List of Titles

Technological domination and the future of workers in the labour market in the face of automation: a study of the automobile sector in South Africa

Authors: Chigbu, Bianca Ifeoma
Date: 2020
Subjects: Office practice -- Automation Employees -- Technological innovations Organizational change
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD(Sociology)
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17954 , vital:41996
Description: This exploratory work investigated the principal aim of this study: the rate of technological domination in South Africa and the future of workers in the labour market in the face of automation. It also explored collaborative experiences between technology and human workers and how employees in the automobile sector compete with technologies in their work environment. The future-readiness of workers in this automation age and union influence with regards to technology adoption in the world of work were also examined. The study utilized a qualitative research method with in-depth interviews of data collection with 30 respondents consisting of two managers and five auto plant workers from Mercedes Benz; two shop stewards from Toyota Motors; two union representatives and nineteen workers working in the auto plant in Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA). A desktop data collection process was also employed in this study. Evolutionary Economics Theory, Labour Process Theory and Corporate Social Responsibility drove the whole analysis to explain the technological outcome in the workplace. The central argument of this study is that robots and human employees must each efficiently interface where they can best be put to good use. However, in an attempt to minimise product imperfection due to human inconsistencies and to increase productivity, the automobile industry has adopted more technologies to meet the needs of its customers and remained competitive. Nonetheless, the rate at which the technologies are adopted has increased the rate of job automation in the automobile sector and has also led to the deskilling of the auto workforce. Additionally, technology is outcompeting human workers because it has changed and evolved more rapidly than workers. The study argues that despite that automation increases productivity, it is a threat to low skilled workers in the sense that workers might end up underemployed or unemployed although highly skilled workers might be further upskilled. The findings further revealed that the workers are not ready for this change. Another revelation is that there is a unilateral workplace restructuring decision making, which neglects the input of workers and their union with regards to how work should be restructured. The findings call for sustainable corporate responsible management. The largest adopter of industrial robots in manufacturing processes is the automobile sector since global competition in the labour market commands uninterrupted modernisation and automation of production processes in the automobile industry. Each production process is not imaginable without automation today. In the quest to transform the workplace, improve iv productivity, the economy and develop communities with technological adoption, it is imperative to consider the short and long-term sustainable socio-economic development for all. It is argued that almost all sectors and working classes are vulnerable to automation. KozulWright (2016) during the United Nation’s Conference on Trade and Development concurs with other scholars that job disruption from automation affect routine tasks and its negative impact is much in the developing countries. It was recommended that a professional qualification should be incorporated with an academic qualification that aligns with technical and non-technical unautomable skills. Transparency and accountability are a must on the part of all the stakeholders involved in the automobile industry, particularly from management, to make a more sustainable economic decision that will benefit the development of workers. It is equally important for organisations, policymakers, workers, union and societies to develop feasible strategies to manage added concerns of job automation such as polarisation in the societies, the workforce and which may create societal breakdowns and conflicts. At the same time, as these machines will evolve in decades to come, we should expect to see a drastic transformation in workforce development. This study contributes to satisfactory ways to facilitate job automation transition to counteract any negative outcome with reference to those workers who might be affected by the changes in order to achieve a better society.
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Date Issued: 2020

Financial development, income inequality and poverty: case of a selected SADC countries

Authors: Leve, Samkele
Date: 2019
Subjects: Finance Economic development Income distribution
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Economics)
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16918 , vital:40785
Description: The financial sector plays a pivotal role in an economy of a country; hence the importance of financial development cannot be underestimated. Financial development is widely regarded as another conduit through which income inequality and poverty can be alleviated, however both theoretical and empirical literature does not reach consensus on the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty. Against this background, the study empirically examines the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty in selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, employing the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) technique for the period 1980 to 2011. Based on the inequalitydecreasing and Mckinnon Conduit effect, two models which link financial sector development and inequality and financial sector development and poverty were estimated using five different dimensions of financial development. Empirical results revealed that financial development overall does have an impact on income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. An interesting observation from the empirical results is that the actual dimension of financial development plays a significant role in determining the relationship between financial development, income inequality and poverty in the SADC region. The impact of financial depth on poverty is not obvious in the study, depending on the variable used. On the relationship between financial system stability, income inequality and poverty, results reveal that a stable financial system is beneficial to the poor. Financial efficiency does not appear to have a significant role in reducing income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. Overall, the findings from the study indicate that financial access or financial inclusion and financial stability is what reduces poverty instead of mere financial sector development at a broader level.
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Date Issued: 2019

Factors contributing to relapse of adult drug users in Buffalo City Municipality Metropolitan, South Africa

Authors: Charlie, Thobeka V
Date: 20xx
Subjects: Substance abuse
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18380 , vital:42258
Description: According to the WHO [2014], one in every 14 people is regular users of drugs, adding up to a total of 3.74 million people (taken as a percentage of the population as of 2013). While the United Nations Office on Drug Crimes (UNDOC) revealed that in 2015, 167,750 people have died due to direct use of drugs, the patterns of drug use have increased from 1.3% to 9.8% in 2018 (UNDOC, 2018:49-51). The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest provinces of South Africa characterized by a poor primary and secondary education system, a lack of basic facilities, and poor transport infrastructure. It is evident that South Africa in general, and the Eastern Cape in particular, is experiencing a major problem with drug and substance abuse, which is especially common in school-going children. Furthermore, the Eastern Cape have limited access to specialized drug rehabilitative services due to the geographical location of existing services and the cost associated with travelling. Rehabilitation centres are available in both the State-funded and privately-owned institutions, yet the researcher was perplexed as to why, despite the proven effectiveness of the rehabilitation program in the private health care facility, relapse of the drug abusers in the Eastern Cape continues to occur. This study aimed to explore and describe the reasons why adult drug abusers who previously completed a detoxification program at Clinic A in Buffalo City Municipality, relapse after discharge. Understanding the reasons or factors of relapse assisted in the formulation of recommendations to adjust the program and prevent or reduce relapses. In this study, a qualitative, descriptive, contextual and exploratory, qualitative research design was followed to gain insight into and understand the reasons that contributed to the relapse of the adult drug abuser in a private health care facility in the Eastern Cape. 9 The population was defined as the entire group of persons who met the inclusion criteria, who relapsed after successful completion of a drug detoxification program. The sample consisted of 25 relapsed persons who were willing to participate. In Phase 1 of the study, the researcher invited relapsed adult abusers who were readmitted for the detoxification program from January to December 2019 to participate in an individual interview. The data was then reduced into patterns, categories and themes by clustering and coding the data according to Tesch’s steps of analysis. In Phase 2 of the study, the researcher critically analysed the detoxification program currently used in the private health care facility. National and international articles and best-practice standards were also consulted. Finally, a literature control was done to place the findings of the study in the context of what was already known. In the phenomenology, the literature should be reviewed after data collection and analysis so that the information in the literature does not influence the researcher in any way. In phase 3 of the study, the researcher wrote recommendations to improve the detoxification program at Clinic A [BCM].
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Date Issued: 20xx