Globalization: a theoretical reflection
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and situate globalization within the context of different theoretical perspectives, with a view to developing a theoretical framework for understanding and interpreting this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approach – In the light of historical and empirical evidence, this paper uses the idea of parallax to explore, synthesize and interpret globalization. Evidence is marshalled in order to enable comparative assessments on the merits of the globalized system to take place.Findings – A materialist approach is identified as appropriate for aiding and deepening our understanding of the processes at work. It best captures the complexities and contradictions in the global economy.Originality/value – This paper develops a critique that locates globalization within the process of accumulation and teases out its attendant crises and efforts to restore profitability. The materialist approach developed here may be successfully applied in a holistic manner.
Attitudes towards foreigners in informal settlements targeted for upgrading in South Africa: A gendered perspective
abstract Using intersectionality as the organising theoretical framework, this article argues that the attitudes of informal settlement residents towards foreigners are complex, varied and moulded by a multiplicity of factors. Gender intersects in complex ways with social class, space (urban/rural) and political/ideological leanings, among other variables, to shape attitudes. The socially constructed characterisation results in inclusion or exclusion. Indeed, the attitudes held by individuals and groups depend on social and economic positioning as well as the spaces they occupy within the urban/rural/class divides. This serves to explain reticence, denialism and/or justification of violence by different groups in informal settlements, and the distinctions between males and females, and between employers and workers. Therefore, the argument put forward by this article is that attitudes of informal settlement dwellers (as distinct from slum dwellers) in South Africa towards foreigners, and the resulting unequal outcomes, are explicable from multiple forms of oppression, advantage and disadvantage, and hegemonic power structures. These attitudes are dynamic over time. They are fashioned by interconnections and kinship ties between citizens and foreigners. In addition, contestations over resources and opportunity, as well as notions of identity and citizenship, play a part in how the former view the latter. Crucially, gender intersects with social class and region to form the attitudes that are displayed by citizens towards foreigners in South Africa.
Determination of Optimal Ball-Burnishing Parameters for Plastic Injection Moulding Steel
The objective of this study is to determine the optimal plane ball-burnishing parameters for plastic injection moulding steel PDS5 on a machining centre by utilising the Taguchi’s orthogonal array method. The design and manufacture of a burnishing tool are described. Four burnishing parameters, namely the ball material, burnishing speed, burnishing force and feed, were selected as the experimental factors in Taguchi’s design of experiments to determine the optimal burnishing parameters which have the dominant influence on surface roughness. The optimal burnishing parameters were found after carrying out the experiments specified by Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal table, by the analysis of variation, and by a full factorial experiment. The optimal plane burnishing parameters for the plastic injection moulding steel PDS5 were a combination of a tungsten carbide ball, a burnishing speed of 200 mm/min, a burnishing force of 300 N and a feed of 40 μm. The surface roughness Ra of the specimen can be improved from about 1 μm to 0.07 μm by using the optimal burnishing parameters for plane burnishing.