The main goal of a change process is to improve the ability of an organization. People are likely to facilitate, implement, and manage change effectively in order to improve organizations effectiveness therefore good leadership is vital to the success of any change initiative. Understanding how different cultures evaluate change is vital at South Africa's State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) as more SOEs are contracting foreign companies and adopting globally competitive technologies based on their expertise in order to meet the delivery of services and infrastructure. The main objective of this study was to determine how different cultures evaluate transformation in SOEs in South Africa and to verify whether these factors are influenced by demographics. A quantitative research strategy was utilised to investigate the factors influencing the transformation process. A survey was developed and utilised to gather data regarding the transformation process. The data was statistically analysed in order to support or reject the research propositions. The findings of the research indicated that the one cultural value that affected the transformation process within the organization was long-term/short-term orientation. The results further indicated that the degree of inequality within the SOE was affected by age; long-term orientation was affected by gender and nationality; femininity was affected by gender and job level. Finally, the results indicated that a relationship does exist between transformation within an organization and the organizations leadership. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Includes abstract Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-117).

Tropical Theileriosis is a parasitic disease of calves with a profound economic impact caused by Theileria annulata, an apicomplexan parasite of the genus Theileria. Transmitted by Hyalomma ticks, T. annulata infects and transforms bovine lymphocytes and macrophages into a cancer-like phenotype characterized by all six hallmarks of cancer. In the current study we investigate the transcriptional landscape of T. annulata-infected lymphocytes to define genes and miRNAs regulated by host cell transformation using next generation sequencing. We also define genes and miRNAs differentially expressed as a result of the attenuation of a T.annulata-infected macrophage cell line used as a vaccine. By comparing the transcriptional landscape of one attenuated and two transformed cell lines we identify four genes that we propose as key factors in transformation and virulence of the T. annulata host cells. We also identify miR- 126-5p as a key regulator of infected cells proliferation, adhesion, survival and invasiveness. In addition to the host cell trascriptome we studied T. annulata transcriptome and identified the role of ROS and TGF-β2 in controlling parasite gene expression. Moreover, we have used the deep parasite ssRNA-seq data to refine the available T. annulata annotation. Taken together, this study provides the full list of host cell’s genes and miRNAs transcriptionally perturbed after infection with T. annulata and after attenuation and describes genes and miRNAs never identified before as players in this type of host cell transformation. Moreover, this study provides the first database for the transcriptome of T. annulata and its host cells using next generation sequencing.

No description available.

Magister Artium - MA / The Transformational Leadership style has shown that it elicits improved performance in followers and that emotion plays an important part in the leadership process. The goal of the present study is to investigate the role of emotional intelligence in the effectiveness of leadership in organisations through high Leader Member Exchange (LMX) relationships. The overarching research initiating question can be framed as “Does high emotional intelligence in leaders lead to higher LMX relationships?”. Through the synthesis of literature, the study proposes that leadership style and high-quality leader member exchange relationships have a profound impact on follower performance. It is hypothesized that emotional intelligence in both leaders and followers would have a positive impact in the quality of the exchange. Transformational leaders make use of emotional intelligence to understand the emotional needs of their followers, which in turn results in a high-quality relationship between the leader and their followers. High quality LMX relationships typically result in higher levels of follower commitment and performance. However, the mediating role of emotional intelligence between Transformational Leadership, LMX and follower performance have not been explored fully in the management literature and to date, there has been very little research exploring the sequential chain of influence between these variables. The current study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in the fields of leadership, emotional intelligence, LMX and unit level performance. The research follows a quantitative approach. The sample for this research project consists of managers and employees in the banking sector. The biographical characteristics of the sample will include age, gender, educational level, years of service, type of employment and job level. The targeted sample size is between 300-350 employees working in the financial services industry in the Western Cape. The goal of the study was to examine the complex nomological network of relationships between Transformational Leadership, LMX, Emotional Intelligence, and unit level performance. The findings of the study indicate that the proposed model could be considered a credible representation of how emotional intelligence, LMX, and transformational leadership interact to influence unit level performance.

The packaging and product supply chain is currently undergoing a digital transformation that changes the way organizations manage data. Cloud-based software is an emerging technological innovation entirely focused on harnessing the power of packaging/product specifications to create efficiencies. These applications coordinate the data that millions of SKUs worldwide are generating into a harmonized system that will not only organize the SKUs but also create valuable information that will allow stakeholders to make decisions based upon data-driven insights. Specifications are the DNA-level information of packaging and products. Items such as the bill of materials, technical drawings, and inventory are stored together to create a traceable trail of information for stakeholders along the supply chain to refer to in the face of recalls, sustainability reports, and root cause analysis of procurement delays. Organizations have gone from storing this data on paper to creating a digital trail with manual processes and legacy systems on the computer. However, these systems cannot contend with the sheer amount of data companies now possess, wasting time and money trying to organize it all. In addition, packaging and product specification data lacks a common language that creates consistency and reduces errors; tracing an item to its source is a laborious endeavor; and resource investment is trying to solve the problem with existing manual processes and legacy systems when funding should go towards an innovative, cloud-based solution. Such a system would be able to process data and create a standardized template for specifications. This organization would allow for fast querying and advanced analytics that turn into visualizations that illustrate the insights. This framework would create a single point of truth for specifications that would enhance how companies along the supply chain collaborate and share information and streamline packaging and product creation workflow. Software solutions for specification data management exist in varying levels of involvement and installation that allow stakeholders to find a model that fits their needs in an ever-changing supply chain management landscape.

A number of studies have addressed the correlations between transformational leadership and its impact on the self-efficacy of teachers. This quantitative, non-experimental study design adds to this growing body of knowledge by examining the transformational leadership qualities of school principals as perceived by female teachers, and its influence on their self-efficacy. For this study, the targeted population was 208 teachers within a single all-female school district in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At the time of this study, this school district included eight all-female public schools, which were all similar with respect to physical infrastructure, curricula, number of teachers and students, and the socioeconomic status of the local population. Two validated survey instruments were used for this study: (a) the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ) for assessing transformational leadership characteristics; and (b) the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) to evaluate the teachers' sense of efficacy. The data were formatted using Qualtrics survey software and all data were analyzed in SPSS (V26). In total, data from 85 surveys were analyzed. Descriptive and statistical analyses indicated that the surveyed teachers did perceive that their school leaders' behavior reflected transformational leadership characteristics. Pearson's correlation analysis was utilized to determine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of their principals' transformational leadership and their sense of self-efficacy, revealing a statistically significant positive correlation between the two variables. A bivariate analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation coefficients and a 2-tailed test to investigate the relationship between all dimensions. The correlation indicated that vision, modeling, and goal acceptance were significantly correlated to efficacy for student engagement and instructional strategies. Conversely, results indicated the absence of statistically significant correlations between individualized support and student engagement; similarly, no correlation was found between intellectual stimulation and high expectations with any of the teacher-efficacy factors. Multiple linear regression was used to examine whether the moderating factors of teaching experience and level of education would represent significant predictors for the linkage between principals' transformational leadership and teachers' sense of efficacy. The results showed that neither variable was a significant predictor for teachers' views of their leaders' transformational behaviors and their level of efficacy. Finally, t-test analysis was used to examine the differences between elementary and secondary teachers' perceptions of their principals' transformational leadership behaviors. A significant difference was found between teachers' perceptions of their principals transformational leadership style and the school level (e.g., elementary, middle, or high school). The results from this study are consistent with the theoretical framework that transformational leadership theory has a positive impact on teachers self-efficacy, as well as support findings from prior studies in this area of educational research. The findings from this investigation provide useful data to those studying educational leadership, as well as school principals, administrators, and other leaders who play significant roles in changing, facilitating, and improving education. Additional studies are recommended to determine if this relationship exists in all-male schools in Saudi Arabia or in other countries. / Doctor of Philosophy / A number of scholars have addressed the relationship between transformational leadership style and teacher self-efficacy, indicating that teachers display increased levels of self-efficacy when working under the direction of a principal who practices transformational leadership. This quantitative, non-experimental study design examined the transformational leadership qualities of school principals as perceived by female educators teaching in all-female public schools located within a single school district in Saudi Arabia, as well as how this relationship impacted their sense of self-efficacy. Two survey instruments were used: The Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ), and the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES). Resulting data analysis indicated that teachers did perceive that their school leaders' behavior reflected transformational leadership characteristics. Moreover, the findings from the study confirmed a significant positive correlation between the principals' transformational leadership and teachers' self-efficacy. This study is expected to contribute to a greater understanding of the effect of leadership practices on the self-efficacy of teachers, with a corollary understanding of how this relationship may enhance educational outcomes for students.

Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2) integrates preferentially into a defined site on human chromosome 19, and has been developed as a gene therapy vector. We propose to use this unique recombination event for site-specific integration of transgenes in plants. This strategy would alleviate problems associated with current plant transformation methods that integrate transgenes randomly. The AAV-2 gene encoding the enzyme that catalyzes the insertion (rep78) was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. PCR and sequence analysis confirmed the presence of rep78 in two plant lines. RT-PCR demonstrated rep78 transcription in one plant line, but protein could not be detected in either line. / Master of Science

Abstract Not Provided. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Abstract Not Provided. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)