M.Com. (Business Management) / Compliance with Employment Equity Act no 55 of 1998 is very important for organisations in South Africa. Recent reports attested that no significant change or progress achieved as far as Employment Equity (EE) is concerned. With no doubt South Africa faces shortage of skills and this may be a hindrance to EE Transformation. The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) is not isolated from the skills shortage challenges, particularly because they seek specialised skills and competencies such as those of Chartered Accountants CA(SAs). The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), stated in their press release (Olivier, 2012) that this particular institution has 33 167 registered Chartered Accountants in South Africa. This means a small pool from which the Auditor-General of South Africa can draw its potential employees. The AGSA is not unique to the changes and legislative requirements faced by other organisations. As a result, these organisations are required to embark on a transformation journey to ensure Employment Equity achievement within their respective environments. Although reports have been showing some encouraging progress towards achieving the objectives of the Employment Equity Act, the journey is still long. This research attempted to establish the state of transformation and the challenges faced when implementing EE in AGSA. Based on these, the researcher proposed a change process to increase attainment of EE targets. For this study, the researcher focused particularly within areas where the AGSA struggles to attract suitably qualified employees. The researcher further assessed the employees’ perceptions related to EE how these perceptions are addressed. The researcher collected by means of self-administered questionnaires, interviews, as well as a case study. The sample included Corporate Executives, Business Executives, Senior Managers, Managers and Trainee Auditors. The collected data was analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings of the study revealed that different business units were implementing different strategies in an attempt to address their Employment Equity challenges. Some areas within the AGSA realised progress while others made only minimal progress. The research further revealed the need for an integrated approach towards achievement of the EE target. This may ensure a concerted effort and eradicate working in silos. A need for appropriate and formal EE structures was also established. Recommendations for an integrated approach as well as required structures for EE were discussed in the last chapter of this research.

Abstract The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic structure and vulnerability of populations strongly depend on the behaviour of a particular species. In this thesis, I examined the effects of forest fragmentation on genetic population structure with the aim of identifying and evaluating the different genetic and behavioural factors important for species conservation and management on different geographical scales. The species studied were the mound building red wood ants Formica lugubris and F. aquilonia, and a lekking bird, the capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus. Habitat loss and fragmentation affected the genetic structure in both wood ants and capercaillie. In general, the effects were related to the time since fragmentation and to the level of habitat loss and isolation from the other existing populations. The loss of genetic diversity due to population fragmentation was less observable than the differences in population structure. The response to habitat fragmentation was further dependent on species characteristics such as dispersal and mating behaviour. Sociality affected the genetic vulnerability of wood ant populations by decreasing gene diversity, increasing inbreeding depression and restricting gene flow between subpopulations. The results on the capercaillie in turn suggested that lekking behaviour restricts dispersal of both sexes, thus elevating the occurrence of inbreeding between individuals. The present study provided important information on species conservation and management in terms of better understanding species' biology and behaviour, as well as increased knowledge concerning the genetic issues that should be taken into account when planning conservation actions. By examining the genetic structure of the species it was possible to clarify the conservation status including the effective population size, the question of origin, and the genetic vulnerability (genetic diversity, inbreeding and inbreeding depression) of the populations and/or species. Overall, the results emphasised the importance of preserving the effective population size and the connectivity of habitat patches when planning species specific management strategies. There were great differences in conservation needs among the species, which should be taken into account especially in local management actions.

This study focuses on illuminating Kenya's urban high school teachers' perceptions of students' diversity and how these differences influence their curriculum implementation, pedagogy, and students' classroom interactions in the learning process. Located within theoretical frameworks of intersectionality and critical pedagogy, the study shows how multiple layered identities and differences identified by teachers interplay and intersect to influence their performance and students' academic success. The theoretical debate over critical pedagogy in diverse contexts shows how Kenya's high school teachers effectively develop classroom environments that address differences and acknowledge arrays of factors that create inequalities. Findings also show that teachers' work continue to be informed by government and institutional policies that favor uniformity and conformity creating contradictions and dilemmas for them. The study applies a mixed qualitative methodology based on interpretive and descriptive phenomenology to inform the study. Participants were selected based on purposive sampling from urban high schools in western Kenya. Data for the study were generated through baseline questionnaires, field interviews, classroom observations, and analysis of archival documents. Findings highlighted arrays of factors identified by participants as contributing to students differences in their specific context. Differences identified by teachers that were common across institutions were academic abilities, entry behavior, primary education backgrounds, proficiency in English language, socio-economic status, and students' motivational status. Some of the factors perceived to influence teaching and learning differed across disciplines, gender of the participants, and the nature of the schools. It was concluded that the impact of these differences on teaching and learning needs to be addressed if high school access, quality, and subsequent academic performance is to be realized for all students in Kenya's high schools. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Recently, the diversity rates at universities in the United States have been increasing (Ortiz-Frontera 2013). With more minorities enrolling into predominantly white institutions (PWIs), one might infer that this signals a major step of progression for the United States. However, it is essential to understand the experiences and challenges that minorities may face when attending these institutions. Understanding these challenges are important because they are often minimized and ignored due to the ambiguity of microaggressions. This can be harmful for Black students psychologically and may impact their self confidence in many ways. In many instances, Black students face many forms of subtle racism, such as, microaggressions. Microaggressions can be defined as the subtle and dismissible insults that whites tend to inflict on people of color unconsciously and sometimes consciously (Pierce, 1974). Through conducting 12 in-depth semi-structured interviews with a sample of Black students attending a southeastern university. I aimed to answer the following questions: 1) What types of microaggressions do Black students face while attending a more racially diverse university? and 2) To what extent, and in what ways do students manage their emotions in response to microaggressions? Ultimately, I have found that students experience many forms of microaggressions. The main types of microaggressions that were experienced included: feelings of exclusion, tokenism, being stereotyped, and institutional neglect. Lastly, I found that students employ a combination of emotion work strategies in order to protect themselves from these insults, and to stay productive and successful. Policy implications to support students of color and future directions for research are discussed.

The extent to which diversity has positive or negative effects on an organization can be attributed to the way in which diversity is managed (most commonly through diversity training). More often than not, organizations fail to validate training, therefore the current study adapted a training that successfully changed manager attitudes in a different context and implemented a perspective taking approach using language that was all-inclusive in order to determine if it was better at changing diversity relevant attitudes and behaviors than standard diversity training models. The results indicate that the training was effective in improving diversity relevant attitudes. Additionally, the results supported full mediation for the role of attitude change in inducing behavioral change. Results from the study provide both researchers and practitioners with practical implications for both research and practice in the fields of diversity and inclusion, as well as training design.

Biodiversity in Southeast Asia has been decreasing as a result of human activities. The findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, reported in 2005, demonstrated that environmental change, such as deforestation, has resulted in recent major loss of biodiversity at the species level and increased rates of extinction; however, it is unknown whether a similar deficit has occurred at the level of genetic diversity within species. This study aims to understand how the past has shaped the current pattern of genetic diversity, the impact of recent forest loss on genetic diversity and how this information can be used to develop effective conservation strategy. To achieve this aim, microsatellites were developed by sequencing genomic libraries and from comparisons of database sequences. The utility of these markers for population genetics studies has been tested and confirmed for the three main study taxa and across a broad range of other squirrel species. These microsatellites and mitochondrial sequence data (cytochrome b gene) were utilized to determine the genetic diversity and population structure of three squirrel taxa with varying degrees of forest dependency on Thailand’s tropical forests. The most forest dependent taxon is Phayre’s flying squirrel (Hylopetes phayrei). The second taxon is the moderately forest-dependent tree squirrel, the Grey-bellied squirrel (Callosciurus caniceps). The third, and least forest dependent taxon, is the Indochinese ground squirrel, Menetes berdmorei. Our data revealed far more biodiversity in these taxa than previously recognized; there were three genetically distinct lineages in H. phayrei and M. berdmorei and two lineages in C. caniceps. This demonstrates that biodiversity in this region has been underestimated. In the two most forest dependent taxa lineage divergence dated to the Pleistocene indicating that this biodiversity was generated by isolation in allopatric forest refugia during the cool, dry periods of the Pleistocene. In H. phayrei, the most forest-dependent taxon, at least two of the lineages were distinct species occurring sympatrically in Thailand on the border with Myanmar. This taxon supported the biogeographical hypothesis developed in forest dependent mosquitoes of allopatric isolation in northwest and northeastern Pleistocene refugia. Callosciurus caniceps had evidence of a southern refugium in peninsular Thailand or Malaysia. The lower levels of structuring in the least forest dependent taxon M. berdmorei suggest a limited impact of Pleistocene environmental change. All three taxa had eastern lineages which may have been due to Pleistocene forest fragmentation in some of the species. These eastern populations typically had lower levels of microsatellite and mtDNA genetic diversity. This is likely due to the recent loss of genetic diversity as in recent decades these forests have been highly fragmented and reduced in size due to human activity. Our finding that the northern Thai-Myanmar border region is a suture zone in highly dependent forest species and has high within lineage/species diversity makes this region a priority for conservation. The distinct genetic lineages in the east and south should also be managed as separate conservation units. Further efforts are required to assess the impact of loss of genetic diversity in Thailand’s fragmented forests and how this may be remedied.

[pt] A diversidade em equipes sob a ótica do gerente de projetos tem como objetivo precípuo estudar a percepção dos gerentes de projeto acerca da diversidade em suas equipes de trabalho, analisando, em particular, o modo como eles lidam com as diferentes perspectivas que um ambiente de projetos oferece. A pesquisa de campo, de caráter qualitativo e exploratório, utilizou o método fenomenográfico, partindo de um paradigma interpretativo que se baseia na compreensão do sentido humano, nas maneiras de enxergar um fenômeno particular e nas idéias dos indivíduos a respeito do mundo a sua volta (MARTON, 1981, 1986). Durante julho e agosto de 2009, foram ouvidos 15 gerentes de projeto de diferentes áreas de atuação, formação acadêmica e experiência. A partir das opiniões dos entrevistados, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura sobre as tipologias de diversidade surgidas: de conhecimento e comportamento. O papel do gerente de projeto e a comunicação foram levantados como fatores atenuantes da diversidade. Diante do referencial teórico e das opiniões dos entrevistados, conclui-se que os gerentes de projeto enxergam, primeiramente, as diversidades técnicas, em detrimento de diversidades mais óbvias à primeira vista, como gênero, raça e etnia. Conclui-se, também, que as diversidades de conhecimento e comportamento são benéficas para o desenvolvimento de projetos e para as equipes envolvidas. Um time diverso é mais rico, mais criativo e inovador, pois alimenta diversas visões e perspectivas que diferentes modelos mentais trazem para a resolução de problemas. Por outro lado, a diversidade dos indivíduos pode ocasionar problemas de comunicação e coesão. / [en] The diversity in teams from the perspective of the project manager has the ultimate goal of studying the perception of project managers on diversity in their work teams, analyzing in particular how they deal with the different perspectives that a project environmental offers. In the field research, of qualitative and exploratory nature, we used the phenomenographic method, starting from an interpretive paradigm based on understanding the human sense, the ways of seeing a particular phenomenon and the ideas of individuals about the world around them (MARTON, 1981, 1986). During July and August 2009 we heard 15 project managers from different areas of expertise, academic background and experience. Based on the opinions of these respondents, we carried out a literature review on the typologies of diversity emerged: knowledge and behavior. The role of the project manager and communication have been raised as mitigating factors of diversity. Given the theoretical referential and the opinions of respondents, it appears that project managers see, first, technical diversities rather than the more obvious differences at first sight, such as gender, race and ethnicity. It also appears that the diversities of knowledge and behavior are beneficial to the development of projects and the teams involved. A diverse team is richer, more creative and innovative, since it gathers various visions and perspectives that different mental models bring to solving problems. On the other hand, the diversity of individuals can lead to problems of communication and cohesion.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / In recent years, a global trend of increasing woody vegetation densities in semi-arid savanna habitats has been recorded, commonly described in South Africa as 'bush encroachment'. The shrubs and trees that do this (Increasers) have wrought significant economic and ecological impacts upon carrying capacities of large areas of savannas. This occurs, as suitable grazing areas are incrementally engulfed in shrubs and trees establishing new equilibria, from open savannas (essentially grasslands with scattered trees) into closed woodlands (treelands with scattered grasses). This thesis demonstrated a link between grass biomass, small mammal abundance and diversity, and their potential increaser seed/seedling predatory activities in the semi-arid Lowveld Savannas of South Africa. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis focuses on federalism and ethnic diversity. Using two case studies. / South Africa

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / The aim of the study was to identify the retention variables highlighted as most important by call centre agents at a financial institution in the Western Cape. In addition, to assess which of the independent variables they place more importance on; and to determine whether differences exist between the retention variables highlighted as most important by the respective age and gender groups.