The major focus and question emanating from the research is: to what extent do the operational action plans, policies, functions, procedures and activities as well as their implementation within the Directorate: Student Admissions and Registrations correlate with the strategic objectives of the University of South Africa (Unisa)? In alignment with the above, the major challenge of the study was to identify adequate and appropriate approaches to ensure appropriate correlation levels between strategic objectives and their successful implementation relevant to the Directorate: Student Admissions and Registrations. The challenge of every Departmental Head is to turn theory into practice; to make something happen and to translate strategic plans into real business results. This will be accomplished only when there is synergy or connectivity between strategic and operational planning towards effective implementation. Various literature reviews and research topics on strategic management focus either on strategic planning or strategic implementation as separate identities. Few publications address the challenge of connecting the pursuit of strategic objectives with operational plans. Even fewer literature reviews indicate the relationship or correlation levels between strategic objectives and operational plans of an organisation; the desirable or appropriate level thereof, to ensure the effective pursuit of strategic objectives. The outcomes of this study could contribute to the identification of an appropriate approach and measurement criteria to ensure connectivity/alignment between specific strategic objectives and operational plans relevant to the Directorate: Student Admissions and Registrations. By doing this, the strategic objectives are effectively and efficiently promoted to those responsible for carrying out the execution plan. The researcher has adopted a comprehensively-integrated-aligned-strategic-processmanagement- approach as part of the standardised operational plans of the Directorate: Student Admissions and Registrations so as to ensure more effective and efficient (appropriate) correlation levels in respect of specific strategic objectives relevant to the Directorate: Student Admissions and Registrations due to a lack of correlation in some instances. The above approach represents a total view of an organisation‟s strategic management and control systems and consists of the strategic planning, operational plans and resultsmanagement plans. The mentioned approach will also consist of a measurement criterion which identifies critical enablers, dependencies and drivers to ensure vertical and horizontal alignment in respect of original planning (the what and why) with the implementation plans (when, how and by whom).The integrated-aligned-strategic-management-process-approach enforces the timely availability of major enablers, dependencies and drivers necessary to support the execution of activities, related to specific strategic objectives. It also identifies the possible lack thereof prior to the implementation of strategic plans. Specific alternatives or workarounds can be identified to ensure continuity in respect of the implementation processes related to specific strategic objectives. In this way, the above approach will enhance the effective and efficient management and coordination of an organisation to drive intended strategic outcomes within a specific process, taking into account project management-driven principles within a specific sequence of activities (grouping together what belongs together). The latter will involve all roleplayers in the work situation accountable for the implementation process (creating ownership). By doing this, duplication and overlapping of activities will be eliminated and connectivity/alignment between specific strategic objectives and their implementation will be enforced. The focus falls on the entire key/core process and cycle, producing outcomes of success in respect of the implementation of objectives (the right people will be doing the right things at the right time).The integrated-aligned-strategic-management-process-approach enforces the timely availability of major enablers, dependencies and drivers necessary to support the execution of activities, related to specific strategic objectives. It also identifies the possible lack thereof prior to the implementation of strategic plans. Specific alternatives or workarounds can be identified to ensure continuity in respect of the implementation processes related to specific strategic objectives. In this way, the above approach will enhance the effective and efficient management and coordination of an organisation to drive intended strategic outcomes within a specific process, taking into account project management-driven principles within a specific sequence of activities (grouping together what belongs together). The latter will involve all roleplayers in the work situation accountable for the implementation process (creating ownership). By doing this, duplication and overlapping of activities will be eliminated and connectivity/alignment between specific strategic objectives and their implementation will be enforced. The focus falls on the entire key/core process and cycle, producing outcomes of success in respect of the implementation of objectives (the right people will be doing the right things at the right time). The integrated-aligned-strategic-management-process-approach enforces the timely availability of major enablers, dependencies and drivers necessary to support the execution of activities, related to specific strategic objectives. It also identifies the possible lack thereof prior to the implementation of strategic plans. Specific alternatives or workarounds can be identified to ensure continuity in respect of the implementation processes related to specific strategic objectives. In this way, the above approach will enhance the effective and efficient management and coordination of an organisation to drive intended strategic outcomes within a specific process, taking into account project management-driven principles within a specific sequence of activities (grouping together what belongs together). The latter will involve all roleplayers in the work situation accountable for the implementation process (creating ownership). By doing this, duplication and overlapping of activities will be eliminated and connectivity/alignment between specific strategic objectives and their implementation will be enforced. The focus falls on the entire key/core process and cycle, producing outcomes of success in respect of the implementation of objectives (the right people will be doing the right things at the right time). The integrated-aligned-strategic-management-process-approach enforces the timely availability of major enablers, dependencies and drivers necessary to support the execution of activities, related to specific strategic objectives. It also identifies the possible lack thereof prior to the implementation of strategic plans. Specific alternatives or workarounds can be identified to ensure continuity in respect of the implementation processes related to specific strategic objectives. In this way, the above approach will enhance the effective and efficient management and coordination of an organisation to drive intended strategic outcomes within a specific process, taking into account project management-driven principles within a specific sequence of activities (grouping together what belongs together). The latter will involve all roleplayers in the work situation accountable for the implementation process (creating ownership). By doing this, duplication and overlapping of activities will be eliminated and connectivity/alignment between specific strategic objectives and their implementation will be enforced. The focus falls on the entire key/core process and cycle, producing outcomes of success in respect of the implementation of objectives (the right people will be doing the right things at the right time). / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Public Administration)

This study is based on the presumption that language is fundamental to the construction of knowledge. In addition, linguistic demands are incorporated in the policy documents of the upper secondary edu­cation of Sweden; students shall, during their education, be given the opportunity to appropriate certain linguistic tools. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how teachers and students in upper secondary education manage and utilize the discourse of social science in both speech and writing. More specifically, two classes are studied during three terms. The teachers’ ability to organize and support the students vocally and in written is examined, so are the effects of the teaching on students’ writing. The origin of the study is constituted by a sociocultural stance provided by Vygotskij, Bakhtin and Halliday. A combination of a functional perspective on language and a cognitive is probed, where the study is comparative in nature consisting of an experimental class and a control class. The importance of language for the creation of knowledge has been communicated to the teachers of the experimen­tal class, with provided complementary subject didactic literature. This literature offers support for teachers to augment the use of explicit teaching and enhance student awareness of how conceptual structures mould social science. Qualitative analyses are performed on the basis of teacher-student dialogue and written tasks by a group of selected students. The ana­lytical tools object language – metalanguage, linguistic operations and knowledge structures are developed for the purpose of processing data, and have been combined with the tools activity analysis, subject-related concepts and text activity. The results from the analyses display no difference in the handling of the discourse of social science between the experimental class and the control class. The teachers of the experimental class, like the teacher of the control class, are primarily utilizing object language where knowledge structures are visible, as opposed to a combination of object language – metalanguage. Furthermore, they exhibit diminutive use of dialogue in their teaching. The students of both classes, on their hand, demon­strate an equal progress in textual development. This study concludes that the experimental class has not been provided with sufficiently explicit support to advance in the struc­turing of knowledge and in level of reasoning. A more efficient support to teachers to manage these analytical tools would, in all probability, give them, and through this the students, an increasingly profound insight into structuring of text activities, the meaning and signalling of linguistic operations, the construction of subject-related concepts and, most importantly, how these three tools are interrelated.

There is an identified problem with patients receiving suboptimal pain management at a hospice agency in the northwestern United States. At this agency, undertreatment of pain is prevalent. Evidence indicates that this may be a result of a lack of guidelines, education, and knowledge of appropriate prescribing. Known barriers to the correct prescription and administration of potent opioids in the hospice setting include prevailing beliefs, knowledge, skills, and attitudes, all of which can impact care negatively. Contextually, hospice principles mandate patient comfort and caregiver involvement in continuous quality improvement, which includes adequate and informed pain management. Moreover, hospice metrics demand requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for optimal care, including pain management at the end of life. The Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice (ACE) star model was used to guide the development of an evidence-based, guideline-supported educational program that will improve pain management at the hospice agency when implemented. The purpose of this project was to use transdisciplinary expertise and team collaboration to develop the program and then to conduct a formative and summative evaluation utilizing experts to prepare the guidelines and process for implementation. Ten experts reviewed the guideline, the educational materials, the process, and the evaluation plan and conducted reviews using the AGREE II tool. The panel of experts agreed within the 6 AGREE domains. Future implementation of this guideline, translation process, and evaluation tool will impact social change through the empowerment of the clinical staff, patients, and caregivers to provide the best pain control and comfort at end of life, a vulnerable time for all patients.

Purpose and research questions: The purpose of this study has been to critically examine Esports through a gender perspective. The study therefore investigated the gender-typing of Esports and if these stereotypes affect players’ performance. The research questions were: Do players gender-type Esports to be a neutral, feminine, or masculine sport? Do gender stereotypes in Esports affect female players’ performance? Do gender stereotypes in Esports affect male players’ performance? Method: A quantitative research design was used, and two different surveys were sent out to respondents. Both surveys contained the exact same information and questions on the first page. These were aimed at answering questions regarding gender-typing (i.e. if the respondents perceived Esports to be a neutral, feminine or masculine activity and how appropriate they perceived Esports to be for women respectively men). The survey’s second page had identical questions on both surveys, however the respondents got to see different texts of information (stereotypes) depending on which survey they participated in. The first survey (Group 1) included two different conditions groups (women = stereotype threat; men = stereotype lift) and primed the respondents with the stereotype that “women are inferior to men in Esports”. The second survey (Group 2) also included two different condition groups (men = stereotype threat; women = stereotype boost) and primed the respondents with the alternative stereotype manipulation that “women are equally as good as men in Esports”. After participating in the surveys, the respondents played three games of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that were then analyzed against the respondents’ three most recent matches before partaking in the study. As such, the players’ performance could be evaluated and a result could be determined (i.e. either an improvement or impairment in performance). A control group (Group 3) that did not partake in the surveys was used as a reference group and to evaluate the participants’ performances. As a total, 290 persons participated in the study, of which 50 were women and 240 men. Results: The results showed that the players perceived Esports to be more of a masculine sport. For the stereotype effects on players’ performance, an ANOVA of the results showed that stereotype threat had a statistically significant effect on female players’ performance (p = .008), whereas stereotype boost did not. For the men, the results showed that neither stereotype threat nor lift had any statistically significant effect on male players’ performance. Conclusion: The findings suggest that players gender-type different aspects of Esports in different ways. The participants perceived Esports to be more of a masculine activity but on the other hand to be almost equally as appropriate for women and men. As a whole, the respondents perceived Esports to be more of a masculine sport than neutral or feminine. The findings from this study also suggest that women in Esports are more affected by gender stereotypes than men are, and that negative gender stereotypes about women’s ability may impair female players’ performance. Finally, the findings suggest that the awareness as well as the occurrence of gender stereotypes in Esports are widespread among players. However, players in Esports consider themselves to not fully endorse these stereotypes but believe that other players do, especially the negative stereotypes about women’s ability in Esports. This finding generates an interesting area for further research and investigation. / Syfte och frågeställning: Syftet med denna studie har varit att kritiskt granska Esport ur ett genusperspektiv. Studien undersökte därmed könsstereotypningen (”gender-typing”) av Esport samt huruvida dessa stereotyper påverkar spelares prestationer. Frågeställningarna var: Könsstereotypar spelare Esport som en neutral, feminin eller maskulin sport? Påverkar könsstereotyper inom Esport kvinnliga spelares prestationer? Påverkar könsstereotyper inom Esport manliga spelares prestationer? Metod: En kvantitativ forskningsdesign användes, och två olika enkäter skickades ut till respondenter. Båda enkäterna innehöll exakt samma information och frågor på den första sidan. Dessa var ämnade att besvara frågor kring könsstereotypning (dvs. om respondenten ansåg Esport var en neutral, feminin eller maskulin aktivitet samt hur lämpligt de ansåg Esport vara för kvinnor respektive män). Enkätens andra sida hade identiska frågor på båda enkäterna men respondenterna fick ta del av olika texter av information (stereotyper) beroende på vilken enkät de deltog i. Den första enkäten (Grupp 1) inkluderade två olika tillståndsgrupper (kvinnor = stereotype threat; män = stereotype lift) och grundade respondenterna med stereotypen att ”kvinnor är sämre än män inom Esport”. Den andra enkäten (Grupp 2) inkluderade även den två olika tillståndsgrupper (män = stereotype threat; kvinnor = stereotype boost) och grundade respondenterna med den alternativa manipulationen av stereotypen att ”kvinnor är lika bra som män inom Esport”. Efter att ha deltagit i enkäterna spelade respondenterna tre matcher av Counter-Strike: Global Offensive som sedan analyserades mot respondenternas tre senaste matcher innan de deltog i studien. Som sådant, kunde spelarnas prestationer utvärderas och ett resultat kunde fastställas (dvs. antingen en förbättring eller en försämring i prestation). En kontrollgrupp (Grupp 3) som inte deltog i enkäterna användes som referensgrupp och för att utvärdera deltagarnas prestationer. Totalt deltog 290 personer i studien varav 50 var kvinnor och 240 män. Resultat: Resultatet visade att spelarna uppfattade Esport som mer av en maskulin sport. Angående stereotypeffekterna på spelarnas prestationer visade en ANOVA av resultaten att stereotype threat hade en statistisk signifikant effekt på kvinnliga spelares prestationer (p = .008), medan stereotype boost inte hade det. För männen så visade resultaten att varken stereotype threat eller lift hade någon statistisk signifikant effekt på manliga spelares prestationer. Slutsats: Resultaten tyder på att spelare könsstereotypar olika aspekter av Esport på olika sätt. Deltagarna uppfattade Esport som mer av en maskulin aktivitet men å andra sidan som lika lämpligt för kvinnor och män. Som helhet uppfattade respondenterna Esport som mer av en maskulin sport än neutral eller feminin. Resultatenfrån denna studie tyder även på att kvinnor inom Esport påverkas mer av könsstereotyper än män och att negativa könsstereotyper om kvinnors förmåga kan försämra kvinnliga spelares prestationer. Slutligen, resultaten tyder på att medvetenheten samt förekomsten av könsstereotyper inom Esport är utbredd bland spelarna.Spelarna inom Esport anser dock inte att de själva stödjer dessa stereotyper fullt ut men tror att andra spelare gör det, särskilt de negative stereotyperna om kvinnors förmågor inom Esport. Detta resultat genererar ett intressant område för vidare forskning och undersökningar.

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify factors that contribute to the sustainability of rural water supply facilities (WSFs). Twenty-four interviews were conducted: 16 from rural communities and 8 from water supply agencies. Key findings are that in order to achieve sustainability of WSFs, there is need to ensure that (1) there is an effective community organisation; (2) communities have the ability to operate and maintain WSFs; (3) communities are able to raise adequate user fees for purchasing spare parts; and (4) that there is a strong backup support at the district level to carry out major repairs. Major threats to the sustainability of WSFs include high poverty levels in communities, weak institutional framework and inability of communities to handle major breakdowns. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

How does the international climate policy frameworks influence the domestic institutional responses to climate mitigation in emerging economies? And how, in turn, do domestic institutions and politics in emerging economies influence the fate of international climate policy frameworks? The thesis provides answers to these questions by studying domestic engagements with Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions in three emerging economies – India, Brazil, and South Africa. The thesis specifically studies how these engagements were influenced by the domestic institutional context provided by national climate policy, norms, and institutional capacity in the three countries. Drawing upon the variations in the engagements with nationally appropriate mitigation actions, made visible by use of the policy cycle as a heuristic device, the thesis informs the implementation of another nascent, yet prevalent, international climate policy framework – Nationally Determined Contributions. The thesis identifies how engagements with nationally appropriate mitigation actions varied in India, Brazil, and South Africa in agenda-setting, policy formulation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. In cases where international support is considered crucial for taking mitigation actions, external factors such as lack of clarity on definitional aspects and availability of international support can hamper the prospects of such frameworks at the agenda-setting and policy formulation stages. Efforts to engage with these frameworks under this uncertainty are held back by non-decisions, overriding national climate policy, as well as by uneven inter-ministerial coordination. The thesis argues that successful implementation of upcoming Nationally Determined  Contributions will be influenced by a country’s ability to align them with its national climate policy, localization of the transnational norms, and the extent to which efforts to enhance institutional capacity for  coordinating the implementation of national climate policy are made. In sum, the effective implementation of International Climate Policy Frameworks will be dependent on the willingness of the state to  provide oversight and coordination, and clarity on the availability of international support. / Hur influerar ramverken för internationell klimatpolicy nationella institutionella åtgärder för att begränsa utsläpp av växthusgaser i framväxande ekonomier? Och hur påverkar, i sin tur, dessa länders nationella institutioner och politik dessa ramverk för internationell klimatpolicy? Denna avhandling studerar nationella engagemang i Nationellt lämpliga utsläppsminskande åtgärder (s.k. NAMAs) i tre framväxande ekonomier – Indien, Brasilien, och Sydafrika. Avhandlingen studerar i synnerhet hur dessa engagemang har påverkats av de tre ländernas nationella klimatpolicy, normer, och institutionella kapacitet. Genom att använda policycykeln som heuristiskt analysverktyg identifierar avhandlingen variationer i hur länderna utvecklat sitt engagemang i NAMAs. Avhandlingen visar att och hur engagemang med nationellt lämpliga utsläppsminskande åtgärder varierar mellan Indien, Brasilien, och Sydafrika vad det gäller fastställande av dagordning, policyformulering, beslutsfattande, implementering, och policyutvärdering. I de fall internationellt stöd anses vara avgörande för att vidta utsläppsminskande åtgärder kan externa faktorer såsom bristande definition av de internationella policyramverken för åtgärder samt tillgänglighet på internationellt stöd försvåra utsikterna för att internationella ramverk tas upp i de nationella dagordnings- och policyformuleringsstadierna. Arbetet med dessa ramverk försvåras även av icke-beslut och ojämn interministeriell koordinering samt om tvingande nationell klimatpolicy inte ligger i linje med de internationella besluten. Avhandlingens slutsatser har betydelse för implementeringen av ett annat framväxande ramverk för internationell klimatpolicy: Nationellt fastställda bidrag (s.k. NDC:er). En framgångsrik implementering av   NDC:er kommer att influeras av en stats förmåga att anpassa dem till nationell klimatpolicy samt transnationella normer, så att dessa överensstämmer eller jämkas med nationella normer, samt den institutionella kapaciteten för att koordinera implementering av nationell klimatpolicy. En effektiv implementering av ramverk för internationell klimatpolicy kommer, sammanfattningsvis, att vara beroende av staters villighet att tillhandahålla tillsyn och koordinering, samt tydlighet vad gäller tillgänglighet till internationellt stöd.

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify factors that contribute to the sustainability of rural water supply facilities (WSFs). Twenty-four interviews were conducted: 16 from rural communities and 8 from water supply agencies. Key findings are that in order to achieve sustainability of WSFs, there is need to ensure that (1) there is an effective community organisation; (2) communities have the ability to operate and maintain WSFs; (3) communities are able to raise adequate user fees for purchasing spare parts; and (4) that there is a strong backup support at the district level to carry out major repairs. Major threats to the sustainability of WSFs include high poverty levels in communities, weak institutional framework and inability of communities to handle major breakdowns. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

The usage of autonomous vehicles is starting to appear in several different domains and the domain of public safety is no exception. Wallenberg Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) has created a research arena for public safety (WARA-PS) to explore experimental features, usages, and implementation of autonomous vehicles within the domain of public safety. Collaborating in the arena are several companies, universities, and researchers. This thesis examines, in collaboration with Combitech, a company partnered in WARA-PS, how the implementation of autonomous vehicles affects the sociotechnical system of a search and rescue operation during a drifting boat with potential castaways. This is done by creating a case together with domain experts, analyzing the sociotechnical system within the case using cognitive work analysis and then complementing the analyses with the unmanned autonomous vehicles of WARA-PS. This thesis has shown how the WARA-PS vehicles can be implemented in the case of a drifting boat with potential castaways and how the implementation affects the sociotechnical system. Based on the analyses and opinions of domain experts’ future guidelines has been derived to further the work with sociotechnical aspects in WARA-PS. / WARA-PS

The purpose of this study was to establish the perception of Grade One teachers regarding the school readiness of Reception Year learners in relation to the new national Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS). The study also provides recommendations on how to implement CAPS in Grade R so that teachers, learners and parents experience the easiest possible transition to Grade One. The research took the form of a case study, building on current trends related to the subject of Reception Year CAPS curriculum implementation, and using the Interpretive approach as its essential, functional paradigm, which focuses on experiences of the world based on the culture and previous experiences of each individual, with an emphasis on mutual understanding. By using this strategy to explore Grade One teacher perceptions regarding the school readiness of the Reception Year learners, this project was centred on an in-depth and detailed analysis of a person, group or situation as a sample of the whole, and involved a systematic collection of data and analysis. This led to a conclusions-based report on the findings, all the while focusing on five Grade One teachers and their Head of Department at a public primary school in Pretoria, Gauteng. Preliminary findings suggested that learners coming into Grade One could in fact be adequately prepared during Grade R for successful assimilation in the CAPS curriculum material, if all stakeholders overcome the challenges they face during this important phase of academic development. This study has shown that varying amounts and levels of training amongst the teachers is a hindrance to proper CAPS curriculum implementation and therefore, the Head of Department, the school and ultimately the Department of Education has to ensure parity in the area of teacher training in terms of CAPS curriculum implementation. The study has shown that, due to the different sites where learners did their Reception Year, the school and the Grade One teachers faced learners who came into their classrooms with differing levels of exposure to the formal schooling system. Some learners may have no CAPS curriculum exposure at all. This means that, if the Department of Education is to succeed in implementing the CAPS curriculum in Grade R, then it needs to assist schools more in the form of providing funds for primary schools to build and add space for the Grade R classrooms. Finally, the study showed that a language backlog remains one of the main challenges learners have to face. Historically, Early Childhood Development Centres were never required to use English as a medium of instruction. In fact, teaching in the preschool classroom, which includes Grade R, is still mostly done in one of many mother tongue languages, depending on the location of the centre. With the move to make Grade R part of formal schooling and moving the Reception Year class to a primary school, CAPS requires careful curriculum implementation from Grade R to Grade Three, although instruction in English is only required from Grade One. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Curriculum Studies)

The South African Postbank Limited has been tasked by Government with a social mandate to provide basic financial services to people receiving low income and people living in rural areas. Personal financial literacy is an essential element which affects financial inclusion in the target market of a state–owned bank. To achieve the bank?s social mandate and its objective, it would be vital to determine whether people in low income and rural demographics are financially literate. Financial literacy is defined as the ability to manage your money on a day–to–day basis, do future financial planning, choose sound financial products and have appropriate financial knowledge and understanding. Various factors influence the level of financial literacy of a person and in order to improve the financial literacy of a person, cognisance should be taken of that person?s age, gender, living conditions, income–level and socio–economic elements. It will be beneficial for a state–owned bank, in order to reach its social mandate, to implement financial educational programmes to increase financial literacy. The latter will increase the amount of potential customers and thus promote financial inclusion in the long run. The sample in low income and rural areas has been found to be the most wanting in financial literacy and therefore it is crucial to address this shortcoming in the target market of the state–owned bank in order to reach the social mandate of financial inclusion. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.