Participation in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is vital to ensure adequate physical work capacity for the demands of daily living and job performance. Due to work demand, most top and middle (executive) managerial employees become physically inactive and experience psychological and other health problems which may lead to hypokinetic diseases and even premature death. The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being status of executive employees; and to determine the relationship between leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being status of executive employees in selected African countries. A cross-sectional study design was carried out on a group of 156 (mean age 41.22±10.17) available executive employees from selected African countries. Participants were grouped according to age (≤35 years; 36–46 years and ≥ 46 years). Standardised questionnaires were used to collect the data. Subsequently, total scores were calculated for all variables. Out of 156 participants in the study, 42.9% occupied top level management and 57.1% middle level management positions. When data was analysed according to age groups, 31.4% and 68.6% in the less than 35 years age group were in the top and the middle level management positions respectively. In the age group 36 to 46 years, 47.2% occupied the top level management position and 52.8% occupied the middle level management position. With regard to LTPA, top level managers (71.6%) scored low LTPA compared to the middle level managers (62.9%). In addition, both the top and middle level managers reported bad emotional index (49.3%; 56.2%) and happiness index (41.8%; 37.1%) respectively. Though not significant, LTPA was positively associated with psychological well-being parameters amongst top level managers. The study concluded that both top and middle level managers exhibited low LTPA, and with no participation in high physical activity among top level managers. In addition, more middle level managers reported bad emotional stage than the top level managers, while the top level managers were less happy than the middle level managers. The study therefore recommends urgent strategic intervention programmes for leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being. / MSc (Biokinetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) of a semi-airtight (the building only utilises mechanical means to ventilate the occupied spaces however an airtight seal is not established as a result of infiltration due to building design) office building that is situated in central Johannesburg that exclusively uses a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system for ventilation. This implies a system that only utilises mechanical ventilation to heat, cool, humidify and clean the air for comfort, safety and health of employees. This includes the control of odour levels, and also the maintenance of carbon dioxide (CO2) below stipulated levels. Methods: The building is divided into two sections; west and east. Each section has its own ventilation supply. A randomisation process was used to ascertain which offices needed to be sampled, in which section as well as on which floor. For this study, five offices per section were measured. Thus, ten offices per floor were measured and measurements were taken on every second floor. All measurements were done in accordance with the specific requirements of the manufacturer of any specific instrument used and measurements were taken over an eight hour period (full work shift). Results were compared to the available standard, as well as compared to the ambient concentrations. Results: None of the monitored contaminants’ concentration were above the provided standards (ASHRAE or ACGIH). Where standards were unavailable, the HVAC system maintained an indoor contaminant concentration that is substantially lower when compared to the outdoor air concentrations. Conclusion: The buildings’ HVAC system maintains indoor air quality at a healthy level it is unlikely that any one of these contaminants may lead to SBS amongst the employees. / MSc (Occupational Hygiene), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

On 18 June 2010 new NEMA 2010 EIA Regulations were promulgated and came into effect on 2 August 2010 in order to improve the effectiveness of EIA. The question of effectiveness, therefore still remains. The quality of EIRs under the 1997 regulations in South Africa has been researched, although not as extensively as in other parts of the world. It was concluded that the quality of EIRs in South Africa are generally satisfactory, although a number of problems were identified, e.g. timing of the EIA, the identification of activities which require authorization or not, the consideration of alternatives, the absence of any time limits, the absence of requirements for monitoring and enforcing compliance, and objectivity. The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), (Act no 107, 1998) was amended and new regulations promulgated in 2006. No research has been published regarding the quality of EIRs produced in South Africa under the 2006 regulations. Since it was the intent of the new regulations to improve EIA effectiveness, it is necessary that the quality of EIRs produced under the new EIA system be investigated. As in the other studies in South Africa, the Lee and Colley review model was used as basis for the comparative analysis of the EIRs before and after 2006. A sample of 26 EIRs, 11 under the 1997 EIA system and 15 under the 2006 EIA system, obtained from the then Impact Assessment Directorate of the National Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) archives in Pretoria were reviewed. The main conclusions were that the majority of the EIRs under the 1997 system were of an acceptable standard and that the overall quality of the EIRs did not improve after the promulgation of the 2006 regulations. The descriptive and presentational parts of the EIRs were more satisfactorily addressed, while the analytical parts such as impact significance were addressed less satisfactorily. EIR quality appears to be on par with international standards, but there are areas of distinct weaknesses. As the 2006 EIRs included some of the first EIRs conducted under the new regulations, there is potential for the quality to improve over time. However, the areas that still need attention are the identification and evaluation of impacts, impact magnitude and monitoring programmes. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

In this study the focus is on Batho Pele (a Sotho translation for 'people first'), an initiative to get people that work in the public services to be service orientated and to strive for excellence towards continuous service delivery improvement (SA, 2004a:8). Batho Pele consist of a framework with two primary functions that apply to this study; service delivery to people as the customers (patients in this study) and the possibility to hold individual public servants (health care personnel in this study) accountable for poor service delivery. This, in fact, implies that poor performance lead to poor service delivery; thus, compliance with the Batho Pele principles plays a pivotal role to improve quality health care service delivery. The purpose of the study was to make recommendations to enhance the current compliance with the Batho Pele principles in a Primary Health Care (PHC) context that would positively improve quality care and patient satisfaction. A non–experimental, quantitative, descriptive study was undertaken within the philosophical framework of the Batho Pele principles as well as the Patients‘ Right Charter. All participants completed a structured questionnaire to determine the level of compliance with the Batho Pele principles as experienced by the patients and viewed by the health care personnel in a PHC context. The data collected, was analysed using descriptive statistics. Four PHC clinics were involved, situated at Umzinyathi District Health in the Kwazulu Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. The study included two patient–population samples, based on convenience; the participants that visited the clinics (n=132) and the participants visited by the researcher at home (n=101). Fifty– six (n=56) health care personnel who voluntary agreed to participate in the study were an all–inclusive sample. The findings revealed that the patients in the study felt more secure to answer the questions on their experiences regarding compliances with the Batho Pele principles at home and this could be an important consideration when conducting patient satisfaction surveys. It was also clear that patients were more dissatisfied than health care personnel in most questions asked regarding their experience on the compliance with the Batho Pele principles in a PHC context. Recommendations were made in the light of what was contained in the study that can serve as a starting point to address identified shortcomings in nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The mining industry in South Africa plays a significant role in the economy of the country. South Africa is rated as one of the world’s largest producers of key reserves - gold, manganese ore and platinum– and the high level of industrial and production skills in the mines also contributes to the country’s success. Although the gold mining industry’s contribution is of the utmost importance, it is also under pressure to remain competitive and cost–efficient. Old shafts, worsening health of employees, ore bodies that are not always in their prime phase, the radical increase in the annual electricity tariffs and the possibility of decreased gold prices contribute to the decline in the gold mining industry’s success. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between role–specific stress and physical and psychological health, and to determine whether social support has a moderating effect in this relationship for employees in a mining training academy. A cross–sectional survey design was used and a convenience sample (n=437) was taken from a South African gold mining company, where the only criterium for inclusion was to be employed by the organisation at the time the research took place. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The measuring instruments used in this study were proven to be reliable. The results indicate that role stressors and physical and psychological health problems are positively related. It also shows that social support can decrease role–specific stress and that social support – especially from colleagues and supervisors – can help to reduce depression and improve the quality of sleep. Furthermore, logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether role stress and social support hold any predictive value regarding physical and psychological health. It was found that if participants’ experience role–specific stress and they receive support – especially from supervisors – it can predict their quality of sleep and the use of medication (physical viii health). The findings also indicate that role stress can predict the experience of depression with regards to psychological health. However, the moderating effect of social support between role stress and depression was not supported in this research. To conclude, recommendations for the organisation and future research are made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

In order to make decisions to approve filling stations, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) needs to be conducted and evaluated by the competent authority. Although numerous filling stations have been authorised for operation, the quality of the EIA reports that form the basis for decision making has never been evaluated. The evaluation of the quality of EIA reports on filling station developments by means of an adapted Lee–Colley review package formed the basis of this research. The main conclusion was that the quality of the EIA reports for filling station developments, as reviewed by the adapted review package, is generally of a poor standard. This means that a decision to approve a new filling station is generally based on just enough information to the competent authority. The main deficiencies in the EIA reports related to site description, cumulative impacts and mitigation measures, while the environment description, identification of impacts, scoping of impacts, assessment of impact significance and emphasis (impacts) in the reports were of good quality. The results from the reviewed EIA’s correspond mostly with the literature on the review of EIA reports. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

On 18 June 2010 new NEMA 2010 EIA Regulations were promulgated and came into effect on 2 August 2010 in order to improve the effectiveness of EIA. The question of effectiveness, therefore still remains. The quality of EIRs under the 1997 regulations in South Africa has been researched, although not as extensively as in other parts of the world. It was concluded that the quality of EIRs in South Africa are generally satisfactory, although a number of problems were identified, e.g. timing of the EIA, the identification of activities which require authorization or not, the consideration of alternatives, the absence of any time limits, the absence of requirements for monitoring and enforcing compliance, and objectivity. The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), (Act no 107, 1998) was amended and new regulations promulgated in 2006. No research has been published regarding the quality of EIRs produced in South Africa under the 2006 regulations. Since it was the intent of the new regulations to improve EIA effectiveness, it is necessary that the quality of EIRs produced under the new EIA system be investigated. As in the other studies in South Africa, the Lee and Colley review model was used as basis for the comparative analysis of the EIRs before and after 2006. A sample of 26 EIRs, 11 under the 1997 EIA system and 15 under the 2006 EIA system, obtained from the then Impact Assessment Directorate of the National Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) archives in Pretoria were reviewed. The main conclusions were that the majority of the EIRs under the 1997 system were of an acceptable standard and that the overall quality of the EIRs did not improve after the promulgation of the 2006 regulations. The descriptive and presentational parts of the EIRs were more satisfactorily addressed, while the analytical parts such as impact significance were addressed less satisfactorily. EIR quality appears to be on par with international standards, but there are areas of distinct weaknesses. As the 2006 EIRs included some of the first EIRs conducted under the new regulations, there is potential for the quality to improve over time. However, the areas that still need attention are the identification and evaluation of impacts, impact magnitude and monitoring programmes. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

In this study the focus is on Batho Pele (a Sotho translation for 'people first'), an initiative to get people that work in the public services to be service orientated and to strive for excellence towards continuous service delivery improvement (SA, 2004a:8). Batho Pele consist of a framework with two primary functions that apply to this study; service delivery to people as the customers (patients in this study) and the possibility to hold individual public servants (health care personnel in this study) accountable for poor service delivery. This, in fact, implies that poor performance lead to poor service delivery; thus, compliance with the Batho Pele principles plays a pivotal role to improve quality health care service delivery. The purpose of the study was to make recommendations to enhance the current compliance with the Batho Pele principles in a Primary Health Care (PHC) context that would positively improve quality care and patient satisfaction. A non–experimental, quantitative, descriptive study was undertaken within the philosophical framework of the Batho Pele principles as well as the Patients‘ Right Charter. All participants completed a structured questionnaire to determine the level of compliance with the Batho Pele principles as experienced by the patients and viewed by the health care personnel in a PHC context. The data collected, was analysed using descriptive statistics. Four PHC clinics were involved, situated at Umzinyathi District Health in the Kwazulu Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. The study included two patient–population samples, based on convenience; the participants that visited the clinics (n=132) and the participants visited by the researcher at home (n=101). Fifty– six (n=56) health care personnel who voluntary agreed to participate in the study were an all–inclusive sample. The findings revealed that the patients in the study felt more secure to answer the questions on their experiences regarding compliances with the Batho Pele principles at home and this could be an important consideration when conducting patient satisfaction surveys. It was also clear that patients were more dissatisfied than health care personnel in most questions asked regarding their experience on the compliance with the Batho Pele principles in a PHC context. Recommendations were made in the light of what was contained in the study that can serve as a starting point to address identified shortcomings in nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

In order to make decisions to approve filling stations, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) needs to be conducted and evaluated by the competent authority. Although numerous filling stations have been authorised for operation, the quality of the EIA reports that form the basis for decision making has never been evaluated. The evaluation of the quality of EIA reports on filling station developments by means of an adapted Lee–Colley review package formed the basis of this research. The main conclusion was that the quality of the EIA reports for filling station developments, as reviewed by the adapted review package, is generally of a poor standard. This means that a decision to approve a new filling station is generally based on just enough information to the competent authority. The main deficiencies in the EIA reports related to site description, cumulative impacts and mitigation measures, while the environment description, identification of impacts, scoping of impacts, assessment of impact significance and emphasis (impacts) in the reports were of good quality. The results from the reviewed EIA’s correspond mostly with the literature on the review of EIA reports. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The mining industry in South Africa plays a significant role in the economy of the country. South Africa is rated as one of the world’s largest producers of key reserves - gold, manganese ore and platinum– and the high level of industrial and production skills in the mines also contributes to the country’s success. Although the gold mining industry’s contribution is of the utmost importance, it is also under pressure to remain competitive and cost–efficient. Old shafts, worsening health of employees, ore bodies that are not always in their prime phase, the radical increase in the annual electricity tariffs and the possibility of decreased gold prices contribute to the decline in the gold mining industry’s success. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between role–specific stress and physical and psychological health, and to determine whether social support has a moderating effect in this relationship for employees in a mining training academy. A cross–sectional survey design was used and a convenience sample (n=437) was taken from a South African gold mining company, where the only criterium for inclusion was to be employed by the organisation at the time the research took place. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The measuring instruments used in this study were proven to be reliable. The results indicate that role stressors and physical and psychological health problems are positively related. It also shows that social support can decrease role–specific stress and that social support – especially from colleagues and supervisors – can help to reduce depression and improve the quality of sleep. Furthermore, logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether role stress and social support hold any predictive value regarding physical and psychological health. It was found that if participants’ experience role–specific stress and they receive support – especially from supervisors – it can predict their quality of sleep and the use of medication (physical viii health). The findings also indicate that role stress can predict the experience of depression with regards to psychological health. However, the moderating effect of social support between role stress and depression was not supported in this research. To conclude, recommendations for the organisation and future research are made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.