Bibliography: p. 188-202. / Recent developments in the capital account of South Africa's balance of payments have giyen cause for concern about the capital account and the appropriate policies that should be implemented to protect the level of South Africa's foreign exchange reserves. These developments have contributed to the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into the Monetary System and monetary policy in South Africa, and an interim report on exchange rate policies is expected in November, 1978. This study, which was inspired by the lively debate on this issue, is an attempt to analyse the general trends in the capital account particularly those related to the supply of foreign capital, the exchange control policies of the authorities to protect the capital account from sudden adverse fluctuations, and the determinants of flows of foreign capital.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2018 / One of the key challenges facing the international community in the 21st Century is the shift of the global balance of power from West to East. The rise of the “Emerging Powers” of China and India, as well as the increasing importance of energy security globally, have converged to make the security of the sea lane of communication across the Indian Ocean crucial to the maintenance of international peace and security. South Africa as a littoral state to the Indian Ocean, sitting on a key trade route, namely the Cape of Good Hope sea lane, and with a viable navy, will be affected by these shifts as they take place, as will the rest of the Indian Ocean region’s states. As a new balance of power emerges, states will need to decide whether it is in their national interests to align against the global superpower, the United States of America, or to bandwagon with them. However, this is not simply a choice between the established status quo power of the United States and the new emerging global powers of India and China. The choice is complicated by the emerging geopolitical competition between China and India as each struggle to assert their vision for the regional integration of the Indo-Pacific on the region. While neutrality is currently an option, should the regional tensions result in a conflict between India and China, that may be a luxury that states littoral to the Indian Ocean, such as South Africa, can ill afford / MT 2019

Occupational exoskeletons are designed to reduce workplace injury risk by decreasing work demands. Due to their relatively recent development, there has been limited research into potential unintended and undesirable consequences of wearing them. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the effects of exoskeleton use on reactive balance in response to simulated slips and trips. Five representative exoskeletons were investigated including leg-, back, and shoulder-support exoskeletons. This thesis consists of two studies: a smaller study investigating one exoskeleton and a larger one investigating multiple exoskeletons. Participants stood on a specialized treadmill, then abruptly and unexpectedly changing treadmill belt speed to simulate trip-like forward losses of balance or slip-like backward losses of balance. The results of the first study showed that a passive leg-support exoskeleton adversely reactive balance for both slips and trips. The results of the second study showed that back-support exoskeletons had a greater adverse effect on reactive balance compared to shoulder-support exoskeletons for both slips and trips. These exoskeletons affected reactive balance due to their interaction with stepping kinematics and movement constraints. This thesis provides important information that can be used to warn users of potential increased fall risks and inform exoskeleton manufacturers who may be able to modify designs to reduce any additional fall risk. / Master of Science / Occupational exoskeletons reduce muscle workload for workers during manual tasks. However, because of their additional weight and how they restrict movement, they can increase the risk of falling after a slip or a trip. The goal of this thesis was to see how exoskeletons affect balance after simulated slips and trips. Five exoskeletons were studied; These exoskeletons supported the legs, back, and shoulders. This thesis includes two studies: a smaller study with one exoskeleton and a larger one with multiple exoskeletons. In order to simulate a slip and trip, participants stood on a treadmill and then the treads would unexpectedly accelerate to a speed to make them lose their balance. The results of the first study showed that an exoskeleton that supported the legs negatively affected balance for both slips and trips. The results of the second study showed that exoskeletons that supported the back negatively affected balance more than those that supported the shoulders for both slips and trips. These exoskeletons affected balance due to them interacting with the legs and affected stepping. This thesis provides important information that can be used to warn workers of potential increased fall risks and inform exoskeleton manufacturers who may be able to help reduce any fall risk.

The following thesis applies equations of motion used in linear locomotion (gait analysis) to the analysis of the purely rotational motion of the fouetté or tour à la seconde. Modifications to the method of analysis include the creation of several MATLAB programs to compute improved estimates of the moment of inertia tensor, three-dimensional angular momentum about the dancer’s centre of mass. The results of this investigation—the quantification of angular momentum and external moments—are compared to similar results from gait analysis to demonstrate how the dancer maintains balance during rotational motion. The variables calculated by the MATLAB programs are particularly relevant in the field of balance control research in the context of inputs into the body’s balance control systems.

Recent years have witnessed a growing concern for individuals’ abilities to effectively manage work and family. Employees are demanding balance between work and personal life and employers, who are interested in attracting and retaining talent, are looking for ways to respond. One way employers are responding is by implementing work-family initiatives and encouraging a family-supportive culture. In this thesis, I investigate the relationship of such resources (family-supportive organizational perceptions-FSOP and perceptions of implementation of work-family initiatives) and contextual demands (role overload) with the work-family interface (work-to-family conflict and enrichment). In response to research calls to highlight the role of the individual in shaping the relationships between work and family experiences, I introduce the construct and measure of balance self-efficacy. I define balance self-efficacy as one’s beliefs about one’s own ability to manage resources, demands, and stakeholders from the work and family domains. I argue that balance self-efficacy mediates the relationships between resources and demands from one side and the work-family interface from the other side. I draw on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Work-Home Resource Model to propose that balance self-efficacy is a personal resource that enables the individual to perceive less conflict and more enrichment between work and family. I propose that balance self-efficacy is largely drawn from the individual’s perception of his or her context. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 420 participants employed at a financial institution in the United Arab Emirates. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression and Bootstrapping techniques using PROCESS by Preacher and Hayes (2008). The results show that the individual’s cognitive assessment of their own ability to manage work and family (balance self-efficacy) relates negatively to work-to-family conflict and positively to work-to-family enrichment, thus suggesting that balance self-efficacy is not only a resilience resource that employees refer to in moments of conflict but also an enriching resource that allows the individual to view participation in the work domain as beneficial for participation in the family domain. Results also suggest that the employee’s perception of the messages emitted by the organization in the form of perceptions of family supportiveness and perceptions of implementation of work-family initiatives relate positively to an increased sense of balance self-efficacy. Contextual demands, in the form of role overload, relate negatively to balance self-efficacy. This thesis aims to contribute to the resource-view of the work-family interface and highlight personal agency in determining perceptions of conflict and enrichment between work and family. It does so by focusing on the individual’s assessment of their beliefs in their own ability to manage work and family and the role of organizational context in determining that sense of efficacy. By doing so, the purpose is to shed the light on the malleable aspects of the work-family experiences that can be positively manipulated. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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