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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
181

Change and Continuity in the Religious Life of the Ilavas of Southern Kerala

Jacob, George 10 1900 (has links)
Of all the Hindu communities in southern Kerala, the Ilavas are the largest. They were, however, traditionally considered outside the pale of "varna" and treated as "untouchables" by the higher castes. A 'man of vision' of this community, Srl Narayana Guru (1855-1928) introduced religious and social reforms that brought about an awakening among the Ilavas at the beginning of the twentieth century. The consequent changes among the Ilavas brought them to an escalating series of confrontations with the upholders of the traditional caste order. This thesis focuses on the reformation of the Ilavas and analyses their place and position in the larger social structure. It argues that their reformation can only be understood essentially as a process of "modernization". By modernization is meant an indigenous, historical and ongoing process in which people participate both consciously and critically. The Ilavas in their awakening have incorporated the values of modernity into their culture without losing the core values of the tradition. The history of the awakening of the Ilavas is, therefore, a case study of modernization within the framework of traditional Hindu society. In order to make this case study a field was chosen for research in consideration of maximum suitability. That field is an area of southern Kerala called Murukkumpula, not far from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. In view of the stress on change and continuity, which is the theme of the thesis, the field research has helped to establish that the modes of change in this particular area can be seen exhibited in the leadership of an elite; a reorientation of values; a rationalistic and democratic approach to the direction of change; an expression of freedom and responsibility among the members; social mobility based on equality and overall development and a network of institutions that sustain and propagate the ideals of the movement and hold the community together. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
182

A Cure for Original Sin? Southern Baptists and Race 1970-1999: A Study of a Race Relations Sunday Institutional Initiative

McGlamery, Steven M. 28 March 2022 (has links)
Race and Christianity are inseparably intertwined in the U.S., past and present. While there has been much scholarship at this intersection recently, this study focuses on less explored areas: the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)--the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, and the somewhat neglected period between 1970-2000. The objective: ascertain how Southern Baptist leadership attempted to address the "problem" of race during this period. Of special significance is the transition during these years from more moderate/conservative leadership to a Fundamentalist/Conservative regime. This study focuses in particular on the Race Relations Sunday (RRS) initiative promoted and observed annually by Southern Baptists beginning in 1965. I accessed archives of the RRS materials and used a grounded theory method approach to analyze the content of these documents. After hundreds of documents had been coded and analyzed, I found that: 1) the SBC saw individual-level sin as the primary cause of racism and racial inequality throughout the 30 years, but there was also some expression of institutionally embedded causes earlier on—a focus that became almost non-existent by the 1990s; 2) the way the SBC tried to diversify changed as the decades passed, from attempts to integrate churches or create multiracial churches to recruiting or creating majority non-white churches; 3) the pursuit of individual- and small group-level racial reconciliation was evident and pronounced throughout the thirty years; an alternate solution calling on white people to pay the price of giving up their unjust privileges and advantages was found somewhat in the earlier years, but nearly disappeared in the later years; 4) "Observing" Race Relations Sunday became less about concrete action, and changed into a more passive, positive public relations effort as time went on; 5) The goal or hoped-for outcome was "improved race relations" all along, with the colorblind approach coming to more prominence as the years passed; a parallel emphasis on establishing justice and equality was apparent in earlier years, but less so in later years. I take up the problem of defining "the race problem" for the SBC and our society in the concluding chapter. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study focuses on Southern Baptists--the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, and their attempts to address racial issues through observance of a "Race Relations Sunday" initiative. Of special significance is the transition during the years studied (1970-2000) from more moderate/conservative leadership to fundamentalist/ conservative leadership. The annual Race Relations Sunday materials were coded and analyzed. The findings included that the race-centered focus was primarily on individual-level sin throughout the 30 years, with whatever focus on society-wide issues fading over the years. Also, the SBC stopped focusing so much on integrating or creating multiracial churches and turned the focus to majority non-white churches joining the denomination.; individual racial reconciliation was a focus throughout; any expectation that whites pay a price to make things right nearly disappears in the later years. Race Relations Sunday became less about community action and more about passive, positive public relations. And an ill-defined hope to "improve race relations" became the almost sole focus as earlier concern for justice and equality faded. The problem of defining "the race problem" is taken up in the concluding chapter.
183

The nature and potential of industrial development within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the facilitating role of trade liberalisation and foreign direct investment in selected countries

Mutambara, Tsitsi Effie January 2005 (has links)
To date the SADC region has managed to develop a manufacturing base but this base is still small as evidenced by its low contribution to GDP. For example, only three out of the fourteen SADC countries, viz. Mauritius, South Africa and Swaziland, had over 20 percent of their GDP originating from the manufacturing sector throughout the 1990s. Also to note is that while the manufacturing sector is quite diversified, the sector is dominated by industrial processes which are more of resource and labour-intensive in nature than those processes of scale-intensive, differentiated and science based in nature. TIle trade performance of the manufacturing sector supports these observations and as such the region is heavily dependent on imports for scale-intensive, differentiated and science based commodities. However, despite the fact that the region tends to focus more on resource- and labour-intensive manufacturing activities, products from these manufacturing activities are still significant components of manufactured goods imports into the region. Also to note is that since resource- and labour-intensive industries dominate manufacturing activities; these are the areas in which investment opportunities abound. For example, agro-based manufacturing presents most of the investment opportunities, with food processing presenting the majority of the investment opportunities followed by garments and textiles production. Mineral processing also presents significant investment opportunities. The analyses of the nature of the manufacturing sector also show that in a few SADC countries, viz. Mauritius, South Africa and Zimbabwe; scale-intensive, differentiated and science based industries also form a significant component of the industrial base implying more technologically complex manufacturing sectors. Since high technology and technologically complex manufacturing activities are limited, investment opportunities in these manufacturing sub-sectors are also limited to just a few countries However, with the SADC ITA in place, opportunities could arise for these limited technology-related manufacturing facilities to expand or engage in import substitution production so as to meet the demands of the growing regional market. It is also important to note that, while the region may not have as competitive advantage in these industries as in the resource- and labour-intensive industries, there is a need for the region to selectively identify and target such industries for priority development, a lesson SADC could learn from the East Asian NIC's took in their industrialisation strategy. The study also shows that the manufacturing sector has been a priority sector for both domestic and foreign investors. This has implications for industrial development because a strong and dynamic manufacturing sector would be developed, forming a sound basis for industrialisation as well as being able to effectively link and support all the other sectors of the economy. FDI could help the region to fully utilise the labour-intensive industries and use them as a stepping-stone to higher levels of industrial development. This is a lesson to SADC from the experiences of the East Asian NICs where while industrialisation was initiated by labour-intensive manufacturing, the countries were able to move into capital-intensive manufacturing due to FDI as it enabled the establishment of the industrial bases, thus leading to a rise in the share of manufactured exports. FDI could also help to develop the resource-intensive industries further by promoting further processing of raw materials into products of more value, thus propelling industrialisation through a resource-led industrial development programme as the current resource-intensive industries become fully utilised. The raw materials which occur in great abundance in the region's primary sector would have a ready market in the manufacturing sector where they would serve as inputs to the production of high value products. The currently smaller industrial base for scale-intensive products, differentiated and science-based manufactured products would benefit from the improved technological capabilities and managerial skills that result from FDI. Therefore, by impacting positively on manufacturing activities of both low and high MVA, FDI would thus have a facilitating role in establishing a more solid industrial base, broadening the current manufacturing base, and improving installed capacity utilisation. The study also shows that investment in productive capacity in the form of machinery and equipment is of great importance in the sampled SADC countries. Investment towards the acquisition of this capital is very important as this is directly relevant towards improving productive capacity. FDI could thus play a facilitating role by augmenting the current domestic investment in machinery and equipment. While the manufacturing sector within the region is still small and the current utilisation of installed industrial capacity is low, there is potential for further industrial growth. The current process to usher in the SADC Free Trade Area would have a facilitating role through various ways: viz. increasing the market size and enabling easier access through the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, promoting regional competitiveness, improved utilisation of regional corridors, increasing opportunities for utilising identified intra-industry trade potentials, and providing opportunities for increased regional cross-border investment. Apart from the SADC FTA, the USA African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Cotonou Agreement will also motivate the identification and utilisation of existing and new potentials within the manufacturing sector in SADC. In order to improve the current nature of industries in the region, there is also a need to design and implement appropriate industrial policies and strategies. Such policies should consider the region's trade policies and the recently launched Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) so as to complement them. The industrial policies should also address issues relating to industrial investment, technology and local technological capabilities development, human resources development, the structure and nature of industry, the competitiveness of industries, as well as facilitating the complementarities between the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. To this end therefore, instead of relying solely on individual national industrial policies, SADC is in the process of formulating a regional industrial policy and strategies which seek to promote and support sustainable industrial growth across the region, thus facilitating industrial development.
184

Transcending state-centrism: new regionalism and the future of Southern African regional integration

Blaauw, Lesley January 2007 (has links)
This dissertation argues that in the 1990s and beyond, the character and functions of regions and regionalism have experienced a major transformation. This requires a reconceptualisation of regions and regionalism that transcends state-centrism. The argument here is that the definition of regions and regionalism needs to recognise that other actors also participate in the construction of regions and the practise of regionalism. Up to now, however, theories of integration incompletely deal with outcomes appropriate to developing countries, states and regions. In the context where people remain vulnerable to top-down forms of regionalism driven by the forces of globalisation, this calls for a new approach in the analytical study of regionalism in a transnational context. The contention is that new regionalism, and its variant, developmental regionalism pay attention to the role those organised civil society actors and those marginalised by both globalisation and regionalisation play in promoting regionalism in a transnational context. Historically, state-centric regionalism in southern Africa was not aimed at achieving developmental objectives. In the case of SACU, the argument is that South Africa used its economic strength in a hegemonial way. To counter-act apartheid South Africa’s economic hegemony, SADCC was formed. SADCC achieved limited success in the fields of infrastructural development and in attracting donor aid. The end of the Cold War and the downfall of apartheid compelled these organisations to recast their objectives and purpose. For SACU this meant changing from an organisation dominated by South Africa to a fully-fledged inter-state one. Disconcertedly, however, about the reforms undertook by SACU, is that the disposition of member states remain important in determining the content and scope of regionalism. SADC, on the other hand, has also not sufficiently reform itself to achieve the ambitious goals it set-out for itself. Moreover, while SADC has since its inception in 1992 set-out to involve non-state actors in its regional integration efforts, limited institutional reform in 2000 and beyond, and elites at the forefront of institutional restructuring make it difficult for non-state actors to contribute to sustainable regional integration. In conclusion, this dissertation maintains that sustainable regionalist orders are best built by recognising that beyond the geometry of state-sovereignty, civil society organisations with a regional focus and the ordinary people of the region also contribute to regioness and as such to the re-conceptualisation of regional community in southern Africa.
185

Towards the development of species-specific fish production models for small reservoirs in Southern Africa

Potts, Warren Mason January 2004 (has links)
The fish populations in small southern African reservoirs are largely unexploited and there is potential for fisheries development. However, the development of sustainable fisheries requires reliable estimates of potential yield or production. Empirical models that have been developed to predict fish production only apply to large water bodies and only predict total fish production, not the production of individual species. Small reservoirs generally have few commercially important species and therefore species-specific fish production models are an alternative approach. The small reservoirs of the Eastern Cape are dominated by the moggel (Labeo umbratus). The principal objectives of this thesis were to gain an understanding of the ecology of small reservoirs and the function of moggel in these systems. This information was used to design a research approach to rapidly develop species-specific models for small reservoirs in southern Africa. The limnology of two small reservoirs was compared. During the study period the reservoirs were turbid and showed a warm, monomictic pattern of thermal stratification. Anthropogenic pressure in the reservoir catchments appeared to be the overriding factor increasing the nutrient input to the reservoirs and consequently, influencing the biomass of algae in the reservoirs. The feeding biology of moggel in Katriver and Laing reservoirs was examined. Moggel are detrivorous and successfully digested diatoms. The slower growth rate of moggel in Katriver reservoir was attributed to the poorer nutritional value of the diet as a consequence of the lower concentration of diatoms in the detrital aggregate. The reproductive characteristics of moggel were examined in four reservoirs. Moggel were able to reproduce successfully in the reservoirs. This could be attributed to their r-selected reproductive strategy, with a high fecundity and an extended spawning season and their ability to spawn in a floodplain environment. Differences in recruitment success between years were found to be a consequence of the timing and duration of seasonal rains. The number of mature females in a population and the availability of suitable spawning habitat influenced recruitment success. The life history of the moggel in five reservoirs was compared. Growth appeared to be related to food availability, while mortality was lower in the populations where food was abundant and there were less predatory species. Size and age at maturity were not affected by environmental factors, but were dependent on growth and mortality. Three contrasting methods were used to estimate moggel gillnet selectivity. The Sechin, direct fyke net method and length-structured model all yielded similar results and correction factors obtained from the selectivity study were applied to the gillnet data to estimate the fish population size and structure in each reservoir. Using information from the life history and selectivity studies, the biomass and production of five moggel populations was estimated and related to abiotic and biotic factors in the reservoirs and their catchments. Moggel biomass and production was dependent on the biomass of algae, which was dependent on morphoedaphic characteristics of the reservoirs. Small, shallow reservoirs with a reasonable amount of human habitation in their catchments would sustain the highest algal biomass and provided they had adequate spawning habitat would also have the highest moggel biomass and production. The future research requirements for small reservoir fisheries are outlined and include a three-year program to develop a species-specific production model for any of the dominant species.
186

Historical biogeography of the tribe Platypleurini Schmidt, 1918 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with a focus on Southern Africa

Price, Benjamin Wills January 2010 (has links)
With our contemporary biota under increasing threat of extinction, it is of interest to understand where, why and how biological diversity is generated. If focussed on appropriate taxa, phylogeographic and phylogenetic studies can assist in the identification of both places and processes central to the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. It is explained why southern Africa presents a perfect test-bed for exploring such mechanisms of diversification and why cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) have proved very suitable tools for studies of historical biogeography. This study then exemplifies these points by providing the first large-scale investigation of the historical biogeography of the tribe Platypleurini Schmidt, 1918, with emphasis on the genus Platypleura Amyot & Seville, 1843 in southern Africa. Standard methods of DNA sequencing provided data from portions of the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal 16S RNA (16S) and cytochrome oxidase subunits I (COI) and II (COII); and the nuclear elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) from 400 ethanol-preserved specimens. These data were analysed using standard phylogenetic methods and a time scale of diversification was estimated using a Bayesian framework and both fossil data and DNA substitution rates. The results showed that the tribe is too recent to be of Gondwanan origin. The lack of monophyly of the genera represented in both Asia and Africa showed that the tribe needs formal taxonomic revision. Diversification of the African platypleurine genera coincides with aridification in the early Oligocene. Dispersal of Asian platypleurine taxa coincides with the meeting of Africa and Eurasia in the mid-Oligocene. Two radiations within African Platypleura are hypothesised; one distributed over most of sub-Saharan Africa and the second restricted to southern Africa, with clades restricted within regional biomes. Within each of the three focal biomes, cryptic taxonomic diversity was confirmed, suggesting that, even in relatively well understood groups such as the southern African platypleurine cicadas, molecular data can identify further diversity. Although each focal taxon was restricted to non-overlapping biomes, comparison of the three biomes highlighted interactions between palaeoclimates and fixed landscape features (coastal topography, river catchments and escarpments) as causative agents of vicariance, dispersal, extinction and diversification of these volant insects. The results of using co-distributed species for comparative study cautions against making inferences based on single-taxon datasets and highlights the need to use many, evolutionarily independent taxa when identifying mechanisms of diversification. The dating analyses imply that within-species lineage diversification occurred overwhelmingly within the Pleistocene, a trend that is being increasingly recognised in print for other biota. Some caveats about using phylogenetic approaches to estimate ancestral areas are illustrated. Several recommendations are made regarding additional taxa and data sources for understanding the origin and maintenance of biological diversity.
187

新加坡潮州話語法硏究 =: A study of the Chao-chou dialect as spoken in Singapore. / Study of the Chao-chou dialect as spoken in Singapore / Xinjiapo Chaozhou hua yu fa yan jiu =: A study of the Chao-chou dialect as spoken in Singapore.

January 1976 (has links)
張楚浩著. / 手稿本. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學中國語言及文學部. / Shou gao ben. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 379-394). / Zhang Chuhao zhu. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue Zhongguo yu yan ji wen xue bu. / 前言 --- p.1 / Chapter 第一章 --- 語音描寫 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- 声母 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- 韵母 --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3 --- 声調 --- p.22 / Chapter 1.4 --- 变調与輕声 --- p.26 / Chapter 第二章 --- 字詞詞組 --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1 --- 字与詞 --- p.39 / Chapter 2.2 --- 詞的结构方式 --- p.44 / Chapter 2.3 --- 詞类 --- p.61 / Chapter 2.4 --- 詞組 --- p.100 / Chapter 第三章 --- 句子类型 --- p.106 / Chapter 3.1 --- 句子概說 --- p.106 / Chapter 3.2 --- 体詞謂語句 --- p.115 / Chapter 3.3 --- 动詞謂語句 --- p.122 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- 連动句 --- p.129 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- 兼語式 --- p.138 / Chapter 3.4 --- 形容詞謂語句 --- p.142 / Chapter 3.5 --- 主謂謂語句 --- p.146 / Chapter 第四章 --- 句子成分 --- p.157 / Chapter 4.1 --- 基本成分 --- p.157 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- 主語、謂語 --- p.157 / Chapter 4.1.1.1 --- 主語是謂語的施事 --- p.158 / Chapter 4.1.1.2 --- 主語是謂語的受事 --- p.159 / Chapter 4.1.1.3 --- 主語是謂語陳述的对象 --- p.167 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- 賓語 --- p.171 / Chapter 4.1.2.1 --- 普通賓語 --- p.172 / Chapter 4.1.2.2 --- 双賓語 --- p.178 / Chapter 4.1.2.3 --- 准賓語 --- p.181 / Chapter 4.2 --- 修飾成分 --- p.188 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- 修飾語 --- p.190 / Chapter 4.2.1.1 --- 名詞的修飾語 --- p.190 / Chapter 4.2.1.2 --- 动詞的修飾語 --- p.199 / Chapter 4.2.1.3 --- 形容詞的修飾語 --- p.222 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- 補語 --- p.227 / Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- 結果補語 --- p.228 / Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- 程度補語 --- p.238 / Chapter 4.2.2.3 --- 情状補語 --- p.241 / Chapter 4.2.2.4 --- 可能補語 --- p.244 / Chapter 4.2.2.5 --- 趋向補語 --- p.248 / Chapter 4.2.2.6 --- 动賓结构充當補語 --- p.255 / Chapter 4.3 --- 補語跟賓語的比較 --- p.260 / Chapter 第五章 --- 數量、称代 --- p.263 / Chapter 5.1 --- 數詞 --- p.263 / Chapter 5.2 --- 量詞 --- p.275 / Chapter 5.3 --- 动詞的數量詞 --- p.285 / Chapter 5.4 --- 代詞 --- p.287 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- 人称代詞 --- p.288 / Chapter 5.4.1.1 --- 我、你、伊 --- p.289 / Chapter 5.4.1.2 --- 阮、恁、我人、你人、伊人 --- p.293 / Chapter 5.4.1.3 --- 俺、阮 --- p.298 / Chapter 5.4.1.4 --- 家己 --- p.304 / Chapter 5.4.1.5 --- 別人 --- p.308 / Chapter 5.4.1.6 --- 大家、衆人、二家 --- p.313 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- 指示代詞 --- p.321 / Chapter 5.4.2.1 --- 只、許 --- p.323 / Chapter 5.4.2.2 --- 照生、口生 --- p.331 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- 疑問代詞 --- p.336 / Chapter 5.4.3.1 --- 哋 --- p.336 / Chapter 5.4.3.2 --- 什七 --- p.343 / Chapter 5.4.3.3 --- 「鬼」、若 --- p.345 / Chapter 5.4.3.4 --- 怎生、「至」「呢」物 --- p.349 / Chapter 5.4.3.5 --- 「至」「呢」 --- p.351 / Chapter 第六章 --- 語氣 --- p.353 / Chapter 6.1 --- 陳述:了、口路、哩、「定」、嘛 --- p.356 / Chapter 6.2 --- 疑问:口ne35、口ha213、啦33 --- p.361 / Chapter 6.3 --- 祈使:哇、哩、「欢」 --- p.367 / Chapter 6.4 --- 测度:口ne35、口no22 --- p.372 / Chapter 6.5 --- 啊、哩、口呢35 --- p.374 / 參攷書籍、期刊及論文目錄 --- p.379
188

Ancestral spirit mediumship in southern Thailand : the nora performance as a symbol of the south on the periphery of a Buddhist nation-state

Guelden, Marlane January 2005 (has links)
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 440-478). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xxi, 478 leaves, bound col. ill., maps 29 cm
189

The influence of transformational and transactional leadership on interpersonal trust through perceptions of fairness

Krafft, Pascale 03 1900 (has links)
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Southern African organisations have to survive In an increasingly competitive and globalised market. Southern African organisations are characterised through low productivity levels, low levels of trust between employers and employees, low levels of organisational commitment and effectiveness. Solutions must be found in order to overcome these problems and to prevent them in the future. This study might offer such a solution. The primary goal of this study was to establish whether there is a relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and interpersonal trust, and whether this relationship is influenced through organisational justice (in terms of procedural, interactional and distributive justice). The basis of this study was to establish whether procedural justice had a mediating effect on the relationship between transformational leadership and trust, and whether distributive justice had a mediating effect on the relationship between transactional leadership and trust. Another goal of this study was to establish whether there was a direct relationship between transformational leadership and trust. This study was based on a model of Pillai, Schriesheim and Williams (1999) who tested these relationships in the USA. Their results gave rise to replicating this study in Southern Africa. A literature study of transformational and transactional leadership, organisational justice (in terms of procedural, interactional, and distributive justice) and trust was conducted. The relationship between these constructs has also been analysed in the literature study. A questionnaire consisting of four sections was compiled in accordance with the literature study. These questionnaires were distributed to a Namibian bank. Twelve branches took part in this research. The sample comprised 281 persons, each of whom had to complete the questionnaire. Section A of the questionnaire was designed to give an indication of the demographic variables of the participants. Section B measured transformational and transactional leadership. This section was based on Bass and Avolio's multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ). Section C was compiled in accordance with Moorman's study of organisational justice. This section measured procedural, interactional and distributive justice. The last section, Section D, measured trust and was based on Bews's questionnaire of trust. The statistical analysis was conducted in two phases. In phase one, the confirmatory factor analysis on the original theoretical model did not produce adequate goodness-of-fit statistics. The structural model did not converge on LISREL in the first phase. Subsequently, alternative solutions had to be found and a second phase of statistical analysis was undertaken. In this phase, the various leadership dimensions were separated to test their individual effects in the model. Initially, principal component analyses using Varimax rotation and item analyses were performed on the data set using SPSS. Some items had to be removed as a result of the dimensionality and item analyses. Thereafter confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the reduced data set, using LISREL. The results indicated satisfactory factor loadings on the measurement models. Good fit was also revealed for the measurement models. Consequently, the structural model was tested on LISREL. The results provided reasonable goodness-of-fit statistics, but some hypotheses failed to be corroborated in this study. New insights have also been gained through the results. Conclusions were drawn from the results obtained and recommendations are made for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suider-Afrikaanse ondernemings moet in 'n toenemend kompeterende en internasionale besigheidswêreld probeer oorleef. Suider-Afrikaanse ondernemings word egter gekenmerk deur lae produktiwiteitsvlakke, 'n groot mate van wantroue tussen werknemers en werkgewers, lae vlakke van organisatoriese betrokkenheid en effektiwiteit. Oplossings moet gevind word om hierdie probleme te oorkom en in die toekoms te voorkom. Hierdie studie lewer moontlik 'n oplossing. Die primêre doel van hierdie studie IS om te bepaal of daar 'n verwantskap tussen transformasionele en transaksionele leierskap en vertroue bestaan, en of hierdie verwantskap deur persepsies van billikheid beïnvloed word. Die grondslag van dié studie was om vas te stelof prosessuele (procedural) billikheid 'n bemiddelende invloed op die verband tussen transformasionele leierskap en vertroue uitoefen, en of distributiewe billikheid 'n bemiddelende invloed uitoefen op die verhouding tussen transaksionele leierskap en vertroue. Verder is daar ook gekyk of daar 'n direkte verband tussen transformasionele leierskap en vertroue bestaan. Hierdie studie is gegrond op Pillai, Schriesheim en Williams (1999) se model, wat die verband tussen hierdie konstrukte in die VSA getoets het. Hulle resultate het aanleiding tot die herhaling van hierdie studie in Suider-Afrika gegee. 'n Literatuurstudie oor transformasionele en transaksionele leierskap, organisatoriese billikheid (in terme van prosessuele, interaktiewe en distributiewe billikheid) en vertroue is uitgevoer. Die verband tussen hierdie konstrukte is ook in die literatuurstudie ontleed. 'n Vraelys is na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie opgestel en in 'n Namibiese Bank versprei. Twaalf banktakke het aan hierdie studie deelgeneem. Die steekproef het uit 281 persone bestaan wat elkeen 'n vraelys moes voltooi. Afdeling A van die vraelys was ontwerp om 'n aanduiding van die demografiese veranderlikes van die deelnemers te verkry. Afdeling B het transformasionele en transaksionele leierskap gemeet en was op Bass en Avolio se leierskapsvraelys gebaseer. Afdeling C is opgestel na aanleiding van Moorman se studie oor billikheid in orgarnsasies. Hierdie deel het prosessuele, interaktiewe en distributiewe billikheid gemeet. Die laaste afdeling, afdeling D, het interpersoonlike vertroue gemeet en is gebaseer op Bews se vertrouevraelys. Die statistiese analise is in twee fases uitgevoer. In die eerste fase is die oorspronklike teoretiese modelop LISREL getoets. Die bevestigende faktoranalises van die latente veranderlikes het nie goeie passingstatistieke getoon nie. Die strukturele model het ook nie gekonvergeer nie. As gevolg hiervan moes alternatiewe oplossings gevind word en 'n tweede fase van statistiese anal ise is toegepas. Die leierskapsoriëntasies is opgedeel In hulle onderskeie dimensies. Daaropvolgend is eers dimensieanalise met die hulp van hootkomponentontleding en itemontleding gedoen. Verskeie items moes op grond van hierdie analises verwyder word. Op die verkorte datastel is daar weer 'n bevestigende faktoranalises met behulp van LISREL gedoen. Die passingstatistieke het hier aanvaarbare resultate opgelewer. Vervolgens is die nuwe strukturele model met behulp van LISREL getoets. Die resultate het redelike passingstatistieke gelewer, maar daar kon nie steun vir alle hipoteses gevind word nie. Nuwe insigte is deur die resultate verwerf. Op grond van die resultate is daar tot bepaalde gevolgtrekkings gekom en daar word aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing gemaak.
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Inter-individual variability and phenotypic plasticity : the effect of the environment on the biogeography, population structure, ecophysiology and reproduction of the sandhoppers Talorchestia capensis and Africorchestia quadrispinosa

Baldanzi, Simone January 2014 (has links)
Climatic envelope models focus on the climatic variables affecting species or species assemblages, and are important tools to investigate the effect of climate change on their geographical ranges. These models have largely been proposed in order to make successful predictions on species‘ persistence, determining which variables are likely to induce range expansion, contraction, or shifting. More recent models, including the ability and the cost for individuals to respond promptly to an environmental stimulus, have revealed that species may express phenotypic plasticity able to induce adaptation to the new environment. Consequently, understanding how species evolve to a changing climate is fundamental. From this perspective, investigating intraspecific responses to an environmental variable may contribute to better understanding and prediction of the effect of climate change on the geographical range and evolution of species, particularly in the case of widespread species. In this context, the present study aimed at establishing how environmental variables (focussing mainly on temperature) may have contributed to shape the spatial distribution, physiology, reproductive biology and connectivity of two species of Southern African sandhoppers (Talorchestia capensis and Africorchestia quadrispinosa, Amphipoda, Talitridae). Most of the work was carried out on T. capensis, due to its widespread spatial distribution. A first investigation of the biogeography of T. capensis and A. quadrispinosa, revealed that, for both species, spatial patterns of abundance, size and sex ratio were not explained by the Abundant Centre Hypothesis (greater abundance at the core of a spatial range), but rather guided by bio-physical forces. Precisely, the abundance of sandhoppers was driven by the morphodynamic state of the beach, salinity and temperatures, with strong differentiation among sites that reflected local environmental conditions. In support of these findings, strong population structure in the genetics of T. capensis was found (three main groups) when investigating its phylogeography and genetic connectivity. Although such defined structure may suggests cryptic speciation, the concomitant within-population variation in the COX1 region of mtDNA, also highlighted the importance of individual genetic variability. High individual variability was also found in the response of T. capensis to temperature, both in its physiology (thermal plasticity) and its reproductive biology (maternal effects). Since temperature is one of the main variables affecting the coastal marine systems of southern Africa and the metabolism of animals in general, its effect on the physiology and reproduction of T. capensis was therefore investigated. Thermal responses to increasing/decreasing temperatures were assessed for separated populations of T. capensis. Individual variability was reported in the oxygen consumption of T. capensis in response to temperature (high variation around the means, especially for increasing temperatures). Among population differences in thermal sensitivity were significantly correlated with air temperature variability experienced over the past 23 years, highlighting the importance of historical temperature fluctuations to the current thermal physiology of these sandhoppers. Temperature also had an important effect on the reproductive plasticity of T. capensis. Different temperatures induced mothers to adjust the size of their offspring (i.e. egg size), with larger eggs produced at lower temperatures. Interestingly, females showed strongly significant among individual variation in the size of the eggs. Given the importance of understanding rapid responses of organisms to climate change and considering the fundamental role played by phenotypic plasticity in evolution, the overall study revealed the significance of individual plasticity and variability in response to the environment and highlighted its importance. Particularly, studying the thermal physiology of separated populations and understanding within population reproductive plasticity in response to temperature, helped to clarify how differences among individual responses have important consequences at the population level, possibly explaining the widespread distribution of T. capensis.

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