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Welcome to the NWU Repository, the open access Institutional Repository of the North-West University (NWU-IR). This is a digital archive that collects, preserves and distributes research material created by members of NWU. The aim of the NWU-IR is to increase the visibility, availability and impact of the research output of the North-West University through Open Access, search engine indexing and harvesting by several initiatives.

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DIE TOEPASSING VAN 'N HANDELSMERKSTRATEGIE: 'n Veldfocus gevallestudie
(North-West University, 1998) Van Eeden, Conrad (D.C.B.); Bisschoff, C.A
A product is something that is made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by a customer. A product can be copied by a competitor; a brand is unique. A product can be quickly outdated; a successful brand is timeless" (Aaker, 1991 :1 ). The relevant question however is: What was done in creating the success of the brand? Although the initial reason for creating a brand is to identify a product or service and to distinguish it from the competitors, in time the brand develops a specific character and personality. Research has shown that this added value that exists in the mind of the consumer needs to be determined in the development stage and needs to be managed as part of a total brand strategy. Only then will a long term benifit be derived that can even be added to the company's bottom line. Kapferer (1992) developed such a model which gives clear guidance in creating a total brand concept through a brand prism and platform. The aim of this study is to discuss Kapferers' brand prism and then to evaluate the Veldfocus brand against this model with specific referance to the printed advertising material. Employing a qualitative research methodology, validated through the process of data triangulation, certain recommendations were made regarding the application of the Veldfocus brand. Kapferers' brand prism consist of six elements which are divided into three external (left) and three internal (right) aspects of a brand. The communication of a brand is part of a process which begins with the creation of the brand identity and through various mediums being received as the brand image by the consumer. Only when all six elements are communicated as part of a total brand strategy can long term success be guaranteed, subject to sound brand management principles being applied. Agrinet, a wholesale supplier to 500 retail stores, got the marketing rights from the SABC to use the television programme name to develop a bush wear range of clothing with the Veldfocus brand as its label. Although there is no definite guidelines to good design and layout, print advertising needs to be evaluated in term of its verbal, visual and design elements, as these three elements form a total image. Although it was clear that there was a clear effort to visually create the ideal brand identity, concerns raised were a lack of a consistent look throughout the total print campaign. The researcher suggested that a consistent slogan needs to be developed in order to clearly position the brand in the mind of the consumer. The Veldfocus brand logo application need to be used consistently in all advertising material. Suggestions on the use of the background images were made to make the product more visible, to create a visual focus on the products and to make the copy more readable. In closing the researchers suggested that Agrinet should look for more above the line marketing opportunities in order to build a strong brand by means of joint promotions with brands that target the same market segment. The focus of further advertising should aim at differentiating the Veldfocus brand through investment in more corporate advertising based on the brand prism.
Die Akkadies van Hatti: 'n Grammatikale studie met besondere verwysing na die Akkadiese tekste gevind by Ugarit
(North-West University, 1991) Van Deventer, Hendrik Johannes Marthinus; Van Huyssteen, P.J.J; Dreyer, H.J
In this investigation the Akkadian dialect of Jjatti, the country of the Hittites, has been studied in the form in which this dialect can be retrieved through Akkadian texts excavated since 1929 at Ugarit (at present Ras Shamra). Out of a total of about 71 texts which came into being in Jjatti and which were excavated at Ugarit, 21 well-preserved texts were chosen to base the study on. All these texts have been published by Nougayrol (1956) and Nougayrol et al. (1968). The Akkadian dialect which was used in tfatti is one of the so-called Western peripheral dialects of the language Akkadian, the cradle of which is Mesopotamia. Scientists are at the moment engaged in doing research on all the peripheral dialects in order to define and compare the different .dialects with one another. It will then become apparent how the various dialects developed in the areas in which they were found, and which influences were exercised on them by neighbouring languages. In this respect this study follows that of Durham (1976) in the description of the Akkadian language of tJatti. This study has, however, bearing only on the texts which were found at U garit. This study, for the sake of easy re_ference and comparison, structurally follows closely Huehnergard's studies (1979, 1989) with reference to the Akkadian dialects of Ugarit and Carchemish. The results of this study have been represented by means of a comparison between the Akkadian dialect of ijatti and the Akkadian dialects of a number of other areas. From this it is clear thet the Akkadian dialect of tfatti definitely reveals distinctive characteristics, although it has much in common with other Akkadian dialects which are derived from a number of border areas.
PERCEPTIONS OF BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH OF A GROUP OF FARM WORKERS IN THE NORTHWEST PROVINCE
(North-West University, 2002) Van der Westhuizen,Talita; BOTHA, K. F. H
The purpose of this study was to determine the biopsychosocial health perceptions of a group of farm workers and the relationship between these perceptions and their health status. An availability sample of 52 male and female Setswana-speaking fann workers, 18-60 years old, was used. Data were obtained with five empirical questionnaires: SRQ, GHQ, HBQ, MHLOCS, SOC. A qualitative study was done in the form of semi-structured interviews. It was found that farm workers' biopsychosocial health perceptions are characterized by physical vulnerability, low sense of coherence and non-committal health beliefs. They tend to focus more on the physical aspects of biopsychosocial health and factors that restrict rather than contribute to or enhance health. It is recommended that all related variables, especially worker/manager relationships, land-ownership issues and health literacy be investigated.
A MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED REFINERY INFORMATION SYSTEM
(North-West University, 2001) Christiaan Adriaan Peens; Louis Fourie C.H
Information management plays an increasingly important role in businesses today. This role is to support the business objectives through optimised work processes and improved information availability to support faster decision-making. Information systems were initially developed as isolated applications focussed on a specific function or business process. New business needs however requires a more integrated approach. Integrating information systems can be a costly process requiring large amounts of capital. The process of information systems development and implementation has been studied by various researchers. Many companies however do not apply these research results and the development and implementation of information systems are often late and exceed the budgets allocated to these projects. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the process of information systems development and implementation, and to recommend a practical process for information systems development and implementation for relatively small organisations. A theoretical overview is presented of the strategic processes involved in information systems development. General project management and various theoretical models for information systems development are presented. The application of the principles from the theoretical overview are tested by means of a case study on an integrated refinery information system (IRIS) that was recently implemented at the Natref refinery in Sasolburg.This is done by means of an empirical study that focuses on the project execution and change management aspects during the development and implementation of the IRIS project. A questionnaire was developed for each of these focus areas. The response rate for the project execution questionnaire was 87.5% and the response rate for the change management questionnaire was 84.6%. The main conclusions from the dissertation (based on the literature study and the empirical study) are as follows: • A high level of strategic importance was given to information systems at Natref during 1997; • Information systems planning was done well in the beginning of the IRIS project; • There was a general lack of management support during the execution if the IRIS project;• The organisational design was not changed to support the implementation of the IRIS project or its associated changes in business processes; • End user participation were not sufficient, leading to possible end user resistance during the implementation of the IRIS project; • Sufficient effort went into the evaluation of hardware needed for the implementation of the IRIS project; • Software selected during the development and implementation of the IRIS project was well considered; and • Information systems services were considered fairly well during the IRIS project. Recommendations were made based on the conclusions. The main recommendation is an information systems development and implementation model that can be used in practise by relatively small businesses. Proposals were also made regarding the facilitation of the strategic management of information systems and the change management process. Large businesses could also benefit from some of the recommendations.
ROLE OF BOUNDARY LAYER RESISTANCE AND WALL ULTRASTRUCTURE IN DETERMINING DIFFERENTIAL DROUGHT TOLERANCE IN TOBACCO
(North-West University, 2000) Juanita Peacock; Van Rensburg L Kruger H
ROLE OF BOUNDARY LAYER RESISTANCE AND WALL ULTRASTRUCTURE IN DETERMINING DIFFERENTIAL DROUGHT TOLERANCE IN TOBACCO. A holistic approach was followed to propose a new model for the leaf surface of tobacco to explain epidermal wall ultrastructure and permeability with the emphasis on drought stress. Nicotiana tabacum L. leaves of two drought sensitive and two drought tolerant cultivars were used. A triethylene glycol liquid substitution method together with a Flexible Image Process System was found excellent for studying the external micro-morphology of the leaf surface. Differences were found to exist between the leaf micro-morphology parameters quantified for the drought sensitive and drought tolerant cultivars. From these results, it is concluded that plant fitness for tolerating drought stress may be maximised by the carbon gaining capacity of the leaf. Contrary to most permeability studies, freshly harvested epidermal wall strips, with stomata and trichomes, were used. Results are discussed in terms of the limitations when using composite membranes with stomata and trichomes. The differential permeability coefficient values calculated for the transport of water in tobacco epidermal wall strips agreed with those reported for isolated cuticular membranes of various other species. The epidermal wall permeability coefficient seems to have merit as selection criterion for identifying drought tolerant genotypes. The cuticular membrane is not an amorphous layer but consists of small globules (referred to as nitis globules) which group together in the larger globules (referred to as nichrista globules). The tobacco epidermal cell wall has five layers consisting of a matrix and microfibrils with diameters of 4 - 10 nm. The fibrils of the cuticular membrane are possibly a pathway for water, wax and cutin transport. The possibility of resistance factors, other than the soluble cuticular lipids, contributing to water permeability during drought stress, was investigated.