The development of a framework to assess the key factors that may impact the future price of weaners (cattle) in South Africa
- Authors: Deyzel, George Ernest
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: Cattle -- Prices
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61108 , vital:69761
- Description: The global livestock production systems are changing due to a variety of factors, which have an impact on the price of red meat. The supply of weaners (cattle) is affected by a number of factors including the type of production system, feed costs, diseases and weather conditions. The demand for weaners (cattle) is affected by factors including, amongst various others, consumers’ perception of quality, value for money, health benefits, economic profile, expandable income, urbanisation and socio-economic factors. These factors are complex and interrelated in terms of their potential impact on weaner prices and have a significant influence on production and investment decisions in the industry. This study used quantitative research to investigate the relationship between the factors influencing the price of weaners (cattle). For the purpose of data collection, a closed ended questionnaire was distributed to the respondents. This study was done using non-probability sampling. The sampling method used in this study is referred to as snowball sampling, which is a process using networks. The data was analysed to conclude which factors are impacting the price of weaners (cattle) the most. The results show that the supply factors of weaners are experiencing increasing pressure with changing weather conditions, input costs and animal diseases. The demand factors such as quality, currency and population are increasing the complexity, which implies the market is changing from a producer orientated market to a consumer orientated market. The study provides a framework to predict future prices of weaners, which is expected to influence both production and investment decisions which contribute toward the sustainability of the industry. The study recommends that the South African weaner (cattle) industry has experienced a significant increase in demand, both locally and globally. Meeting this growing demand has its own complexity that limits weaner farmers’ supply of weaners. The market is changing from a producer orientated to a consumer orientated perspective, which will force the supply chain to keep up with the changing consumer factors. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of business and economic sciences, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-04
Developing an effective HR framework/model to improve HR officials’ performance at the port of Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Maqetuka, Siphokazi Suzanne
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Personnel management , Human Resources Assessment , Human resource professionals
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/57853 , vital:58280
- Description: With rising economic conditions and intense competitive conditions in business development, companies are increasingly facing the need to hire, motivate and retain talented people (Irana Bagaeva, 2018). Therefore, employees with the skills to meet market and customer requirements, regardless of ownership or the range of production in the modern world, are crucial to growth, survival, and sustainability. This emphasises the importance of those who must ensure that the above is achieved, that is, the human resources department of the organisation. The Human Resources Department is considered by business leaders and employees to be the body that builds and evaluates the human resources network that drives the effectiveness of the organization (Vanderpyl, 2018). Organisations need to be able to configure themselves, and HR leaders and teams keep their networks strong by not only satisfying regulations but also by leveraging and addressing social trends that benefit the organisation. Given the background highlighted above, which highlights the importance of an effective Human resource department and the role it ought to play in the organisation’s success, growth, and sustainability, it was therefore sought by the researcher to delve into the effectiveness of the Human resources department at the Port of Port Elizabeth, as they have continually been receiving mediocre performance ratings from the organisation’s leaders. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore and investigate, from the Human Resource personnel in this department, their opinions of the effectiveness of the service offerings of the Human Resource department of the Port of PE to service the needs of their customers. This led to the development of a qualitative research approach where semi-structured interviews, supported with questionnaires, were conducted on all the personnel of the Human Resource department. The questionnaire contained closed and open-ended statements of opinions held by the respondents, which consisted of the Human resource personnel of the Port of Port Elizabeth. The study findings indicate that the Human Resource Department of the Port of PE is functioning at a mediocre level of service provision and that it is not a high-performing team or highly effective. The impact of mediocre service delivery means that the iii department is not fully meeting the client’s mandate that drives the People agenda of the organisation. There were a few factors identified in the study that prevented the team from reaching levels of high performance, and some can be attributed to organisational, systemic, and policy challenges preventing the team from reaching the required levels of service. A new Operating model has been presented in this study to address these challenges faced by the department. Finally, it was imperative to highlight the context in which the Port of Port Elizabeth exists, that being of Transnet which is a State-Owned enterprise that is therefore owned by the government, which has the mandate to drive the South African Government’s agenda of poverty and unemployment alleviation. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Inflation, exchange rate and unemployment nexuses in South Africa: lessons from the Inflation Targeting Framework
- Authors: Taderera, Christie Simbarashe
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Inflation (Finance) -- South Africa , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54752 , vital:47656
- Description: Unemployment, inflation and exchange rate are key macroeconomic indicators and determinants of the development of a nation, but their relationship remain ambiguous. From the last quarter of 1994 to the same period in 2019, unemployment in South Africa increased from 20 percent to 29.1 percent while over the same period, inflation fell from 15 percent to 4.5 percent. Exchange rate at the same time has increased from 3.55Rand: 1USD to 14.45Rand: 1USD (World Bank Data, 2020). With the adoption of inflation targeting framework as a way of stabilising the general price level which has a trickle effect on unemployment, South Africa has a relatively high unemployment rate of 29.1 percent. This study investigates the relationship between unemployment, inflation and exchange rate in South Africa from 2009 Quarter 1 to 2020 Quarter 1. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between employment, inflation and exchange rate from 1970 to 2019. Lastly the study investigates the inflation threshold from 1970 to 2019. The study employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and shows that there is no short run and long run relationship between unemployment, inflation and exchange rate. There was however a short run and long run relationship between employment, inflation, exchange rate. In a long run analysis, there is a positive relationship between employment and economic growth for both in the short run and long run. Using the conditional least squares method, an inflation threshold of 5% was found to maximise employment in South Africa vindicating the inflation target of 3-5 percent. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that policy measures that increase government expenditure and economic growth be made. Thus, policy makers should increase government expenditure, either by running budget deficits or by collecting more revenue to finance its expenditures so as to increase employment or decrease unemployment without incurring the risk of crowding out. Additionally, from the inflation threshold examination, the current interest rate manipulation by raising or lowering the rate must be used to ensure inflation is kept below 5 per cent. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
The effectiveness of Bhisho child and youth care Centre youth in conflict with the law rehabilitation programs
- Authors: Mzili, Hlumela
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Juvenile delinquency
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/23731 , vital:58619
- Description: Youth in conflict with the law is seemingly becoming a significant problem in South Africa, especially in the Eastern Cape where youth engage in risk-taking activities, such as anti-social behaviour and criminal acts. This study builds on factors contributing to youth delinquency such as negative behaviours of parents, dysfunctional families, high crime rate in communities, poor self-concept, low literacy level, poor socio-economic status and no sense of belonging. Against this backdrop there are programmes put in place as a form of rehabilitation for the youth in an effort to eliminate from amongst them, recidivism that conflicts with the law. However, little importance has been given to the challenges faced when implementing such programmes, such as illiteracy, rebellion, deviance and lack of resilience among youth. This context informed the study’s aim to explore the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programmes at the Bhisho Child and Youth Care Centre. To achieve this aim, the study employed the qualitative research approach to explore the rehabilitation programmes. Data was collected through 20 semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants (children/youth and personnel from the centre) ranging from those who perpetrated the heavier crimes to those who perpetrated the least crimes. Collected data was analysed through thematic analysis whereby tape recordings were transcribed, sorted and interpreted under themes that show common cause or commonalities among the research participants. The main findings show that the programmes offered to the youth are effective and play an important role in curbing their criminal behaviour. The acts of the study recommend that the personnel at the Bhisho Child and Youth Care Centre be equipped with more developmental services which can enable them to produce more effectiveness to the programmes offered by the centre. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04