The aim of this study consists of two major parts: in the first place, the goal is to show to which extent the reading behavioral patterns as well as the reading methods of children and the youth have changed and developed during the past few decades. In the second place, the focus of the study shifts to the educational situation in which German as a foreign language is being taught. Important differences between mother tongue and foreign language education are pointed out and guidelines are given concerning the usage of reading as an important skill in the process of mastering German successfully. The activity of “reading” has been an integral part of the human composition and lifestyle since the earliest days of known human existence. The reading of a vastly different range of literature enriches a person’s life in a variety of ways and influences a person’s thoughts and deeds greatly to a positive extent. The reading of different types of literature can lead to the acquirement of new knowledge as well as the development of existing knowledge, new or unknown facts and information can be discovered and reading can also be utilized for the means of pure relaxation. Quite a large number of factors have contributed during the course of the last few decades to a negative development and decline in the reading patterns as well as the reading methods of the society in general – for example, the new innovations in technology, especially the increasing usage of the computer, as well as the hustled and hurried human lifestyle in which time as a very valuable and precious commodity has become extremely limited. Mainly due to above-mentioned factors a definite decline in the reading activities of children and the youth can be observed and therefore this distressing trend forms one of the major focus points of this mini-dissertation. One of the most important and influential role players in the process of establishing an early liking and love for reading is undeniably and obviously the parental home, as well as the parents’ reading behavior and habits. Another and equally important role player in the development of desired reading behavior of children and the youth are the schools and/or other educational institutions. Consequently another focus point of this study will therefore be the reading methods, which are applied in the teaching situation and the reader in a foreign language situation, as well as the reading process which takes place during the learning of a foreign language (such as German) will specifically be taken into consideration. The latter is especially important in the South African context, because German in this country is mainly being taught as a foreign language. Reading as one of the four main skills (reading; listening; speaking; writing) required in the process of learning a new (foreign) language has been a subject of scientific research since the beginning of the 20th century. In the past few decades a variety of studies in the fields of sociology, didactics and linguistics have been undertaken and the diverse theories that have resulted from these studies are a prominent fact. The interest in the reading habits of children and the youth has been rekindled during the recent decade or two and in-depth studies have indicated to which extent learners’ reading skills not only influence their ability to master a foreign language, but also contribute to the learning of other study material as well. Studies that were undertaken in Germany were mainly being made use of during the research process of this mini-dissertation, in view of the fact that the focus of the material is of course German as a foreign language. The method of research, which was applied in this mini-dissertation, is mainly a literature study and analysis. Several theories concerning the reading habits and reading behavior and/or –disposition of children and the youth towards the various forms of literature, the sociology of different reading types and the importance of the development of reading skills in especially the teaching of German as a foreign language are being investigated, analysed, discussed and compared in the various chapters. Relevant and timely information has been obtained from a comprehensive range of literary sources. Books, magazine articles, reference books as well as the internet (especially concerning the results of the most recent studies being done in German schools) have been used extensively to gather relevant information, which have consequently been compiled in such a way that for example teachers could consult and utilise this mini-dissertation in a practical and useful manner, wherever applicable. / Dissertation (MA (German))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Modern European Languages / unrestricted

Information security in the form of IT governance is part of corporate governance. Corporate governance requires that structures and processes are in place with appropriate checks and balances to enable directors to discharge their responsibilities. Accordingly, information security must be treated in the same way as all the other components of corporate governance. This includes making information security a core part of executive and board responsibilities. Critically, corporate governance requires proper checks and balances to be established in an organisation; consequently, these must be in place for all information security implementations. In order to achieve this, it is important to have the involvement of three key role players, namely information security professionals, ICT security auditors and regulatory officials (from now on these will be referred to collectively as the ‘role players’). These three role players must ensure that any information security controls implemented are properly checked and evaluated against the organisation’s strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. While maintaining their individual independence, the three role players must work together to achieve their individual goals with a view to, as a collective, contributing positively to the overall information security of an organisation. Working together requires that each role player must clearly understand its individual role, as well the role of the other players at different points in an information security programme. In a nutshell, the role players must be aligned such that their involvement will deliver maximum value to the organisation. This alignment must be based on a common framework which is understood and accepted by all three role players. This study proposes a South African Information Security Alignment (SAISA) framework to ensure the alignment of the role players in the implementation and evaluation of information security controls. The structure of the SAISA framework is based on that of the COBIT 4.1 (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology). Hence, the SAISA framework comprises four domains, namely, Plan and Organise Information Security (PO-IS), Acquire and Implement Information Security (AI-IS), Deliver and Support Information Security (DS-IS) and Monitor and Evaluate Information Security (ME-IS). The SAISA framework brings together the three role players with a view to assisting them to understand their respective roles, as well as those of the other role players, as they implement and evaluate information security controls. The framework is intended to improve cooperation among the role players by ensuring that they view each other as partners in this process. Through the life cycle structure it adopts, the SAISA framework provides an effective and efficient tool for rolling out an information security programme in an organisation / Computer Science / M. Sc. (Computer Science)

The dissertation deals with the disciplinary process of the South African Police Service - perceptions and preferences of members in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province. A research question " How members of the SAPS in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province perceive the disciplinary process" is investigated in this study. The researcher has conducted a quantitative research in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province using questionnaires and literature study as the research method. The answer to the research question in this study is that members of the SAPS have a negative attitude towards the disciplinary process of the SAPS. There is also uncertainty about the duties of certain role players during the disciplinary process. / Public Administration / M.A. (Public Administration)

The dissertation deals with the disciplinary process of the South African Police Service - perceptions and preferences of members in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province. A research question " How members of the SAPS in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province perceive the disciplinary process" is investigated in this study. The researcher has conducted a quantitative research in the North Rand area of the Gauteng Province using questionnaires and literature study as the research method. The answer to the research question in this study is that members of the SAPS have a negative attitude towards the disciplinary process of the SAPS. There is also uncertainty about the duties of certain role players during the disciplinary process. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Public Administration)

The research problem that was investigated in this research study was to evaluate the implementation of sector policing in Tembisa policing precinct. Even though there are policies and directives on how to implement it, there is still some challenges because it is yet to yield the intended results. Data was collected from focus group interviews, literature studies and polices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the form of focus group interviews. Moreover, a literature study including material such as official SAPS documents, library sources and National Legislation regarding community policing has been presented. Data was also collected from sector managers, sector teams, CPF members and pastors who participated in four focus group interviews in Tembisa police station. The sample was chosen on the basis of what the researcher considers to be typical units. Participants were interviewed in stages. The collected data was broken into themes, patterns, trends and relationships. Data analysis followed verbatim transcription of interviews, that’s why the researcher followed Tesch’s approach of descriptive analysis. The research conducted indicated that although progress has been made in the implementation of sector policing In Tembisa, there still more which needs to be done. Specific concerns which require the attention of SAPS management were raised. It is clear that internal communication and consultation are a necessity. It is also clear that members on the ground are not well trained because they lack the actual knowledge on how to implement it. Training and development of all role players need to be prioritised to enhance their knowledge. All the role players need to be motivated during the implementation of sector policing to ensure that they are ready for the job ahead. The recommendations drawn from the conclusions made in this study may provide a proper direction on how to implement sector policing in the Republic. / Police Practice / M.Tech. (Policing)

The problems concerning the future management of state-aided (Model C) schools fall into two main categories, namely problems intrinsic to the Model C schools and the problem of giving substance to the stated vision of the ANC. Model C schools were seen as a South African model of school self-management. A study of the literature relating to school self-management in general, and how it is practised in various countries, was made and the management of state-aided (Model C) schools was analyzed. A impirical investigation was conducted to ascertain the perceptions of various role-players in school management about their duties and responsibilities in this regard. A model for the self-management of state-aided schools, based on the Caldwell and Spinks' s model, and conforming to various criteria, is proposed. The proposed model is, in the opinion of the researcher, applicable not only to State-aided schools, but to all schools in South Africa as it allows individual schools to accept as much or as little self-management as is consistent with the capacity of their communities to provide effective and efficient service. It also allows schools to accept increases in self-management as their communities gain in management skills and expertise. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Educational Management)

The research problem that was investigated in this research study was to evaluate the implementation of sector policing in Tembisa policing precinct. Even though there are policies and directives on how to implement it, there is still some challenges because it is yet to yield the intended results. Data was collected from focus group interviews, literature studies and polices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the form of focus group interviews. Moreover, a literature study including material such as official SAPS documents, library sources and National Legislation regarding community policing has been presented. Data was also collected from sector managers, sector teams, CPF members and pastors who participated in four focus group interviews in Tembisa police station. The sample was chosen on the basis of what the researcher considers to be typical units. Participants were interviewed in stages. The collected data was broken into themes, patterns, trends and relationships. Data analysis followed verbatim transcription of interviews, that’s why the researcher followed Tesch’s approach of descriptive analysis. The research conducted indicated that although progress has been made in the implementation of sector policing In Tembisa, there still more which needs to be done. Specific concerns which require the attention of SAPS management were raised. It is clear that internal communication and consultation are a necessity. It is also clear that members on the ground are not well trained because they lack the actual knowledge on how to implement it. Training and development of all role players need to be prioritised to enhance their knowledge. All the role players need to be motivated during the implementation of sector policing to ensure that they are ready for the job ahead. The recommendations drawn from the conclusions made in this study may provide a proper direction on how to implement sector policing in the Republic. / Police Practice / M.Tech. (Policing)

Au Mali, une loi hospitalière a été adoptée en 2002 pour définir le cadre institutionnel d’une réforme majeure. Cette loi a décrété des transformations substantielles de la structure interne, tant administrative que clinique des établissements publics hospitaliers notamment l’implication des populations locales dans la prise de décision de l’établissement, l’autonomie administrative et financière à travers la délégation budgétaire et l’implication des professionnels de santé à la gestion, l’intégration des services de spécialité et la participation du secteur privé au service public hospitalier. Cependant, la capacité des hôpitaux à réussir les transformations prévues a été remise en question par la majorité des acteurs internes et externes. L’objectif de cette thèse a été d’étudier de quelle manière l’hôpital malien se transforme sous la pression de la décentralisation des pouvoirs de l’État et d’étudier comment les groupes d’acteurs réagissent face à ces changements à partir de deux cadres d’analyse. Le premier cadre intègre les caractéristiques essentielles des transformations hospitalières en termes de différents types de décentralisation et le second cadre inspiré des travaux de Crozier et coll. (1977) analyse les jeux de pouvoir entre les groupes d’acteurs hospitaliers selon deux niveaux à savoir un niveau stratégique et systémique. Pour cela, nous avons conduit une étude multiple de deux cas et utilisé trois modes de collecte des données à savoir les entrevues semi-structurées auprès des informateurs clés, l’analyse documentaire, et l’observation lors de réunions. Dans un premier temps, les analyses ont révélé pour les changements intervenus dans la structure, selon l’importance des responsabilités attribuées à l’hôpital public, (1) plusieurs variantes de la décentralisation. Globalement, l’intention politique était focalisée sur une délégation puis une déconcentration et une dévolution; les mécanismes mis en place ont penché plus vers une déconcentration puis une délégation et une dévolution tandis que les transformations réellement effectuées dans les établissements publics hospitaliers ont plutôt confirmé une déconcentration en plus d’une délégation particulièrement dans le cas de l’implication des populations locales dans la gestion hospitalière. Tandis que l’hôpital public pouvait faire des recettes à partir du recouvrement partiel des coûts des soins auprès des usagers, l’État gardait une main forte sur la gestion financière et la gestion du personnel, et définissait les directives et les objectifs à poursuivre. (2) Les analyses apportent une compréhension des liens existant entre les différents éléments du processus de réforme, le type de mécanisme mis en place dans le cadre de la réforme semble déterminer le type de transformation effectué selon les fonctions que peut assurer l’hôpital public. La logique traduit le passage de la délégation vers une déconcentration qui est jugée comme étant la forme la moins poussée d’une décentralisation. Dans un deuxième temps, les résultats confirment la présence de conflit entre les normes professionnelles établies et reconnues par les professionnels de santé et les normes organisationnelles et institutionnelles mises en avant par la réforme. Elles sont défendues par la majorité des gestionnaires qui sont imputables face aux autorités alors que les normes professionnelles dominent dans les services cliniques. Les deux cas ont mis en évidence le soutien de leur direction générale, il existait une tension dans les réactions des médecins, qui a été variable selon le type de changement structurel visé, tandis que les infirmiers se sont montrés plutôt accessibles face aux nouvelles mesures introduites par la réforme. L’une des originalités de cette thèse tient au fait que très peu de travaux sur les pays en développement ont tenté d’opérationnaliser de façon multidimensionnelle les concepts de décentralisation avant d’analyser les variantes susceptibles d’exister entre eux et les stratégies développées par les groupes d’acteurs de l’hôpital. En outre, alors que la pertinence de la prise en compte des caractéristiques du contexte organisationnel dans la mise en place des réformes des systèmes de soins est au cœur des préoccupations, ce travail est l’un des premiers à analyser l’influence de l’interaction entre le processus de réforme hospitalière et les prises de position des acteurs. Les résultats de cette thèse fournissent des recommandations aux décideurs politiques et aux gestionnaires quant aux modes de changement structurel à privilégier ou en éviter dans la planification, l’exécution et la mise en œuvre du processus de réforme hospitalière en fonction des caractéristiques du contexte organisationnel sanitaire. La planification de la réforme est essentielle : Élaborer un projet d’établissement discuté et validé par l’ensemble des acteurs de l’hôpital. Ce projet doit être compatible avec les objectifs du schéma d’organisation sanitaire nationale et déterminer les moyens en personnel et en équipements, dont l’hôpital doit disposer pour réaliser ses objectifs. Concevoir un cadre budgétaire et financier hospitalier flexible (qui va alléger la chaine de prise de décision), sur lequel reposera le nouveau système de gestion des hôpitaux. La capacité de mobilisation et d’exécution des ressources hospitalières devrait renforcer l’autonomie de gestion. Enfin, promouvoir une culture de l’évaluation et faciliter les évaluations périodiques de la mise en œuvre de la réforme hospitalière par des organismes d’évaluation externes et indépendants. / In Mali, a hospital law was passed in 2002 to define the institutional framework of a major reform. This law decreed substantial transformation of the internal structure, both administrative and clinical public hospitals including the involvement of local people in decision making of the establishment, administrative and financial autonomy through the delegation and the budget involvement of health professionals in the management, integration services and specialty private sector participation in the public hospital. However, the ability of hospitals to achieve the planned changes has been questioned by the majority of internal and external stakeholders. The objective of this thesis was to study how the hospital in Mali have been transformed turns under the pressure of the decentralization of state powers and to study how groups of actors are responding to these changes from two analytical frameworks. The first part incorporates the essential characteristics of hospital transformations in terms of different types of decentralization and the second part inspired by the work of Crozier and al. (1977) analysis the power games between groups of actors hospital at two levels namely strategic and systemic levels. For this, we conducted a study of two cases multiple studies we used three modes of data collection ie semi-structured interviews with key informants, document analysis, and observation during meetings. Initially, the analyzes revealed for the changes in the structure, depending on the size of the assigned responsibilities to the public hospital, (1) several variants of decentralization. Overall, the intent was focused on a political delegation and deconcentration and devolution, the mechanisms put in place have swung more towards devolution and delegation and devolution while the transformations actually worked in public hospitals have tended to confirm a deconcentration and more particularly of a delegation in the case of the involvement of local people in hospital management. While the public hospital could make revenue from the partial recovery of costs of care among users, the state kept a strong hand on financial management and personnel management, and defined guidelines and objectives to be pursued. (2) They provide an understanding of the linkages between different elements of the reform process, the type of mechanism put in place as part of the reform seems to determine the type of processing performed according to the functions that can ensure the public hospital. The logic reflects a shift from the delegation to a devolution which is judged as the least advanced form of decentralization. In a second step, the results confirm the presence of conflict between professional standards and recognized by health professionals and institutional and organizational standards put forward by the reform. They are defended by the majority of managers who are facing due to the authorities while the professional standards prevailing in clinical services. Both cases have highlighted the support of their general direction, there was a tension in the reactions of doctors, which was variable depending on the type of structural change aimed at, while nurses were rather accessible face of new measures introduced by the reform. A unique feature of this thesis is that very little work on developing countries have attempted to operationalize a multidimensional concepts of decentralization before analyzing the variations that may exist between them and the strategies developed by stakeholder groups of the hospital. Furthermore, while the relevance of taking into account the characteristics of organizational context in the implementation of reforms is at the heart of care concerns, this work is one of the first to analyze the influence of the interaction between the process of hospital reform and the positions of the actors. The results of this thesis provide recommendations to policy makers and managers on the modes of structural change to favor or avoid in planning, execution and implementation of hospital reform process based on the characteristics of organizational context health. Planning reform is essential: Develop a school plan discussed and validated by all stakeholders of the hospital. This project must be compatible with the objectives of a national health organization and determine how personnel and equipment, which the hospital must have to achieve its objectives. Designing a fiscal and financial flexibility hospital (which will reduce the chain of decision making), upon which a new system of hospital management. Capacity for mobilization and execution of hospital resources should empower management. Finally, promoting a culture of evaluation and facilitate periodic evaluations of the implementation of hospital reform by agencies external and independent evaluation.

Knowledge retention plays an important role in combating organisational knowledge loss. However, some organisations, including mining companies, still lose organisational knowledge due to employees retiring, resigning, downsizing, attrition and so on. This leaves the companies with a shortage of qualified and senior, experienced employees to meet production needs, which has a negative impact on the running of the operational functions on a day-to-day basis. This qualitative study utilised the knowledge-retention model as a theoretical framework to investigate knowledge-retention strategies at a platinum mine in the North West province in South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 employees of the platinum mine in North West province who were chosen purposively, as well as organisational document review. The key findings revealed that although the mine has a knowledge-retention policy, some of the employees are not aware of its existence and there is no enough investment in knowledge-retention initiatives within the organisation. The study concludes by arguing that having knowledge retention policy, strategies and initiatives on paper but failing to implement is as good as not having it. The study recommends that management become involved, support knowledge-retention initiatives, and ensure that knowledge retention policy is implemented in the organisation. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Empirical research has confirmed the importance of supervision and support to subordinates in improving the quality of performance. This study investigated the nature of supervision and support provided at previously marginalised school-based Grade classes of the Gauteng North District, at Gauteng Province in South Africa. To meet this objective qualitative research design was used. The subjects of the study were all purposefully selected practitioners, Head of Departments and school principals. Data was collected through observations, documents analysis and semi structured interviews (individual and focus group). The total of 33 purposefully selected participants took part in the research. Participants were selected according to the socio-economic status of their schools. It included schools from rural, semi-rural, semi urban and farm areas. To analyse the information collected, responses were grouped into categories as they appear in the practitioners’ observation template and ATLAS ti. software themes for individual and focus group interviews. The findings showed that the nature of supervision and support provided in Grade classes compromised the quality of teaching. Practitioners were also very vocal about the absence of support they get with regard to classroom practices from the School Management Team (SMT). The Head of Departments also mentioned lack of knowledge of Grade R practices, work overload and limited time as challenges that inhibit them to provide the needed support. Their concerns were also confirmed by the findings of the conducted classroom observations. The mistakes and omissions made by practitioners when carrying out Grade R daily routine activities indicated a lack of proper guidance and support. It was also confirmed during practitioners’ interviews that, practitioners worked on their own without any classroom support or guidance. The problems noted were exacerbated by the lack of professional qualification of practitioners. This study made recommendations and proposed a functional model of supervision and support that could address the challenges of poor supervision and support at Grade R classes. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)