This study focused on the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The primary aim of the research was to explore the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS through the eyes of the caregivers. Five participants were selected for this study using convenience sampling. The data was collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis and themes were extracted and presented. The results of this study indicate that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS living in the children’s home experience many psychosocial problems. Further research on the psychosocial issues specific to orphaned children raised in children’s homes in rural areas is recommended / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

An exploratory study was undertaken to research the effect of hearing impairment on employment and socialisation of black hearing impaired persons and the role of social workers and job placement officers in supporting these hearing impaired persons in their work situation. The Council and Affiliates should disseminiate information on the effect of deafness on employment to the public and also embark on social work services to Deaf employees. Future socio-demographic data with a central register of interpreters and post-lingually hearing impaired employees should be embarked on by the Council as well as the effect of preparation of the hearing impaired for the open labour market and environmental barriers on their employment opportunities. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:30:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5926.pdf: 1672040 bytes, checksum: 5cf8fe59610bb4b31eb2150fb8605f95 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-14 / A reduction in social contact among the elderly can result in unhealthy social isolation, and an increase in depressive symptoms. To combat this problem, services for the elderly are emerging, but little is yet known about the factors that affect the use of these services and the contribution of these programs to reduce social isolation. On the basis of the literature review, a new instrument was constructed to evaluate the extent to which older people who are engaged in activities outside the family circle feel that these involvements create opportunities to be more active, more competent, meet new people, form new friendships, learn new skills, do something they enjoy, or to do something related to their personal interests. The overall objectives of the current study were to: a) compare the perceptions of users and non-users of services for the elderly, with respect to their perceptions of the adequacy of their opportunities for social contact outside the family, and b) to determine if elderly people with more positive perceptions of these activities also report fewer depressive symptoms. Participants included 60 people aged 65 years or older (15 female and 15 male service users, and 15 female and 15 male non-users), all residing in a small city with approximately 122.000 inhabitants, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. All respondents obtained scores equal to or above their cut-off score on the Mini Mental State Examination, such that all participants presented normal cognitive functioning. After signing the consent form, the participants responded to instruments about their financial status, physical and mental health (Brazilian Socioeconomic Criteria, Katz Scale of ADL, the PAQ and the Geriatric Depression Scale). Next, participants rated the extent to which their nonfamily activities meet their needs for social inclusion. The two groups were highly similar with respect to socioeconomic status, education, and functionality levels. The main findings indicate that both users and non-users of services for the elderly reported a high level of satisfaction with their non-family activities. In addition, average ratings of their opportunities for social inclusion were high in both groups, but those who used services for senior citizens had fewer depressive symptoms than those who did not use these services, which is coherent with some other studies that point to the positive effects of attending universities for senior citizens. As such, the primary contribution of this study was to initiate more detailed work, to identify and better understand how to create opportunities for the social inclusion of the elderly. / Na velhice, ocorre um decréscimo nos contatos sociais que pode resultar em um isolamento social não saudável e o aumento do número de sintomas depressivos. Para combater este problema, estão surgindo serviços para a terceira idade, mas ainda contamos com poucos estudos sobre os fatores que afetam o uso destes serviços e a contribuição dos mesmos para reduzir a sensação de isolamento social. Pautado na literatura revisada, construiu-se um instrumento para averiguar se idosos engajados em atividades extrafamiliares consideram que estas criam oportunidades para se sentir mais ativo, mais competente, falar com pessoas novas, fazer novas amizades, aprender algo novo, fazer o que gosta, fazer o que interessa. Os objetivos gerais desta pesquisa foram: a) comparar a percepção de idosos usuários e não usuários de serviços para a terceira idade, em relação à adequação de suas oportunidades para contato social extrafamiliar e b) verificar se pessoas com percepções mais positivas acerca destas atividades apresentam um menor número de sintomas depressivos. Coletou-se dados com 60 participantes (15 mulheres e 15 homens que usavam serviços para a terceira idade, e 15 mulheres e 15 homens que não usavam estes serviços), todos com 65 anos ou mais de idade, residentes em uma cidade pequena com cerca de 122.000 habitantes, no interior do estado de São Paulo. Todos apresentaram um escore igual ou superior à sua nota de corte no Mini Exame do Estado Mental, de forma que nenhum respondente tinha indícios de comprometimento cognitivo. Após assinarem o Termo de Consentimento, responderam instrumentos para obter informações sobre suas condições financeiras, físicas e de saúde mental (o Critério Brasil 2013, o Índices Katz e Pfeffer e a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica). Depois, responderam um roteiro de entrevista para verificar sua percepção da adequação das atividades que praticavam para suprir suas necessidades de inclusão social. Os dois grupos eram muito similares em termos de escolaridade, nível socioeconômico e nível de funcionalidade. Enquanto resultados principais, observou-se que tanto os usuários como os não usuários de serviços para a terceira idade apresentaram alto nível de satisfação com as atividades desenvolvidas fora do convívio familiar. Além disso, todos os idosos que praticavam atividades extrafamiliares avaliaram positivamente as oportunidades para se manter socialmente incluídos, mas aqueles que frequentavam serviços para a terceira idade apresentaram menor número de sintomas depressivos, o que está em acordo com alguns outros estudos sobre os efeitos positivos de frequentar as Universidades Abertas para a Terceira Idade, por exemplo. Sendo assim, considera-se que a principal contribuição deste estudo foi de iniciar trabalhos mais criteriosos para identificar e avaliar fatores que geram experiências de inclusão social entre idosos.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Public Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / Thousands of refugees fleeing from surrounding war-torn and destitute African countries come to South Africa hoping to live in safety. Refugee service providers play a major role in providing services to help refugees achieve self-sufficiency soon after entering the country, and the support and assistance required to rebuild their lives and integrate into South African society. The study investigated issues facing refugees in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, and how service providers assist them in overcoming the hardships of being unprepared in a foreign country. The researcher followed a mixed methods approach, implementing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore services provided to refugees in Cape Town by three refugee service providers, namely the Agency for Refugee Education, Skills Training and Advocacy (ARESTA), Cape Town Refugee Centre (CTRC) and Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town (SCCT). Quantitative data was collected by administering a survey questionnaire to 120 refugees, all clients of the selected service providers, to obtain their perceptions about the services they receive. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with senior staff of two of the service providers to gain insight into the services offered and challenges they face in assisting their clients. The study revealed that the majority of clients received assistance, with 75 percent of respondents reporting having received assistance and only 6.67 percent reporting not having received the requested assistance. However, some who had received services indicated too few services were on offer for them to choose from; they took what was offered although these may not have been what they really required. Reasons some refugees do not get services include lack of proper documentation and problems related to the non-availability of the services required by refugees. This is largely due to insufficient funding to provide needed services, and results in refugee service providers either serving only a few people or providing insufficient aid. The study highlights good practices, suggests improvements and concludes with recommendations for the key stakeholders concerned.

Este trabalho teve como propósito verificar como as incubadoras tecnológicas brasileiras contribuem para a internacionalização das empresas incubadas na percepção dos gestores das incubadoras. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa descritiva com 40 incubadoras tecnológicas brasileiras (50% da população) e que atenderam aos seguintes critérios: estar em efetiva operação há um tempo superior a dois anos e com pelo menos uma empresa graduada. . A partir das entrevistas, identificou-se que 40% das incubadoras da amostra possuem programa formal voltado para a internacionalização das incubadas e 60% das têm empresas que iniciaram processo de internacionalização. A pesquisa forneceu indicações de ações e serviços que são efetivos na internacionalização das empresas. As ações e serviços que se mostraram mais relevantes à internacionalização das empresas foram: utilização de critérios de seleção como orientação internacional dos empreendedores; tolerância dos empreendedores ao risco; pró-atividade dos empreendedores; experiência dos empreendedores no setor; produtos e serviços inovadores; diferenciais e recursos únicos; proporcionar capacitação em gestão de tecnologia e inovação, gestão mercadológica, gestão da qualidade, gestão de distribuição e logística, e sobre o mercado externo; proporcionar às empresas incubadas participação em programas formais de internacionalização; consultorias, assessorias ou serviços de importação e exportação; de transferência internacional de tecnologia; divulgação dos projetos e produtos das empresas incubadas no exterior; identificação e prospecção de negócios e parceiros no mercado externo; acesso das empresas incubadas a recursos para exportação, investimentos estrangeiros e capital de risco; proporcionar às empresas incubadas fortalecimento e ampliação das redes internacionais com outras empresas, parceiros, associações e redes de incubação, instituições de ensino e centros de pesquisa internacionais; participação da incubadora em redes nacionais e internacionais e possuir equipe, assessores e consultores com redes internacionais de relacionamentos de negócios. / This study aimed to see how, in the perception of their managers, technology incubators in Brazil contribute to the internationalization of incubated firms. To this end, we performed a descriptive study of 40 technology incubators in Brazil (50% of the population) who met the following criteria: being in effective operation for a period longer than two years with at least one graduated company. The interviews showed that 40% of the incubators in the sample have formal programs focused on the internationalization of the companies within the incubator and 60% have companies that have begun the process of internationalization. The survey provided indications of what actions and services are effective in the internationalization of enterprises. The actions and services that were found to be most relevant to the internationalization of enterprises were: internally; the use of a selection criteria by entrepreneurs as an international guide, the entrepreneurs’ risk tolerance, the proactivity of entrepreneurs, the experience of the entrepreneurs in the industry, innovative products and services, unique differentials and features, to provide training in technology management and innovation, marketing management, quality management, distribution and logistics management; and regarding the external market; to provide incubated companies the opportunity to participate in formal internationalization programs, import and export consultancy or advisory services, international technology transfer, dissemination of projects and products of the incubated companies abroad, identification and prospecting of business and partners in foreign markets, access of the incubated companies to resources such as export financing, foreign investment and venture capital, to provide incubated companies expansion through international networks with other business partners, associations and incubation networks, educational institutions and international research centers, participation of the incubated company in national and international networks and having staff, advisors and consultants with international business network relationships.

O mercado de idosos tem ganhado cada vez mais expressividade no contexto de consumo contemporâneo. Sendo assim, as empresas de serviços que atendem esse público-alvo devem desenvolver atividades de marketing específicas para alcançar este segmento de consumidores. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar quais são as atividades de marketing desenvolvidas e aplicadas por empresas de serviços que têm como público-alvo o mercado de idosos, mais especificamente moradias especializadas em idosos, e verificar se essas empresas seguem as propostas da literatura. Para atingir este objetivo, realizou-se uma profunda revisão da literatura sobre marketing de serviços e o mercado de idosos. Foi realizada, em seguida, uma pesquisa exploratória e qualitativa, que utilizou como método de pesquisa o estudo de casos múltiplos. Para a consolidação da pesquisa empírica, três empresas de serviço que atendem especificamente o público idoso - moradias especializadas - foram estudadas. Analisaram-se as atividades de marketing de serviços desenvolvidas por elas sob a luz da teoria de segmentação, posicionamento e composto de marketing para serviços - produto, processos, pessoas, preço, promoção, praça e evidências físicas. Foi possível concluir que as atividades de marketing de serviços não são elaboradas de forma estruturada, mas sim com base no feeling e na experiência de seus gestores, e que as empresas não possuem um direcionamento competitivo em relação ao desenvolvimento de suas atividades de marketing de serviços. No entanto, percebeu-se que algumas dessas atividades, ainda que desenvolvidas de forma intuitiva, em diversos aspectos corroboram a proposta da literatura. / The elderly market has increasingly gained expression in the context of the contemporary consumer. In consequence, the service companies, which meet the intended target audience, should develop marketing activities in order to reach this segment of consumers. The objective of this study is aimed to identify what the developed and applied marketing activities are by the service companies who possess the elderly market as a target audience, specifically housing specialized for the elderly, and verify if these companies follow the proposals established in the literature. In order to achieve this objective, a profound revision of the literature in regards to marketing services and the elderly market was performed. Subsequently, an exploratory and qualitative survey was completed, which utilized the study of multiple cases as a research method. For the consolidation of the empirical survey, three service companies, which specifically serve the elderly population - specialized housing - were studied. It analyzed the activities of marketing services developed by them in the light of theory of segmentation, positioning and marketing composition for services - product, process, people, price, promotion, place and physical evidence. It was possible to conclude that the activities of marketing services are not elaborated in a structured form, and they follow the feeling and experience of their managers; consequently, the companies do not possess a competitive direction in relation to the development of their activities of marketing services. Nonetheless, it was possible to realize that some of these activities, even developed intuitively, in diverse aspects, corroborate the proposal of the literature.

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Traditional methods of IT recruitment in tertiary institutions need to be reviewed and more modern approaches analysed. A lot of successes and failures have been reported for each type of sourcing strategy in the IT sector. Many organizations have been liquidated due to poorly planned mergers, takeovers, and total outsourcing strategic shifts. The primary objective is to review the current IT sourcing strategies in tertiary institutions and to analyse and discuss the benefits and limitations of employing permanent IT staff, contract workers or outsourced staff.

The study determined the impact of agricultural development projects on poverty alleviation at Amajuba district municipality. Data was drawn from 100 respondents, projects were purposively selected in line with the focus of projects members and non-projects members in Dannhauser under Amajuba District municipality to access and investigate the impact of agricultural development projects on poverty alleviation. The study presents the results of assessing those that are in groups and those that are working individually on agricultural production to alleviate poverty. The data was captured using a questionnaire which was administered through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were used to analyse and compare the level of livelihood and variables between project and non-project members. The results show that project members are more productive than non-project members. Project members had more access to funding, training, markets and extension services compared to non-members. However, the results further showed that being a project member attracts some rewards which end up improving the living standards as well as alleviates the poverty levels of farmers, whereas working as an individual limits the farmer(s) from receiving reasonable government assistance such as funding and extension services delivery. The descriptive results indicated that members of most rural households were relatively old, married, literate but unemployed. Non-project members were dependent on remittances, social grants and pension funds because the farming strategy could not meet all their household needs. However, The major crops that were grown for income and food security to maintain their livelihoods include: maize, potatoes, onions, butternut, carrots, cabbage and dry beans. Factors that had significant influences on outcomes were extension services, grants, pension and remittances, land productivity, market accessibility, output difference and livelihood. The available opportunities for project members were access to land, funding, markets, infrastructure, inputs and support services from government institutions, as well as NGO’s.

This research article studies the factors that are likely to affect the visible part of human resource development (HRD)– the use of HRD activities in the Legislature Sector. It is argued that the active use of HRD activities as such does not indicate the role HRD plays in a Legislature’s business: rather, one has to pay attention to HRD orientation that captures the paradigm of an organization as regards the development of people. In this empirical study of Legislature Sector, several factors related to the organization, strategy, HRD function, and HRD person are identified as meaningful predictors of HRD orientation. Results imply that the outcomes of HRD are also dependent on factors outside the traditional authority of HRD function. The model that is formed based on the results helps those involved in HRD to understand the inherent linkages and holistic nature of people development in organizations.