The research explored how women from the University of KwaZulu-Natal balanced both their personal and professional roles in order to advance into senior management positions. The study used a qualitative research methodology in which semistructured interviews were conducted on nine participants. The data were then analysed using Qualitative Thematic Analysis. The findings of this study revealed that although the participants faced various challenges, which were related to their gender they did manage to advance into senior management positions. What facilitated their advancement was that these women learned how to balance their dual roles through observing and imitating positive role models, which is supported by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. The findings of the study were both confirmed and disconfirmed by the literature. However what this study does show is that women are managing to advance into positions of senior management despite challenges that they may face and thus indicting that the glass ceiling is cracking. Management should therefore be prepared to manage this new breed of managers in their echelons. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Mathematical Literacy (ML) was introduced as a new subject in 2006, as an alternative to Mathematics for learners in Grade 10 to 12 in South African schools. The challenge of the shortage of Mathematics teachers (and hence Mathematical Literacy teachers), was exarcebated. Hence the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education (KZNDoE) jointly with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) initiated a programme designed to re-skill teachers to teach this new subject. This study explores the professional development of such teachers as a result of their participation in the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACEML) course at UKZN. Their professional development is explored in terms of their content knowledge, a content specific pedagogy and their professional identity and beliefs. The study was informed by a naturalistic, interpretivist orientation. Two versions of semi-structured questionnaires were completed by a total of twenty-three teachers. The first version, called Questionnaire A, was completed by fifteen teachers while the second version, Questionnaire B, by eight teachers respectively. Later, semi-structured interviews with four of the teachers were conducted. Their previous academic records were also used as data sources. The key findings of the study revealed that all teachers interviewed perceived improvement in their content knowledge as a result of their participation in the programme. Examples of improvements in their content-specific pedagogies were their increased repertoire of teaching strategies, their increased confidence, their focus on learners‟ prior understanding and their ability to link their teaching to real life applications. Findings also indicate that many teachers developed strong identities as Mathematical literacy teachers. A shift in identity was also evident with some teachers switching over from previous specialisations to teaching only Mathematical Literacy. Many teachers also felt that the generic modules helped them gain a broader understanding of their role. Claims that Mathematics teachers who have not studied the ACEML cannot teach ML as successfully as those who have, were made by most teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Thesis (MPA)-University of Durban-Westville, 1987.

The Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu (INK) area has been the main concern of the eThekwini Municipality. This area has been marked for its poverty and crime rate which is very high and has a bigger population. In terms of the eThekwini Municipality’s Intergrated Development Plan (IDP) and the Local Economic Development (LED) this area needs to fight poverty through providing sustainable programmes that will lead to economic growth and development thus changing the lives of many. There are policies and strategies that the government has embarked on to fight poverty and unemployment in the country but still this pandemic is growing. This study looked at how government has intervened in this community through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). This programme is intended for those people who have no employment or any source of income and its aim is to reach the poorest of the poor anywhere in the country. A sample was chosen through the purposeful method from a population frame of all people in the INK area who had worked in the EPWP. The researcher also used community leaders in the area who had been directly involved in the programme. The researcher obtained data from primary sources, which are individuals that were involved in the study. The researcher used both self-administered questionnaires and structured interviews for this study. The interviews were conducted with the community and community leaders. The questionnaires comprised of open-ended and closed-ended questions. The reason for using open-ended questions was to allow respondents a chance to give their opinions and make useful comments. The results are indicative of government strides to reduce poverty. The impact of the programme seems positive. This is mainly because of the knowledge and skills that the beneficiaries gained during the programme. The issue of job creation is still a major challenge in terms of addressing poverty in the INK area. / Thesis (MPA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness. The prevalence of schizophrenia is of concern and highlights the chronicity of the illness (Kaplan & Sadock, 1998; Warner & de Girolamo, 1995). It is therefore important that greater understanding ofthe variables affecting and potentially contributing to schizophrenia is sought. This study deals with three separate areas: 1. Creating a database and describing the socio-demographic profile of 615 certified patients diagnosed with schizophrenia between the years 1995 and 1996, hospitalised at Fort Napier. 2. Exploring whether a meaningful geographical model of socio-demographic variables of schizophrenia can be built, and whether it can determine areas of high schizophrenia sensitivity. Such a perspective of schizophrenia (exploring the combined effect of all the variables connected to schizophrenia) has not been previously researched rather each variable has been studied independently. The model utilised in the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) offers an opportunity to graphically overlay these individual variables and then examine the potential effect. It was only possible to explore sociodemographic variables within this Masters research project. 3. Determining the geographical accessibility ofthe public provincial hospitals offering psychiatric services to the population, (particularly to persons with schizophrenia). This is relevant to the provision of maintenance programmes and early intervention as encouraged by recent research (Hodges, Byme, Grant & Johnstone, 1999; Yung et al, 1998). The socio-demographic profile of the certified patients at FNH correlated with most of the international findings. The presentation of schizophrenia remained constant in South Afiica in comparison to international countries and cultures (Warner & de Girolamo, 1995). Overall, the pattern produced by the schizophrenia sensitivity model was unclear other than high and low schizophrenia sensitivity ranges being evenly spread throughout KZN. The model has yet to be further refined to increase its sensitivity to schizophrenia risk. Although statistical significance was not established, the accessibility model suggested that large parts ofKZN fall within the range of easy accessibility in relation to the 19 provincial hospitals that provide a psychiatric service. The potential of the schizophrenia sensitivity model and accessibility model, in spite of the crude and incomplete variables utilised was evident. The GIS was a powerful tool and utilised in this study to collect (from surveys and other databases), store (retrieval and query), manipulate (transforming data, analysis and modelling) and produce data output (data reporting, such as maps and reports) (Foote & Lynch, 1995). The GIS has been a very effective tool in working with epidemiological information and it would be of great use in service planning. It is strongly recommended that there be greater collaboration between mental health services and the GIS Unit, Department of Health. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

This thesis is an investigation into the undocumented migration of Malawians to the city of Durban, and the influences on their livelihoods, identities and continued links to Malawi. In this context the thesis raises the issue of migration and citizenship. In the past Malawians were involved in contract migration system tightly controlled by the mining industry and the state, and in which their freedom of movement and association was circumscribed. This thesis argues that there is a new, emerging new form of migration, which may be termed transnational migration that has taken root since the early 1990s. It involves a web of links and networks created by transmigrants between Malawi and Durban. For a variety of reasons this transnational migration pattern is less visible, and largely hidden from the official gaze of the state. The reasons for migrating to Durban are mainly, through not exclusively economic ones, that is, about creating a livelihood, or multiple livelihoods. Malawian migrants become enmeshed in a series of livelihood itineraries as part of the chain of migration from towns and villages en route to, and in Durban. In pursuing their livelihood itineraries they begin to use their networks and other resources such as their ethnic and religious identities, family and friendship ties, nationality, accumulated experiences, skills and entrepreneurship to insert themselves in the city, and in the process, seek, find or create work in both the formal and informal sectors of the local economy. In this context they develop a sense of belonging to and being part of the city and begin to institutionalise their presence, contributing in many ways, both socially and economically to the city. The thesis argues that their presence, practices, dispositions and accomplishments in the city of Durban, and continued links to Malawi raise pertinent issues around the question of citizenship and migration. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2004.

This is a report of investigations carried out into three aspects of the problem of maladjustment among Indian primary school children. For the sake of convenience and clarity, the dissertation is divided into the following parts, each investigating a different aspect of the topic: (a) A study of the Incidence of Maladjustment among Indian Primary School Children. (b) A Study of the Attitudes of Indian Teachers to Behaviour Problems of Children. (c) An In-depth Comparative Study of Sub-samples of Well-adjusted and Maladjusted Indian Primary School Children in respect of Selected Aspects of their Home Environment. The research was carried out in the form of three projects corresponding to the title order given above and referred to in this report as Projects One, Two, and Three, respectively. All three projects are linked together by the common theme of "maladjustment". / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1978.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.D.)- University of Natal, Durban, 1987.

The 48 members of the Ezemvelo Farmers' Organisation (EFO) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA), that were fully-certified as organic farmers were surveyed during October-December 2004 to assess their perceived level of satisfaction, trust, cooperation and commitment in a formal supply chain producing amadhumbes (a traditional vegetable tuber), potatoes and sweet potatoes for a major SA supermarket group. Empirical recursive models show that a high level of satisfaction in the working relationship results in these farmers trusting the pack-house agent more. High levels of trust, in turn, lead to higher levels of both commitment to, and cooperation in, the supply chain. A simultaneous-equation model showed that EFO farmers with higher levels of commitment tend to be more cooperative, and that members with higher levels of cooperation tend to be more committed toward the working relationship. These results suggest that strategies to improve the working relationship with the pack-house agent need to promote satisfaction, trust, cooperation and commitment. For example, co-investment in better crop storage facilities at farm-level would promote satisfaction and hence trust. There is also scope for more cooperation in the planning of new organic crop products to grow and market, and to remove some price uncertainty by giving EFO farmers more information about prices that they will be paid by the pack-house agent in this supply chain. In addition, satisfaction and, hence, trust, cooperation and commitment may be improved by adopting a formal contract between the EFO farmers and the pack-house agent to replace the current, incomplete verbal contract that governs trading. Some issues that may be addressed in this contract are improved communication systems via regular meetings, renegotiations of trading terms so that farmers can benefit from positive changes in organic crop prices; guidelines for paying farmers more quickly by the pack-house agent; mechanisms to trace crop quality to a specific farmer to avoid free riding; and penalties for breaching the contractual arrangements. The 48 EFO farmers were also asked to give their perceptions of the main constraints on organic crop production and marketing in the formal organic crop supply chain. They perceived that uncertain climate, unavailability of tractor or draught power when needed, delays in payments for crops sent to the pack-house, lack of affordable inputs (particularly labour and manure), a lack of cash and credit to finance inputs, lack of affordable transport to market crops, more work than the family can handle, a lack of manure to purchase; and a lack of crop storage facilities and telephones to negotiate sales as the current top 10 constraints. Principal Component Analysis summarized the underlying dimensions in the 20 constraints ranked by these farmers as indicating "lack of market information and lack of market power"; "crop production expansion constraints"; "commitment to crop area expansion"; "lack of liquidity"; "lack of proper storage facilities"; and "lack of information about alternative markets". Potential solutions to better manage these perceived constraints include: improved risk management practices (e.g., supplemental irrigation, water-harvesting and small boreholes), improving access to tractor services via improved tractor scheduling or using local contractor services, quicker pack-house delivery payments, improving quality inspection at the departure points at EFO farm-level to reduce crop rejection rates and "free riding" by producers of lower quality organic crops, more interaction with the retailer to promote sales of organic crops, providing advice on how the EFO farmers can improve their bargaining power, and providing more information (e.g. crop prices) about other organic markets and changing consumer preferences. Apparently, the costs and benefits of these potential solutions, and how they will be financed, need to be evaluated. Real accounting marketing margins since 2001 showed that the farmer's share of the consumer's rand for the 48 fully certified organic EFO farmers rose, while their net returns (selling price less accounting costs) were lower than those of the pack-house agent and hawkers selling at the Isipingo market on the South Coast of KZN. Net returns for the 48 EFO farmers also seemed to be relatively higher if they sold through the informal supply chain (hawkers) rather than the formal supply chain. The EFO farmers' net returns may be improved by lowering operating costs and by aggressive marketing to customers willing and able to pay a price premium for organic crops. These farmers may also consider performing some of t he marketing services themselves (e.g. crop cleaning, grading and packaging) if they have the skills and can access more finance. There are, however, hidden benefits from maintaining the formal supply chain relationship, as the pack-house agent helped to secure tractor services and fencing, and facilitates access to the retailer. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This dissertation investigates the impact of institutional and governance factors on the performance of 10 selected smallholder agricultural cooperatives (case studies) in KwaZulu- Natal (KZN). All the selected cooperatives were traditionally structured (e.g., one-member, one-vote system). Due to logistical and administrative constraints, the selected smallholder cooperatives were drawn from the EThekwini and UMgungundlovu Districts (the latter comprising of two sub-districts, namely Camperdown and Msunduzi), which incorporate the major cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Five of the cooperatives grow and market vegetables, three produce and market poultry, one is a beef production cooperative and another operates a bakery. Information from the interviews suggests that members of the selected smallholder cooperatives do not fully understand cooperative principles and have high expectations of potential benefits of being members. Descriptive analysis of the case studies describes total membership of each selected cooperative; average number of management meetings per month; gender and age composition of cooperative members; the characteristics of chairpersons of these cooperatives (e.g., gender, age and education); the initial capital structure of these cooperatives; annual turnover; growth opportunities; and institutional and governance factors influencing the performance of these cooperatives. The results of a cluster analysis suggest that the performance of the selected smallholder cooperatives is influenced by institutional and governance problems. Institutional problems give rise to low levels of equity and debt capital, reliance on government funding, low levels of investment, and subsequent loss of members. Governance problems are strongly linked to the absence of secret ballot, low levels of education, lack of production and management skills training, weak marketing arrangements and consequent low returns to members as patrons or investors. The conclusion is that appropriate institutional arrangements and good governance are important to the performance of enterprises initiated by groups of smallholders. South Africa’s new Cooperatives Act prevents smallholder cooperatives from adopting good institutional arrangements. Alternative ownership structures such as close corporations and private companies offer better institutional arrangements and opportunities for equity-sharing partnerships. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.