Doctor Educationis / The thesis took the general question of responsive curriculum development which meets both the needs of work and those of the academy as its starting point. The rationale for the topic flows out of education policy and societal pressures worldwide which are calling for an ever greater responsiveness from higher education to the workplace in the twenty-first century. Responsiveness to work requires collaborative and integrative work between communities of academic and non-academic practitioners. Differences between knowledge and practices at work and within the academy are broadly acknowledged in the literature, yet the ensuing nature and complexity of interactions between these two communities in curriculum design on the ground is poorly understood. A key point is to recognize that integration as such cannot be the goal; the differences remain, but have to turned into productive collaboration and joint development, for example, of a curriculum. / South Africa

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Much has been said about the continued escalation of disasters, impacting negatively on the people’s livelihoods; mostly the poor. However, not enough is done to minimise or reduce the vulnerability of the people to risks as evidenced by the increasing numbers of disaster victims locally, nationwide and globally (Sahoo, 2005; Humby, 2012, Niekerk, 2005; Heijmans, 2008 and Cannon, 1994). The increasing disaster strikes in the City of Cape Town remain a major challenge to the surrounding communities (Cape Argus, 27 August 2012; Radar, 2010; Pillay, 2012 and Humby, 2012). Despite the expiry of the United Nations’ declaration of the period 1990-99 as ‘the decade for natural disaster risk reduction in 1999, the years after the declaration were characterised by increased disaster strikes globally (Niekerk, 2005; GTZ, 2002; UNDP, 2004 and Alexander, 2006). Although, new global commitments such as the 2005-15 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) which targeted to minimise disaster risks by 2015, very little has changed as people are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to risks than before (Niekerk, 2005; Heijmans, 2008; Alexander, 2006 and Radar, 2010). South Africa’s statistics on past recorded disaster events from the eighties to the present, show the same increased trend in the loss of property and human capital. For example, in South Africa, the period from 1980 to 2010 recorded 77 disaster strikes with a total of 1869 people being killed and negatively affecting 18 million livelihoods nationwide (Humby, 2012). Given such high figures of casualties, the negative impact of disaster remains one of South Africa’s major challenges as it curtails sustainable development. It is against this background that the study embarked on an investigation to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of the City of Cape Town Metro Municipal local government’s approaches to disaster risks. The principal objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the City of Cape Municipal Government in addressing the persistent disaster risks through a proper implementation of the core disaster principles of risk reduction, prevention and mitigation, as well as the post-disaster activities of preparedness, rehabilitation, response and recovery. The specific objectives of the study are: (i) to assess whether incorporating disaster risk management into the integrated developing plan (IDP) has the potential to mitigate or prevent disasters; (ii) to examine the extent to which the City of Cape Town can make use of the principle of co-operative governance and assistance in disaster risk management; and (iii) to evaluate the impact of public participation in disaster risk mitigation, prevention and reduction. The study employed an integrated approach to data gathering. Sources of data included government acts, policies, internet sources and journal articles were included. These sources were supplemented by individual interviews with disaster officials and community members. From the investigation, the study found that neither government nor the community can successfully manage to reduce, prevent or mitigate the impact of disasters. The study found out that collaboration between communities, and the government would help resolve the situation, with the private sectors taking a facilitative role than working separately. The study then emphasizes that a collaborative approach by different stakeholders would work well only if public participation and co-operative governance are institutionalised in the various sectors of the City of Cape Town.

Master of Science / Division of Biology / Bradley J. Olson / Unicellular organisms alter their behavior and morphology in response to environmental stresses, particularly in response to immediate threats to their survival. A common tactic of predator avoidance for unicellular green algae is to aggregate to form groups. We have found that the model unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii forms aggregates in response to the presence of the filter feeding zooplanktonic predator, Daphnia magna. Chalmydomonas is a member of the volvocine algae, a morphologically diverse group of closely related green algae that is often used to study multicellular development. We have characterized aggregation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and found that it is rapid, transient and induced by signals originating from the Daphnia predators. To understand the genetic basis of cooperative aggregation we used an RNA-seq approach. RNA-seq characterized the transcriptomic response by Chlamydomonas during aggregation, and we identified 131 genes are significantly differentially expressed between predated and unpredated cultures of Chlamydomonas. Several candidate genes were characterized based on existing annotations, evolutionary history and expression profile. Evolutionary relationships between candidate aggregation genes in Chlamydomonas and their orthologs in multicellular Volvocales suggest a possible role of aggregation genes in multicellular development. Our results demonstrate that Chlamydomonas dynamically alters its morphology based on its environment and identify several candidate genes for aggregation and multicellular development.

Cooperative relay systems have emerged as promising techniques to boost the performance of wireless systems. Recent studies have confirmed that interferences, co-channel interferences (CCIs) and self-interferences, have a huge impact on cooperative relay systems and can cause significant performance degradation. Two problems were observed in this research. Firstly, previous studies on performance analysis of Amplify-and-Forward (AF) relay systems in presence of CCIs have only focused on a specific interference channel model. However, in practical design scenarios, such an assumption is not a realistic proposition. Secondly, analyses of overheads introduced by a time-based relay selection protocol in distributed cooperative systems have been based on an over-pessimistic assumption where all packets involved in a collision are destroyed. Nevertheless, collisions due to the protocol overheads cause the system performance to be degraded but this does not mean that the failure of end-to-end transmission certainly occurs. The thesis aims to analyse the performance of practical cooperative relay systems in the presence of CCIs and self-interferences, by developing exact mathematical methods. A new unified mathematical method for AF relay systems in presence of a random number of arbitrary non-identical CCIs was developed. The obtained new approach derived in terms of a moment generating function of the aggregate interferences' power led to the derivation of new explicit expressions. The new results greatly simplify evaluation of average error rates over diverse practical interference scenarios. Moreover, a new exact mathematical analysis for distributed cooperative relay systems employing a time-based relay selection protocol based on an accurate interference model was presented. This approach led to the derivation of new exact expressions for the spectral efficiency which accounts for both self-interferences and the protocol overheads as well as for different fading scenarios and arbitrary relay locations. This approach provided several advantages over direct approaches, one of which is that it significantly simplified averaging-out the joint random variables involved.

Long term growth and sustainability of cooperatives has become the focus of many countries worldwide. Cooperatives have been seen as the platform for uplifting disadvantaged communities while improving standards of the poor in countries such as Canada, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria (Department of Trade and Industry, 2012). In South Africa, cooperatives are seen as playing a role in poverty eradication, equal distribution of wealth, employment creation, food security and as a contributor to the economic activity. The South African government have implemented policies aimed at improving the performance and sustainability of agriculture cooperatives in South Africa. Despite all the efforts cooperatives still face sustainability challenges. Therefore the purpose of this research was to investigate the sustainability challenges that prevent the permanent establishment of cooperatives and to understand the dynamics and nature of failure associated with agricultural cooperatives .A case study methodology was used to examine a single case in-depth and to understand the factors affecting agricultural cooperatives. The main challenges identified in the study include; poor communication, limited access to markets, access to finance, a lack of good governance and a lack of managerial skills. The study recommended capacity building as the first point of reference in order to deal with challenges such as communication, access to markets and a lack of managerial skills. A lack of good governance is regarded as an attitude problem which requires setting ethical standards and rules accompanied by a penalty to the member if they are found to be breaking the rules. Access to finances is regarded as a skills and competence phenomenon which requires people to develop planning and financial literacy skills, which will enable them to formulate business plans and use them as a control tool for managing the cooperative. The business plan is also regarded as an asset or security document which acts as a proof that the cooperative is well planned, organised and sustainable. The research concludes with suggesting areas for future study to investigate the impact of informal education practices on skills development in the success of cooperatives.

According to the Council on Higher Education (CHE, 2011:78) the term Work Integrated Learning (WIL) refers to an educational approach that aligns academic and workplace practices for the mutual benefit of students and workplaces. The CHE (2011:4) further describes WIL as an approach to career-focussed education that includes classroom-based and workplace-based forms of learning that are appropriate for the professional qualifications. WIL forms part of many training programmes for professions across the globe and is considered an important aspect of preparing the trainee or student to integrate theoretical learning into the clinical environment in which he or she will be building his or her career. WIL is considered crucial for the development of professional attributes and competencies needed to perform duties within the chosen profession once the trainee is qualified. Health care professions across the world employ WIL in clinical areas as an integral part of their curricula and nursing specifically is one of the health care professions that utilise a large component of WIL for clinical development of the student nurses. In South Africa, student nurses are currently placed in a variety of clinical settings in order to obtain the required and regulated clinical experience that work integrated learning should offer them. However, anecdotal evidence indicated that student nurses from the various Nursing Education Institutions in Nelson Mandela Bay experienced difficulty in finding adequate opportunities to develop their newly acquired skills when in the clinical areas and reported great difficulties in achieving their WIL outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the student nurses’ experiences of work integrated learning in various clinical areas in the Nelson Mandela Bay. This study followed a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design with two phases. Thirty-five student nurses in their third and fourth-year were purposely sampled. In phase one data was collected using two steps, where the first step comprised using naïve sketches. During the second step interviews were done by means of focus groups using semi-structured questions and responsive interviewing. Data was transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using Tesch’s method of analysis. In phase two recommendations for nurse educators to optimise WIL were formulated. The following three themes and related sub-themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Student nurses experienced a multitude of challenges in the clinical placement areas (CPA) and at the nursing education institution (NEI) that negatively impact on their morale and hinder WIL, namely lack of resources, unsupportive learning environments, a lack of belonging and workplace violence. 2) Positive experiences resulted in motivated and enthusiastic students, namely being inspired by role models, enhanced learning when support was offered and personal growth. 3) Students offered recommendations for enabling their WIL, namely adequate mentoring and clinical support, adequate financial support related to WIL and adjusting the nursing programmes to better incorporate the students’ needs. Relevant literature and recommendations offered by the student nurses were used to formulate recommendations with action steps for nurse educators to optimise work integrated learning of student nurses.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role played by agricultural cooperatives in developing the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. It also looks at the contributions by Government in promoting the establishment and the success of these cooperatives. The focus area was Cannon Farm in the Chris Hani District Municipality, where most of the people live below the poverty line, but have started agricultural cooperatives with the aim of eradicating poverty and developing their communities. The data for this research was gathered through group discussions and face-to-face interviews which were guided by a questionnaire. A document analysis was also conducted to fulfill all the research objectives. It has been found that agricultural cooperatives, as compared to any other type of cooperatives, are a major tool to eradicate poverty and bring economic development to rural communities. This is made possible not only by the full commitment and determination of cooperative members, but also by government which has also committed itself to providing a supportive legal environment for cooperatives (Cooperative Act No. 14 of 2005). The findings also show that, due to the challenges they are currently facing, agricultural cooperatives in the Eastern Cape Province have not yet reached their full potential. Therefore, it has been recommended that, such challenges need to be urgently addressed. As the United Nations (2001) highlights, agricultural cooperatives present themselves as an important element that can contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Individual variation in cooperation is a striking yet poorly understood feature of many animal societies, particularly in cooperative breeders where individuals assist in the care of young that are not their own. While previous research on these systems has emphasised the plasticity of helping and how it varies with current environmental and social conditions, in this dissertation I examine how individual variation is constrained and influenced by trade-offs with other behaviours and experiences in early life. I demonstrate that variation in cooperative pup care (babysitting and provisioning) is consistent within individuals over time (Chapter 3). Provisioning is more consistent than babysitting, although the two behaviours are highly correlated within individuals. I then focus on the variation in helping that remains once current factors, such as condition, group size and food availability, are taken into account. In Chapter 4, I explore the possibility that variation in helping can be explained by personality, or consistency in behavioural traits such as exploration or risk-taking. I find little evidence for consistent individual differences in field measures of personality traits, however, with such behaviours instead being group-specific. Early social experiences are known to have important and lasting effects on later fitness and behaviour: in Chapter 5, I demonstrate that, in female meerkats only, growing up in a group with more helpers is correlated with reduced cooperation later in life. This result suggests the importance of future fitness in influencing current cooperative behaviour, as females raised in larger groups are more likely to attain dominance. Finally, I examine the extent to which vocal communication between carers and young is influenced by variation in contributions to cooperation. Females are more sensitive to increased begging rate (Chapter 6), which reflects general sex differences in cooperative behaviour. Carers modify their vocalizations but not their foraging behaviour in the presence of pups, and the way in which they vocalize during provisioning events suggests these calls serve to increase efficiency of prey transfer (Chapter 7).

The B.C.-CCF was formed in late 1932 shortly after the formation of the national CCF party. In November of the following year the B.C. party ran in its first election and secured sufficient support to become the official opposition. The party's executive, spurred by the prospects and hopes of its eventual election as government and in response to its need for a moderate image, selected a retired Anglican minister as House leader. The choice of Robert Connell as House leader was not, however, unanimous. Die hard socialists with different interpretations of society and the role the party should play in achieving social change, fought Connell*s leadership and received sufficient support to mount an intensive intraparty campaign of harassment and criticism. Connell's critics were successful, as a result, in making his leadership intolerable and the subsequent weight of circumstances led him to imprudently reject party convention decisions because they favoured his left wing opponents. This action both isolated him from the rank and file and gave his critics, then in control of the party's executive, an excuse to expel him for his treachery and apostasy. His leadership ended less than three years after it had begun and he became one of three B.C. party leaders dethroned during this period by his party. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

This thesis is concerned with Frantisek Ladislav Chleborad, Czech economic thinker who did not recieve as much attention as he deserved. Chief aim of this thesis is to describe the situation in which beginning Czech economic thinking took place. Chleborad, as one of its first actors, has his thoughts in this thesis described in detail. This has never been done before because Chleborad and especially his engagement in creating of cooperatives in 19th century, that failed, resulted in creating many enemies. Czech economists that came after Chleborad knew him but they would deny it. Information that are available about Chleborad and his teachings are limited. I tried to fill that gap.