Generational ritual abuse within satanic or fertility (abusive witchcraft) cults is a controversial subject. This study shows that, while not all reported memories may be true, False Memory Syndrome is not an intrinsic scientific reality of generational ritual abuse. Recent publications under the editorial pens of Noblitt and Perskin Noblitt (2008), as well as Sachs and Galton (2008), describe the types of abuse and torture perpetrated in various forms of ritual abuse (including the results of a worldwide survey), together with the psychological, interpersonal and spiritual damage it caused survivors. It also speaks of the legal difficulties of survivors, the motives of perpetrators and the difficulties experienced with disappearing evidence (sometimes deliberately, otherwise because it does not fit the known legal paradigm). Survivors of generational ritual abuse suffer from what can be described under DESNOS (Disorders of Extreme Stress - Not Otherwise Specified), which is supported by research whilst not yet a formal DSM diagnostic category. Prolonged interpersonal trauma, involving multiple events lead to alterations of affect and impulses: in attention or consciousness; in self-perception; in relationships with other; in systems of meaning; as well as somatisation. Most often it results in dissociative disorders of which the most common is DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) in which a person exhibits two or more distinct identities or personality states which recurrently take control of his or her behaviour. Various other diagnostic-related factors are discussed in this study, together with major paradigms for considering DID. These paradigms include the ego-state theory (referred to briefly), structural dissociation and attachment theory. These models' intervention strategies are also discussed. Models from three Christian psychologists are discussed - those of Joubert, Friesen and Wilder (a community model) - and Hawkins and Hawkins' pastoral model is reviewed as well. "The fear of the Lord" is found to be the reverential awe with which a believer approaches God; linked closely to the love of God; a fear that is advocated over the fear of human enemies or circumstances and which then dispels the latter; an emotion of fear that is experienced when confronted, as sinful human being, with God's presence and attributes such as his holiness; advocated by Jesus and Paul as based upon God's judgment, after which he may cast one into hell - and thus, one is not to fear what man could do unto one, or should not depart from God and continue in wilful sin. Ps. 86 contains a prayer for a united heart that the psalmist may fear God, linked to walking in his truth and praising God for deliverance from the grave. While "the fear of the Lord" is not a healing model in and of itself (various models of intervention can be used in the healing journey as found in the literature study), it guides the stance of the community, the pastoral counsellor (or other helper) as well as the survivors of generational ritual abuse who turn to God. It was found to form a doorway into the covenant relationship (or intimate relationship) with God in Scripture, and it is argued that, as such, it will help to lead survivors away from negative or destructive fear-bonded relationships (in Wilder's terms) into love-bonded relationships with God and others, thus leading to fulfilment of the command 'to love God with all one's heart, soul and strength and others as oneself' (Dt. 6; Mrk. 12:29-31). To this end, it aids the pastoral healing goal of a growing relationship with God and increasing maturity. Using the models of Heitink, Osmer and Hurding, the insights gained in this study are applied to the guidelines and proposed model for pastoral intervention. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Workplace bullying is creating negative physical and psychological effects on employees and has a serious impact on the organisations’ bottom line. Workplace bullying has been related to excessive absenteeism, high employee turnover and hostile work environments. However, no recent studies on the prevalence of workplace bullying in the South African context are available. This is important because of the multicultural, multiracial composition of the South African workforce, and socio–demographic factors such as race, gender, age, education level and type of industry should be investigated to determine if differences exist with regard to the experience of workplace bullying. The personality resource, sense of coherence, should add an important element to this study, as the results could offer an important indicator for managers to change the employee’s environment in order to render the stimuli to which they are exposed more understandable, significant and manageable. In South Africa, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are words in common currency in a newly democratic country. Literature suggests that if diversity within African organisations is positively experienced, it could enhance harmony and effectiveness within that organisation. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the relationship between workplace bullying, socio–demographic characteristics, sense of coherence and diversity experiences according to the literature; 2) to determine how frequently employees in South Africa experience acts of workplace bullying; 3) to determine if there are significant differences between socio–demographic groups (including race, gender, age, education and industry) with regards to workplace bullying; 4) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regards to sense of coherence; and 5) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regard to diversity experiences. An availability sample (N = 13 911) was utilised to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in a sample of South African employees. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying for the total sample and MANOVA was used to determine differences between the groups. The results indicated that workplace bullying is a prevalent problem in South Africa, as people experience frequent overall bullying (4% reported being often bullied; 31,1% reported being always bullied). On the socio–demographic characteristics, Blacks experienced a higher level of workplace bullying in comparison with the other race groups, and men and women experience statistically significant differences with regards to workplace bullying. It was evident that older employees experience statistically significantly lower levels of bullying, and a statistically significant difference between those employees with a secondary and tertiary education was found. It seems that the highest levels of direct bullying by supervisors occurred in the government industry, followed by the mining industry. Individuals with a higher SOC experienced lower levels of bullying compared to individuals with a lower SOC. Statistically significant differences were found on all bullying dimensions with regards to diversity experiences. Recommendations were made for future research and organisations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Die oorhoofse doelstelling van die navorsing is om behoeftebepalings onder personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes sowel as afgetrede vrywilligers te doen ten einde ’n effektiewe bemagtigingsprogram vir beide groepe te kan saamstel. Daar is vasgestel wat die effektiefste kenmerke van ’n personeellid van ’n dienssentrum is. Die studie beoog verder om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir beide personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers te ontwikkel, aan te bied en te evalueer ten einde afgetrede vrywilligers meer sinvol en effektief tot voordeel van beide die organisasie en ouer persoon self te benut. Die proefskrif bestaan uit vyf afdelings: AFDELING A: Hierdie afdeling bevat onder meer die probleemstelling, navorsingsvrae, navorsingsdoelstelling en doelwitte, die sentraal teoretiese stelling, teoretiese benadering, maatskaplike groepwerk, tydperk van ondersoek, navorsingsmetodologie, beperkings van die studie, omskrywing van begrippe en die keuse en struktuur van die navorsingsverslag. Ten einde die doelstelling te kon bereik, is die volgende doelwitte nagestreef: Doelwit 1 Om ’n behoeftebepaling onder personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te doen ten einde vas te stel of hulle van afgetrede vrywilligers se dienste gebruik maak en watter stremmings hulle ervaar ten opsigte van die benutting van vrywilligers. Doelwit 2 Om ’n behoeftebepaling onder afgetrede vrywilligers betrokke by dienssentrums vir bejaardes te doen ten einde vas te stel wat hulle verwagtinge van die dienssentrum en sy personeel is. Doelwit 3 Om vas te stel hoe die profiel van personeellede lyk wat met die afgetrede vrywilligers werk. bladsyiv Doelwit 4 Om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te ontwikkel en toe te pas ten einde personeel meer kennis oor afgetrede vrywilligers te gee en met vaardighede toe te rus sodat hulle meer effektief met vrywilligers kan werk. Doelwit 5 Om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir afgetrede vrywilligers van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te ontwikkel en aan te bied ten einde hulle in te skakel by die dienssentrum waar hulle met volle oorgawe effektief kan funksioneer. Doelwit 6 Om die bemagtigingsprogramme na afloop van die aanbieding daarvan te evalueer ten einde vas te stel of die ontwikkelde bemagtigingsprogramme vir personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers positiewe groei en vordering by die groepe meegebring het ten einde die programme bekend te kan stel aan al die dienssentrums. AFDELING B: Afdeling B bevat die ses artikels waarin verslag gelewer is oor die uitkomste van die navorsing. Artikel 1 het betrekking op die manier waarop die personeel van dienssentrums die afgetrede vrywilligers benut. Artikel 2 handel oor afgetrede vrywilligers se verwagtinge van die dienssentrum en sy personeel. Artikel 3 bevat die profiel van personeel wat met afgetrede vrywilligers werk. Artikel 4 dek die inhoud van ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir personeel wat met afgetrede vrywilligers werk. Artikel 5 behels die inhoud van ’n bemagti–gingsprogram vir afgetrede vrywilligers. Artikel 6 behandel die evaluering van die bemagti–gingsprogramme vir personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers betrokke by ’n dienssentrum vir bejaardes. AFDELING C: Hierdie afdeling is die samevatting van die vernaamste bevindings en gevolgtrekkings ten opsigte van die ondersoek in die geheel. Daarbenewens is aanbevelings gedoen en die bydra van die ondersoek uitgelig. AFDELING D: Die bylaes tot die navorsingsverslag, byvoorbeeld die verskillende meet–instrumente en vraelyste word hier vervat. A FDELING E: Hierdie afdeling sluit die proefskrif af met ’n samevattende bibliografie. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Project management is as much art as it is science. Competence of project managers is receiving increasing interest as more organisations accept that project performance has an impact on organisational performance. Scholars and practitioners of project management tend to agree that while the technical aspects of project management are important, it is the behavioural competencies, or soft skills, of project managers that are required for success ? now and in the future. This study set out to explore the expected evolution of the behavioural skills and competencies of the project manager over the next decade. Secondary objectives of the study were to establish if perceptions differ amongst the respective demographic groups, the importance of leadership skills and how identified future behavioural competencies are addressed in current job profiles for project managers. The research study began in the literature where projects and project management was introduced followed by an exploration of some of the trends and perceptions expected to impact on project management in the future. Projects of the future will be strongly influenced by technology with complexity and uncertainty as common themes. Leadership and flexibility will be key for project managers to survive in such a dynamic, hyper–connected environment. A thorough literature study was conducted into the behavioural competencies of project managers especially with respect to the most widely used project management bodies of knowledge. The concept of competency was defined and a number of models of competency were presented. Soft skills relating to project managers were discussed including emotional intelligence which has received much attention recently. A comparison was made of the behavioural competencies of project managers as addressed in the IPMA International Competence Baseline 3.0, the APM Body of Knowledge and the PMI Body of knowledge. Concluding the literature study, the fifteen behavioural competencies from the IPMA International Competence Baseline were discussed drawing on insight from the literature. An empirical study was completed with the aid of a new questionnaire designed using the behavioural competencies contained in the IPMA International Competence Baseline 3.0 as constructs. The questionnaire survey explored the perceptions of members in a South African project management organisation regarding the evolution of the importance given to the identified behavioural competencies. Analysis of the responses showed the questionnaire to be reliable and valid. Respondents indicated that they expect the following project manager behavioural constructs to grow in importance in the future: Efficiency, Leadership, Creativity, Openness and Engagement and Motivation. Respondents expect the following behavioural constructs to be less important in the future: Ethics, Values Appreciation, Reliability, Conflict and Crisis and Self–control. Structured interviews conducted to validate the survey results highlighted only that Leadership is an area that is expected to take on more importance for project managers in future. The interviews produced similar expectations to the literature regarding the future challenges for project management regarding complexity, uncertainty and the rate of change. A review of Project Manager job profiles yielded that generally behavioural competencies for project managers are not comprehensively addressed with more attention required and to utilise research as a basis. Proficiency requirements and assessment of proficiencies remains a major challenge that must be addressed by organisations in future. Conclusions regarding the findings of the research study were presented and recommendations for organisations and interested parties given. The research study was evaluated opposite the primary and secondary objectives with the conclusion that both were achieved. Finally, recommendations for further research into the behavioural competencies and related topics were proposed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to make a contribution towards decision–making in complex environmental problems, especially where data is limited and associated with a high degree of uncertainty. As a young scientist, I understood the value of science as a measuring and quantification tool and used to intuitively believe that science was exact and could provide undisputable answers. It was in 1997, during the Safety Assessments done at the Vaalputs National Radioactive Waste Repository that my belief system was challenged. This occurred after there were numerous scientific studies done on the site that was started since the early 1980’s, yet with no conclusion as to how safe the site is in terms of radioactive waste disposal. The Safety Assessment process was developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to transform the scientific investigations and data into decision–making information for the purposes of radioactive waste management. It was also during the Vaalputs investigations when I learned the value of lateral thinking. There were numerous scientists with doctorate and master’s degrees that worked on the site of which I was one. One of the important requirements was to measure evaporation at the local weather station close to the repository. It was specifically important to measure evaporation as a controlling parameter in the unsaturated zone models. Evaporation was measured with an Apan that is filled with water so that the losses can be measured. Vaalputs is a very dry place and water is scarce. The local weather station site was fenced off, but there was a problem in that the aardvark dug below the fence and drank the water in the A–pan, so that no measurements were possible. The solution from the scientists was to put the fence deeper into the ground. The aardvark did not find it hard to dig even deeper. The next solution was to put a second fence around the weather station and again the aardvark dug below it to drink the water. It was then that Mr Robbie Schoeman, a technician became aware of the problem and put a drinking water container outside the weather station fence for the aardvark and – the problem was solved at a fraction of the cost of the previous complex solutions. I get in contact with the same thinking patterns that intuitively expect that the act of scientific investigations will provide decision–making information or even solve the problem. If the investigation provides more questions than answers, the quest is for more and more data on more detailed scales. There is a difference between problem characterization and solution viidentification. Problem characterization requires scientific and critical thinking, which is an important component but that has to be incorporated with the solution identification process of creative thinking towards decision–making. I am a scientist by heart, but it was necessary to realise that apart from research, practical science must feed into a higher process, such as decision–making to be able to make a practical difference. The process of compilation of this thesis meant a lot to me as I initially thought of doing a PhD and then it changed me, especially in the way I think. This was a life changing process, which is good. As Jesus said in Mathew 3:2 And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Generational ritual abuse within satanic or fertility (abusive witchcraft) cults is a controversial subject. This study shows that, while not all reported memories may be true, False Memory Syndrome is not an intrinsic scientific reality of generational ritual abuse. Recent publications under the editorial pens of Noblitt and Perskin Noblitt (2008), as well as Sachs and Galton (2008), describe the types of abuse and torture perpetrated in various forms of ritual abuse (including the results of a worldwide survey), together with the psychological, interpersonal and spiritual damage it caused survivors. It also speaks of the legal difficulties of survivors, the motives of perpetrators and the difficulties experienced with disappearing evidence (sometimes deliberately, otherwise because it does not fit the known legal paradigm). Survivors of generational ritual abuse suffer from what can be described under DESNOS (Disorders of Extreme Stress - Not Otherwise Specified), which is supported by research whilst not yet a formal DSM diagnostic category. Prolonged interpersonal trauma, involving multiple events lead to alterations of affect and impulses: in attention or consciousness; in self-perception; in relationships with other; in systems of meaning; as well as somatisation. Most often it results in dissociative disorders of which the most common is DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) in which a person exhibits two or more distinct identities or personality states which recurrently take control of his or her behaviour. Various other diagnostic-related factors are discussed in this study, together with major paradigms for considering DID. These paradigms include the ego-state theory (referred to briefly), structural dissociation and attachment theory. These models' intervention strategies are also discussed. Models from three Christian psychologists are discussed - those of Joubert, Friesen and Wilder (a community model) - and Hawkins and Hawkins' pastoral model is reviewed as well. "The fear of the Lord" is found to be the reverential awe with which a believer approaches God; linked closely to the love of God; a fear that is advocated over the fear of human enemies or circumstances and which then dispels the latter; an emotion of fear that is experienced when confronted, as sinful human being, with God's presence and attributes such as his holiness; advocated by Jesus and Paul as based upon God's judgment, after which he may cast one into hell - and thus, one is not to fear what man could do unto one, or should not depart from God and continue in wilful sin. Ps. 86 contains a prayer for a united heart that the psalmist may fear God, linked to walking in his truth and praising God for deliverance from the grave. While "the fear of the Lord" is not a healing model in and of itself (various models of intervention can be used in the healing journey as found in the literature study), it guides the stance of the community, the pastoral counsellor (or other helper) as well as the survivors of generational ritual abuse who turn to God. It was found to form a doorway into the covenant relationship (or intimate relationship) with God in Scripture, and it is argued that, as such, it will help to lead survivors away from negative or destructive fear-bonded relationships (in Wilder's terms) into love-bonded relationships with God and others, thus leading to fulfilment of the command 'to love God with all one's heart, soul and strength and others as oneself' (Dt. 6; Mrk. 12:29-31). To this end, it aids the pastoral healing goal of a growing relationship with God and increasing maturity. Using the models of Heitink, Osmer and Hurding, the insights gained in this study are applied to the guidelines and proposed model for pastoral intervention. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Workplace bullying is creating negative physical and psychological effects on employees and has a serious impact on the organisations’ bottom line. Workplace bullying has been related to excessive absenteeism, high employee turnover and hostile work environments. However, no recent studies on the prevalence of workplace bullying in the South African context are available. This is important because of the multicultural, multiracial composition of the South African workforce, and socio–demographic factors such as race, gender, age, education level and type of industry should be investigated to determine if differences exist with regard to the experience of workplace bullying. The personality resource, sense of coherence, should add an important element to this study, as the results could offer an important indicator for managers to change the employee’s environment in order to render the stimuli to which they are exposed more understandable, significant and manageable. In South Africa, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are words in common currency in a newly democratic country. Literature suggests that if diversity within African organisations is positively experienced, it could enhance harmony and effectiveness within that organisation. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the relationship between workplace bullying, socio–demographic characteristics, sense of coherence and diversity experiences according to the literature; 2) to determine how frequently employees in South Africa experience acts of workplace bullying; 3) to determine if there are significant differences between socio–demographic groups (including race, gender, age, education and industry) with regards to workplace bullying; 4) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regards to sense of coherence; and 5) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regard to diversity experiences. An availability sample (N = 13 911) was utilised to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in a sample of South African employees. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying for the total sample and MANOVA was used to determine differences between the groups. The results indicated that workplace bullying is a prevalent problem in South Africa, as people experience frequent overall bullying (4% reported being often bullied; 31,1% reported being always bullied). On the socio–demographic characteristics, Blacks experienced a higher level of workplace bullying in comparison with the other race groups, and men and women experience statistically significant differences with regards to workplace bullying. It was evident that older employees experience statistically significantly lower levels of bullying, and a statistically significant difference between those employees with a secondary and tertiary education was found. It seems that the highest levels of direct bullying by supervisors occurred in the government industry, followed by the mining industry. Individuals with a higher SOC experienced lower levels of bullying compared to individuals with a lower SOC. Statistically significant differences were found on all bullying dimensions with regards to diversity experiences. Recommendations were made for future research and organisations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Die oorhoofse doelstelling van die navorsing is om behoeftebepalings onder personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes sowel as afgetrede vrywilligers te doen ten einde ’n effektiewe bemagtigingsprogram vir beide groepe te kan saamstel. Daar is vasgestel wat die effektiefste kenmerke van ’n personeellid van ’n dienssentrum is. Die studie beoog verder om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir beide personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers te ontwikkel, aan te bied en te evalueer ten einde afgetrede vrywilligers meer sinvol en effektief tot voordeel van beide die organisasie en ouer persoon self te benut. Die proefskrif bestaan uit vyf afdelings: AFDELING A: Hierdie afdeling bevat onder meer die probleemstelling, navorsingsvrae, navorsingsdoelstelling en doelwitte, die sentraal teoretiese stelling, teoretiese benadering, maatskaplike groepwerk, tydperk van ondersoek, navorsingsmetodologie, beperkings van die studie, omskrywing van begrippe en die keuse en struktuur van die navorsingsverslag. Ten einde die doelstelling te kon bereik, is die volgende doelwitte nagestreef: Doelwit 1 Om ’n behoeftebepaling onder personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te doen ten einde vas te stel of hulle van afgetrede vrywilligers se dienste gebruik maak en watter stremmings hulle ervaar ten opsigte van die benutting van vrywilligers. Doelwit 2 Om ’n behoeftebepaling onder afgetrede vrywilligers betrokke by dienssentrums vir bejaardes te doen ten einde vas te stel wat hulle verwagtinge van die dienssentrum en sy personeel is. Doelwit 3 Om vas te stel hoe die profiel van personeellede lyk wat met die afgetrede vrywilligers werk. bladsyiv Doelwit 4 Om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir personeel van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te ontwikkel en toe te pas ten einde personeel meer kennis oor afgetrede vrywilligers te gee en met vaardighede toe te rus sodat hulle meer effektief met vrywilligers kan werk. Doelwit 5 Om ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir afgetrede vrywilligers van dienssentrums vir bejaardes te ontwikkel en aan te bied ten einde hulle in te skakel by die dienssentrum waar hulle met volle oorgawe effektief kan funksioneer. Doelwit 6 Om die bemagtigingsprogramme na afloop van die aanbieding daarvan te evalueer ten einde vas te stel of die ontwikkelde bemagtigingsprogramme vir personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers positiewe groei en vordering by die groepe meegebring het ten einde die programme bekend te kan stel aan al die dienssentrums. AFDELING B: Afdeling B bevat die ses artikels waarin verslag gelewer is oor die uitkomste van die navorsing. Artikel 1 het betrekking op die manier waarop die personeel van dienssentrums die afgetrede vrywilligers benut. Artikel 2 handel oor afgetrede vrywilligers se verwagtinge van die dienssentrum en sy personeel. Artikel 3 bevat die profiel van personeel wat met afgetrede vrywilligers werk. Artikel 4 dek die inhoud van ’n bemagtigingsprogram vir personeel wat met afgetrede vrywilligers werk. Artikel 5 behels die inhoud van ’n bemagti–gingsprogram vir afgetrede vrywilligers. Artikel 6 behandel die evaluering van die bemagti–gingsprogramme vir personeel en afgetrede vrywilligers betrokke by ’n dienssentrum vir bejaardes. AFDELING C: Hierdie afdeling is die samevatting van die vernaamste bevindings en gevolgtrekkings ten opsigte van die ondersoek in die geheel. Daarbenewens is aanbevelings gedoen en die bydra van die ondersoek uitgelig. AFDELING D: Die bylaes tot die navorsingsverslag, byvoorbeeld die verskillende meet–instrumente en vraelyste word hier vervat. A FDELING E: Hierdie afdeling sluit die proefskrif af met ’n samevattende bibliografie. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Project management is as much art as it is science. Competence of project managers is receiving increasing interest as more organisations accept that project performance has an impact on organisational performance. Scholars and practitioners of project management tend to agree that while the technical aspects of project management are important, it is the behavioural competencies, or soft skills, of project managers that are required for success ? now and in the future. This study set out to explore the expected evolution of the behavioural skills and competencies of the project manager over the next decade. Secondary objectives of the study were to establish if perceptions differ amongst the respective demographic groups, the importance of leadership skills and how identified future behavioural competencies are addressed in current job profiles for project managers. The research study began in the literature where projects and project management was introduced followed by an exploration of some of the trends and perceptions expected to impact on project management in the future. Projects of the future will be strongly influenced by technology with complexity and uncertainty as common themes. Leadership and flexibility will be key for project managers to survive in such a dynamic, hyper–connected environment. A thorough literature study was conducted into the behavioural competencies of project managers especially with respect to the most widely used project management bodies of knowledge. The concept of competency was defined and a number of models of competency were presented. Soft skills relating to project managers were discussed including emotional intelligence which has received much attention recently. A comparison was made of the behavioural competencies of project managers as addressed in the IPMA International Competence Baseline 3.0, the APM Body of Knowledge and the PMI Body of knowledge. Concluding the literature study, the fifteen behavioural competencies from the IPMA International Competence Baseline were discussed drawing on insight from the literature. An empirical study was completed with the aid of a new questionnaire designed using the behavioural competencies contained in the IPMA International Competence Baseline 3.0 as constructs. The questionnaire survey explored the perceptions of members in a South African project management organisation regarding the evolution of the importance given to the identified behavioural competencies. Analysis of the responses showed the questionnaire to be reliable and valid. Respondents indicated that they expect the following project manager behavioural constructs to grow in importance in the future: Efficiency, Leadership, Creativity, Openness and Engagement and Motivation. Respondents expect the following behavioural constructs to be less important in the future: Ethics, Values Appreciation, Reliability, Conflict and Crisis and Self–control. Structured interviews conducted to validate the survey results highlighted only that Leadership is an area that is expected to take on more importance for project managers in future. The interviews produced similar expectations to the literature regarding the future challenges for project management regarding complexity, uncertainty and the rate of change. A review of Project Manager job profiles yielded that generally behavioural competencies for project managers are not comprehensively addressed with more attention required and to utilise research as a basis. Proficiency requirements and assessment of proficiencies remains a major challenge that must be addressed by organisations in future. Conclusions regarding the findings of the research study were presented and recommendations for organisations and interested parties given. The research study was evaluated opposite the primary and secondary objectives with the conclusion that both were achieved. Finally, recommendations for further research into the behavioural competencies and related topics were proposed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to make a contribution towards decision–making in complex environmental problems, especially where data is limited and associated with a high degree of uncertainty. As a young scientist, I understood the value of science as a measuring and quantification tool and used to intuitively believe that science was exact and could provide undisputable answers. It was in 1997, during the Safety Assessments done at the Vaalputs National Radioactive Waste Repository that my belief system was challenged. This occurred after there were numerous scientific studies done on the site that was started since the early 1980’s, yet with no conclusion as to how safe the site is in terms of radioactive waste disposal. The Safety Assessment process was developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to transform the scientific investigations and data into decision–making information for the purposes of radioactive waste management. It was also during the Vaalputs investigations when I learned the value of lateral thinking. There were numerous scientists with doctorate and master’s degrees that worked on the site of which I was one. One of the important requirements was to measure evaporation at the local weather station close to the repository. It was specifically important to measure evaporation as a controlling parameter in the unsaturated zone models. Evaporation was measured with an Apan that is filled with water so that the losses can be measured. Vaalputs is a very dry place and water is scarce. The local weather station site was fenced off, but there was a problem in that the aardvark dug below the fence and drank the water in the A–pan, so that no measurements were possible. The solution from the scientists was to put the fence deeper into the ground. The aardvark did not find it hard to dig even deeper. The next solution was to put a second fence around the weather station and again the aardvark dug below it to drink the water. It was then that Mr Robbie Schoeman, a technician became aware of the problem and put a drinking water container outside the weather station fence for the aardvark and – the problem was solved at a fraction of the cost of the previous complex solutions. I get in contact with the same thinking patterns that intuitively expect that the act of scientific investigations will provide decision–making information or even solve the problem. If the investigation provides more questions than answers, the quest is for more and more data on more detailed scales. There is a difference between problem characterization and solution viidentification. Problem characterization requires scientific and critical thinking, which is an important component but that has to be incorporated with the solution identification process of creative thinking towards decision–making. I am a scientist by heart, but it was necessary to realise that apart from research, practical science must feed into a higher process, such as decision–making to be able to make a practical difference. The process of compilation of this thesis meant a lot to me as I initially thought of doing a PhD and then it changed me, especially in the way I think. This was a life changing process, which is good. As Jesus said in Mathew 3:2 And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.