In recent decades, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), adoption in global Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), transformed the business landscape and has had a significant effect on social and economic developments that have saturated every aspect of human life. However, SMEs in developing countries are still facing various constraints that inhibit them from effectively incorporating ICT in their business operations and Zimbabwe has not been an exception. This research investigated the main reasons why Zimbabwean SMEs face challenges in adopting and utilising ICT, with particular emphasis on the role of the government in enhancing ICT use in SMEs. The study also aimed at presenting a validated and implementable ICT adoption framework that the Zimbabwean government can utilise to stimulate ICT adoption in SMEs. The methodology adopted in undertaking this research was the Design Science Research (DSR) approach that facilitated the creation of innovative and unique solutions relevant to the issues under study. The approach included a qualitative survey that utilised semi-structured interviews with 12 SMEs in and around five key Zimbabwean cities. The study revealed key government-related factors that affect ICT adoption in Zimbabwean SMEs that facilitated the development of an SME ICT adoption framework. These factors included government policies, government support and financial subsidies. The framework was validated using a focus group approach. The analysed data revealed that the framework is valid and relevant for use in practice, with the majority of the participants accepting and agreeing with the framework constructs. The study also offered various recommended strategies that will aid the government and other key SME stakeholders in resolving the challenges that SMEs face in adopting and utilising ICT. / Informatics / PhD / Unrestricted

This study explored how mentors working in a South African sport school were able to use their individual and shared mentoring experiences to draw up mentoring guidelines that would assist them in their roles as mentors within the school’s boarding establishment. This was achieved by: firstly, exposing them to an experiential learning model; secondly, using the model as a tool for reflection on their personal mentoring experiences; thirdly, facilitating a mentoring focus group; fourthly, transcribing and analysing their experiences, discussions, and reflections through a narrative thematic analysis; and lastly, by collaborating with the participants to formulate mentoring guidelines. The findings were largely consistent with the literature reviewed; however, there were a few instances that they differed or were unique to the literature reviewed. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Land rights have received some attention as an issue concerning property rights. It has been considered as an important right for the local communities living around or across protected areas. However, the right to land is almost absent from international instruments of human rights. Land rights are not typically perceived to be a human rights issue.1 Land rights is corporeal hereditament as they are physical or tangible objects incorporated in land while rights to land is incorporeal which fall under property rights. In the same vein, rights to land “broadly refer to rights to use, control, and transfer a parcel of land, and include the rights to: occupy, enjoy and use land and resources; restrict or exclude others from land; transfer, sell, purchase, grant or loan; inherit and bequeath; develop or improve; rent or sublet; and benefit from improved land values or rental income”.2 Legally, according to Gilbert, land rights fall in the “categories of land laws, land tenure agreements but they are rarely associated with human rights law”.3 Internationally, there is no treaty or any specific declaration that refers to human rights to land.4 Even land rights are absent from international instruments of human rights. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights stipulates in article 14: “the right to property shall be guaranteed. It may only be encroached upon in the interest of public need or in the general interest of the community and in accordance with the provisions of appropriate laws”5. This can be construed to cater for land rights in international law. Land dispossession has a negative impact on the local communities and on all mankind as it impacts on their livelihood and also has a negative impact on the environment. It is extremely true that local communities also want to share the resources of their land and to benefit from them. The establishment of protected areas is a worldwide practice that intends to defend biodiversity and wildlife from human development.6 Such a policy tends to neglect the rights of local communities, generally in the practice of protected areas. Most protected areas have followed the conventional and exclusionary approach that was applied at Yellowstone7 in 1972 and have failed to fully integrate other important factors such as social and cultural issues. The dispossession of land can be considered as a restrictive measure that imposes difficult and most of the time conflicting effects to the people settled around protected areas. The dispossession of land has triggered adverse social impacts on local communities in some cases by disrupting their traditional ways of living and limiting their control of and access to resources.8 The dispossession of land undermines protection policies through conflicts between protected area managers and local communities. The prohibition of communities from their land without consultation violates the obligations for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). This study investigates the human rights implications on protected land of Luki Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It will also explore the DRC land rights framework and their implications on socio-economic rights of local communities such as: the right to food, right to clean water, right to housing, right to health and the right to culture. / Mini Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Centre for Human Rights / MPhil / Unrestricted

The plethora of studies existing in the field of strategic management especially strategy implementation, has exhausted theories such as agency theory, organisational theory, social system theory, social learning theory, and expectancy theory in trying to provide solutions to organisational problems, as they have not been successful in addressing the implementation gap. Poor implementation or organisational performance Aguinis (2013) is and continues to be a matter of grave concern in organisations Cooks (2010); Chimhanzi (2004); Barksdale & Darden (1971); Felton (1959) with Churchman (1975) labelling it “the implementation problem”. Strategy implementation is still ill understood, approached from various viewpoints Dinwoodie, Quinn & Mc Guire (2014); Van de Merwe (2013); Tait & Nienaber (2010) acknowledged and the typical approach of most researchers in investigating implementation is to enhance implementation prospects Chimhanzi (2004) and neglect the negative side which potentially might provide answers to most problems. Through Narrative Research, Strategy Implementation Narrative Capture Statements and in-depth interviews using Triads and Dyads were administered on Top Management, Senior Management, and Middle Management. The purpose of this study was to elicit narratives / stories to try and answer the research question: How to address strategy implementation gap with a liabilities approach? The fragmented stories were collected over a period of three months at the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) Head Office and five other branches countrywide. The primary question which this research sought to answer was: How can the liabilities approach and insights gained enhance strategy implementation? The secondary questions were: How can these gained insights enable organisations achieve success? Why is there limited success at implementation and are there gaps existing in strategy implementation? Three liabilities notably, The Liability of Engagement, the Liability of Decision Making Autonomy and the Liability of Perceived Institutional Support (negative influences, items and means, which an organisation has access to, which contribute or detracts organisational performance to generate economic rents) have been identified following the literature review, dyads and triads data analysis, these collectively are labelled Strategy Implementation Liabilities (SILs) being negative influences, destructive holdings and processes encountered at strategy implementation. This study makes four contributions to the academic literature of strategic management and the Liabilities Theory. This study found evidence of the presence of Strategy Implementation Liabilities within the case organisation’s strategy implementation processes, and these ought to be averted, mitigated and or removed from beneficial processes of business for effective and successful implementation. Organisations have to be aware of these liabilities as potentially, they can lead to economic loss and competitive disadvantages. These identified liabilities can vary across organisations and units, depending on the strategy and the extent of the already experienced implementation barriers. Strategy Implementers/ Executors should note that they have to contend with them, they are not independent but interdependent and therefore must respond with individualised strategies which take cognisance of their strengths and weaknesses (Pretorius, 2009). Lastly, these identified liabilities require more time to overcome by organisations since they are hidden within the processes, this calls for concerted effort such as the commitment of the organisational resources. The critical recommendation would be to test the existence or prevalence of the Strategy Implementation Liabilities in other organisational settings and use the Strategy Implementation Liabilities Framework (see Figure 7.40) to identify any set of liabilities, avert,mitigate and or remove them from beneficial processes.The possible strength of the correlations between these liabilities would be determined in order to identify those liabilities which might be considered to be critical, as this would enable management to then address as a matter of priority. The possibility of identifying and recognising liabilities at the strategy formulation process could be an option such that these are noted at strategy implementation where processes could be put in place to accordingly deal with. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Business Management / PhD / Unrestricted

The role that integration and coordination of ministries play in the discovery and development of a missional congregation’s identity is being investigated in this study. The theory of the building up of a congregation is being investigated after which the identity and missional being of a congregation is subjected to scrutiny. It is being argued that the missional congregation identity is a gift from the triune God. This identity is corporative, relational and dynamic and is initiated by God. The challenge for congregations in a post-Christianity world lies in the fact to anew reclaim and deepen their missional identity. As a result of the research conducted for this study, it is assumed that the intentional integration and coordination of the ministries facilitate the discovery and development of the identity. In this study Nel’s argument that ministries need each other to facilitate the discovery and development of identity is tested. There is synergy between the different ministries in a systems approach and the effectiveness of the ministries is much greater than it would be if they were to function on their own. The various ministries need each other to fully come into their own. Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology were implemented in this study. The empirical research (quantitative as well qualitative) was conducted among the ministers of the Highveld Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church. One-hundred-and-thirty-nine of the 144 ministers agreed to take part in the quantitative research followed by partly structured interviews with 16 randomly selected ministers. During the empirical study every attempt was made to obtain data in connection with the understanding of ministers regarding the building up, identity and missional being of a congregation as well as the integration and coordination of the ministries that are present in their congregations. The probability exists that an identity-driven missional congregation in which the ministry is integrated and coordinated, could go from strength to strength in the world. The research has shown that some of the ministers seem to show a flawed understanding that identity is a relational reality. At the same time there exists quite possibly a defective understanding that a congregation’s reason for existence originates in its identity, and that the contributions that the integration and coordination of the ministry play in the discovery and development of the identity, are not fully understood. Most of the ministers are aware of the fact, that they need to develop their congregations as missional congregations, but the ministers do not always have the knowledge, competence, inclination and experience to make the move. An endeavor is made to better understand these core concerns and in the last chapter strategic plans, with an eye on desired outcomes, are presented. / Die rol wat die integrering en koördinering van bedienings in die identiteits-ontdekking en -ontwikkeling van ʼn missionale gemeente speel, word in hierdie studie ondersoek. Die teorie van gemeentebou word verken, waarna die identiteit van die kerk en missionale gemeentewees onder die loep kom. Daar word geargumenteer dat die missionale gemeente se identiteit deur die drie-enige God geskenk word. Dié identiteit is korporatief, relasioneel en dinamies en word deur Hom geïnisieer. Die uitdaging vir gemeentes in ʼn post-Christendom wêreld lê daarin om opnuut hul missionale identiteit te herwin en te verdiep. Die navorsingsvermoede van die studie is dat die doelbewuste integrering en koördinering van die bedienings identiteits-ontdekking en -ontwikkeling fasiliteer. In hierdie studie word Nel se argument dat die bedienings mekaar nodig het om identiteits-ontdekking en -ontwikkeling te fasiliteer beredeneer, maar ook getoets. Binne ‘n sisteembenadering is daar sinergie tussen die verskillende bedienings en die bedienings se effektiwiteit is veel meer as wanneer hulle op hul eie funksioneer. Die verskillende bedienings het mekaar nodig om tot hul volle reg te kom. Osmer se vier take van prakties-teologiese interpretasie is in dié studie uitgevoer. Die empiriese navorsing (kwantitatief sowel as kwalitatief) is onder die leraars van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk se Hoëveld Sinode gedoen. 139 leraars (uit ʼn totaal van 144) het ingestem om aan die kwantitatiewe navorsing deel te neem, waarna half-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 16 ewekansig verkose leraars gevoer is. Tydens die empiriese studie is gepoog om data te bekom met betrekking tot leraars se verstaan van gemeentebou, identiteit, missionale gemeentewees, sowel as die integrering en koördinering van die bedienings wat by hul gemeentes teenwoordig is. Die vermoede bestaan dat ʼn identiteitsgedrewe missionale gemeente, waar die bedienings geïntegreer en gekoördineer word, van krag tot krag in ʼn post-Christendom wêreld kan gaan. In die navorsing is gevind dat daar ʼn gebrekkige besef by van die leraars bestaan dat identiteit ʼn relasionele werklikheid is. Daarbenewens bestaan daar heel moontlik ʼn gebrekkige begrip dat ʼn gemeente se bestaansdoel uit haar identiteit voortspruit. Die bydrae wat die integrering en koördinering van die bedienings in identiteits-ontdekking en -ontwikkeling speel, word heel moontlik ook nie ten volle begryp nie. Meeste van die leraars weet dat hul gemeentes as missionale gemeentes moet ontwikkel, maar die leraars het nie aldag die kennis, vaardighede, lus en ondervinding om dié skuif te maak nie. Daar word gepoog om dié kernsake beter te verstaan en in die laaste hoofstuk word strategiese planne met die oog op verlangde uitkomste voorgelê. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

The study considers the different forms of conspicuous consumption displayed within Roman domestic spaces, with particular focus on the House of the Faun in Pompeii. Sumptuary laws aimed at women were used to identify how women displayed conspicuous consumption, which is used to identify the domestic display of conspicuous consumption from early second century BCE until 79 CE when Pompeii was destroyed. The house and the woman were equated because both are extensions of the paterfamilias. Thus, by firstly indicating that women in fact displayed conspicuous consumption and by utilising sumptuary laws, it is possible to demonstrate that conspicuous consumption was displayed in the domus even though no sumptuary laws existed aimed at the domus. The structure of the house is analysed as if it were women’s clothing and parameters for the basic layout of the house are established to indicate how those displaying conspicuous consumption deviated from the basic plan. In addition, parameters are similarly determined to analyse wall and floor art, furniture and sculptures, gardens, and water features that determine how conspicuous consumption was displayed in the House of the Faun. The concept of conspicuous consumption has to be understood as well as the socioeconomic circumstances under which it manifested during the Republic. The next key concept is Roman women and how they were a vehicle for conspicuous display in the private and public sphere. An analogy is created that equates the woman to the house in order to identify certain forms of conspicuous consumption. After identifying the ways women displayed status, the display of status in the domus is discussed from the outside inward, in other words, from the architectural structure moving inward to art, gardens and movable features. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Ancient Languages / MA / Unrestricted

Abusive supervision is a distressing problem for individuals and organisations, with workplace aggression impacting a disconcerting number of employees. The costs and concerns include absenteeism, health care, and lost productivity. Numerous studies have explored the adverse consequences of abusive supervision, but this study is one of the fewer studies designed to add to the knowledge on antecedents of abusive supervision. In this study, I test a model of implicit bias, microaggressions (employees' evaluations of supervisors’ behaviour as being discriminatory), abusive supervision and employee outcomes (intentions to quit, psychological distress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder). Manager-related moderating factors between implicit bias and microaggressions (self-monitoring and individualised consideration) are also tested, as are employee-related moderating factors of microaggressions and abusive supervision perceptions (external and hostile attribution styles). Lastly, psychological capital as a moderator of the relations between abusive supervision and adverse employee outcomes is tested. The theoretical framing is social identity and job demands-resources theory, and the sample is a diverse group of manager-employee dyads in the manufacturing industry in South Africa. The critical contribution made by this study is establishing that abusive supervision may be a reflection of managers’ implicit bias toward employees who are racially different from them, via employees’ perceptions of managers’ microaggressions. However, results show that, for managers who also exhibit greater transformational behaviours, racial bias may be associated with lower reports of abusive supervision, as compared to managers who exhibit less transformational leadership: Employees can still recognise the good in an otherwise badly behaving manager. Also, congruent with social identity theory, results show that employees are more likely to perceive their manager’s behaviour as abusive when they project antagonistic and hostile intent onto the manager’s behaviour. A particularly important result, considering the serious implications of this finding for organisations and individuals, is the finding that abusive supervision and post-traumatic stress symptoms are positively associated. Therefore, the psychological toll of abusive supervision may be more severe than demonstrated in previous research. The major methodological contribution of the study is the use of implicit attitude testing (IAT) rather than other or self-reports of racial bias. In summary, my study contributes to the field of organisational psychology by demonstrating that not only does racial bias exist in the workplace today, but that it has also “gone underground,” perhaps becoming more subtle and insidious than earlier forms of racial discrimination. I also found that racial bias was linked to subordinate reports of abusive supervision, through employee reports of subtle acts of racial discriminatory behaviour. The detrimental outcomes from this for diverse employees were numerous. Themes for future research include the determination of the contexts where psychological capital may best function as a mitigating resource on the effects of abusive supervision, to explore religious bias and religious-based microaggressions, and to explore what effect employee social status may have on these relations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Human Resource Management / PhD

Following the redevelopment of one of Pretoria’s most prominent social spaces, Hatfield Square, the character of the area surrounding the space is noticeably altered resulting in an apparent change in the perceptions of those who live in the area and who used the space. This study is aimed at understanding what these changes mean for the people (the former users and those familiar with the area) in terms of how they construct meanings around the conversion of Hatfield Square, particularly the impact on their social interactions and their use of the space. A qualitative study was undertaken within an interpretive-, social constructivist paradigm using a case study design combined with elements of phenomenology. Following Glaser’s classic Grounded Theory approach, the case of Hatfield Square was studied by capturing the experiences, opinions and perceptions of former users and allowing a preliminary theory to emerge from the data, namely the loss of unseen social synergy created by this unique space and how the conversion of this space left a void which cannot be filled simply by other functionally similar spaces. Data were managed and analysed using Atlas.ti, a qualitative data analysis software, bringing another dimension to the methodology as the use of qualitative analysis software is still relatively limited in built environment research. During initial data gathering a vast array of potential categories emerged and after distilling these through analysis, further data gathering, refined analysis and directed memoing, a core category emerged. Loss was the central theme in the data, in terms of opportunities, social space and sentimental value. This core of loss led to a comparison to existing literature on the implications of urban spatial change, discourse on changing public spaces, critical social theory and elements of emotional geography. This study has specific focus on the case of Hatfield Square and concludes that despite previous work done on the implications of converting spaces, planners and developers still fail to take cognisance of the unquantifiable social dynamics and fabrics that are equally as part of these spaces as their physical structures. As urban planners our focus is too often fixed on the physical environments and how to understand them in order to improve planning practices and policy. The plans we make and the environments we affect are ultimately for people, and accordingly, their success should be measured by how they function for those people and how they are experienced by their users. By providing increased knowledge on a phenomenon related to development and the change of spatial elements within our city, this study provides the opportunity for decision makers (including those responsible for planning as well as those shaping and implementing policies) to make more informed decisions with holistic views of potential impacts. / Town and Regional Planning / MTRP / Unrestricted

Solar receiver cavities, which are designed to absorb large amounts of concentrated solar irradiation, form the central component of a solar collection plant. Since this receiver’s efficiency is directly proportional to the plant’s overall performance, the optimum design of these receivers is an important research field, as it is key to the maximisation of electricity output, while maintaining reasonable costs as an alternative to the high costs of fossil fuel energy generation technologies. Due to the high temperatures that are reached inside a solar receiver, the prediction of heat flux distribution and the subsequent effects on conjugate heat transfer have been key areas of research in the solar field. Initially dominated by experimental studies, research has trended towards numerical prediction using finite volume methods (FVM), due to the low turnaround time and cost-effective nature of this type of analysis. Owing to the need to accurately predict these heat flux distributions, a methodology to numerically simulate concentrated heat flux on complex surfaces of a solar receiver is developed. A combination of Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT) methods and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is implemented to estimate system performance, while minimising computational time and expense, with limited sacrifice of accuracy. After successful validation of this method with experimental data, iterative performance simulations on a candidate geometry, implemented in a realistic solar-concentrating field, are performed to showcase the ability of the methodology to accurately predict system performance. The sample geometry is based on a number of implementations from various case studies and receivers that are used nowadays, with each iteration allowing for parameter adjustment to maximise optical and thermal efficiency. Key result outputs include the prediction of heat flux distributions and subsequent thermal stress raisers, such as hot spots, convective and re-radiation heat losses, and operating temperatures. Determining which of these thermal stress raisers from the implementation of this model can further improve and streamline designs. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

English First Additional language is introduced to the non-speakers of the language in Grade 1. This is in line with the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement, which requires English to be introduced to Grade 1 learners irrespective of their home language or their language background (Department of Basic Education, 2012). To the majority of learners in South Africa, English is a second or a third language. Learning a new language poses numerous challenges, such as inability to decipher the sound system of the language. Moreover, primary school classrooms are known for being action filled and accommodative of what is known as "productive noise", which makes it difficult for Foundation Phase teachers to be audible to all learners in the classrooms. Options that are commonly used to reduce noise are hanging curtains and fitting tennis balls on the legs of chairs. This study focused on the use of a dynamic sound field amplification system as one way to improve acoustics in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to document the teachers’ experiences when using dynamic sound field amplification system. Although this study was not an intervention, the concept evaluation was used to understand teachers’ experiences and challenges as regards the background noise in their classrooms. This study was conducted in three Grade 1 mainstream classrooms where English First Additional Language is used for teaching and learning in the North West Province, South Africa. The classroom observations afforded me the opportunity to see how the learners reacted in the improved acoustic classroom. Lastly, the discussions with the teachers enabled me to hear how they feel about the use of the dynamic sound field amplified system. Components of the Programme Theory Evaluation with its relevance on change underpinned this study. For the purpose of this study I focused on the five steps or levels of theory of change i.e. inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact (Evaluation Exchange, 2006). The practical application of the Programme Theory Evaluation guided the documentation of the teachers’ experiences. The use of dynamic sound field amplification system helped with the early identification of learning barriers and interventions in the three schools. This lessened the number of learners who were wrongly referred to special schools because of poor performance. Teachers’ health, high rates of absenteeism and voice fatigue were reduced, and classroom management was facilitated. The study found that the participants were not aware of the importance of acoustics in the classroom before dynamic sound field amplification system was introduced. They had to speak at the top of their voices and often repeated themselves for their learners to hear and understand. The dynamic sound field amplification system changed all that, the teachers’voices were amplified and that improved the acoustics in the three classrooms. The dynamic sound field amplification system is effective in the overcrowded classrooms where the background noise is normally high; it operates by amplifying the teacher’s voice relative to the background noise. The teacher’s amplified voice remains constant all the time and equally audible to all learners in the classroom at all the times. (DiSarno, Schowalter & Grass, 2002). The recommendations of this study are to share the information gathered from the three schools and the two district officials with the senior management of the North West Department of Education. They will be in the position to study the outcomes and assist schools accordingly by deciding if they see the importance of treating acoustics in the classrooms. / Early Childhood Education / PhD / Unrestricted