Drawing on data collected in rural Serenje District, in the Central Province of Zambia, this thesis focuses on the production, consumption and valorisation of grain beer, a significant livelihood practice for people. The discussion is contextualised by detailed reference to both the changing national and global politico-economic scene and to local agricultural practices. I argue that an understanding of livelihood practices must take account of both 'micro' and 'macro' level factors, as these form part of the material and conceptual 'resource repertoire' of local people. Focusing on particular case examples, the discussion reveals, for rural Serenje, the multiplex ways in which value is ascribed to beer - a highly significant livelihood resource. The data highlights the socio-symbolic, ritual, and commoditised contexts in which beer is produced and consumed. The analysis of this resource highlights how the relationship between different social arenas of experience, and the socially constructed value of beer are integrated in subtle and complex ways. A central theme of the thesis focuses on issues of value and argues that value notions are multiple social constructions. Resources, then, have many different associations of value. These different kinds of value are, in certain contexts, contested by actors, and it is in contexts of social interaction, negotiation and accommodation that resources are ascribed with value. Furthermore the fixing of value in this way provides contexts in which social identities are asserted and modified. The empirical chapters of the thesis draw attention to the importance of beer and maize in terms of people's income strategies. These livelihood practices remain firmly embedded in social life, however, and therefore concern more than the singular pursuit of cash. Consolidating, establishing, and reaffirming social relations are also a fundamental part of people's 'economic' life and co-operation in securing material and social resources remains vital. Methodologically the thesis synthesises situational analysis and discourse practice paying particular attention to the concepts of practice and agency.

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The problem of efficient estimation of the parameters of the extreme value distribution has not been addressed in the literature. We obtain efficient estimators of the parameters of type I (maximum) extreme value distribution without solving the likelihood equations. This research provides for the first time simple expressions for the elements of the information matrix for type II censoring. We construct efficient estimators of the parameters using linear combinations of order statistics of a random sample drawn from the population. We derive explicit formulas for the information matrix for this problem for type II censoring and construct efficient estimators of the parameters using linear combinations of available order statistics with additional weights to the smallest and largest order statistics. We consider numerical examples to illustrate the applications of the estimators. We also perform an extensive Monte Carlo simulation study to examine the performance of the estimators for different sample sizes.

Session ID: SA-G4-3 / Joint 4th International Conference on Soft Computing and Intelligent Systems and 9th International Symposium on advanced Intelligent Systems, September 17-21, 2008, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

ABSTRACT Comparative study of established test methods for aggregate strength and durabilityof Archean rocks from Botswana In the current situation, river sand is used for building of roads and as raw material forconcrete in Botswana. River sand is a finite resource and important to preserve as itacts as natural water purification, groundwater aquifer and protection against soil erosion.Mining of bedrock may be a good alternative to replace the river sand with crushed rock(aggregates) in concrete and as road materials.The main purpose of this thesis was to determine if the rock grain size can be usedas a parameter to indicate durability and rock strength. It was also of interest to find outif the grain size correlates with established technical analysis and strength test methods.This knowledge can be used as a prospecting tool when searching for new quarry sites inthe future.In this master’s thesis, rock samples from the Gaborone granite complex have beenanalysed to examine how established test methods and the mineral grain size correspondswith the rock strength. By comparing technical properties (Los Angeles (LA) value ,aggregate crushing value (ACV), aggregate impact value (AIV) and 10 percent fines aggregatecrushing test (10 % FACT)) with quantitative analysis (mineral grain size andmineral grain size distribution), it is possible to determine the mineral grain size correspondenceto rock strength. Generally the result show that more fine-grained granitesshow better technical properties than more coarse-grained granites. The calculated meangrain size show weak negative correlation to ACV value, and a positive correlation to LA-, AIV- and 10 % FACT values. Best correlation can be seen between mean grain size andLA values (R2= 0.61) and AIV values (R2= 0.58). Low mean grain size tend to give bettertechnical properties in form of lower LA- and AIV values. The cumulative distributioncurve show that a high concentration of very fine material or fine material tend to contributeto a lower LA value. The results indicate that equigranular rocks with low meangrain size contributes to good technical properties, but when it comes to uneven grainedrock more factors must be taken into account to estimate technical properties.

Branding and consciously aiming for a certain brand identity has been practised for over four centuries. Irrespective of whether it is a business to consumer or business to business environment, marketing and branding are aimed at increasing volume, and therefore revenue, but is also about adding some additional measure of value to the products or services on offer. Brand management practices have existed for decades, but brand equity as a central business concept for many organizations has only really emerged in the past twenty years. Even though there is huge interest in branding with a definite predominance of branding in consumer or business to consumer (B2C) markets, literature indicates that branding, brand equity and brand value in business to business (B2B) environments are handled and experienced differently to the extent that it has received little attention from academics. Therefore the question is firstly to determine the differentiating factors/elements in B2C and B2B environments and; secondly what corresponding factors/elements are there in B2C and B2B environments. The practical application of branding in business to business environment is consequently investigated to assess to what extent businesses are able to create brand value and brand equity. Larger businesses increasingly exhibits trends in recognising the importance of branding and brand names, while small and medium-sized business fare poorest when it comes to harnessing the potential of branding. Yet in the face of a changing business landscape, brought about by the current economic recession sparked by the U.S. subprime crisis of 2007, these businesses are beginning to realise the importance of having a strong brand name in order to achieve not only a sustainable competitive advantage, but also in a quest to remain ahead of the competition. Even though the valuation of brand equity and brand value is discussed, the actual calculation of such valuations does not fall within the scope of this study. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Value-based management (VBM) is a business philosophy and management system for competing effectively in the global marketplace, based upon the inherent value, dignity and empowerment of each person particularly each employee, customer and supplier. Although VBM has been implemented in an organisation, the difficulty remains that the employees/workers do not necessarily understand the mechanics of VBM, or their actions in value creation. The main objective of this study is to determine if the employees/workers of the mining organisation understand the basic concepts of VBM, where it has been implemented and to determine whether or not VBM has been successfully implemented within a mining organisation. This was done by collecting data using a standardised questionnaire distributed among the mining company‟s employees. The results from the study indicated that VBM in general was successfully implemented but that lower lever employees is less informed on certain aspects of VBM. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Branding and consciously aiming for a certain brand identity has been practised for over four centuries. Irrespective of whether it is a business to consumer or business to business environment, marketing and branding are aimed at increasing volume, and therefore revenue, but is also about adding some additional measure of value to the products or services on offer. Brand management practices have existed for decades, but brand equity as a central business concept for many organizations has only really emerged in the past twenty years. Even though there is huge interest in branding with a definite predominance of branding in consumer or business to consumer (B2C) markets, literature indicates that branding, brand equity and brand value in business to business (B2B) environments are handled and experienced differently to the extent that it has received little attention from academics. Therefore the question is firstly to determine the differentiating factors/elements in B2C and B2B environments and; secondly what corresponding factors/elements are there in B2C and B2B environments. The practical application of branding in business to business environment is consequently investigated to assess to what extent businesses are able to create brand value and brand equity. Larger businesses increasingly exhibits trends in recognising the importance of branding and brand names, while small and medium-sized business fare poorest when it comes to harnessing the potential of branding. Yet in the face of a changing business landscape, brought about by the current economic recession sparked by the U.S. subprime crisis of 2007, these businesses are beginning to realise the importance of having a strong brand name in order to achieve not only a sustainable competitive advantage, but also in a quest to remain ahead of the competition. Even though the valuation of brand equity and brand value is discussed, the actual calculation of such valuations does not fall within the scope of this study. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The creation of shareholder wealth has become the key of corporate success. A setback in achieving this is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. It has increasingly been recognized that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The purpose of the study is to evaluate to what extend gainsharing can be a solution to the predicament. The empirical data used during the study was based on questionnaires that were administered amongst managers of Eskort Ltd. The research established that gainsharing would induce employees to effectively participate in problem solving or productivity improvement initiatives in the company. The majority of participants feel that gainsharing will benefit the company to deliver on client requirements; help enhance teamwork; create a feeling of ownership; share a portion of saved-cost for productivity improvement purposes; stimulate organization learning; improve communication between management and employees; stimulate employees to make suggestions on ways to improve productivity; and increase profit and reduce costs. The study clearly illustrates that money can be the primary drive for motivation to certain employees within the company. Further more based on the results of the empirical study the researcher came to the conclusion that motivated employees will be more productive and as a result have a positive influence on the value drivers employed by the EVA methodology. EVA is a value based performance measure, an investment decision tool and also a performance measure indicating the absolute amount of shareholder value created. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The creation of shareholder wealth has become the key of corporate success. A setback in achieving this is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. It has increasingly been recognized that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The purpose of the study is to evaluate to what extend gainsharing can be a solution to the predicament. The empirical data used during the study was based on questionnaires that were administered amongst managers of Eskort Ltd. The research established that gainsharing would induce employees to effectively participate in problem solving or productivity improvement initiatives in the company. The majority of participants feel that gainsharing will benefit the company to deliver on client requirements; help enhance teamwork; create a feeling of ownership; share a portion of saved-cost for productivity improvement purposes; stimulate organization learning; improve communication between management and employees; stimulate employees to make suggestions on ways to improve productivity; and increase profit and reduce costs. The study clearly illustrates that money can be the primary drive for motivation to certain employees within the company. Further more based on the results of the empirical study the researcher came to the conclusion that motivated employees will be more productive and as a result have a positive influence on the value drivers employed by the EVA methodology. EVA is a value based performance measure, an investment decision tool and also a performance measure indicating the absolute amount of shareholder value created. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.