The processing of Kgosi Bathoen II private archives collection for increased access to archives

National archival institutions are responsible for the acquisition, preservation and making accessible of their nation’s documentary heritage. It is on this basis that the Department of Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS) acquires records through the normal transfer of public records from government agencies as well as donations of private archives. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the processing of private archives of a prominent “Kgosi” in the history of Botswana, Kgosi Bathoen II of the Bangwaketse ethnic group. This is a qualitative study that used literature review to collect data. It also uses the author’s personal observation, as she was involved in the acquisition and processing of the Bathoen II archives. The key findings suggest that even though Batswana have not been donating their private archives in high numbers, BNARS have made strides in collecting private archives of prominent individuals in the country. Unlike public records, private archives collections may not come in any logical arrangement, which may be a tormenting exercise for the archivist to process and select what is worth preserving. This paper concludes that despite the difficulties encountered in processing a huge collection of private papers with no order, private papers should follow the normal archives’ practice of arrangement and description for eventual access by researchers or users. Additionally, the significance of private archives in filling the gaps found in the national repositories was revealed through Bathoen II collection, as it has information on various aspects of Botswana life, customs, traditions and the people. As such, the collection provides diversity to the nation’s documentary heritage and serves as a rich resource for research. This paper also presents lessons learnt in the preservation of private archives in Botswana.

Zimbabwe's central government: Framework for use and management of email

This research on use and management of email in Zimbabwe's central government revealed a number of shortfalls in the manner official email were used and managed. Lapses in the application of the legal, policy and procedural frameworks coupled with email skills deficiencies and use of inappropriate information and communication technologies resulted in poor management of email. A lot of official emails were lost, fragmented, inappropriately disposed and difficult to access. This led to the development, by the authors, of a framework to improve the use and management of email which bordered on the controlled use of email, management of email in line with set guidelines and the pursuance of a high degree of professionalism and integrity. The framework is set to improve the use and management of email in order to make email an authentic, reliable, useful and useable official record. This mixed methods research involved 240 questionnaire respondents from 12 out of 22 head offices of government ministries in Zimbabwe, as well as interviewees who comprised of the Administration and Information Technology Directors from central government, the Director of the National Archives of Zimbabwe and seven National Archives of Zimbabwe archivists. Data were also collected through personal observation and document reviews.

Study on some Medico-Religious Plants of Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh)

Himachal Pradesh, the mountains state of India is famous for its religious culture, traditions and its unique flora. People of this state are highly religious and variety of rituals related to deities is performed in various ways by local -people. These rituals not only show humans relations with plant but also help in conserving these plants. The present study is carried out in various villages of district Kinnaur of Himachal Pradesh, regarding the medico-religious plant used by the locals in our own socio-culture and religious activities. The information regarding the utilization of medico-religious plants in socio-cultural and religious activities was collected through the personal observation understand how tribal’s of Kinnaur district are dependent on medicinal and religious plants to safeguard their inherent socio-cultural and religious activities. Keyword: Medico-religious, Kinnaur, Himachal, Tribes, Flowers, Sacred plants

Derecho, política y administración ambiental: una propuesta teórica-metodológica para el estudio microhistórico del territorio mexicano

En este trabajo se expone una propuesta teórica-metodológica para la reconstrucción microhistórica de los procesos de gestión ambiental que a través del tiempo reconfiguraron los paisajes culturales del territorio mexicano. El análisis se plantea desde un enfoque fenomenológico e interdisciplinario, con el auxilio de métodos mixtos ―cualitativos y cuantitativos― tomados de las técnicas metodológicas de investigación trazadas por Luis González y González. La entrevista a profundidad; la observación personal; la consulta de fuentes bibliográficas y de archivo histórico; la fotografía antigua y contemporánea; y, las reuniones de diálogo colegiado, son algunas de las técnicas metodológicas que se proponen para el levantamiento de la información. Esta propuesta busca ser una herramienta científica para la comprensión de los procesos socioambientales que definen, estructuran y alteran el significado de los paisajes del territorio nacional. This work presents a theoretical-methodological proposal for the microhistorical reconstruction of the environmental management processes that over time configured landscapes of the Mexican territory. The analysis is proposed from a phenomenological and interdisciplinary approach, with the help of mixed methods ―qualitative and quantitative― taken from the methodological research techniques outlined by Luis González and González. The in-depth interview; personal observation; consultation of bibliographic and historical archive sources; ancient and contemporary photography; and the collegiate dialogue meetings are some of the methodological techniques that are proposed for gathering information. This proposal seeks to be a scientific tool for understanding the socio-environmental processes that define, structure and alter the meaning of the contemporary landscapes of the national territory.

John Paul II's Pilgrimages to Poland - Native Context and Universal Message. Comments from a Participant and Researcher

The article concerns a relatively small but important fragment of John Paul II's pastoral activity, namely his pilgrimages to Poland: the nature of these pilgrimages, their historical background and teaching - especially to the extent that went beyond the immediate and Polish context. The text is the result not only of reading papal statements, but also of personal observation of the political and social atmosphere. The first two parts contain a concise description of the Pope's eight pilgrimages to Poland (before and after the political transformation). The third highlights out the main universal themes raised by the Pope: the dignity of the person, truth and freedom. During consecutive pilgrimages to Poland, he deepened and expanded the themes of his teaching. This collection of his sermons and speeches to Poles constitutes a comprehensive (devoid of redundant repetitions and omissions) treatment of important social, philosophical and theological issues. John Paul II, when speaking to Poles and about Poles, did not lose his universal perspective; he appealed both to Christians and to all people of good will. Papal pilgrimages to Poland are a significant part of modern Polish history, and their message is a valuable intellectual and spiritual gift.

‘Kindergarten’ keeping-system in farrowing house: effect the socialization of piglets on weight performances, fecal cortisol metabolite level and post-weaning behavior

This study aimed to examine whether litters’ let-together system before weaning (‘kindergarten-system’) has any stress effect and effect on post-weaning behavior, respectively. One week before weaning piglets were socialized by removing four adjacent farrowing crate walls. After weaning, piglets from the same experimental groups were housed in the same rearing crates. The piglet’s body weight was measured at birth than weekly till the 7th life-week. Fecal cortisol metabolites were measured for evaluation of the adrenocortical activity. Personal observation and evaluation were carried out for behavioral analyses after weaning. There were no significant differences in weight development and cortisol metabolite levels between the control and experimental groups. Behavioral analysis showed that pigs grow up in a socialized system, rapidly evolve ranking in the rearing crates, and the self-maintenance and social behavior were more pronounced. In control groups, the activity involving movement (exploring, walking, and running) was much more decisive. Recent work suggested the beneficial effect of the ‘kindergarten’ system in the farrowing house in animal welfare aspects.

Considerations Regarding the Location and the Role of Organizational Culture in the Romanian Military Environment

Nowadays organizational human capital is an essential resource for any organization. Moreover, it gives the organization a significant competitive benefit. In that light, the aim of this article is to highlight how the activities carried out in the framework of human resources management influence the organizational culture in the military environment. Furthermore, our intention is to underline how the organizational culture within the military institution gets valences and inflection in relation to the practices of management which are implemented within the component of the human resources of the Romanian Army. The main methods we used in the present research were the personal observation and the study of the evidence.

CHALLENGES OF TEACHING IN A DIFFERENT CULTURE: AN AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY

Teaching in a different culture and environment is always a challenging issue. This may last from few months even to few years, depending upon the consequences of personal characteristics and environmental situations. Based on a personal experience, this paper investigates the possible cultural differences between the lecturer and students in a teaching environment and understanding how the student perceptions may gradually change and the student–lecturer interaction may evolve until the semester ends. In a methodological way, the conclusions were drawn out of a mixed–method approach that is composed of a personal observation of the lecturer (etic), and expressions, both verbal and written, and memories of other persons (students) within the same class (emic). In lights of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the study addresses a list of practical implications as the “lessons learned” – presumably the best way to cope with the challenges of teaching in a different culture.

Adaption and Memory: The Reckless Leader and The Effects of the First Family

There are harmful leaders, but too few instances of how harmful the leadership is within the church get explored and how it affects the first families. Several harmful leadership styles, such as an egotistical leader, an ignorant leader, and a reckless leader, studied in some capacity under leadership. There is an ideology put forward, and it is believed that leaders are not just appearing in business or corporate America, but leaders are leaders and are showing forth their leadership in everyday instances as a mother who teaches their child. The leader's leadership scope was explored by filtering it through adaption and memory, with memory being a significant part of this paper. The overall platform is looking at (reckless) leadership through the lens of religion (Christianity) with a philosophical undertone using personal reflections. The results for this research, under the assumption, of using the qualitative method and using two qualitative designs, helped with data collection. The narrative approach and the phenomenological approach show the leader's evolving behavior and the first family's behavior through personal observation with testimonies to expose the effects of their memory. Scriptures are used to expose or reveal the split leadership dynamic and how memory dictates leaders' response and behavior. Two individual stories were rendered, which more participants are needed to develop a consensus of adaption and memory in leadership and how it affects the first family. Understanding that some things are caught, and some things are taught, this study's outcome, by looking at leadership and the effects of the first family, concluding with the suggestion of furthering this research to explore a more in-depth understanding of reckless leadership in the scope of adaptation to memory.