Suchergebnisse

Risk management can either protect or endanger higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. A crucial determining factor is how the core risks for these institutions are identified and mitigated. This article contributes to the continuing discourse on both risk management and managerialism in higher education. The thesis for this article is that the presence of a caring human spirit within HEIs is a necessary condition for them to fulfil their reason for existence. The purpose of this article is thus to reflect on the risk of HEIs not being able to fulfil their fundamental reason for existence due to the smothering or absence of a caring human spirit in these institutions. A reading of official and scholarly texts has shown that HEIs' primary reason for existence is embedded risk, namely a concern with the new or the unknown and by implication a critical curiosity about an uncertain future. The presence of a caring human spirit is not only a necessary condition for fulfilling the reason for the existence of an HEI, but also a crucial risk category currently absent from the standard list of institutional risk categories. Risk assessment reveals that the absence or smothering of a caring human spirit in HEIs poses a high to very high risk for their survival.

(...) In order to determine the appropriateness of learning material for distance education, eight assessment criteria were proposed during July 2000 at the annual conference of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration, and have been published recently in a scholarly journal. This article, by applying these criteria in a case study, assesses the appropriateness of tuition in Public Administration for first-year students at Unisa. (...) The study guide is shown to be engaged in an effort to shift control of the learning process over the learners. The research shows that learners appear to be ready for learning material which enhances their competencies to learn and to think independently. This is enhanced by indications that the study guide provides learners with the opportunity to think for themselves and to prepare themselves as knowledge workers. (...) (Politeia/DÜI)

1. Research Ethics and Integrity in Social Sciences in Africa -- 2. A Critical Discussion on the Relevance of Biosocial Science Research Ethics Codes and Principles for Social Science Researchers in Africa -- 3. Research Ethics Governance – An African Perspective -- 4. African Social Science Research Ethics and Integrity -- 5. Ethics Review Framework and Guidelines for Social Science Research -- 6. A risk framework for research in social sciences -- 7. Human Dignity Protection in Social Science Research in Africa: The State and Role of National Research Guidelines -- 8. Vulnerability -- 9. Informed Consent In Africa – Integrating Individual And Collective Autonomy -- 10. Engaged Research: An African Macro-Ethics Perspective -- 11. Equity, Equality and Justice in Biosocial Science Research in Africa -- 12. Social Responsibility and Health Related Research -- 13. An African Perspective of Benefits in Social Science Research -- 14. Protecting Future Generations Through Social Responsible Research Ethics Practices -- 15. Data Sharing: Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality Amidst the Big Data Debate - Implications for Social Science Research -- 16. Promoting Research Integrity and Avoiding Misconduct - Perspectives On and From Africa -- 17. Unethical Authorship Deals: Concepts, Challenges and Guidelines -- 18. Building Research Ethics Capacity in Africa

Reflective Public Administration: Context, Knowledge and Methods is the contribution to the two-part series on an updated approach to the first edition, Reflective Public Administration: Views from the South. The editors, Wessels, Pauw and Thani, present this topic as a reflection on issues such as conduct of public officials, budgets, affirmative action, and the responsibilities of the executive authority from an ethical perspective. This title is applicable to practitioners, academics and philosophers interested in the ethical debate regarding public administration.