Identifying and prioritising effective service delivery drivers' in selected civil construction companies are more than merely satisfying customers' need. By successfully identifying and prioritising effective service delivery drivers within the selected civil construction companies, the companies will be able to achieve competitive advantage above their competitors. This study, by using a questionnaire as a measurement instrument, established that a gap currently exist between what civil construction companies, their employees and their customers regards as effective service delivery drivers within the civil construction industry. By closing this gap, the civil construction companies will be able to generate or maximise profits for their shareholders as there will be common understanding of the level of performance to meet the customer's expectations. The company will also have engaged employees as they would know what is expected from them on a daily basis. The study further highlights the benefits of managing these identified service delivery drivers and elaborate on the factors needed to successfully manage a service level agreement between a civil construction company and their customers. Civil construction companies however will have to revisit these drivers on a continuous basis as client satisfaction is associated with continuous improvement, permanent assessment of service delivery drivers and the service delivery standards. In essence, there are still a lot of challenges and opportunities when it comes to quality service delivery drivers in the civil construction industry. Each company needs to conduct a SWOT analysis to evaluate their competitiveness within the industry. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This thesis identifies realistic export opportunities for South African products in the rest of the world and specifically in the rest of the African continent. The method chosen to achieve this goal is the Decision Support Model (DSM) developed by Cuyvers et al (1995) and Cuyvers (1997) that was specifically designed to assist export promotion institutions in planning and assessing their export promotion activities. This model is positioned into the international market selection literature and four main refinements to the DSM methodology are introduced to address the limitations of the model and to make it more applicable for the South African international trade conditions. The refined model is then applied to identify product–country combinations with the largest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the world and in the rest of the African continent specifically. The refinements to the DSM filtering process introduced in this study contribute to the effective use and application of the DSM results by South African exporters and more focused export promotion activities by South African export promotion organisations. The four refinements include (i) running the DSM on a HS 6–digit level, (ii) introducing a method to calculate the potential export value of each identified export opportunity in order to prioritise between the product–country combinations identified as realistic export opportunities, (iii) taking the production capacity of South Africa into consideration in order to identify export opportunities that can be pursued immediately due to the country's existing revealed comparative advantage in the production and exportation of these products and (iv) developing a market accessibility index per product–country combination from a South African point of view on a HS 6–digit level in order to make filter 3.2 (barriers to trade) of the DSM applicable for South African conditions. The results of the application of the refined DSM to identify export opportunities for South Africa in the rest of the world include the top 50 worldwide export opportunities. There are 17 countries in which the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations identified as export opportunities for South Africa are located. These include the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brazil. Mineral products (coal, copper and aviation spirit); transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks); stone/glass (diamonds, platinum and rhodium) and metals (aluminium, iron/steel structures, nickel) are the product classifications within the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations that hold the largest worldwide export potential for South Africa. In terms of the product–country combinations with the highest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the African continent, there are 18 countries in which the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in the rest of the African continent are located. These include Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Mozambique, Algeria, Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire. The products with the highest potential export values in the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in Africa include mineral products (aviation spirit, iron ore, sulphur and coal) and transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks weighing less than 5 tons). / Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Identifying and prioritising effective service delivery drivers' in selected civil construction companies are more than merely satisfying customers' need. By successfully identifying and prioritising effective service delivery drivers within the selected civil construction companies, the companies will be able to achieve competitive advantage above their competitors. This study, by using a questionnaire as a measurement instrument, established that a gap currently exist between what civil construction companies, their employees and their customers regards as effective service delivery drivers within the civil construction industry. By closing this gap, the civil construction companies will be able to generate or maximise profits for their shareholders as there will be common understanding of the level of performance to meet the customer's expectations. The company will also have engaged employees as they would know what is expected from them on a daily basis. The study further highlights the benefits of managing these identified service delivery drivers and elaborate on the factors needed to successfully manage a service level agreement between a civil construction company and their customers. Civil construction companies however will have to revisit these drivers on a continuous basis as client satisfaction is associated with continuous improvement, permanent assessment of service delivery drivers and the service delivery standards. In essence, there are still a lot of challenges and opportunities when it comes to quality service delivery drivers in the civil construction industry. Each company needs to conduct a SWOT analysis to evaluate their competitiveness within the industry. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This thesis identifies realistic export opportunities for South African products in the rest of the world and specifically in the rest of the African continent. The method chosen to achieve this goal is the Decision Support Model (DSM) developed by Cuyvers et al (1995) and Cuyvers (1997) that was specifically designed to assist export promotion institutions in planning and assessing their export promotion activities. This model is positioned into the international market selection literature and four main refinements to the DSM methodology are introduced to address the limitations of the model and to make it more applicable for the South African international trade conditions. The refined model is then applied to identify product–country combinations with the largest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the world and in the rest of the African continent specifically. The refinements to the DSM filtering process introduced in this study contribute to the effective use and application of the DSM results by South African exporters and more focused export promotion activities by South African export promotion organisations. The four refinements include (i) running the DSM on a HS 6–digit level, (ii) introducing a method to calculate the potential export value of each identified export opportunity in order to prioritise between the product–country combinations identified as realistic export opportunities, (iii) taking the production capacity of South Africa into consideration in order to identify export opportunities that can be pursued immediately due to the country's existing revealed comparative advantage in the production and exportation of these products and (iv) developing a market accessibility index per product–country combination from a South African point of view on a HS 6–digit level in order to make filter 3.2 (barriers to trade) of the DSM applicable for South African conditions. The results of the application of the refined DSM to identify export opportunities for South Africa in the rest of the world include the top 50 worldwide export opportunities. There are 17 countries in which the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations identified as export opportunities for South Africa are located. These include the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brazil. Mineral products (coal, copper and aviation spirit); transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks); stone/glass (diamonds, platinum and rhodium) and metals (aluminium, iron/steel structures, nickel) are the product classifications within the top 50 worldwide product–country combinations that hold the largest worldwide export potential for South Africa. In terms of the product–country combinations with the highest export potential for South Africa in the rest of the African continent, there are 18 countries in which the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in the rest of the African continent are located. These include Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Zambia, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Mozambique, Algeria, Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire. The products with the highest potential export values in the top 50 product–country combinations for South Africa in Africa include mineral products (aviation spirit, iron ore, sulphur and coal) and transportation products (1500 - 3000 cc automobile engines and diesel powered trucks weighing less than 5 tons). / Thesis (Ph.D. (International Trade))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Plant-feeding mites represent major pests in agriculture that are of importance to crops world-wide, as large populations of mites reduce the quality and quantity of yields. Alternatives to the use of pesticides are needed due to their negative effects and bio-control agents (predatory mites) remain advantages as they suppress spider mites and other plant pests. This study aims to determine species status of plant-feeding and predatory mites on plants of the family Solanaceae and to apply morphological and molecular data to determine phylogenetic relationships among economically important Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae and Tetranychidae. The material for this study was collected through plant beating and specimens were preserved in 75% and 96% ethanol respectively and mounted in Heinz’s PVA medium on microscope slides. A survey was conducted during peak seasons to provide enough samples of pest and predatory species. Morphological analysis was performed and initial results indicate that 94% of the species identified were parasitic and 6% were predatory, which led to a predator:prey ratio of 1:17, where Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard had the highest frequency of appearance. A modified Qiagen DNeasy tissue kit extraction protocol was used and Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed to amplify ribosomal ITS and mitochondrial COI gene fragments. The nucleotide sequence of a 700-bp fragment for ITS was determined by direct sequencing as well as for a 700-bp and 800-bp fragments for COI. The resulting data included 4 isolates that corresponded morphologically and molecularly with Phytoseiidae and 10 with Stigmaeidae. The phylogenetic trees agreed with the morphological data. For species that lack morphological descriptions in GenBank and are not placed within expected clades, one has to accept the possibility of miss identification and highlights the need to combine morphological and molecular approaches to guarantee solid species diagnosis. Ultimately, Solanaceae contain various parasitic mites, but predators seem low in numbers. This could be problamatic in finding effective bio-control agents. / MSc (Zoology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Plant-feeding mites represent major pests in agriculture that are of importance to crops world-wide, as large populations of mites reduce the quality and quantity of yields. Alternatives to the use of pesticides are needed due to their negative effects and bio-control agents (predatory mites) remain advantages as they suppress spider mites and other plant pests. This study aims to determine species status of plant-feeding and predatory mites on plants of the family Solanaceae and to apply morphological and molecular data to determine phylogenetic relationships among economically important Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae and Tetranychidae. The material for this study was collected through plant beating and specimens were preserved in 75% and 96% ethanol respectively and mounted in Heinz’s PVA medium on microscope slides. A survey was conducted during peak seasons to provide enough samples of pest and predatory species. Morphological analysis was performed and initial results indicate that 94% of the species identified were parasitic and 6% were predatory, which led to a predator:prey ratio of 1:17, where Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard had the highest frequency of appearance. A modified Qiagen DNeasy tissue kit extraction protocol was used and Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed to amplify ribosomal ITS and mitochondrial COI gene fragments. The nucleotide sequence of a 700-bp fragment for ITS was determined by direct sequencing as well as for a 700-bp and 800-bp fragments for COI. The resulting data included 4 isolates that corresponded morphologically and molecularly with Phytoseiidae and 10 with Stigmaeidae. The phylogenetic trees agreed with the morphological data. For species that lack morphological descriptions in GenBank and are not placed within expected clades, one has to accept the possibility of miss identification and highlights the need to combine morphological and molecular approaches to guarantee solid species diagnosis. Ultimately, Solanaceae contain various parasitic mites, but predators seem low in numbers. This could be problamatic in finding effective bio-control agents. / MSc (Zoology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The current mainstream classroom presents several challenges for teachers and principals. Leaner diversity is seen as one of these challenges that teachers face. The Education White Paper 6 (South-Africa, 1996) recognizes all learner diversities, yet gifted-education is given minimal attention. The purpose of this qualitative research is to create a clear picture about the perspectives of high-school teachers, principals and parents of academically-gifted learners. This study seeks to identify the participants’ views about the education of academically-gifted learners and identify possibly gaps in ways of how academically-gifted learners can be supported productively. The research found that there is currently a lack of adequate educational support to academically-gifted learners. Research shows that there is a gap between official educational policies and the classroom situation. Participants in the study admit that academically-gifted learners are not effectively included in the mainstream classroom. Participants believe that the lack of a national definition of academic-giftedness, the deficit to appropriate training for teachers and the views of inclusive education puts strain on the education of these learners. Secondary school teachers and principals believe that the successful implementation of a policy an appropriate education of academically-gifted learners can only be accomplished if there is cooperation between all interested parties. Participants believe that both the parent and the teachers of academically-gifted learners should work together to form a support network for these learners. The findings of the research confirm the need for appropriate productive education and training to academically-gifted learners, so that all stakeholders can work together to help those learners develop. / MEd (Comparative Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The current mainstream classroom presents several challenges for teachers and principals. Leaner diversity is seen as one of these challenges that teachers face. The Education White Paper 6 (South-Africa, 1996) recognizes all learner diversities, yet gifted-education is given minimal attention. The purpose of this qualitative research is to create a clear picture about the perspectives of high-school teachers, principals and parents of academically-gifted learners. This study seeks to identify the participants’ views about the education of academically-gifted learners and identify possibly gaps in ways of how academically-gifted learners can be supported productively. The research found that there is currently a lack of adequate educational support to academically-gifted learners. Research shows that there is a gap between official educational policies and the classroom situation. Participants in the study admit that academically-gifted learners are not effectively included in the mainstream classroom. Participants believe that the lack of a national definition of academic-giftedness, the deficit to appropriate training for teachers and the views of inclusive education puts strain on the education of these learners. Secondary school teachers and principals believe that the successful implementation of a policy an appropriate education of academically-gifted learners can only be accomplished if there is cooperation between all interested parties. Participants believe that both the parent and the teachers of academically-gifted learners should work together to form a support network for these learners. The findings of the research confirm the need for appropriate productive education and training to academically-gifted learners, so that all stakeholders can work together to help those learners develop. / MEd (Comparative Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Currently a need for auditory processing test material for the identification of auditory processing disorders in children exists in the South African context. The purpose of this study was the Afrikaans translation and cultural adaptation of the SCAN-C: Test for Auditory Processing Disorders in Children-Revised (Keith, 2000a) and to determine the appropriateness thereof for preschool children. To achieve the objective of this study the research was performed in three phases and quantitative-descriptive research was utilized, with different methods for each of the phases. In Phase I the SCAN-C (Keith, 2000a) was translated and culturally adapted into Afrikaans for learners in Grade R. In Phase II the Siftingstoets vir Ouditiewe Prosesseringsafwykings (STOPA) was reviewed by speech-language therapists and/or audiologists as well as Grade R teachers (n = 11) by means of a customized questionnaire to determine appropriateness of the STOPA. A pilot study was conducted on Grade R learners (n = 10) before the STOPA was finalized and recorded. In Phase III the STOPA was performed on Grade R learners identified with normal auditory processing (n = 16) as well as Grade R learners identified with an auditory processing disorder (n = 14) to determine the validity and accuracy of the STOPA. The results indicated that the STOPA is age and culturally appropriate but that the validity and accuracy of the STOPA could not yet be proved. Clinical implications for identification, diagnosis and intervention for children with auditory processing disorders were discussed in order to provide the audiologist and speech-language therapist with evidence-based principles for clinical practice. Implications for further research include refining the STOPA during which normative data should be obtained. This study can therefore be viewed as the first step to standardize the STOPA, as well as to develop test material for other language and culture groups for the early identification of auditory processing disorders in children. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

Text in Afrikaans / In this study essential guidelines are given to Foundation Phase educators for the teaching of basic English concepts to English second language learners. Die research design is explained and recommendations are made. The following underlying problems, which were encountered in the research recommendation, are identified and discussed: Learning barriers with specific reference to English as a second language. The causes of learning barriers which include the discussion of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Educator training is lacking and educators do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to teach basic concepts in English to second language learners. The necessity and advantages of timeous identification of barriers to learning to ensure that basic concepts are taught. The study was concluded with practical guidelines to reinforce basic concepts in learners in the Foundation Phase who are taught in English as a second language. Recommendations were made to parents, educators and the Department of Education. / In die studie word riglyne aan Grondslagfase-onderwysers gegee vir die onderrig van basiese konsepte in Engels aan Engels tweedetaalleerders. Hierdie basiese konsepte is noodsaaklik vir vordering in die Grondslagfase. Die navorsingontwerp verduidelik en aanbevelings gemaak. Die volgende sub-probleme wat onderliggend is aan die navorsingsvoorstel is geïdentifiseer en bespreek, naamlik: Struikelblokke tot leer met spesifieke verwysing na Engels as tweedetaal. Die oorsake wat lei tot struikelblokke tot leer waaronder intrinsieke en ekstrinsieke faktore word bespreek. Onderwyseropleiding is onvoldoende en onderwysers beskik nie oor die kennis en vaardighede om basiese konsepte in Engels aan Engels tweedetaalleerders te onderrig nie. Die noodsaaklikheid van vroeë identifisering en die voordele verbonde aan vroegtydige identifisering van struikelblokke tot leer om te verseker dat basiese konsepte voldoende vasgelê word. Die studie is afgesluit met praktiese riglyne vir die vaslegging van basiese konsepte aan leerders in die Grondslagfase wat in Engels as tweede taal onderrig word. Aanbevelings is aan die ouers, onderwysers en die Departement van Onderwys gemaak. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inklusiewe Onderwys)