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Previous studies have attempted to determine how the success of South African IT projects related to the project management maturity of the organisations that executed the projects. The study reported in this article was conducted during 2010 in the engineering and construction sectors. This paper reports on a structured questionnaire distributed to 1,625 individuals mainly in the South African engineering and construction industries, from which 255 responses were received. Project success was self-defined by the respondents, who identified project success within their unique environments and contexts. The bulk of the projects (46%) were considered successful. The average perceived project management maturity level was 2.88.

A notion exists that organisations with higher levels of project management maturity execute projects more effectively and efficiently and so have a higher probability of achieving project success. This paper reports on a single case study that measured the project management maturity of four project management knowledge areas, and also investigated the impact of project management maturity on perceived project success in a mining operation. The study found that project management maturity plays a pivotal role in achieving project management deliverables. However, project management maturity alone is not sufficient to guarantee project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine educators' perceptions of and readiness for teacher leadership. A total of 283 educators in the Eden and Central Karoo Education District in the Western Cape participated in the study. The participants included district officials, principals, and members of school management teams, as well as veteran, middle, and novice educators. A series of instruments was used to determine educators' perspectives, perceptions and readiness for teacher leadership, including the Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument (TLRI). The results indicated that educators held positive assumptions about teacher leadership. Educators' preliminary leadership perceptions, assumptions about and readiness for teacher leadership proved that the majority of educators are ready for a more distributed, deep democratic leadership practice in schools. Educators acknowledged the need for continuous professional development in the area of teacher leadership. It was also found that as preliminary leadership perceptions of educators improve or strengthen, readiness for teacher leadership is also likely to improve or strengthen. These findings have significant implications for leadership practices, collaboration, capacity-building and improvement in schools, educators' self-esteem, motivation and productivity, as well as student outcomes.

The Greek word pharmakeia and its related meanings in the Christian Bible, more specifically in Revelation 18:23, formed the basis for the belief that it is directly related to the measures of and medical interventions used to address the Covid-19 pandemic in which big pharma played a major role. This study will investigate the word pharmakeia in the passages of the Bible with the view to understand the context in which it is used as well as its meaning to determine its relevance today. Although the word pharmacy and pharmaceutical products are derived from the word pharmakeia they cannot explicitly be linked in the text of the Bible to refer to big pharma. This, however, does not mean that the word and its variants do not carry implicit applications that can be to the detriment of Christian believers today. The word pharmakeia in the Bible is related to occult and pagan worship practices. Although these practices do not refer to pharmaceuticals only, they included practices that involved conscience-altering drugs and narcotics containing poisonous elements. These practices were always related to the magic realm which made participants susceptible to the influence of the demonic world. Similarly, one can conclude that policymakers and influential role players during the pandemic through magical maneuvers of mass media propaganda proverbially “cast a spell” on the world’s population causing humans to act uniformly across the world as if they had been captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores whether organisations in a developing country have become more mature over time in their project management practices, and compares the current state to findings from a similar study conducted in 2010. It thus contributes to the scant literature on project management maturity in developing countries. Six hundred responses to a project management maturity questionnaire were used to investigate the perceived project management success of 9 389 projects. The results indicated that the perceived average project management maturity dropped from the 2010 value of 2.88 to 2.64 in 2020. Despite this, most of the projects surveyed were still perceived as successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written about the Gloriavale Christian Community in New Zealand. This secluded community since its inception in 1969 has grown into a strong self-sustaining farming and business community. Their claim to be a true Christian community is based on their application of the same principles as the early Christian church. This claim of being Christian has been met with mixed views and as of late, with the surfacing of more allegations of unjust actions within the community, a general belief has been established that the culture of the community is exploitative. This study looked at the functioning of the early Christian church and compared the community of Gloriavale to that. The study showed disparities between the two and found that Gloriavale cannot be equated to the early Christian church mainly because of its belief to live in isolation from society which not only jeopardizes sound oversight from the broader Christian community over their teaching and practices but also creates a breeding ground for a controlling and inhibiting culture. This community is therefore a false representation of the early Christian church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reintegration of former pseudo-Christian cult members into society is a multi-layered endeavour. This article utilizes research conducted on cults, their dynamics and impact on members, and the findings of psychologists concerning the behaviour of cult members. It draws on personal research in dealing with former cult members for many years in an attempt to provide guidelines on how former pseudo-Christian cult members can be reintegrated into society. Different aspects are considered, especially the twisted Bible message that forms the basis of such cults. Also, how personality and value systems used to entrap members can be rightfully used to break the hold of the cult and assist in the reintegration process. The article points out that membership in a cult can result in disorders similar to addictive disorders. Knowing what areas the proselyting and controlling strategy of cults focused on is very valuable in undoing the hold of the cult culture on former members and re-establishing the Christian faith as part of reintegrating former members back into society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social justice has filled the globe and its agenda and push on humanity have become evident. This ‘justice’ does not portray the justice of the Bible yet many Christians have fallen prey to this worldly justice, believing it to equate to biblical justice and therefore it is necessary to submit to its tenets. As a result, a modified gospel to accommodate the social justice agenda has been created. Unfortunately, this ‘justice’ presented as the modern redeemer of the inequalities of humanity is flawed and nothing more than a creation of the reprobate mind of sinful mankind that can never attain harmony and equality set out as its goals. This article points out that its agenda has infiltrated the church and led to some movements to redefine and reinterpret central biblical doctrine to accommodate the tenets of social justice. It further points out that the church has the calling to expose and oppose the misleading meaning that is approved by social justice and to continue to preach the undiluted gospel of Jesus Christ the only justifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the essential support functions of project management offices (PMO) for various organisational project management maturity (OPMM) levels. A case study of a South African petrochemical company compares a PMO within the company with a small projects department that is not supported by a PMO. OPMM development drivers and essential PMO support functions are identified for both structures. It is proposed that the requirements of essential PMO support functions depend on the OPMM level, but are also affected by business needs. The highest OPMM level is not required for every organisation, as the optimum OPMM level depends on the specific business' requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound claws are essential for beef cattle, given the marked influence they have on functional longevity and subsequent performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological and physiological claw characteristics of Bonsmara SA beef cattle in the major bioregions of South Africa. Normal claws of 89 Bonsmara stud animals were collected from three bioregions in which Bonsmara cattle are farmed, namely Mesic Highveld Grassland, Eastern Kalahari Bushveld and Central Bushveld bioregions. Most of these claws were from Bonsmara bulls that were slaughtered after completion of a standardized intensive feeding test and a few were from older cows. Lateral toe length (LL), medial toe length (ML), claw circumference, colour coding and tensile strength (TS) were determined on the fore and hind claws and mineral composition only on the fore claws. Multifactorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) models indicated that bioregion, moisture content, calcium (Ca), selenium (Se) and claw position (fore versus hind claws) had a significant effect (P <0.05) on TS. It is clear that environmental factors need to be considered in the evaluation of claw quality. This research serves as a benchmark for claw traits in the Bonsmara breed. Recording of claw and conformation traits is essential for genetic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, many organisations experience challenges as a result of uncertainty, fast-changing environments, globalisation, and increasingly complex work tasks. In order to adapt to these challenges, a shift in leadership style may be needed. Traditionally, leadership has been seen as a vertical relationship (top-down influence). For a number of decades, this vertical leadership model has been the principal one in the leadership field; but lately, shared and balanced leadership have gained importance, especially in the project management literature. This theoretical study highlights some differences between 'leadership' and 'management', and explores current trends in the leadership literature. It especially focuses on vertical, shared, and balanced leadership in project management, and identifies future opportunities for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that project leaders should adapt their behaviour to meet the unique leadership demands of a variety of situations. Recently, vertical, shared, and horizontal styles of leadership have gained prominence, especially in the project management literature. Several factors are believed to play a role in determining an appropriate balance between these leadership styles. This theoretical study explores the influence of project types, the stage in the project life cycle, organisational project management maturity, and the level of trust and collaboration between project team members on the appropriate balance of leadership styles in projects. This paper presents a conceptual framework of these factors, while empirical results will be reported on in the sequel to this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project sponsors play significant roles at the stage gates of project life cycle models (PLCMs). However, research on the roles that sponsors play at stage gates, and the attributes required of the sponsor, are sparse. This study investigated the roles played by government and municipal sponsors at the PLCM stage gates of a water utility, and identified the attributes that the sponsor should have as well as the challenges they face. A case study approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders. The findings could assist the senior management of water utilities, national government departments, and municipalities when appointing suitable project sponsors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]