Thesis submitted in full compliance with the requirements for a Master's Degree in Technology: Dental Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / This study is an evaluation of the perceptions of Zambian dental technicians and dentists of the dental technological services offered in Zambia. Zambia is a small nation (land size of 752,614km²) with a population of approximately 11,000,000. Patients needing oral restorative treatment have two options available to them; they seek treatment in state hospitals or through private practices. Access to prosthetic treatment is difficult due to the difficulties associated with obtaining treatment from the state as well as there being very few privately owned dental laboratories. Dental technology in Zambia dates back to 1964 and since its inception there has been no evaluation as to whether the services offered are adequate and satisfactory. The aim of this study was to;  Provide insights into the understanding of dentists and technicians regarding dental technical services.  Provide insights into available dental technical services with the aim of assisting in developing future guidelines for provision of such services in Zambia.  Identify national oral health objectives and make suggestions for the improvement and development of the services in Zambia. This aims of the research are relevant as the research was conducted at a time when the nation is undergoing a general introspection of service delivery. Data was collected through the medium of semi-structured personal interviews with registered and practicing dentists and technicians in the main cities of Zambia that include Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe. Their views were transcribed and coded according to significant themes that emerged for data analysis. ii The results indicate that there is reason to be concerned about the general quality of service delivery. In addition, the study showed that the working relationships between technicians and dentists require improvement. Moreover, the study established that Zambia has a critical shortage of skilled technicians and particularly ceramic technicians and ceramic dental laboratories. The data also revealed concerns that little attention by government policymakers is being afforded to dental technical services whilst attention is paid rather to clinical dental services. As a result, state owned laboratories suffer from a lack of adequate and functioning equipment as well as a lack of quality dental materials. Finally, the study showed that Zambia has no clear direct oral health policies that govern the dental technical services.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Dental Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / This study investigates the perceptions of dentists, dental technicians and dental patients with regard to the professionalization of dental technology as it is currently constituted in South Africa. The origin of dental technology worldwide lies in a trade and has historically been performed by craftsmen under the instruction of dentists. In South Africa during the early 1900s dental technology was practised in much the same way but the need for formalization of this field had been recognised. By 1945 dental technology was regulated by the Dental Mechanicians Board, which enabled only registered technicians to practise dental technology within South Africa. This field continues to be practised similarly at present. In order to establish the professional development of dental technology it is necessary to consider this field within a framework of desired professional attributes. This framework is provided by Greenwood (1957), who defines a profession by the following five attributes: systematic theory, professional authority, community sanction, ethical codes and a professional culture. Owing to the varied implementation and regulation of dental technology worldwide, little research into the professionalization of this field has been conducted to date. For the purpose of this study, dentists, dental technicians and dental patients in KwaZulu-Natal were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The main themes emerging from this study were identified and considered with reference to the framework within which this study has been positioned. This study concludes that dental technology, as it is currently constituted in South Africa is perceived to be a profession by dentists, dental technicians and dental patients. .The term profession, however, is poorly understood by all three sample groups. Despite being considered a profession, dental technology is not considered to encompass all the attributes of a profession. Dental technology is therefore identified as a developing profession that positions this field somewhere along the professionalization continuum between a profession and a business. / Post Graduate Dept., Durban University of Technology.

published_or_final_version / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

No description available.

One segment of the Temporary Help Services (THS) industry which has not been well researched is that of the Professional temporary employee. The career THS professional employee is an employee who categorically refuses permanent employment. There is no research which compares the professional career THS employee with the traditional employee. This study examines the work values and expectations of technical writers within one company and compares responses of career THS employees and incidental THS employees with those of permanent employees in that same company. The Campbell Organizational Survey and the Work Values Survey were administered and the results were analyzed. Except for the perception of "Benefits" work cluster there were no significant differences between the groups. It was then possible to assume that perception of the organization was held constant. Differences in work values among groups were found. Results were discussed.

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2006. / It was my perception, after having worked in the Complementary and Alternative Medicines Industry, that the knowledge and understanding of homeopathy by retail providers, was poor. Considering that pharmacies also sold over-the- counter homeopathic medicine, I felt it would be of value to do an empirical study in order to obtain more accurate data on this topic. / M

Mini-dissertation'submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005. / Homoeopathy in South Africa is a relatively new health profession, and there seems to be limited awareness of homoeopathy amongst the public and healthcare authorities. The national health care system in South Africa is currently undergoing major restructuring, with the focus on primary health care. The homoeopathic community needs to reflect on its role in public health care. However, in order to gain acceptance and understanding from other health care professions, meaningful research needs to be conducted. There is an urgent need to investigate the views of conventional health care professionals towards homoeopathy. A survey method was employed to investigate the perceptions of homoeopathy of two major groups in the medical community in the Greater Durban area: General Practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists. The study was carried out by using a questionnaire as a measuring tool. The sample of GPs was drawn from the medical pages of the Durban Telephone Directory (October 2003/2004) and the sample of pharmacists was drawn from the Durban Yellow Pages (October 2003/2004). A total of 484 questionnaires were distributed and a total of 155 responses were received. The percentage of return of questionnaires was 32,02%. The original sample size was 370 for GPs and 114 for pharmacists. A total of 97 GPs and 58 pharmacists responded. The response rate was 26,22% for GPs and 50,87% for pharmacists. / M

In this study, I investigate how the issue of immigration affects Latino voter turnout. I hypothesize that U.S. Latino citizens who view immigration as highly important and helpful to the United States will be more likely to turn out to vote in midterm and presidential elections. In addition to a contextual analysis on elections in Arizona and California, I perform a probit regression analysis on survey data from Pew Hispanic's 2004 National Survey of Latinos on Politics and Civic Participation. The results are mixed with respect to the initial expectations. While respondents who view immigration as important and helpful are more likely to turn out than those who view immigration as important and hurtful, the results suggest that respondents who find immigration as unimportant may not be less likely to turn out. Further, there are some differences between Latino subgroups, although these differences are minor. Ultimately, the hypotheses presented in this study find moderate support.

This investigation was designed to determine if attitudinal differences toward involvement of females in athletic competitions existed between males when age, education, and sport backgrounds were considered. Subjects were 186 male employees of Air Products and Chemicals, Incorporated and the City of De Soto, Texas, and students at North Texas State University. A fifty-one item attitude inventory developed by the investigator was the instrument utilized in the study. Data were analyzed by a three-way analysis of variance. Conclusions of the study were that males of various ages, educational levels, and sport backgrounds do not differ in their attitudes and possess favorable opinions toward female sport participation, Males with nonactive sport backgrounds were more favorable than males with active-semiactive backgrounds when spectators at female sport events.

by Li Hau-tak & Ng Man-hung. / Bibliography: leaf 48 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985