http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1219 University of Botswana Graduate theses and dissertations Sat, 11 Jul 2026 06:35:31 GMT 2026-07-11T06:35:31Z http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2466 An exploration of knowledge sharing practices of medical practitioners at Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana Tsimaru, Onkgapetse The main purpose of the study was to explore the knowledge sharing practices of medical practitioners at Princess Marina Hospital, a public hospital in Botswana. Although the sharing of knowledge amongst medical practitioners has been found to have the potential to help in improving service delivery in health care, there is limited literature available to help in understanding how this can be effectively implemented in health care organisations. The study used the knowledge sharing model as a lens to understand the knowledge sharing practices of medical practitioners at Princess Marina Hospital. It focused on three main factors, which influence knowledge sharing performance in organizations. These factors are knowledge sharing process, knowledge sharing means and knowledge sharing governance mechanism. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm and is qualitative. It employed a case study research design to collect empirical data through interviews and observation. A combination of convenience and purposive sampling technique were used to identify 16 participants, who took part in the study. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. Themes were identified and coded, and categories and relationships were established. Out of the 16 study participants, 11 were medical practitioners, made up of nurses and doctors, across the various levels of the hospital, two members of executive management, one head of medical department, one librarian and one head of Information Communication Technology (ICT). The findings revealed that there are various formal procedures guiding knowledge sharing amongst medical practitioners at Princess Marina hospital such as induction programme, job rotation, medical teams and mentorship of new doctors. In addition, the findings found that there are various platforms used by medical practitioners to share and seek knowledge. Just like in other professions, medical practitioners have also taken advantage of modern technology to communicate and collaborate with others through e-mails and the internet. Furthermore, traditional forms of communication and collaboration, such as lectures, face-to-face meetings, weekly reporting meetings, shift change, workshops and seminars, as well as trainings, are used. Lastly, the findings reveal that although the hospital is doing its best to promote knowledge sharing amongst medical practitioners, lack of resources, lack of knowledge sharing strategy, time constraints and lack of equipment hinder effective knowledge sharing at the hospital. Overall, the findings reveal an appreciation of the efforts made by the hospital to facilitate knowledge sharing amongst employees and the importance of this in improving the delivery of health care. It is important that key resources, such as the development of a knowledge sharing strategy and a centralised knowledge repository, are put in place to ensure timely retrieval and access to information and knowledge. A dissertation submitted to the Dept. of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Masters in Archives and Records Management. Citation: Tsimaru, O. (2020) An exploration of knowledge sharing practices of medical practitioners at Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana, University of Botswana. Tue, 29 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2466 2020-09-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2464 Conceptions of personhood and gender indentity in African thought: a philosophical exploration Kahaka, Makotoka This thesis postulates that gender identity is an integral part or category of human personhood and identity. Based on this, the purpose of this thesis is to provide an examination of the dominant theories of both personhood and gender identity through a literature-based methodology or analysis. In doing so, the thesis explores issues associated with these theories, relate the ideas on gender identity to views on personhood, and attempts to establish the interplay between the two. What is demonstrated is that African traditional conceptions of personhood are incompatible with non-conforming sex relations, practices and gender identities such as homosexuality and/or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender). While the incompatibility renders such practices and orientations "un-African‘, it also reveals conceptual defects in these African views of personhood. That is, analysis and application of the African conceptions of person to gender identities such as homosexuality, raises fundamental problems and philosophical issues that weakens the very African concept of person in general. These philosophical problems and issues centre around a number of competing constructs such as whether African personhood should be viewed as subjective or objective, that is, intrinsic or extrinsic (or both) to the person considering its inherent and relational nature. The conclusion is that African conceptions of personhood such as the communitarian view, do not only lack inclusivity owing to their tendency to marginalize certain categories of gender in their account of personhood, but have conceptual and philosophical weakness that renders the theories less attractive and favourable. A dissertation submitted to the Dept. of Theology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Religious Studies. Citation: Kahaka, M. (2020) Conceptions of personhood and gender identity in African thought: a philosophical exploration, University of Botswana Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2464 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2463 The provision of archival reference services to persons with disabilities at Botswana National Archives and Records Services Jenkins, Mmamfi Bess Principle No.5 of the International Council on Archives states that archives should be available to all users on equal and fair terms (ICA,2012:9). Hence this study sought to assess the provision of archival reference services to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at Botswana National Archives and Records Services (BNARS), with the aim of determining BNARS preparedness in meeting the needs of PWDs in accessing archival reference services. The study was guided by pragmatism paradigm which allowed the use of mixed methods as a way of triangulating findings from other methods with the other method. The study sample comprised thirteen purposefully selected respondents from BNARSthat included the Deputy Director, the Principal Archivist, Archivists and Records Management Officers, who are directlyinvolved with the provision of archival reference services, and eight persons with disability, who were referred by others through snowballing method. Data for the study was collected through the use of questionnaires, interviews and an observation checklist based on theInternational Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Access to Libraries for Persons with Disabilities Checklist. The findings of the study indicate that, despite the existence of legal instruments both locally and internationally, which speak against discrimination of PWDs, the current legal and policy framework in use at BNARS does not explicitly address how the needs of PWDsin archival reference services can be met. Secondly, in terms of the type of services offered to PWDs, the findings from the study revealed that BNARS does not fully accommodate the needs of PWDs in terms of the physical layout of the building and the lack of specialised material such as Braille. The findings further revealed that while BNARS staff is trained in the provision of archival reference services, none of them has been trained specifically in the provision of reference services to PWDs. The key recommendations arising from the study include the need to lobby for the amendment of the NARS‟s Act to accommodate provision of archival services to PWDs and involvement of PWDs in policy formulation, through liaising with different organisations which deal with disability issues, such as Botswana Council for the Disabled and Botswana Federation of the Disabled, ensuring that the physical layout of the archives reading rooms and the format of archival records are accommodative of PWDs. Finally, the study recommends the training of archival reference staff on how to service PWDs. A dissertation submitted to the Dept. of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Masters in Archives and Records Management. Citation: Jenkins, M.B. (2020) The provision of archival reference services to persons with disabilities at Botswana National Archives and Records Services, University of Botswana. Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2463 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2449 An investigation into the use of theatre for sustainable livelihoods in Botswana: the case of “Madi Majwana”. Lekoba, David Ration Theatre and live performances may seem like they are just ways of teaching and entertaining the masses. The question whether theatre can be useful beyond entertainment and education is one that this study handles with seriousness. Authors such as Augusto Boal, Bertolt Brecht and many others have always seen theatre as having potential to involve the masses in solving social problems through its techniques. This study analyses available avenues that could assist theatre to create revenue and income for Botswana theatre practitioners. The study uses Madi Majwana as a case study. The conclusion drawn by this study is that theatre in Botswana can remunerate practitioners to better their livelihoods. It concludes that Botswana, to a certain extent has professional theatre even though there is a need to improve some aspects such as infrastructure and monitoring and evaluating mechanisms. A dissertation submitted to the Dept. of English, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Masters in English. Citation: Lekoba, D. R. (2019) An investigation into the use of theatre for sustainable livelihoods in Botswana: the case of “Madi Majwana”, University of Botswana. Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10311/2449 2019-11-01T00:00:00Z