Books

Innovation is widely acknowledged as being key to economic growth and progress, particularly as innovation by business enterprises is vital in ensuring their future success and competitiveness in an increasingly competitive global market. With this in mind, the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) was commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to undertake a national innovation survey based on international best practice.

Awards for excellent performance in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on the workplace are often handed out to large, well-resourced companies in South Africa. On the other hand, small- and medium-sized companies are often castigated for their relatively poor performance and capacity in such efforts. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and constraints faced by six small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in managing the burden of HIV/AIDS within their companies.

Internationally and locally, there is growing emphasis on the importance of effective school management and leadership in contributing to good student achievement outcomes. Instructional leadership has become a key concept in the research literature, reflecting an attempt to better understand the relationship between school leadership, curriculum and instructional matters, and student achievement. Managing to learn is the first study of its kind in South Africa, considering these issues in a sample of 200 schools in two provinces. The research reported in this monograph provides an extensive review of the literature around the management of curriculum and instruction, a framework and methodology for the research, and the empirical findings from the study. Through a series of regression analyses, the study presents those management factors identified across a wide range of schools as most crucial to improved performance of students. It brings greater clarity to the somewhat undifferentiated view of school management currently, and a sharper focus on its importance in relation to how students learn.

The current and future capacity of South Africa to generate and sustain access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for its citizens is an important development priority. The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA), launched by government in 2006, identified key factors which are affecting South Africas drive to achieve 6% economic growth and to halve unemployment and poverty in South Africa by 2014. One of these factors is the cost of telecommunications. Together, the cost of telecommunications and the availability of ICT infrastructure will crucially facilitate or frustrate attempts to improve levels of access to ICT.

The past ten years in South Africa has seen many changes in education: the creation of a single department of education; common examinations for all learners in public schools in the country, a new outcomes based education curriculum which was introduced to learners in the General Education and Training Phase since 1998 and will be introduced to the Further Education and Training Phase from 2006. To evaluate the success of these changes South African researchers still use the indicator of student achievement.

Mathematics and science are key areas of knowledge for the development of individuals and for the social and economic development of South Africa. In November 2002, about 9000 Grade 8 learners from South African public schools participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This monograph reports on South Africas performance in TIMSS in relation to the other 50 countries. In addition, the report describes the performance of different groups of learners in South Africa and provides contextual information about, teachers, schools and the curriculum. The report concludes with recommendations for strategic interventions that could contribute to improved performance in mathematics and science. The findings contained in this report offer valuable insights to academics, policymakers, curriculum-planners, teachers and those involved in the development of education in South Africa.

This lively, engaging and witty collection of lectures brings together the renowned African and African-American scholars - Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates Jr and Wole Soyinka - to reflect on the public meaning of the iconic Nelson Mandela. Any one of these authors would have been a pleasure to read in his own right, but to have all three of them enjoined in this common intellectual effort is an enlightening experience.

"Salt comes from the north, gold from the south, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom are only to be found in Timbuktu." 15th-century Malian proverb

In a joint project between South Africa and Mali, a library to preserve more than 200 000 Arabic and West African manuscripts dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries is currently under construction. It is the first official cultural project of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the socio-economic development plan of the African Union, and when the library is built, the cultural role of Timbuktu will be revived, as it becomes the safehaven for the treasured manuscripts. The manuscripts prove that Africa had a rich legacy of written history, long before western colonisers set foot on the continent.

It is widely accepted that innovation is key to economic growth. Countries where research and innovation are high on the national agenda are best suited to prosper in the knowledge-based economy. Conversely, countries whose economies are mainly dependent on natural resources and basic industries tend to lack competitiveness and flexibility in adapting to changing global trends. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has long been concerned with the measurement of research and experimental development (R&D) and innovation activities.

Seven contributors explore the complex interface between the media and democracy. They consider legislative and policy environments necessary for the media to play a meaningful role in building democracy. While the book focus on south Africa, two contributors provide international perspectives on questions pertinent to media today.