scholarly journals The use of statistical methods by MBA graduates in South African management and its implications for curriculum design

1994 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
Trevor Wegner ◽  
Stephanie Stray ◽  
Peter Naudé
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Course Planning ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Similar Survey

With this study we aim to identify the degree of penetration of statistical methods in South African management. Consequently, that section of the management population with past exposure to quantitative methods is targetted. Thus the target population was all MBA alumni from South African Business Schools operating in South African companies. A response rate of 27% (408 usable responses) was achieved. The findings of this study correlate highly with those of a similar survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 1991. In addition to reporting these findings, we also sought to examine the implications of these results on future statistical methods course planning. We recommend a change in teaching strategy to promote greater utilization of this discipline in practice.

More about Diamonds

2019 ◽  
pp. 115-119
Author(s):  
Vladimir Shubin
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
South African ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
African Studies ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Soviet State ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
De Beers

The article is a rejoinder to the work of Yury S. Skubko, previously published in the Journal of the Institute for African Studies, on Moscow’s relations with De Beers. It is based not only on the available literature but also on the author’s personal experience. The author shows that under the monopoly of this South African company in the field of diamond sales, Soviet organizations, even in the conditions of a South African boycott, were forced to deal with its subordinate structures and the attempts to sideline them were in vain. In particular the article analyses the attitude to a controversial agreement signed by the Soviet state-owned “Glavalmalmazzoloto” and De Beers Centenary in 1990, when, like in many other cases in the “Gorbachev’s era” Moscow’s principle stand was eroded for short-term results even personal gains. The author comes to the conclusion that the responsibility for Moscow’s dealings with De Beers must be borne not by our country, but above all by the United Kingdom, which allowed De Beers have the headquarters of its Central Selling Organisation (CСO) in London.

scholarly journals A Comparative Discussion of the Judicial Disqualification of Directors under the South African Companies Act

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Rehana Cassim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
South African ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
The South ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Locus Standi

Abstract Section 162 of the South African Companies Act 71 of 2008 empowers courts to declare directors delinquent and hence to disqualify them from office. This article compares the judicial disqualification of directors under this section with the equivalent provisions in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America, which have all influenced the South African act. The article compares the classes of persons who have locus standi to apply to court to disqualify a director from holding office, as well as the grounds for the judicial disqualification of a director, the duration of the disqualification, the application of a prescription period and the discretion conferred on courts to disqualify directors from office. It contends that, in empowering courts to disqualify directors from holding office, section 162 of the South African Companies Act goes too far in certain respects.

Comparing Student Attitudes to Spreadsheet and Advanced Statistical Packages

2020 ◽  
pp. 009862832097726
Author(s):  
Angela R. Surrusco ◽  
Zachary J. Kunicki ◽  
Sarah L. DiPerri ◽  
Marie C. Tate ◽  
Megan M. Risi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Student Attitude ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Over Time

The statistical package chosen to aid in teaching quantitative methods is at the instructor’s discretion, but little research has investigated student attitude toward these different packages. This study compared Google Sheets, a spreadsheet package similar to Microsoft Excel, and a traditional package, SPSS, to determine which of the two programs students preferred to use. One hundred and thirty-nine students enrolled in a quantitative methods course completed surveys at the middle and end of the semester during Spring 2016 and Fall 2016. The results suggested Google Sheets was preferred to SPSS at both time points, and attitudes toward Google Sheets improved over time. Further research could investigate the perspectives of students in other levels of experience with statistics and other statistical packages.

A Tale of Two Sociologies: Analyzing Versus Critique in UK Sociology

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Williams ◽  
Luke Sloan ◽  
Charlotte Brookfield
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Future

Several studies, in recent years, have demonstrated what has become known as the ‘quantitative deficit’ in UK sociology. This deficit is primarily manifested through negative student attitudes towards quantitative methods, a lack of ability in that area and a paucity of quantitative research and publication in the discipline that utilises quantitative methods. While we acknowledge the existence of that deficit, we argue in this article, and present some initial evidence in support of this argument, that the issue is not simply just about a ‘crisis of number’ but the kind of sociology taught and practised in the United Kingdom. We suggest here that there are two broad categories of sociology that do not necessarily divide along quantitative–qualitative lines, which we term ‘analytic’ and ‘critique’. Much of UK sociology takes a ‘critique’ approach, which may well be a quite legitimate way to do sociology, but is not a sufficient basis on which quantitative sociology can be done and has implications for the future of the discipline.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Personality Type And Leadership Focus

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Sieff ◽  
Louis Carstens
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Personality Types ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Myers Briggs Type Indicator ◽  
Multiple Focus ◽  
Type Indicator ◽  
Myers Briggs ◽  
The Relationship

Optimising focus is a key success driver for many organisation leaders. The relationship between personality type and leadership focus is examined. Personality type is assessed with Form M of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument, and leadership focus is explored through the development and application of a Leadership Focus Questionnaire. South African executives form the target population for this study. Both functionalist and interpretive approaches are applied. Three primary theoretical hypotheses about leadership focus, concerning (1) optimising the balance of focus between external and internal priorities, (2) the fit between the leadership personality type and the organisation type, and (3) the capacity to manage a multiple focus, are considered. Results show that Extraverted personality types are more comfortable with the challenges of focus in the leadership role than are Introverted types, and Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging types experience a greater degree of fit with their organisations than do Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving types.

scholarly journals Introductions and evolutions of SARS-CoV-2 strains in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reitaro Tokumasu ◽  
Dilhan Weeraratne ◽  
Jane Snowdon ◽  
Laxmi Parida ◽  
Michiharu Kudo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
New Public Health ◽  
New Public ◽  
Deadly Disease ◽  
Border Surveillance

AbstractCOVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in Japan on January 15th, 2020, soon after the pandemic originated in Wuhan, China. Subsequently, Japan experienced three distinct waves of the outbreak in the span of a year and has been attributed to new exogenous strains and evolving existing strains. Japan engaged very early on in tracking different COVID-19 sub-strains and have sequenced approximately 5% of all confirmed cases. While Japan has enforced stringent airport surveillance on cross-border travelers and returnees, some carriers appear to have advanced through the quarantine stations undetected. In this study, 17112 genomes sampled in Japan were analyzed to understand the strains, heterogeneity and temporal evolution of different SARS-CoV-2 strains. We identified 11 discrete strains with a substantial number of cases with most strains possessing the spike (S) D614G and nucleocapsid (N) 203_204delinsKR mutations. Besides these variants, ORF1ab P3371S, A4815V, S1361P, and N P151L were also detected in nearly half the samples constituting the most common strain in Japan. 115 distinct strains have been introduced into Japan and 12 of them were introduced after strict quarantine policy was implemented. In particular, the B.1.1.7 strain, that emerged in the United Kingdom (UK) in September 2020, has been circulating in Japan since late 2020 after eluding cross-border quarantine stations. Similarly, the B.1.351 strain dubbed the South African variant, P.1 Brazilian strain and R.1 strain with the spike E484K mutation have been detected in Japan. At least four exogenous B.1.1.7 sub-strains have been independently introduced in Japan as of late January 2021, and these strains carry mutations that give selective advantage including N501Y, H69_V70del, and E484K that confer increased transmissibility, reduced efficacy to vaccines and possible increased virulence. It is imperative that the quarantine policy be revised, cross-border surveillance reinforced, and new public health measures implemented to mitigate further transmission of this deadly disease and to identify strains that may engender resistance to vaccines.

scholarly journals Analysing the Onus Issue in Dismissals Emanating from the Enforcement of Unilateral Changes to Conditions of Employment

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Riaz Ismail ◽  
Clarence Itumeleng Tshoose
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Appeal Court ◽  
The Core ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Mutual Interest ◽  
Core Section ◽  
The Right ◽  
Conditions Of Employment

The main objective of this article is to analyse the issue of onus emanating from the enforcement of unilateral changes to conditions of employment. At the heart of the controversy that has faced the Labour Appeal Court was how to interpret dismissals that appear to be based on operational requirements, and yet at the same time, such dismissals also appear to have the effect of compelling an employee to accept a demand in respect of a matter of mutual interest between the employer and the employee. The core section in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 relating to disputes of this nature is section 187(1)(c) of the Act, and the central enquiry to such disputes is whether they are automatically unfair or operationally justifiable. The fine line that determines whether a dismissal is acceptable or not merits an analysis of the overall onus that faces an employer and employee. This analysis is the focus of the article, which deals predominantly with procedural issues. The issue relating to the promotion of collective bargaining will be assessed against the right to dismiss, based on an analysis of the situation in South Africa, and a brief comparison with the situations in the United Kingdom and Canada. Thereafter, recommendations are made to the South African legislature.

scholarly journals MODERATING EFFECT OF TOP MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT ON HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN COMMERCIAL STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-55
Author(s):  
Ann Gaceri Kaaria ◽  
Dr. Mary Kamaara, Ph.D ◽  
Dr. Joyce Nzulwa, Ph.D ◽  
Dr. Kepha Ombui, Ph.D
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Executive Officers

Purpose: The study sought to determine the influence of ICT capability on organizational performance in commercial state corporations in Kenya Methodology: This study adopted a census method, and used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The target population of the study was chief executive officers (policy makers), directors of human resources and deputy directors of human resources of both pure and strategic commercial state corporations in Kenya. A total of 165 questionnaires were administered to chief executive officers (policy makers), directors of human resources and deputy directors of human resources in both pure and strategic commercial state corporations in Kenya. Fifty five interviews were carried out and forty eight of the respondents were interviewed.   Result: The study found that ICT capability has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance of commercial state cooperation A unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: The study recommended that organizations should place more emphasis on human centered information management in order to improve the ways in which people use and share information. The study also recommended that there should be IT education services that provide training in system use to employees and offer managers training in how to plan for and manage IT investments and IT research and development services that provide the firm with research on potential future IT projects and investments that could help the firm differentiate itself in the market place.

scholarly journals South African generation-X online shopper satisfaction and their repurchase intentions

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jobo Dubihlela ◽  
Difference Chauke
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Generation X ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Repurchase Intentions ◽  
Brick And Mortar

The growth of online shopping channels gradually forces brick and mortar retailers to explore the importance of online shopping trends and online customer behavior. While maintaining customer satisfaction has been recognized as one of the essential factors for business survival and growth, this has not been sufficiently explored for online shopping platforms. Understanding what online constructs appeal to generation-X consumers is critical for organization that would want to pursue virtual business platforms. From a brief literature review in this study, it could be said that online customer satisfaction and its influences on online repurchase intentions in the South African retailing environment remain sparsely researched. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze the dimensions of online customer satisfaction and regress the online satisfaction dimensions on repurchase intentions of generation-X consumers. An attempt is made to apply the theory of planned behavior and social exchange in the adapted conceptual of the study. These theories are deemed to provide an appropriate theoretical grounding to this study. The target population was South African generation-X online consumers in Gauteng. A total of 377 questionnaires were received for data analysis. Implications of the research findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are provided. Keywords: online shoppers, online customer satisfaction, repurchase intentions, generation-X consumers, South Africa. JEL Classification: M1, M30, M31, L10

Home and Away. The Enlistment of Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and South African Men in Dominion Expeditionary Forces in the United Kingdom during the Great War

Itinerario ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
John Connor
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South African ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
South Africans ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Canadian Citizenship ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Great War

On the outbreak of war, men from the Dominions were scattered across the British Empire. As each Dominion began recruiting their expeditionary forces at home, the issue arose whether these expatriates, especially those resident in the United Kingdom, should join the British Army or be able to enlist in their Dominion's force. Canada and New Zealand allowed recruiting for the CEF and NZEF in the UK. Many Anglophone White South Africans joined a “colonial” battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. The Australian Government refused to allow Australians in the UK to join the AIF, despite the repeated requests of the Australian expatriate community. This paper examines the questions of British and sub-Imperial Dominion identities as well as the practical policy considerations raised by this issue. It argues that there is some evidence of nascent Dominion nationalism—the Canadian High Commission in London issued what became known as “a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship” to expatriates— but that Dominion Governments generally based their decisions on this issue based on cost and domestic political considerations.

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