to contribute to ambidexterity by deciding when to explore and when to exploit, and they are able to do this in combination, the individuals achieve what is termed individual ambidexterity. Although it is known that individual ambidexterity contributes to organisational ambidexterity, very little is known about the manner in which individuals achieve individual ambidexterity and what the outcomes of individual ambidexterity are. The current research project sought to gain a deep understanding of individual product designers’ lived experience of achieving ambidextrous outcomes in the normal course of their work in the earthmoving machinery manufacturing sector. A qualitative, exploratory research design was adopted and thirteen semi-structured interviews conducted with individual product designers. The interviews were analysed through thematic analysis to yield rich findings as reported here-in. Key findings reported relate to the key role managers and the individual’s own knowledge play in achieving individual ambidexterity, while the reported negative outcomes of individual ambidexterity are a key contribution to individual ambidexterity literature. As part of the analysis process a model was devised that allows for the identification of potential virtuous and vicious cycles of individual ambidexterity. Implications for stakeholders and the contribution to literature are also addressed. / Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The numerous ontological and epistemological paradoxes found within La Démonomanie des sorciers, a demonological treaty of the 16th century, are studied within the context of demonic corporality: exploiting a rich philosophical and theological intertextuality as well as, more generally, a confessional model of logic, La Démonomanie (1580) constructs a linguistic world of demonic bodies capable of copulation, transformation, and imbuing humans with the power to practice magic. Following in the footsteps of the demonologists who precede him, Bodin constructs a system of the real and of knowledge which is as much dependent upon the authoritative ethos of his intellectual forefathers as upon the increasingly abundant demonological confessions of his own time. Despite the certainty of Jean Bodin’s tone and his fastidious deployment of internal logic, the problematics of such demonic corporality, both with regards to its theological justification as well as to its lack of direct, observable evidence, lead ultimately to an anxious appeal to the political in the text in an attempt to mitigate these aforementioned demonological contradictions and appease those who seek material reassurance. To this end, this orientation from the theological towards the political in the text, which provides a physical anchoring of Bodin’s demonological vision in a protective realm of harmonious, yet divinely necessary opposites to counter the inherent abstraction of its subject matter, certainly provides us with an insight into the divisive and anxiety-laced intellectual landscape of the late French Renaissance, insofar as it illuminates the increasingly prominent naturalist objections to established spiritual orthodoxy. However ultimately efficient this shifting orientation may be in its capacity to mitigate direct concerns, the immediate resolution of the demonic paradox in the text fails to find its complete realization, given that the specter of its own weight is not only a theoretical concern to reasoned away, but also an impossibly elusive, spiritual one—as La Démonomanie becomes as much an apparent political praxis as a demonstration of faith, its ostensibly resolved struggle with demonic corporality still betrays, even at its close, a man’s journey of faith to rid the demonic shadows from an ambiguous reality that even prescribed fire may not be capable of exorcising.

As early as Tacitus, Livian scholarship has struggled to resolve the "Livian paradox," the conflict between Livy's support of the Roman Republic and his overt approval of Augustus, who brought about the end of the Republic. This paper addresses the paradox by attempting to place Livy's writings within their proper historical and literary context. An examination of Augustus' position during the early years of Livy's writing shows that the princeps cloaked his power within the precedent of Republican autocracy, in which imperium could be unlimited in power so long as it was limited by time. As a result, although Augustus' rule would ultimately prove the end of Rome's republic, nevertheless during Livy's early writings Augustus' reign and the Republic were not antithetical. Livy's preface and early exempla further demonstrate that Livy's writings, while condemnatory of his contemporary Rome, blame Rome's decline on the character of the Roman people rather than a corruption of the Republic's political forms. In his preface Livy blames vitia, not ambitio for the universal destruction of the civil wars, while his exempla from the monarchic period and beyond show praise or condemnation of individuals for their actions, not their political offices. Livy praises most of Rome's monarchs for their individual character and their establishment of mores, while also portraying the early Romans' defense of libertas as injuriously overzealous. Ultimately, Augustus' attempts to legislate conservative, "traditional" morality made him a contemporary exemplum of Livy's ancient mores. Thus, the Livian paradox is answered by understanding that Augustus and the Republic were not antithetical, Livy was not concerned with political forms but morality, and Augustus' morality aligned with that championed by Livy.

Cardiovascular disease in populations with obesity is a major concern because of its epidemic proportion. Obesity leads to the development of cardiomyopathy directly via inflammatory mediators and indirectly by obesity-induced hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery diseases. The aim of this review article is to re-visit the available knowledge and the evidence on pathophysiologic mechanisms of obesity-related cardiomyopathy and to propose its placement into a specific category of myocardial disease.

Background: The current fashion industry is characterised by its fast-moving nature. Its change over the past decades from two to numerous collections per year has contributed to a take-make-dispose society. This largely contributes to environmental and social sustainability issues as well as the use of non-renewable materials waste. Simultaneously, it is one of the largest employers worldwide. Due to the global dispersion of supply chains actors, sustainable fashion brands need to tackle country specific regulations and overall differences in conceptions of e.g. sustainability. Sustainable fashion brands find themselves in numerous conflicts such as profit and growth versus environmental and social sustainability, trendiness versus consciousness, or linear business models versus circular business models. Purpose: This thesis provides a systematic literature review of a selection among peer-reviewed articles on sustainable fashion brands. The main focus is on the paradox of sustainable fashion brands in academic research. This study aims at gaining a basis for research in the perspective of sustainable retail brands to explore manners in which they can deal with the paradox between being financially viable and acting sustainably. Method: To support the objective of this study, the articles selected for data analysis were collected by using a systematic literature review as research and analytical method. Within the thesis, a narrative analysis was applied to examine the chosen articles. Results: The results gathered through the systematic review show a significant influence on sustainable fashion brands from two major stakeholders: supplier and consumer. Especially the consumers are regarded as most influential since their demand determines whether sustainable fashion is being adopted more widely into the market. Currently consumers lack knowledge of environmental and social concerns related with fashion. Simultaneously, the suppliers lack understanding of such concerns due to cultural and economic differences. Therefore, retailers should educate both consumers and suppliers on relevant issues. This can further enhance transparency which in turn generates more trust between all parties. Moreover, innovative business models can help tackle consumption related sustainability issues in that they offer the extended use of clothing. Conclusion: Sustainable fashion brands have to handle several conflicts related to their market position and existence. In order to create sustainable fashion offerings, they require viable financial means. Economic growth as it is known today contradicts the sustainability of the environment and society. Sustainable fashion brands need to find a proper balance between the two as it is the only way to tackle this paradox. In addition, there is a significant gap in the research on economic sustainability in relation to sustainable fashion brands.

Uppsatsen belyser hur hållbarhetsdiskurser används inom svensk varumärkeskommunikation och diskuterar hur detta kan påverka konsumentens uppfattning av klimatfrågan. Tre övergri-pande hållbarhetsdiskurser kunde identifieras i tidigare forskning och undersöktes genom en tematisk sammanställning av hemsidekommunikation från Sveriges 20 högst rankade hållbara konsumentföretag (enligt Sustainable Brand Index™, 2019). Resultatet visar att hållbarhet framställs i svensk varumärkeskommunikation genom de tre diskurstyperna där: (1) är eko-nomiskt orienterad (2) är moraliskt orienterad och (3) är individfokuserad. Den dominerande diskurstypen är (1) ekonomiska möjligheter och hinder, som förutsätter hållbar konsumtion genom ekonomisk rationalism. En kritisk diskursanalys utfördes på ett hemsideexempel från urvalsgruppen och pekar på samma slutsats. En retorisk bildanalys från samma hemsideexem-pel identifierar en paradox som kan tolkas som greenwashing. / This thesis shows how sustainability discourses are used in Swedish branding and discusses how this may impact the understanding of climate change by the consumer. Three general sustaina-bility discourses could be identified in previous research and these were examined through a thematic list over website communication from the top 20 sustainable companies in Sweden (Sustainable Brand Index™, 2019). The results show that sustainability is presented in Swedish branding through the three types of sustainability discourses where (1) is economically oriented (2) is morally oriented and (3) focuses on the individual. The dominant discourse is (1) eco-nomic possibilities and consequences, which promotes sustainable consumption through eco-nomical rationalism. A critical discourse analysis was conducted on one of the website exam-ples of the selection which shows the same conclusions. A rhetorical image analysis of the same website identifies a paradox which may be interpreted as greenwashing.

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The current paper examines the relationship between social support, perceived social status and health in the context of the Hispanic Paradox. It was hypothesized that social support will predict perceived social status which, in turn, is an important factor in predicting physical health among Mexican immigrants. The current paper also hypothesized that stress mediates the relationship between perceived social status and health. Three hundred and twenty male and female Mexican immigrants (ages 18-79) completed questionnaires, wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors for 24 hours, and submitted blood samples. Results supported some, but not most hypotheses. Greater social support was related to higher perceived social status (p = 0.01) and stress mediated two indirect relationships between perceived social status and health outcomes. Specifically, as perceived social status increased calories consumed decreased (p = 0.01) and self-reported health improved (p = 0.02). Still, there were no direct relationships between perceived social status and health outcomes and only two stress mediated relationships. Implications of the results and future directions are addressed. The paper discusses the possibility that higher education and possible variations in degree of acculturation among study participants might have resulted in a unique relationship between perceived social status and health. The paper also addresses the role that a high LDS affiliation among participants might play in the relationship between perceived social status and health of Hispanic immigrants. Finally, the relationship between perceived social status and self-reported health as the study's most consistent finding is discussed.

The pedagogical relationship is of importance for teachers to succeed in their educational assignment. There is, however, a balancing act made by teachers to the factors that affect their educational choices in relation to the pedagogical relationship. For this paper, I have chosen to examine this from two different angles, a practical view based on the teachers’ perceptions, and secondly put into a theoretical framework of Biesta (2008; 2020) and von Oettingen (2020). The aim of the first research question regards the factors that affect teachers’ educational choices concerning pedagogical relationships and how teachers might balance this. The second research question aims to examine how the abstract concept of the functions of education (Biesta, 2008) and the paradox of the school (von Oettingen, 2020) are connected to the possible sacrifices in the educational mission in Swedish schools.   The results for research question one indicates that there is a majority of overlaps in the factors found. This creates a weaving effect among the answers given by the informants in their perception of what factors they balance and how it affects their pedagogical relationships in connection to their educational assignment. As for research question two, the results imply that one of the sacrifices made by the informants was to focus on the relationship first, and the educational assignment second. The choice to make the qualification function secondary to the pedagogical relationship indicates a lack of balance in connection to the paradox of the school, as well as an inability to connect to the pedagogical dilemma.