The aim of this article is to describe the phenomenon of male rape from the victims’ perspectives. The methodology employed relied on transcendental phenomenology in order to create the rich descriptions of the lived experiences of three male survivors of rape. From the descriptions elicited from the formulation of an open-ended question, it was discovered that the phenomenon of male rape has a dominant structure that is related to the destruction and reconstruction of the masculine self. The research also revealed (...) several textural themes that include the characteristics of the assault, treatment and support that victims receive, the effects of the assault on the self, disclosure, the learning and life changes brought about by the assault, the victims’ feelings towards their assailants and the effect of the assault on the victims’ relationships. This study hopes to facilitate further descriptive research on the phenomenon of male rape in order that greater knowledge be gleaned and applied regarding its prevention and healing processes. (shrink)

This article explores strategy-making modes within organisations. The implications of certain strategy-making modes for the responsible leader as an architect or change agent are highlighted. The study on which this article is based, showed that the use of emergent strategy-making is as prevalent as the use of deliberate strategy-making. This article reports on the thinking of organisational leaders, managers and non-managers regarding strategy-making processes and records empirical findings from mixed method research. It was found that emergent strategy-making is associated with (...) quick response and adaptation to environmental changes, more autonomous decisions and actions, less control and higher intangibility whereas the deliberate strategy is known for its clear objectives, articulated vision and direction and specific ends and means. It is recommended that organisational leaders should take cognisance of the growing use of emergent strategy-making as well as its characteristics in facilitating effective governance. A knowledge and understanding of these characteristics of strategy-making modes should be sought to serve as guideline for organisational leaders who want to be responsive and responsible in all their actions areas for future research. (shrink)

Before one can adequately deal with a biblical and neurobiological examination of spiritual experiences, one would need to define what they are. Here, one could offer that a spiritual experience could be an encounter with something or someone that is other than a material experience. It is a supernatural experience that transcends the natural, yet impacts the natural, by affecting our mental and physical senses and how we practise our spirituality. It is an experience that leaves us with a new (...) and perhaps intense sense of otherness. One could further propose that as spiritual experiences are by nature ‘experiences’, they are inherently subjective, and can therefore be classified as personal encounters. In other words, we have unique spiritual experiences in our encounters with God. This article offers several such examples and shows the significance of looking inwardly to answer the important question of why we are transforming spiritually and mentally.Contribution: The article’s challenge is to not only show that science and theology are not in conflict, but also how the intersection and emerging field of neurobiology and theology can help better understand how spiritual experiences manifest, and that naturally we are seemingly wired for these experiences. (shrink)

A fundamental tenet of hermeneutic phenomenology is that people seek to create meaning of their experience from the response sited within human consciousness. The focus of this study is on the world of the lived experience as it is interpreted by participants through memory and language as accessed by interviews in order to produce an understanding of the participants’ experience. Three participants were interviewed whose adult children had died as a result of an AIDS-related illness. The interviews were recorded and (...) transcribed, and interwoven analyses sought to illustrate the participants’ lived experience of the phenomenon. An attempt was made to understand how the various phenomena relating to parental bereavement were reflected by participants in the interviews. Common themes included reactions to the knowledge of the illness, the experience of being with their dying child, coping with the pain of the loss, and spiritual and existential concerns. There are references to how others judge their grieving behaviour. Issues of retribution and punishment are prominent and these appear to place a particular burden of sorrow on the grieving parent. The study provided insight into the lived experience of bereavement and the forging of new meaning structures that can accommodate the loss. (shrink)

There is a growing recognition of the central role of technology and knowledge management for market success of organizations. Little is empirically know, however, about this relationship. Drawing on the South African Innovation Survey, a unique dataset on innovative behavior of South African firms in manufacturing and services, this paper investigates the question to what extent and in which ways do technology and innovation management activities affect firms’ market position. Findings show that conducting technology strategy activities pays out. Moreover, especially (...) a combination of internal and external technology audits seems to be beneficial for organizational performance. (shrink)

Jannie Pretorius and Michael Von Maltitz have identified some of the most pressing problems in South African education.1 They have argued that the education system is still suffering from the fragmented effects of apartheid and that the postapartheid government is struggling to set schools in motion to provide learners with authentic perspectives on the realities of their existence in a postapartheid South Africa. Naledi Pandor, the country's previous minister of education, painted a rather somber picture of the situation in (...) the Eastern Cape, one of South Africa's nine provinces:In a context in which there is ineffective system response on core obligations, it is very important to isolate those attributes that are .. (shrink)

Agent computing, and in particular intelligent mobile agent computing, is at present awarded increasing prominence in the literature. This is partly due to the pervasive nature of available Internet technologies such as search engines and booking agents. It is within this context that the importance of investigating various characteristics demonstrated by mobile agent computing is becoming apparent. In order to perform specialized tasks on behalf of their owners, a certain amount of intelligence in mobile agents is often assumed or expected. (...) The attribute intelligent brings with it a concomitant human characteristic that is assigned to an inanimate technological object. In mobile agent systems, communities of agents already inhabit areas of cyberspace and interact with other agents, human users and hosts. Depending on the expected interaction with other entities, it is plausible to think that such a community can exhibit a social life of its own. This raises issues concerning information security as well as the ethical and social behaviour of mobile agents. In this paper we discuss a framework for dealing with the security and ethical design issues of this technology. (shrink)

In 1974, during the dark days of apartheid at a conference on "Church and Nationalism" in Mapumolo, South Africa, a heated discussion about the mere possibility of a transition toward a democratic South Africa led to one black participant saying to one of the white participants, "When you speak like that, it makes me lose all hope."Later, during his own contribution to the conference, the political philosopher Johan Degenaar repeatedly referred to this remark by the black participant to illustrate "that (...) the way we talk impacts on the way we live together". He spoke about the search for a "grammar for our life together," a frame of reference for our discussions about the future of South Africa. He... (shrink)

Prominent Irish philosopher Richard Kearney’s notion of ‘carnal hermeneutics’ is introduced by applying it to a case study of a recent event that took place at one of South Africa’s university campuses. The narrative assists in illuminating some of the core principles of carnal hermeneutics and illustrates the applicability of carnal hermeneutics as a ‘diagnostic caring for lived existence’. In the process, an analysis is also given of the event in question, which is connected to what has widely been labelled (...) as ‘blackface’. In conclusion, the contextual, philosophical, ethical, and theological implications of carnal hermeneutics are explored with an eye on theological praxes in South Africa today. Keywords: Carnal Hermeneutics; Hermeneutics; Flesh; Body; Richard Kearney; Merleau-Ponty; Ricoeur; Blackface. (shrink)

The positive impact that religion generally has on human beings has been suggested by different studies. However, it cannot be assumed that religion always contributes to the well-being of believers. Religious systems can be misused, resulting in people being spiritually and even physically hurt and harmed. This study investigates certain aspects of some alternative religious group in order to determine the impact it has on the well-being of the members of these groups. It was found that people are drawn to (...) these groups because of the challenges they present, the display of true love amongst members and the 'message' of an authoritative charismatic leader that resonates with them and convinces them to become part. As time pass, members were challenged with questionable aspects that appear in the activities and teaching of these groups. Obtaining clarity on these concerns was strongly discouraged by the culture and other members of the group, resulting in members suppressing doubts and emotions. Adherence to the tenets of the group then occurred as a result of peer pressure and out of fear instead of true conviction. The study concludes that most of the respondents in the study reported that their experience in these groups did not contribute to their well-being, and emotionally, they struggled to adapt to society and other religious groups after leaving the group. (shrink)

Child sexual abuse is a global phenomenon that affects many families and appears to be increasing dramatically in South Africa. The literature on child sexual abuse focuses mainly on the victims and perpetrators while largely ignoring the experiences of non-offending mothers. The objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of mothers whose children were sexually abused by their intimate male partners. Existential phenomenology was employed in the study, and Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis was used (...) to analyse the data. The results indicate that the participants experienced emotions similar to those following loss including disbelief, anger, guilt, depression, trust and blame. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology , Volume 11, Edition 1 May 2011, 11-24. (shrink)

This study explores the grief experiences of young adults in the aftermath of the murder of a sibling. Three young adults were recruited to participate in interviews in which they described their lived experience of loss. Data collection and the subsequent analyses were guided by a phenomenological research design and resulted in the identification of seven major themes, namely (1) shock and disbelief, (2) recollection, guilt and self-blame, (3) rupture and fragmentation, (4) support, (5) justice and revenge, (6) reformulation, and (...) (7) resilience, healing and growth. These themes are discussed with reference to the findings of other documented studies, and the implications for practitioners working with bereaved siblings of murder victims pointed to. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology , May 2010, Volume 10, Edition 1. (shrink)

The article proceeds from the argument that war is a social institution and not a historical inevitability of human interaction, that is, war can be “unlearned.” This process involves deconstructing/dismantling war as an institution in society. An important step in this process is to understand the philosophical and cultural bases on which technology is employed as “tools” of war. The article focuses on such questions as, Is technology just viewed as instruments in the hand of its human masters in war? (...) Does technology take on an autonomous role in war? How should we assess the impact of context (political, economic, and cultural) of technology when employed in war? By exploring these points, the article hopes to provide input into the discussion on the control of war technologies and ultimately the dismantling of war as an institution in society. (shrink)

The purpose of this article is to put forward an acceptable scriptural stance with respect to an evolutionary worldview. The authors posit that a theologically orthodox position can best be substantiated when the moral ideal embodied in Christ is the starting point for all deliberations. In light of this premise, the authors consider the following topics: the great divide between science and religion; the various theoretical shifts taking place on both sides of the science and religion arena concerning the veracity (...) of evolution a substantive consideration of Darwin’s evolutionary theory; the issue of whether Genesis is only a myth or a narration of literal, historical events and the profound implications of evolutionary theory for religious belief. The authors conclude that a choice does not have to be made between evolution and religion but between good and bad evolutionary theory and good and bad religious beliefs.Contribution: The article’s challenge is to not only show that science and theology are not in conflict, but also that ascribing to an evolutionary worldview when discussing God’s creative acts, is also not in conflict with God’s Word. (shrink)

The current theoretical framing of entrepreneurship includes a number of diverse phenomena under the same conceptual umbrella, yet the terms are often conflated and used interchangeably. Based on the assumption that anything included under this conceptual umbrella contributes to economic development and job creation, entrepreneurship has become appropriated as a development tool in the Global South where poverty and unemployment are rife. This study introduces the term entrepreneurship as a development apparatus and defines it as the implementation of entrepreneurship support (...) interventions in economically marginalised communities, based on the assumption that these interventions lead to economic development and job creation. EDA is then taken out from under the conceptual entrepreneurship umbrella, and placed in a post-development theory context, showing that insight can be gained when the critical debate on entrepreneurship is moved beyond the constraints of the mainstream entrepreneurship paradigm. Drawing from the development debate, this paper argues that the current theoretical entrepreneurship paradigm has proven unable to provide answers to the failure of EDA, and thus calls for the rejection of the entire notion of EDA as a form of entrepreneurship. (shrink)

This conceptual review seeks to reframe the view of academic integrity as something to be enforced to an academic skill that needs to be developed. The authors highlight how practices within academia create an environment where feelings of inadequacy thrive, leading to behaviours of unintentional academic misconduct. Importantly, this review includes practical suggestions to help educators and higher education institutions support doctoral students’ academic integrity skills. In particular, the authors highlight the importance of explicit academic integrity instruction, support for the (...) development of academic literacy skills, and changes in supervisory practices that encourage student and supervisor reflexivity. Therefore, this review argues that, through the use of these practical strategies, academia can become a space where a culture of academic integrity can flourish. (shrink)

Cell line immortalisation is a growing component of African genomics research and biobanking. However, little is known about the factors influencing consent to cell line creation and immortalisation in African research settings. We contribute to addressing this gap by exploring three questions in a sample of Xhosa participants recruited for a South African psychiatric genomics study: First, what proportion of participants consented to cell line storage? Second, what were predictors of this consent? Third, what questions were raised by participants during (...) this consent process? 760 Xhose people with schizophrenia and 760 controls were matched to sex, age, level of education and recruitment region. We used descriptive statistics to determine the proportion of participants who consented to cell line creation and immortalization. Logistic regression methods were used to examine the predictors of consent. Reflections from study recruiters were elicited and discussed to identify key questions raised by participants about consent. Approximately 40% of participants consented to cell line storage. The recruiter who sought consent was a strong predictor of participant’s consent. Participants recruited from the South African Eastern Cape, and older participants, were more likely to consent; both these groups were more likely to hold traditional Xhosa values. Neither illness nor education were significant predictors of consent. Key questions raised by participants included two broad themes: clarification of what cell immortalisation means, and issues around individual and community benefit. These findings provide guidance on the proportion of participants likely to consent to cell line immortalisation in genomics research in Africa, and reinforce the important and influential role that study recruiters play during seeking of this consent. Our results reinforce the cultural and contextual factors underpinning consent choices, particularly around sharing and reciprocity. Finally, these results provide support for the growing literature challenging the stigmatizing perception that people with severe mental illness are overly vulnerable as a target group for heath research and specifically genomics studies. (shrink)

In this essay the authors provide arguments that teaching is an art and that teachers can learn much about their trade from a careful study of the performances of other artists. Artists and teachers have the same basic challenge: in order to be successful, both groups have to obtain and retain peoples’ attention. This also holds for popular music artists. Ten female student teachers specializing in the Pre-school and Foundation phases of schooling (four-to-six-year olds), and six lecturers from the Faculty (...) of Education at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, participated in a workshop at a local game lodge. During the workshop, videos of ABBA songs and Mamma Mia! The Movie were analyzed and discussed. The theme of the workshop was “Being an Excellent Teacher: Appreciating ABBA.” The 4D-cycle of Appreciative Inquiry– Discover, Dream, Design and Destiny–was used as a methodological framework to identify numerous positive themes with possible classroom applications from the songs and the film. These themes were then connected to educational theory and embedded in the insights of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Judy Cramer and other people involved with ABBA. A reflective report by one student teacher about the impact the workshop had on her views of teaching and an excellent class that she presented is also included. (shrink)

Child sexual abuse is a global phenomenon that affects many families and appears to be increasing dramatically in South Africa. The literature on child sexual abuse focuses mainly on the victims and perpetrators while largely ignoring the experiences of non-offending mothers. The objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of mothers whose children were sexually abused by their intimate male partners. Existential phenomenology was employed in the study, and Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis was used to (...) analyse the data. The results indicate that the participants experienced emotions similar to those following loss including disbelief, anger, guilt, depression, trust and blame. (shrink)

The multiple detections of gravitational waves by LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), operated by Caltech and MIT, have been acclaimed as confirming Einstein's prediction, a century ago, that gravitational waves propagating as ripples in spacetime would be detected. Yunes and Pretorius (2009) investigate whether LIGO's template-based searches encode fundamental assumptions, especially the assumption that the background theory of general relativity is an accurate description of the phenomena detected in the search. They construct the parametrized post-Einsteinian (ppE) framework in (...) response, which broadens those assumptions and allows for wider testing under more flexible assumptions. Their methods are consistent with work on confirmation and testing found in Carnap (1936), Hempel (1969), and Stein (1992, 1994), with the following principles in common: that confirmation is distinct from testing, and that, counterintuitively, revising a theory's formal basis can make it more broadly empirically testable. These views encourage a method according to which theories can be made abstract, to define families of general structures for the purpose of testing. With the development of the ppE framework and related approaches, multi-messenger astronomy is a catalyst for deep reasoning about the limits and potential of the theoretical framework of general relativity. (shrink)

Sarel Cilliers as an elder or former elder in church: The well-known Voortrekker Sarel Cilliers was in the first place not recognised as a military or cultural leader, but a spiritual leader and respected elder in church. Apart from his emotional approach to the affairs of the Dutch Reformed Church of which he was a member in a congregation, Cilliers was a reformed member who strifed to obey the Bible, the Reformed confessions of faith and the so-called law of his (...) church. Cilliers was chosen to take the lead when the Voortrekkers made a covenant with God before the Battle of Bloodriver in Natal on 16 December 1838. This covenant was initiated by the then leader of the Trekkers, Andries Pretorius. Cilliers did his work as an elder truthfully and with enthusiasm. He was strict and truthfull in his visits to church members and represented his congregation on major assemblies. In these assemblies fellow church members treated him with respect. Cilliers was an elder in a church which had to be settled in the interior of South Africa, often under abnormal circumstances. He sometimes had to do tasks of the minister of the congregation as well. Sarel Cilliers became known as a special elder in church.Contribution: This article gives an insight in the view and practice of the office of the elder in the Dutch Reformed Church in pioneer circumstances in the 19th century. It opens an assessment of this office for implementation in recent times. Apart from that the article sheds light on truthful understanding of the vow of Afrikaners at Blood River in 1838. This matter remains a point of discussion in recent times. (shrink)

Van der Merwe, P.J. - Brown, S. 1994. The nearest in affection: Towards a Christian understanding of Islam. (Bladsy 254-255)Van der Merwe, P.J. - Newbigin, L. 1991. The gospel in a pluralist society. (Bladsy 255-256)Van der Merwe, P.J. - Van der Merwe, D.C.S. 'n Watermodel vir die kosmologie of God se twee boeke met spesiale verwysing na Gen 1:1-19 en die moderne kosmologie. (Bladsy 256-258)Van der Merwe, P.J. - Kritzinger, J.J. Saayman, W. On being witnesses. (Bladsy 258-259)Dreyer, T.F.J. - Pieterse, (...) Hennie. Praktiese Teologie as kommunikatiewe handelingsteorie. (Bladsy 260-261)Boshoff, F.J. - Burger, C.W., Müller, B.A. Smit D.J. Riglyne vir prediking oor die Pastorale en Algemene Briewe (Woord teen die lig 11/6). (Bladsy 261-262)Du Toit, B.A. - Van Aarde, Andries. Kultuurhistoriese agtergrond van die Nuwe Testament: Die eerste-eeuse Mediterreense sosiale konteks. (Bladsy 263-264)Van der Merwe, Paul - Van der Westhuizen, H.G. Herder van Angola. (Bladsy 264-268)Beukes J.A. - Burger, C.W., Müller, B.A. Smit D.J. Riglyne vir prediking oor regverdiging en reg: Woord teen die lig 111/3. (Bladsy 260-270)Engelbrecht Johannes J. - Joubert, Stephan. Matteus vandag. (Bladsy 270-272)Botes H.J. - Celliers, Johan. God vir ons. (Bladsy 272-274)Pretorius, S.P. - Papp, Kálmán. Die Nederduitsch Hervormde Gemeente Krugersdorp 1891 - 1991. (Bladsy 274-275). (shrink)