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This mini thesis is aimed at establishing the relationship between developmental leadership and affective commitment as it presents itself across four levels of leadership within FNB Branch Banking. The four leadership levels targeted for research are Area Managers, Branch Managers, Administration Managers and Co-ordinators. The researcher used an Ex post facto research design in a natural field setting, formulating the research hypothesis that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between developmental leadership behaviours and affective commitment as reported by those whom directly reported to the four levels of leadership. Using 919 responses, the results of the statistical analysis showed all four leadership levels having a strong positive correlation between developmental leadership behaviours and the affective commitment of direct reports at a 99% confidence level. Finally the research also found that age has a statistically significant relationship with affective commitment and this should be examined in further research. / Human Resource Development / M. Tech. (Human Resources Development)

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examined nonlinear modelling techniques as applied to dynamic systems, paying specific attention to the Method of Surrogate Data and its possibilities. Within the field of nonlinear modelling, we examined the following areas of study: attractor reconstruction, general model building techniques, cost functions, description length, and a specific modelling methodology. The Method of Surrogate Data was initially applied in a more conventional application, i.e. testing a time series for nonlinear, dynamic structure. Thereafter, it was used in a less conventional application; i.e. testing the residual vectors of a nonlinear model for membership of identically and independently distributed (i.i.d) noise. The importance of the initial surrogate analysis of a time series (determining whether the apparent structure of the time series is due to nonlinear, possibly chaotic behaviour) was illustrated. This study confrrmed that omitting this crucial step could lead to a flawed conclusion. If evidence of nonlinear structure in the time series was identified, a radial basis model was constructed, using sophisticated software based on a specific modelling methodology. The model is an iterative algorithm using minimum description length as the stop criterion. The residual vectors of the models generated by the algorithm, were tested for membership of the dynamic class described as i.i.d noise. The results of this surrogate analysis illustrated that, as the model captures more of the underlying dynamics of the system (description length decreases), the residual vector resembles Li.d noise. It also verified that the minimum description length criterion leads to models that capture the underlying dynamics of the time series, with the residual vector resembling Li.d noise. In the case of the "worst" model (largest description length), the residual vector could be distinguished from Li.d noise, confirming that it is not the "best" model. The residual vector of the "best" model (smallest description length), resembled Li.d noise, confirming that the minimum description length criterion selects a model that captures the underlying dynamics of the time series. These applications were illustrated through analysis and modelling of three time series: a time series generated by the Lorenz equations, a time series generated by electroencephalograhpic signal (EEG), and a series representing the percentage change in the daily closing price of the S&P500 index. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie ondersoek ons nie-lineere modelleringstegnieke soos toegepas op dinamiese sisteme. Spesifieke aandag word geskenk aan die Metode van Surrogaat Data en die moontlikhede van hierdie metode. Binne die veld van nie-lineere modellering het ons die volgende terreine ondersoek: attraktor rekonstruksie, algemene modelleringstegnieke, kostefunksies, beskrywingslengte, en 'n spesifieke modelleringsalgoritme. Die Metode and Surrogaat Data is eerstens vir 'n meer algemene toepassing gebruik wat die gekose tydsreeks vir aanduidings van nie-lineere, dimanise struktuur toets. Tweedens, is dit vir 'n minder algemene toepassing gebruik wat die residuvektore van 'n nie-lineere model toets vir lidmaatskap van identiese en onafhanlike verspreide geraas. Die studie illustreer die noodsaaklikheid van die aanvanklike surrogaat analise van 'n tydsreeks, wat bepaal of die struktuur van die tydsreeks toegeskryf kan word aan nie-lineere, dalk chaotiese gedrag. Ons bevesting dat die weglating van hierdie analise tot foutiewelike resultate kan lei. Indien bewyse van nie-lineere gedrag in die tydsreeks gevind is, is 'n model van radiale basisfunksies gebou, deur gebruik te maak van gesofistikeerde programmatuur gebaseer op 'n spesifieke modelleringsmetodologie. Dit is 'n iteratiewe algoritme wat minimum beskrywingslengte as die termineringsmaatstaf gebruik. Die model se residuvektore is getoets vir lidmaatskap van die dinamiese klas wat as identiese en onafhanlike verspreide geraas bekend staan. Die studie verifieer dat die minimum beskrywingslengte as termineringsmaatstaf weI aanleiding tot modelle wat die onderliggende dinamika van die tydsreeks vasvang, met die ooreenstemmende residuvektor wat nie onderskei kan word van indentiese en onafhanklike verspreide geraas nie. In die geval van die "swakste" model (grootse beskrywingslengte), het die surrogaat analise gefaal omrede die residuvektor van indentiese en onafhanklike verspreide geraas onderskei kon word. Die residuvektor van die "beste" model (kleinste beskrywingslengte), kon nie van indentiese en onafhanklike verspreide geraas onderskei word nie en bevestig ons aanname. Hierdie toepassings is aan die hand van drie tydsreekse geillustreer: 'n tydsreeks wat deur die Lorenz vergelykings gegenereer is, 'n tydsreeks wat 'n elektroenkefalogram voorstel en derdens, 'n tydsreeks wat die persentasie verandering van die S&P500 indeks se daaglikse sluitingsprys voorstel.

published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In this paper, I consider historical periods, linguistic categories, and social theories in relation to Hindi in order to trace out the character and trajectory of the language. From sixteenth-century courtly contexts, to the adoption of the Devanagari script in the twentieth century by nationalists, Hindi has a polyvalent and yet specific history. I discuss these contexts in which social contact led to linguistic change and in which Hindi acquired many of the lexical, syntactical, and phonological characteristics by which it is recognized today. I conclude with a section that considers the motif of language and power, and I suggest that the production of knowledge and power in language use, offers both the means of distinction and expression or, in another sense, of hierarchy and communitas. A thread that runs throughout the paper is attention to the contexts in which language use enables elaboration and in which elaboration is eschewed in order to attain social unity. Pursuing a descriptive historical-linguistic project, I neither affirm nor deny the politics of such language use, but rather I indicate the ways in which actors and agents use Hindi to help articulate their agency. / text

The application of personality assessment techniques for clinical and personnel decisions has always been a major activity for psychologists all over the world. In South Africa personality assessment tools are often used for purposes of selection, placement, determination of job satisfaction and development. Psychological testing in South Africa was originally initiated with white test-takers in mind, and currently none of the available personality questionnaires used in South Africa have been found to provide a reliable and valid picture of personality for all cultural (language) groups. Since 1994 South Africa has had a new constitution and there are stronger demands for the cultural appropriateness of psychological tests. In this study, the implicit perspectives of personality of Sesotho-speaking South Africans are being determined in order to develop a more culturally fair personality assessment tool for South Africans. A qualitative research design was used with an interview as data-gathering instrument. A Sesotho-speaking fieldworker was recruited to interview 120 Sesotho-speaking South Africans from the Free State Province. The study population was purposely drawn from different sections of the Sesotho-speaking population. A total of 4873 Sesotho-speaker personality descriptors were obtained from the participants and then translated into English. Content analysis was used to analyse, interpret and reduce these descriptors to a total of 94 personality characteristics, which highlights the most important perspectives of personality for Sesotho-speaking individuals. The personality characteristics were divided into seven categories, namely sociability, interpersonal relatedness, emotionality, meanness, conscientiousness, dominance and other. The majority of the characteristics are representative of communalism or the collective consciousness in African communities. Sesotho-speaking persons are socially active and are sympathetic, caring and tolerant towards others, they are willing to become involved in the feelings, problems and welfare of others. The findings of this study were compared to the Five Factor Model and evidence were found for the extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism and agreeableness factors, but not for the openness to experience factor. In comparison with the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory support were found for 17 of the 22 personality scales. Characteristics such as admonitory, resourcefulness, religion, humour, fair, judgemental and discriminating can be seen as characteristics indigenous to the Sesotho culture. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

We present results for the matrix elements relevant for proton decay in Grand Unified Theories (GUTs), using two methods. In the indirect method, we rely on an effective field theory description of proton decay, where we need to estimate two low energy constants. We then relate these low energy constants to the proton decay matrix elements using leading order chiral perturbation theory. In the direct method, we calculate the required matrix elements directly; this is computationally more expensive, but the calculation has no systematic error from the use of chiral perturbation theory. The calculations are performed with 2+1 flavors of domain wall fermions on lattices of size 163 × 32 and 243 × 64 with a fifth dimension of length 16. We work at fixed inverse lattice spacing, a−1 = 1.73(3) GeV, leading to physical volumes of (1.8 fm)3 and (2.7 fm)3 for the 163 × 32 and 243 × 64 lattices respectively. In the first four chapters we present the background theory. We start with a brief review of the standard model and the motivation for GUTs. We show that GUTs must lead to proton decay, and that the proton lifetime is an experimentally testable prediction which can be used to constrain GUT parameters, or rule out classes of GUT which predict a minimum lifetime shorter than the experimental minimum bound. We then review continuum and lattice QCD, including outlines of the lattice methods used to calculate the proton decay matrix elements. In the last three chapters we present the results and analysis. We calculate the nucleon and pion two–point correlation functions, and determine their ground state masses and amplitudes. These quantities will then be used to calculate the matrix elements using the indirect and direct methods outlined above. The matrix elements can then be combined with experimental bounds on the proton lifetime to bound parameters of individual GUTs.

In the thesis, we explore reasoning about and handling of algebraic effects. Those are computational effects, which admit a representation by an equational theory. Their examples include exceptions, nondeterminism, interactive input and output, state, and their combinations. In the first part of the thesis, we propose a logic for algebraic effects. We begin by introducing the a-calculus, which is a minimal equational logic with the purpose of exposing distinct features of algebraic effects. Next, we give a powerful logic, which builds on results of the a-calculus. The types and terms of the logic are the ones of Levy’s call-by-push-value framework, while the reasoning rules are the standard ones of a classical multi-sorted first-order logic with predicates, extended with predicate fixed points and two principles that describe the universality of free models of the theory representing the effects at hand. Afterwards, we show the use of the logic in reasoning about properties of effectful programs, and in the translation of Moggi’s computational ¸-calculus, Hennessy-Milner logic, and Moggi’s refinement of Pitts’s evaluation logic. In the second part of the thesis, we introduce handlers of algebraic effects. Those not only provide an algebraic treatment of exception handlers, but generalise them to arbitrary algebraic effects. Each such handler corresponds to a model of the theory representing the effects, while the handling construct is interpreted by the homomorphism induced by the universal property of the free model. We use handlers to describe many previously unrelated concepts from both theory and practice, for example CSS renaming and hiding, stream redirection, timeout, and rollback.

During the twentieth century, particle physics developed into a cornerstone of modern physics, culminating in the Standard Model. Even though this theory has proved to be of extraordinary power, it is still incomplete in several respects. It is our aim in this bachelor thesis to discuss some possible theories beyond the Standard Model, the main focus being on Grand Unified Theories, while also taking a look at attempts of further unication via discrete family symmetry. At the heart of all these theories lies the concept of local gauge invariance, which is introduced as a fundamental principle, followed by an overview of the Standard Model itself. No theory has so far managed to unify all elementary particles and their interactions, but some interesting features are highlighted. We also give a hint at some possible paths to go in the future in the quest for a unication in particle physics. / Under 1900-talet utvecklades partikelfysiken till en av de fundamentala teorierna inom fysiken, och kom att sammanfattas i den s.k. Standardmodellen. Även om denna modell rönt exceptionella framgånger vad gäller beskrivningen av elementarpartiklar och deras växelverkan, är den fortfarande ofullständig på flera sätt. Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att diskutera möjliga teorier bortom Standardmodellen såsom Storförenande Teorier och diskreta familjesymmetrier vars avsikt är att koppla samman de tre familjerna av fermioner i Standardmodellen. Men först introduceras idén om lokal gaugeinvarians, vilken ligger till grund for dessa teorier, varpå en översikt av Standardmodellen följer. Ingen teori har ännu lyckats ge en helt tillfredsställande bild av elementarpartiklar och deras interaktion, men en del intressanta egenskaper hos föreslagna teorier belyses i denna uppsats. Slutligen ges en del spekulativa förslag på väger att gå i framtida försök till föreningar inom partikelfysiken.

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