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Financial management is a very complex issue; at the dawn of democracy the full responsibility for the financial management in public schools was given to school governing bodies. The governing body usually asks the school principal to act as finance manager who executes the financial responsibilities on a daily basis. This puts the principal in a precarious position. The research investigates the role players' understanding of the public school principals' legal responsibilities regarding financial management in Limpopo province. It looks at how the school principals, finance officers and the departmental officials perceive the public school principals' understanding, interpretation and application pertaining to his or her legal responsibilities. It further looks at the knowledge of legislation, reporting of financial expenditure at school level, reporting of financial irregularity cases found in schools, as well as the legal responsibility of financial accountability. A predominantly qualitative research approach with nominal application of the quantitative approach, an interpretive paradigm and multiple case studies allowed the researcher to gain an in-depth understanding of how various role players view or perceive the public school principals' legal responsibilities regarding financial management. I interviewed six principals, six finance officers and six departmental officials about their understanding of the public school principals' legal responsibilities regarding financial management in Limpopo Province. A total of 53 principals, 22 finance officers and four departmental officials successfully completed a questionnaire about their understanding, perceptions and experiences of the public school principals' stipulated legal responsibilities regarding financial management. All these people were involved in the day-to-day management and administration of funds in public schools. Documents such as finance policies, finance files, minute books, school budgets and audited financial statements were analysed to build a clear picture of the state of financial management in the selected public schools. Findings from this study are that there are vast differences in how various role players understand and interpret the public school principals' legal responsibilities regarding financial management in Limpopo. The rationale for having the legislation is to make things uniform and give guidelines. There is a lack of implementation of legal responsibilities by principals who sometimes experience fear of intimidation and victimisation and threat from teacher unions defending their members, SGB and the community. There is lack of knowledge of legislation and sheer ignorance of the law. There are misconceptions that principals in South Africa are accounting officers for everything happening in their respective schools. I found misconceptions of the principals' responsibilities of reporting the financial expenditure and financial mismanagement cases which are not reported, but resolved in schools. There is a culture of non-accountability, non-adherence to prescripts as a result of limited knowledge of legislation, expertise and experience of the principal in financial management. The study has unearthed a number of challenges that are serious concerns for the role players such as the principals, finance officers and the departmental officials regarding financial management. These include issues such as limited understanding, interpretation and application of the law, inadequate knowledge of legislation and financial skills, ignorance of policy and legislation, lack of transparency and openness when dealing with public finances, signing of blank cheques, intimidation, threats and victimisation from victims, teacher unions' interference in the appointment of principals, a lack of proper monitoring and control of expenditure at school level by the principal as well as by departmental officials from circuit level up to provincial level characterise school financial management. Much work remains to be done to close the gaps identified and to make financial management in South African public schools even better. The findings of the study have led to recommendations to assist public school principals, finance officers, school governing body members and departmental officials to understand the legal responsibilities of the principal in this regard better. The recommendations include models for the understanding principals' legal responsibilities in financial management, internal financial control and monitoring in public schools by holding principals accountable for the use of every cent in the schools. Other recommendations include intensive training and capacitating, compliance with legislation and the centralisation of auditing of public school financial books. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

This thesis explores the impact of the new Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005 on the acquisition by unmarried fathers of parental responsibilities and rights. The research has shown that the Children’s Act has fundamentally transformed the way in which parental responsibilities and rights are acquired. Parental responsibilities and rights can now be automatically acquired by a committed unmarried father. Although the Act has undergone major changes, unmarried fathers must still satisfy many more requirements than mothers, and thus it is asserted that the Act is deemed not to have been progressive enough. Granting full parental responsibilities and rights to both parents, based on their biological link to the child, would meet the constitutional demands of sex and gender equality. This would also place the focus on the child, and the best interests of the child. The importance in securing these best interests that the presence of both parents has in the life of the child is emphasised. / Thesis (LL.M. (Comparative Child Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

This study examines how accountability affects school performance in Legae Academy and Al-Nur School. It scrutinizes the main approaches to accountability held by managers, teachers and students and the assumptions underpinning these. It explores all the formal and informal practices and policies of accountability institutionalized in the schools, by looking at who is accountable to whom, how they are accountable and for what are they accountable. Another issue that is addressed is the lines of accountability within the organizational hierarchy of the schools (schools board, school managers, teachers, students, and where applicable other relevant stakeholders), and the possible relationships that can be established between the accountability system and practice and overall school performance. A sample of 6 administrators, 15 teachers and 16 students was selected in total at both Legae Academy and Al-Nur, to be interviewed using purposeful sampling. While the study has an open-ended approach, the following key propositions are considered as a guiding framework: (i) variables of accountability such as responsibilities and expectations influence an accountability system; (ii) accountability of managers, teachers and students improves their practice and performance; and (iii) effective accountability systems play a central role in overall school performance. The main argument of this study is that, where minimum resources both material and human are available, internal accountability with clearly defined lines of accountability – upward to the relevant governance and management structures within the school hierarchy and downward to the main stakeholders, namely parents and students – plays a critical role in enhancing school performance.

<p>The change in course recently taken by the Swedish Armed Forces results in an increased use of equipment, and thereby increased requirements of preventive maintenance. This paper aims to examine the current responsibilities for preventive maintenance in an army unit. The intended effect of this examination is to disclose possible flaws, and to help make routines for preventive maintenance more effective.</p><p>The questions asked in this paper are;</p><ul><li>Who, in an army unit, is responsible for the routine maintenance?</li><li>When is this responsibility valid?</li><li>What demands does the technical service have on responsibilities for the routine maintenance?</li><li>How are these demands met?</li><li>How ought to be responsible for the routine maintenance?</li></ul><p>To answer these questions the author has chosen to use a descriptive method to show the current facts. A theorizing method is chosen to, from described facts, clarify the demands of the technical service on routine maintenance. A comparing method is chosen to compare responsibilities and the different responsibility-posts.</p><p>This paper presents the following conclusions;</p><ul><li>Much of the current literature, concerning the subject, is in dire need of being synchronised and updated.</li><li>Routines for how the supply-responsibility is to be most effectively distributed in the unit ought to be established.</li><li>The user ought to be given more responsibility to choose what routine maintenance should be carried out.</li></ul>

The change in course recently taken by the Swedish Armed Forces results in an increased use of equipment, and thereby increased requirements of preventive maintenance. This paper aims to examine the current responsibilities for preventive maintenance in an army unit. The intended effect of this examination is to disclose possible flaws, and to help make routines for preventive maintenance more effective. The questions asked in this paper are; Who, in an army unit, is responsible for the routine maintenance? When is this responsibility valid? What demands does the technical service have on responsibilities for the routine maintenance? How are these demands met? How ought to be responsible for the routine maintenance? To answer these questions the author has chosen to use a descriptive method to show the current facts. A theorizing method is chosen to, from described facts, clarify the demands of the technical service on routine maintenance. A comparing method is chosen to compare responsibilities and the different responsibility-posts. This paper presents the following conclusions; Much of the current literature, concerning the subject, is in dire need of being synchronised and updated. Routines for how the supply-responsibility is to be most effectively distributed in the unit ought to be established. The user ought to be given more responsibility to choose what routine maintenance should be carried out.

Environmental impact is a growing concern of many and work to decrease the influence on the environment are becoming more common and is in some cases even illegal for companies to disregard from. For the average person many things can be done to decrease their personal impact on to the environment such as consuming less, buying environmentally friendly goods, recycling ones garbage or buying goods that are already recycled. This study emphasizes on the subject of recycled goods since a trend of new stores has started to arise. These stores uses the basics from yard sales and flea markets but capitalize them using big scale economy.  They collect recycled goods from junkyards and through donations from companies and individuals aim to resell them. In this study a case of one of these stores called Returbutiken, located in Umeå Sweden, were acknowledged as it took the idea one step further by collecting furniture and other goods and restored them in their own carpentry. Returbutiken is an initiative made by the municipality of Umeå to recycle the goods the municipality does not need, donations from people and companies and also to collect items from the local junkyard. This also creates very cheap goods which have a much higher quality than those found at different flea markets. Thus this study was performed to investigate what motivation and what behavior the customers of this store had. Why were they shopping? Was it because of the price or was it because of their willingness to be more environmentally friendly? The behavior was researched through a comparative study through a questionnaire that was handed out at Returbutiken and compared with the answers of the same questionnaire which was answered by general people at the city of Umeå. The results show that there was a difference of behavior and attitudes between the average respondent in the city of Umeå compared to Returbutiken. People at Returbutiken were generally more committed and optimistic towards the environment than the average respondent in Umeå. The result shows that the age group of 30-45 prioritized the environment less than other age groups. This study also conducts that the general respondents in Umeå prioritized the environment less when they had a higher income.

Natural health products (NHPs) are increasingly sold in pharmacies. The purpose of this study was to determine Canadian pharmacists’ attitudes about their professional responsibilities regarding natural health products. A cross-sectional, random sample survey design was used: 3356 questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of licensed pharmacists in all provinces/territories in Canada (except Nunavut). Survey responses were evaluated using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Response rate was 61%. Overall, respondents were most likely to endorse pharmacist responsibilities related to vitamins and minerals, followed by herbal medicines, then homeopathic medicines. Responsibilities regarding knowledge of NHPs and counseling on NHPs were more frequently endorsed than responsibilities associated with NHP-related documentation. Self-reported knowledge was positively associated with endorsement of NHP-related responsibilities for all NHP types.

Natural health products (NHPs) are increasingly sold in pharmacies. The purpose of this study was to determine Canadian pharmacists’ attitudes about their professional responsibilities regarding natural health products. A cross-sectional, random sample survey design was used: 3356 questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of licensed pharmacists in all provinces/territories in Canada (except Nunavut). Survey responses were evaluated using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Response rate was 61%. Overall, respondents were most likely to endorse pharmacist responsibilities related to vitamins and minerals, followed by herbal medicines, then homeopathic medicines. Responsibilities regarding knowledge of NHPs and counseling on NHPs were more frequently endorsed than responsibilities associated with NHP-related documentation. Self-reported knowledge was positively associated with endorsement of NHP-related responsibilities for all NHP types.

The phenomena of cyber bullying is relatively new, but it is now more prevalent than ever as children today have access to the internet on a daily basis, in school as well as at home. Although cyber bullying is an increasing problem in today’s society, there seem to be few guidelines for teachers to follow when using the internet with their students in school. The purpose of this study is to investigate who, according to six teachers, has the responsibilities revolving cyber bullying – teachers or parents. There has not been very much research done revolving the issue. The questions that are going to be raised in this study are who the six interviewed teachers think is responsible for taking actions revolving cyber bullying, if there are any guidelines about how to work with the problem, if teachers and parent work together to prevent and act against cyber bullying and what kind of education teachers and parents get to increase their awareness about bullying and cyber bullying. This study is built on interviews with six teachers from three different schools. Two of the schools work with a bullying program that is based on Olweus methods against bullying. The third school has a collaboration with the organisation Friends. This study has its theoretical outcome in Olweus’ methods against bullying in general and Campbell’s definition of what cyber bullying means. Regarding responsibility this study is built on the definition of two different kinds of responsibilities, the moral kind and the legal kind. The conclusions of this study are that the responsibility is not something you can put on either the parents or the teachers, it is a shared responsibility between both parts since the children have access to the internet almost anywhere. There is also a need of guidelines regarding how to act in a case of cyber bullying as there are no known guidelines to turn to today. Some schools seem to have a collaboration between parents and teachers to prevent and act against cyber bullying, where other schools do not. The same schools that have that collaboration also seem to educate both teachers and parents about cyber bullying.