Critical evaluation of medical waste management policies, processes and practices in selected rural hospitals in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Maseko, Qondile
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Hazardous wastes -- Management -- South Africa , Radioactive waste disposal -- South Africa , Medical wastes -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3373 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013107
- Description: This thesis critically evaluates the policies, processes and practices of medical waste management in selected rural hospitals in the Eastern Cape. Medical Waste Management is a growing public health and environmental issue worldwide. Research shows large scale incapacity in dealing with medical waste in an efficient and sustainable fashion globally, which demonstrates that it is not merely a developing world problem alone. This study is conducted against the backdrop of an increasing medical waste crisis in South Africa. Although there are an abundance of studies on solid waste management, there is a lack of data and research particularly on medical waste management in rural hospitals. The crisis of medical waste management in South Africa is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and an overburdened natural environment. It is an undisputable fact that South Africa’s generation of medical waste far exceeds its capacity to handle it effectively. This thesis argues that the neglect of medical waste as an environmental-health issue and the absence of an integrated national medical waste management plan aggravate the medical waste problem in the country. In explaining the medical waste crisis, this thesis adopts a Marxist perspective which is based on the premise that industrial capitalist societies place economic growth and production at high priority at the expense of the natural environment; creating a society that is engulfed by high health risk due to the generation of hazardous and toxic waste. Industrial societies view themselves as superior and separate from the natural environment, whereas one cannot separate nature from society as they are interlinked. As society attempts to adopt a sustainable environmental approach towards environmental management, science and technology are enforced as a solution to environmental problems in order to continue developing countries’ economies whilst sustainably managing and protecting the environment, which is contradictory. This thesis emphasises that medical waste management is a socio-political problem as much as it is an environmental problem, hence the need to focus on power relations and issues of environmental and social justice. The results of the study identified gaps in policy framework nationally and institutionally on medical waste management. In addition, there were poor waste management practices due to poor training, inadequate infrastructure and resources as well as poor budget support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Maseko, Qondile
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Hazardous wastes -- Management -- South Africa , Radioactive waste disposal -- South Africa , Medical wastes -- Management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3373 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013107
- Description: This thesis critically evaluates the policies, processes and practices of medical waste management in selected rural hospitals in the Eastern Cape. Medical Waste Management is a growing public health and environmental issue worldwide. Research shows large scale incapacity in dealing with medical waste in an efficient and sustainable fashion globally, which demonstrates that it is not merely a developing world problem alone. This study is conducted against the backdrop of an increasing medical waste crisis in South Africa. Although there are an abundance of studies on solid waste management, there is a lack of data and research particularly on medical waste management in rural hospitals. The crisis of medical waste management in South Africa is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and an overburdened natural environment. It is an undisputable fact that South Africa’s generation of medical waste far exceeds its capacity to handle it effectively. This thesis argues that the neglect of medical waste as an environmental-health issue and the absence of an integrated national medical waste management plan aggravate the medical waste problem in the country. In explaining the medical waste crisis, this thesis adopts a Marxist perspective which is based on the premise that industrial capitalist societies place economic growth and production at high priority at the expense of the natural environment; creating a society that is engulfed by high health risk due to the generation of hazardous and toxic waste. Industrial societies view themselves as superior and separate from the natural environment, whereas one cannot separate nature from society as they are interlinked. As society attempts to adopt a sustainable environmental approach towards environmental management, science and technology are enforced as a solution to environmental problems in order to continue developing countries’ economies whilst sustainably managing and protecting the environment, which is contradictory. This thesis emphasises that medical waste management is a socio-political problem as much as it is an environmental problem, hence the need to focus on power relations and issues of environmental and social justice. The results of the study identified gaps in policy framework nationally and institutionally on medical waste management. In addition, there were poor waste management practices due to poor training, inadequate infrastructure and resources as well as poor budget support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Crumpled hearts
- Authors: Crain, Patricia Ann
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , English language -- Writing , South African fiction (English) -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015676
- Description: A middle-aged woman, living in Johannesburg, has an experience which catapults her into changing her life. In the process of confronting her alcoholism, she realizes how patterns of addiction extend to other areas of her life and tries to make sense of the tragic events that have occurred. Her world becomes a different place as she questions everything that she has been taught about relationships, religion, race and her place in society. In the search for answers she uncovers stories about the lives of her parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and acquaintances. Embarking on a journey of discovery and rediscovery through her experiences and those of others, she explores the ways in which the things that she thought she knew defined her behaviour and expression of herself.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Crain, Patricia Ann
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , English language -- Writing , South African fiction (English) -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015676
- Description: A middle-aged woman, living in Johannesburg, has an experience which catapults her into changing her life. In the process of confronting her alcoholism, she realizes how patterns of addiction extend to other areas of her life and tries to make sense of the tragic events that have occurred. Her world becomes a different place as she questions everything that she has been taught about relationships, religion, race and her place in society. In the search for answers she uncovers stories about the lives of her parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and acquaintances. Embarking on a journey of discovery and rediscovery through her experiences and those of others, she explores the ways in which the things that she thought she knew defined her behaviour and expression of herself.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Curriculum outcomes, teaching practices and learner competencies in isiXhosa in three Grahamstown schools
- Authors: Fobe, Mila Pamella
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Language and education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Curriculum planning Second language acquisition Public schools -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3630 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012072
- Description: This study looks at the curriculum outcomes, teaching practices and learner competencies in isiXhosa at three Eastern Cape schools and across three different grades, 7-9. It explores the link between language learning and teaching as well as the teaching strategies used within the classroom. In particular, the study seeks to analyse how isiXhosa is taught at three different levels of instruction, namely at Home Language (HL), First Additional Language (FAL) and Second Additional Language (SAL) levels. Qualitative methods were used, and the study took the form of interpretive case studies within the respective schools. The purpose of using multiple case studies was to investigate the reality within the three sites selected. The three schools had three extreme settings, in the sense that one of the schools is a rich isiXhosa environment and the other two schools are English environments. The tools used for data gathering were interviews, classroom observations, and an analysis of documents from the Department of Basic Education. Data was then presented and analysed in Chapter 4 and 5 against the backdrop of an extensive literature review in Chapter 2 as well as a detailed methodological approach as outlined in Chapter 3. One of the findings of this research indicates that in two of the schools the teaching culture is largely from a western perspective, whereas in one of the schools the learners are primarily isiXhosa speaking and teachers use a different linguistic approach to imparting knowledge. In the private and ex-Model C school it was found that a lack of exposure to isiXhosa is the primary cause of language problems for L2 learners. Secondly the L1 is not appropriately maintained or promoted in the school environment because it is presumed that learners are sufficiently exposed to their L1 at home. The research found therefore that in this particular schooling environment there is an inconsistency between the curricula that is taught in relation to the linguistic abilities of the learners, many of whom are mother tongue speakers of isiXhosa. Furthermore and more generally, it was found that teachers are still not well informed concerning South Africa’s Language-in-Education-Policy and there is a need for more inservice training that will focus on the nature of additional language acquisition in order to address the challenges of teaching these languages. The thesis concludes that extensive work needs to be done in order to reposition the teaching of isiXhosa at all three levels, but particularly at FAL level. This research shows that there is a disjuncture between the proposed curriculum/learning outcomes and the standards or levels achieved by the learners, more especially at FAL and SAL where oral proficiency in isiXhosa remains a challenge. Specific recommendations are contained in the final chapter of the thesis which also makes reference to the draft policy of the Ministry of Basic Education regarding the incremental introduction of the teaching of African languages from 2014 onwards. This thesis also makes takes as a point of departure the importance of multilingualism in a multicultural society such as South Africa where language is suggested as a strong factor in the fostering of social cohesion. It is for this reason that the thesis argues that the expert teaching of African languages, in this case isiXhosa, at both mother tongue and second language levels is of fundamental importance to the future of South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Fobe, Mila Pamella
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Language and education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Curriculum planning Second language acquisition Public schools -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3630 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012072
- Description: This study looks at the curriculum outcomes, teaching practices and learner competencies in isiXhosa at three Eastern Cape schools and across three different grades, 7-9. It explores the link between language learning and teaching as well as the teaching strategies used within the classroom. In particular, the study seeks to analyse how isiXhosa is taught at three different levels of instruction, namely at Home Language (HL), First Additional Language (FAL) and Second Additional Language (SAL) levels. Qualitative methods were used, and the study took the form of interpretive case studies within the respective schools. The purpose of using multiple case studies was to investigate the reality within the three sites selected. The three schools had three extreme settings, in the sense that one of the schools is a rich isiXhosa environment and the other two schools are English environments. The tools used for data gathering were interviews, classroom observations, and an analysis of documents from the Department of Basic Education. Data was then presented and analysed in Chapter 4 and 5 against the backdrop of an extensive literature review in Chapter 2 as well as a detailed methodological approach as outlined in Chapter 3. One of the findings of this research indicates that in two of the schools the teaching culture is largely from a western perspective, whereas in one of the schools the learners are primarily isiXhosa speaking and teachers use a different linguistic approach to imparting knowledge. In the private and ex-Model C school it was found that a lack of exposure to isiXhosa is the primary cause of language problems for L2 learners. Secondly the L1 is not appropriately maintained or promoted in the school environment because it is presumed that learners are sufficiently exposed to their L1 at home. The research found therefore that in this particular schooling environment there is an inconsistency between the curricula that is taught in relation to the linguistic abilities of the learners, many of whom are mother tongue speakers of isiXhosa. Furthermore and more generally, it was found that teachers are still not well informed concerning South Africa’s Language-in-Education-Policy and there is a need for more inservice training that will focus on the nature of additional language acquisition in order to address the challenges of teaching these languages. The thesis concludes that extensive work needs to be done in order to reposition the teaching of isiXhosa at all three levels, but particularly at FAL level. This research shows that there is a disjuncture between the proposed curriculum/learning outcomes and the standards or levels achieved by the learners, more especially at FAL and SAL where oral proficiency in isiXhosa remains a challenge. Specific recommendations are contained in the final chapter of the thesis which also makes reference to the draft policy of the Ministry of Basic Education regarding the incremental introduction of the teaching of African languages from 2014 onwards. This thesis also makes takes as a point of departure the importance of multilingualism in a multicultural society such as South Africa where language is suggested as a strong factor in the fostering of social cohesion. It is for this reason that the thesis argues that the expert teaching of African languages, in this case isiXhosa, at both mother tongue and second language levels is of fundamental importance to the future of South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Determinants of managers' attitudes toward employing people with disabilities in small and medium enterprises in Nkonkobe Municipality
- Ntunzi, Bulelwa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-3672
- Authors: Ntunzi, Bulelwa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-3672
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Discrimination against people with disabilities--South Africa , Discrimination in employment--South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24857 , vital:63662
- Description: In regard to employment, people with disabilities are discriminated. Unfavourable employer attitudes result in discrimination toward people with disabilities. Entering and progressing in employment create a sense of independency, responsibility and build the self-esteem of people with disabilities. This study sought to determine the influence of individualism-collectivism and demographic factors (age, gender, and level of education) of managers’ attitudes toward employing people with disabilities in small and medium enterprises in Nkonkobe Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. The social and medical model of disability provided a framework for understanding the literature on attitudes toward people with disabilities. Data was collected from 110 respondents in small and medium enterprises using two scales (Individualism-collectivism Scale and Employer Attitudes toward People with Disabilities Scale). Independent t-tests were used to test each of the hypotheses in the study and ANOVA was used for comparisons among variables. No significant differences found in attitudes on individualistic and collectivistic oriented managers toward employing people with disabilities. In addition, no significant differences in attitudes of managers over age, gender and level of education toward employing people with disabilities in small and medium enterprises. People with disabilities can be a benefit to the organisations since their skills and talents can help the organisations to remain stable in the competitive global environment. , Thesis (MCom (IPS)) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2014
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Ntunzi, Bulelwa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-3672
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Discrimination against people with disabilities--South Africa , Discrimination in employment--South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24857 , vital:63662
- Description: In regard to employment, people with disabilities are discriminated. Unfavourable employer attitudes result in discrimination toward people with disabilities. Entering and progressing in employment create a sense of independency, responsibility and build the self-esteem of people with disabilities. This study sought to determine the influence of individualism-collectivism and demographic factors (age, gender, and level of education) of managers’ attitudes toward employing people with disabilities in small and medium enterprises in Nkonkobe Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. The social and medical model of disability provided a framework for understanding the literature on attitudes toward people with disabilities. Data was collected from 110 respondents in small and medium enterprises using two scales (Individualism-collectivism Scale and Employer Attitudes toward People with Disabilities Scale). Independent t-tests were used to test each of the hypotheses in the study and ANOVA was used for comparisons among variables. No significant differences found in attitudes on individualistic and collectivistic oriented managers toward employing people with disabilities. In addition, no significant differences in attitudes of managers over age, gender and level of education toward employing people with disabilities in small and medium enterprises. People with disabilities can be a benefit to the organisations since their skills and talents can help the organisations to remain stable in the competitive global environment. , Thesis (MCom (IPS)) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2014
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Developing an understanding of the drivers of bat activity patterns relevant to wind turbines
- Authors: Thwaits, Tiffany Edan
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Bats -- Behavior -- Climatic factors -- South Africa , Bats -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Wind power -- Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10726 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020970
- Description: The increasing number of proposed wind farm developments in South Africa provides an immediate reason to assess bat activity and diversity, with the expectation of developing measures to mitigate for negative impacts. The overall aim of this thesis was contribute to an understanding of the drivers of bat activity, relevant to wind turbines, and to determine what factors (exogenous – environmental, or endogenous – intrinsic physiological processes) contributed to observed bat activity patterns, at the Metrowind Van Stadens Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A combination of active (mist netting) and passive (acoustic) bat monitoring techniques were used to determine free-ranging bat activity patterns (Chapter 3). A total of 889 bat passes were recorded over 323 detector nights from the beginning of May 2012 to the end of December 2012. The Cape serotine bat (82 per cent) and the Egyptian free-tailed bat (97 per cent) made up the majority of all bat passes recorded on site. Large variations in bat activity per month and per hour were apparent, with bat activity peaking in May 2012 and during the first few hours after sunset (18:00-23:00). Patterns in nightly, free-ranging bat activity at the site were modelled against various environmental conditions. Month, temperature, wind speed and an interaction between month and rainfall were the most significant predictors of bat activity, explaining 80 per cent of the variation observed on free-ranging bat activity patterns. A total of eight Cape serotine bats (Table 4.1.) were caught in mist nets on site and changes in the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of torpid (n = 6), and normothermic (n = 2) bats, over a 24 hr period, were measured and used to predict free-ranging Cape serotine bat activity (Chapter 4). Cape serotine bats showed a high proclivity for torpor in the laboratory and peaks in RMR were observed at 18:00 (0.89 ± 0.95 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1) and again from 20:00-21:00 (0.89 ± 0.91 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1). Peaks in RMR of torpid individuals coincided with peaks in the average hourly free-ranging activity of the Cape serotine bat, and RMR explained 33 per cent of the variation and was a good predictor of free-ranging bat activity (R2 = 0.2914). This study showed that both exogenous (Chapter 3) and endogenous (Chapter 4) factors drive bat activity in the wild. Although this dissertation was not intended for wind turbine management, the information presented on the biology and activity of bats is important for managing interactions between bats and wind turbines. By determining what factors influence bat activity, we are able to predict when bats will be most active and thus can develop mitigation measures to reduce the potential impacts that wind turbines will have on the bat community. In order to conserve bats and reduce potential bat fatalities from occurring at the site, mitigation measures should be concentrated to those times when bats are most active (May and during the first few hours after sunset – 18:00 to 22:00).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Thwaits, Tiffany Edan
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Bats -- Behavior -- Climatic factors -- South Africa , Bats -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Wind power -- Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10726 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020970
- Description: The increasing number of proposed wind farm developments in South Africa provides an immediate reason to assess bat activity and diversity, with the expectation of developing measures to mitigate for negative impacts. The overall aim of this thesis was contribute to an understanding of the drivers of bat activity, relevant to wind turbines, and to determine what factors (exogenous – environmental, or endogenous – intrinsic physiological processes) contributed to observed bat activity patterns, at the Metrowind Van Stadens Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A combination of active (mist netting) and passive (acoustic) bat monitoring techniques were used to determine free-ranging bat activity patterns (Chapter 3). A total of 889 bat passes were recorded over 323 detector nights from the beginning of May 2012 to the end of December 2012. The Cape serotine bat (82 per cent) and the Egyptian free-tailed bat (97 per cent) made up the majority of all bat passes recorded on site. Large variations in bat activity per month and per hour were apparent, with bat activity peaking in May 2012 and during the first few hours after sunset (18:00-23:00). Patterns in nightly, free-ranging bat activity at the site were modelled against various environmental conditions. Month, temperature, wind speed and an interaction between month and rainfall were the most significant predictors of bat activity, explaining 80 per cent of the variation observed on free-ranging bat activity patterns. A total of eight Cape serotine bats (Table 4.1.) were caught in mist nets on site and changes in the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of torpid (n = 6), and normothermic (n = 2) bats, over a 24 hr period, were measured and used to predict free-ranging Cape serotine bat activity (Chapter 4). Cape serotine bats showed a high proclivity for torpor in the laboratory and peaks in RMR were observed at 18:00 (0.89 ± 0.95 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1) and again from 20:00-21:00 (0.89 ± 0.91 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1). Peaks in RMR of torpid individuals coincided with peaks in the average hourly free-ranging activity of the Cape serotine bat, and RMR explained 33 per cent of the variation and was a good predictor of free-ranging bat activity (R2 = 0.2914). This study showed that both exogenous (Chapter 3) and endogenous (Chapter 4) factors drive bat activity in the wild. Although this dissertation was not intended for wind turbine management, the information presented on the biology and activity of bats is important for managing interactions between bats and wind turbines. By determining what factors influence bat activity, we are able to predict when bats will be most active and thus can develop mitigation measures to reduce the potential impacts that wind turbines will have on the bat community. In order to conserve bats and reduce potential bat fatalities from occurring at the site, mitigation measures should be concentrated to those times when bats are most active (May and during the first few hours after sunset – 18:00 to 22:00).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Development NGOs : understanding participatory methods, accountability and effectiveness of World Vision in Zimbabwe with specific reference to Umzingwane District.
- Authors: Knight, Kayla Christine
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: World Vision International , Non-governmental organizations -- Zimbabwe , Non-governmental organizations -- Evaluation , Economic assistance -- Zimbabwe , Economic development -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 1980- , Zimbabwe -- Social conditions -- 1980- , Zimbabwe -- Economic conditions -- 1980-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3376 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013135
- Description: Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the development of rural Zimbabwe since the time of its independence in 1980. NGO work in Zimbabwe currently takes place within the context of a tense and fluid political climate, an economy struggling to recover from crisis, international skepticism toward long-term donor investment in development, and global expectations about the methodologies and accountability measures carried out in intervention-based development work. In the light of the participatory methodologies and empowerment-based development frameworks that dominate the current global expectations for work within the NGO sector, this thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO working in Zimbabwe, namely, World Vision. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and explain the participatory methods, accountability and effectiveness of World Vision in Zimbabwe (with particular reference to Umzingwane District) and, in doing so, to deepen the theoretical understanding of NGOs as constituting a particular organizational form. World Vision is a large-scale international NGO that has a pronounced presence in Zimbabwe and it is specifically active in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South Province. The thesis argues that NGOs exist within a complex and tense condition entailing continuous responses to pressures from donors and states that structure their survival. Ultimately, in maneuvering through such pressures, NGOs tend to choose directions which best enable their own sustainability, often at the cost of the deep participatory forms that may heighten the legitimacy of their roles. World Vision Zimbabwe responds to donor trends, national and local expectations of the state and its own organizational expectations by building local government capacity in order to maintain the longevity and measureable outputs of its projects. In doing so, it redefines the concept of participation in pursuing efficient and practical approaches to ‘getting things done’. This compromises deep participatory methodologies and, in essence, alters the practices involved in participatory forms in order to maintain World Vision’s own organizational sustainability and presence in Zimbabwe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Knight, Kayla Christine
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: World Vision International , Non-governmental organizations -- Zimbabwe , Non-governmental organizations -- Evaluation , Economic assistance -- Zimbabwe , Economic development -- Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 1980- , Zimbabwe -- Social conditions -- 1980- , Zimbabwe -- Economic conditions -- 1980-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3376 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013135
- Description: Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the development of rural Zimbabwe since the time of its independence in 1980. NGO work in Zimbabwe currently takes place within the context of a tense and fluid political climate, an economy struggling to recover from crisis, international skepticism toward long-term donor investment in development, and global expectations about the methodologies and accountability measures carried out in intervention-based development work. In the light of the participatory methodologies and empowerment-based development frameworks that dominate the current global expectations for work within the NGO sector, this thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO working in Zimbabwe, namely, World Vision. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and explain the participatory methods, accountability and effectiveness of World Vision in Zimbabwe (with particular reference to Umzingwane District) and, in doing so, to deepen the theoretical understanding of NGOs as constituting a particular organizational form. World Vision is a large-scale international NGO that has a pronounced presence in Zimbabwe and it is specifically active in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South Province. The thesis argues that NGOs exist within a complex and tense condition entailing continuous responses to pressures from donors and states that structure their survival. Ultimately, in maneuvering through such pressures, NGOs tend to choose directions which best enable their own sustainability, often at the cost of the deep participatory forms that may heighten the legitimacy of their roles. World Vision Zimbabwe responds to donor trends, national and local expectations of the state and its own organizational expectations by building local government capacity in order to maintain the longevity and measureable outputs of its projects. In doing so, it redefines the concept of participation in pursuing efficient and practical approaches to ‘getting things done’. This compromises deep participatory methodologies and, in essence, alters the practices involved in participatory forms in order to maintain World Vision’s own organizational sustainability and presence in Zimbabwe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Diet and microhabitat use of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus at the Great Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Lamani, Siviwe
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11797 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019854
- Description: The diet of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus was studied in a riverine Combretum forest at the Great Fish River Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa). Food remains were collected seasonally from a maximum of 45 different nest boxes between December 2010 and November 2011. An overall mean of 1.32 ± 0.51 food categories (range 1–4) were identified in each nest box used as “larder” during the year. Dietary diversity and standardized diet breadth were low to intermediate, with a peak in summer and a nadir in winter. In terms of percentage occurrence, arthropods were dominant (99%) in all seasons, followed by molluscs (16%) and fruits (14%). When relative percentage occurrence and percentage weight were considered, arthropods were still dominant, but a slight decrease was observed in summer. Besides spiders (order Araneae), nine arthropod families were found in the diet of the woodland dormouse; Tenebrionidae (40%), Spirostreptidae (30%), Carabidae (15%) and Blattidae (14%) were the most dominant families in terms of percentage weight. Grewia robusta and Ziziphus mucronata were the only fruit species present in the diet. Pianka’s diet overlap indices were very high (>0.93), indicating that the diet of the woodland dormouse was similar between pairs of seasons. This study also investigated whether woodland dormice Graphiurus murinus positively select or avoid specific microhabitat types or structures, and whether a set of predictor variables related to microhabitat characteristics can explain the presence and rates of visits to specific trapping stations. Trapping was conducted seasonally, over 5 days, between June 2011 and April 2012. A grid of 96 stations (16 rows × 6 lines) was established. Trap stations were set at 10-m intervals. At each station two Sherman traps were placed. The 192 traps were distributed relatively equitably among four height categories (0–0.5 m, 0.51–1 m, 1.01–1.5 m, and 1.51–2.5 m). On average, trapping success was 4.70 ± 4.17 dormice per 100 traps. Dormice were trapped at an average height of 136 ± 64 cm, which was significantly higher than the average height at which traps were set (99 ± 75 cm). Bonferroni Z tests indicated that dormice positively selected areas with high canopy cover and connectivity, possibly to decrease predation risk. Generalized Linear Models showed that trap use and numbers of visits and different animals caught were positively associated with a high arboreal connectivity, hence supporting the hypothesis that woodland dormice may depend on wooden “corridors” for their movements.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Lamani, Siviwe
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11797 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019854
- Description: The diet of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus was studied in a riverine Combretum forest at the Great Fish River Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa). Food remains were collected seasonally from a maximum of 45 different nest boxes between December 2010 and November 2011. An overall mean of 1.32 ± 0.51 food categories (range 1–4) were identified in each nest box used as “larder” during the year. Dietary diversity and standardized diet breadth were low to intermediate, with a peak in summer and a nadir in winter. In terms of percentage occurrence, arthropods were dominant (99%) in all seasons, followed by molluscs (16%) and fruits (14%). When relative percentage occurrence and percentage weight were considered, arthropods were still dominant, but a slight decrease was observed in summer. Besides spiders (order Araneae), nine arthropod families were found in the diet of the woodland dormouse; Tenebrionidae (40%), Spirostreptidae (30%), Carabidae (15%) and Blattidae (14%) were the most dominant families in terms of percentage weight. Grewia robusta and Ziziphus mucronata were the only fruit species present in the diet. Pianka’s diet overlap indices were very high (>0.93), indicating that the diet of the woodland dormouse was similar between pairs of seasons. This study also investigated whether woodland dormice Graphiurus murinus positively select or avoid specific microhabitat types or structures, and whether a set of predictor variables related to microhabitat characteristics can explain the presence and rates of visits to specific trapping stations. Trapping was conducted seasonally, over 5 days, between June 2011 and April 2012. A grid of 96 stations (16 rows × 6 lines) was established. Trap stations were set at 10-m intervals. At each station two Sherman traps were placed. The 192 traps were distributed relatively equitably among four height categories (0–0.5 m, 0.51–1 m, 1.01–1.5 m, and 1.51–2.5 m). On average, trapping success was 4.70 ± 4.17 dormice per 100 traps. Dormice were trapped at an average height of 136 ± 64 cm, which was significantly higher than the average height at which traps were set (99 ± 75 cm). Bonferroni Z tests indicated that dormice positively selected areas with high canopy cover and connectivity, possibly to decrease predation risk. Generalized Linear Models showed that trap use and numbers of visits and different animals caught were positively associated with a high arboreal connectivity, hence supporting the hypothesis that woodland dormice may depend on wooden “corridors” for their movements.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Diet of the yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) in the Albany Thicket Biome of South Africa
- Authors: Bizani, Mfundo
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11796 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019840
- Description: The dietary habits of the yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata were studied in the Albany Thicket Biome of South Africa (Great Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape). The diet was investigated through the analysis of 1,056 scats that were sampled over a period of 7 years (2005−2009 and 2011−2012) mainly in three similar sites (Kelarny, Grasslands and Junction 10) that were used by at least three families or groups of yellow mongooses. Scats were collected near latrine sites, labelled and stored in a freezer. In the laboratory, scats were oven dried for a period of 24 hours at 50 C. Diet was determined by identifying undigested food remains in the scats. Hair samples were examined under the compound microscope to identify which mammals were ingested. In the field, both arthropod and small mammal abundance were determined in order to evaluate whether yellow mongooses are opportunistic or specialist feeders. Furthermore, inter-annual (2006–2008) and inter-group/inter-site variations in the diet were assessed. Based on faecal analysis, arthropods were the principal prey, while small mammals acted as supplementary food item. Other food categories like vegetation, reptiles and birds were only ingested or preyed upon infrequently. Intermediate dietary diversity, and low standardised diet breadth indices were obtained for all seasons, as well as for the whole sampling period. The diet overlaps calculated for pairs of seasons were very high and did not differ substantially. However, the diet of the yellow mongoose varied seasonally, yearly and between groups (sites), mostly due to variations in arthropod and small mammal consumption. Food availability displayed an increase in biomass of both small mammals and arthropods in summer and autumn. Results obtained in this study could suggest that the yellow mongoose at the GFRR is insectivorous by preferring to feed on insects (and arthropods in general) when both insects and rodents are abundant. However the fact that its diet varies both seasonally, yearly and locally, as well as the presence of remains of other food categories in the scats, indicates that this species is rather an opportunistic, generalist feeder than an insect specialist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Bizani, Mfundo
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11796 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019840
- Description: The dietary habits of the yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata were studied in the Albany Thicket Biome of South Africa (Great Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape). The diet was investigated through the analysis of 1,056 scats that were sampled over a period of 7 years (2005−2009 and 2011−2012) mainly in three similar sites (Kelarny, Grasslands and Junction 10) that were used by at least three families or groups of yellow mongooses. Scats were collected near latrine sites, labelled and stored in a freezer. In the laboratory, scats were oven dried for a period of 24 hours at 50 C. Diet was determined by identifying undigested food remains in the scats. Hair samples were examined under the compound microscope to identify which mammals were ingested. In the field, both arthropod and small mammal abundance were determined in order to evaluate whether yellow mongooses are opportunistic or specialist feeders. Furthermore, inter-annual (2006–2008) and inter-group/inter-site variations in the diet were assessed. Based on faecal analysis, arthropods were the principal prey, while small mammals acted as supplementary food item. Other food categories like vegetation, reptiles and birds were only ingested or preyed upon infrequently. Intermediate dietary diversity, and low standardised diet breadth indices were obtained for all seasons, as well as for the whole sampling period. The diet overlaps calculated for pairs of seasons were very high and did not differ substantially. However, the diet of the yellow mongoose varied seasonally, yearly and between groups (sites), mostly due to variations in arthropod and small mammal consumption. Food availability displayed an increase in biomass of both small mammals and arthropods in summer and autumn. Results obtained in this study could suggest that the yellow mongoose at the GFRR is insectivorous by preferring to feed on insects (and arthropods in general) when both insects and rodents are abundant. However the fact that its diet varies both seasonally, yearly and locally, as well as the presence of remains of other food categories in the scats, indicates that this species is rather an opportunistic, generalist feeder than an insect specialist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Dietary aspects of establishing a mainland-based colony of the endangered African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) in St Francis Bay, South Africa
- Authors: Voogt, Nina Margaret
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: African penguin -- South Africa -- Cape Saint Francis , African penguin -- Food -- South Africa -- Algoa Bay , African penguin -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Cape Saint Francis , Stable isotopes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5875 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013115
- Description: Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape, has been identified as one of four potential sites for establishing a mainland-based African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) colony. This thesis comprises three main components: a verification of a preparation method for stable isotope samples from penguin feathers; a dietary analysis of the penguins on Bird Island, Algoa Bay, though stable isotope analysis of whole blood and feathers (2012 and 2013); and an estimation of available fish surplus that could potentially support a colony of penguins at Cape St Francis. Each component contributes towards the next, all building towards answering the main research question: Will there be enough food around St Francis Bay to support a colony of penguins and sustain the already established fisheries industry within the bay? Stable isotope analysis of whole blood and feathers from breeding adults and whole blood from juveniles provided insight into the variability of African penguins’ diets at different stages in their life history. Stable isotope mixing models indicated that the predicted proportions that each prey species could potentially contribute to diet conflicted with published stomach sample data. This might arise from inaccurate trophic enrichment factors used in the model, or from systematic biases in the published stomach sampling techniques, or both. Dietary sexual dimorphism was not demonstrated by the isotope signatures of breeding penguins. Based on official catch data, the fisheries activity on the south coast, and especially around the potential colony site at St Francis, is much lower than around the west coast’s penguin colonies. The model provided a first-order estimate for fish supply around the potential colony site at St Francis both at a large coastal scale and a local small scale. At both scales the estimate indicated an ample availability of fish at current fishing levels. The model in Chapter 4 can also be applied to refining the assessments of other potential colony sites on the south coast. In conclusion, the south coast is a promising area for a new colony of penguins in terms of food availability. There is relatively low fishing activity in the area and, as suggested by the large-scale model in Chapter 4, an ample fish resource. The final chapter briefly discusses factors that need to be considered before attempting to establish a mainland-based colony of African penguins.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Voogt, Nina Margaret
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: African penguin -- South Africa -- Cape Saint Francis , African penguin -- Food -- South Africa -- Algoa Bay , African penguin -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Cape Saint Francis , Stable isotopes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5875 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013115
- Description: Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape, has been identified as one of four potential sites for establishing a mainland-based African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) colony. This thesis comprises three main components: a verification of a preparation method for stable isotope samples from penguin feathers; a dietary analysis of the penguins on Bird Island, Algoa Bay, though stable isotope analysis of whole blood and feathers (2012 and 2013); and an estimation of available fish surplus that could potentially support a colony of penguins at Cape St Francis. Each component contributes towards the next, all building towards answering the main research question: Will there be enough food around St Francis Bay to support a colony of penguins and sustain the already established fisheries industry within the bay? Stable isotope analysis of whole blood and feathers from breeding adults and whole blood from juveniles provided insight into the variability of African penguins’ diets at different stages in their life history. Stable isotope mixing models indicated that the predicted proportions that each prey species could potentially contribute to diet conflicted with published stomach sample data. This might arise from inaccurate trophic enrichment factors used in the model, or from systematic biases in the published stomach sampling techniques, or both. Dietary sexual dimorphism was not demonstrated by the isotope signatures of breeding penguins. Based on official catch data, the fisheries activity on the south coast, and especially around the potential colony site at St Francis, is much lower than around the west coast’s penguin colonies. The model provided a first-order estimate for fish supply around the potential colony site at St Francis both at a large coastal scale and a local small scale. At both scales the estimate indicated an ample availability of fish at current fishing levels. The model in Chapter 4 can also be applied to refining the assessments of other potential colony sites on the south coast. In conclusion, the south coast is a promising area for a new colony of penguins in terms of food availability. There is relatively low fishing activity in the area and, as suggested by the large-scale model in Chapter 4, an ample fish resource. The final chapter briefly discusses factors that need to be considered before attempting to establish a mainland-based colony of African penguins.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Digital storytelling to explore HIV- and AIDS- related stigma with secondary school learners in a rural community in KwaZulu-Natal
- Authors: Mnisi, Thoko Esther
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) in adolescence -- Social aspects -- Africa, Southern , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- Africa, Southern , Stigma (Social psychology) -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Digital storytelling
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9576 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018717
- Description: This study explores, through digital storytelling, the experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma of rural community secondary school learners. HIV- and AIDS-related stigma is seen as an impediment to a proficient response to HIV and AIDS in communities, also rural communities, and requires addressing. The rural community in which the research is undertaken is particularly hard hit by HIV and AIDS. Learners’ experiences of HIV- and AIDS related stigma could therefore inform how school and community could engage with HIV- and AIDS-related stigma and how they could address it in a constructive way. The study attempts to respond to two research questions: What can digital storytelling reveal about secondary school learners’ experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma in schools in a rural community? How can digital storytelling enable secondary school learners in school in a rural community to take action to address stigma? This qualitative study is positioned within a critical paradigm, and employs a community-based participatory research strategy. Twelve Grade 8 and 9 male and female learners aged 15 to 18 years, from two secondary schools in rural Vulindlela district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, who experienced, witnessed or heard about HIV- and AIDS-related stigma participated. Digital storytelling, a visual participatory method, was used to generate the data, and this was complemented by group discussion and written pieces completed by the participants in reflection sessions. The thematic analysis of the data made use of participatory analysis: the analysis of the digital stories was done by the participants while the overarching analysis was done by the researcher. This study, located in the field of the Psychology of Education, is informed by the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. In terms of the experienced stigma, it was found that living with HIV and AIDS and the related stigma is perceived as a ‘hardship’. The stigma is experienced on many levels: in the family, at school, and from friends and members of the community. It has an impact on the individual on an intrapersonal and interpersonal level. The young person is caught up in a vicious cycle of silent suffering since there are no reliable and trustworthy people with whom he or she can share these challenges. Some so-called traditional beliefs and customs such as not talking about sex, and practices like virginity testing, also fuel HIV- and AIDS-related stigma. The use of derogatory terms and the severe criticism of early sexual debut along with the gossiping which is used to spread the stigmatising statements further complicate the hardship experienced by young people. Digital storytelling was found to not only enable the learners’ voices to be heard but also to enable their taking charge of the stigma and thus create the space for critical participation in this research. The implications for the study are that the pervasive stigma that young people experience should be addressed at every level of the community. The stakeholders such as the families, school, educators, the King (Inkosi) and Chiefs (Indunas) of the area, relevant departments with that of Education taking the lead, must work hand-in-hand with the affected young people. Such collaboration may allow for the identification of the problem, for reflection on it, and also for the addressing of it. HIV- and AIDS-related stigma, while it has changed since the emergence of HIV, still is an issue that many HIV-positive individuals have to contend with. This stigma is, however, contextual and how the individual is stigmatised fits in with the language, meaning and thought that a community constructs around stigma. While digital storytelling enables the uncovering of particular stories of stigma that learners experience in the context of a school in a rural community, the digital storytelling in and of itself enables a change in the language, meaning and thought around stigma in its drawing on the specifics of the stigma as experienced in the community. Also, digital storytelling is about sharing stories about, and experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma and how these stories can be used as part of the solution. If such stories can be told, people can spread them just as gossip is spread, but in this case such spreading would work towards positive social change. I claim that in order to confront the challenges raised by the perpetuation of stigma, efforts must involve the communities and must tap into their own experiences of perpetuating or enduring stigmatisation. Suggestions by the very same people from the community who are at the front line of perpetuating and /or suffering the stigma must be considered. This may also become one way of instantly communicating the research findings back to the community involved in the research. Using digital storytelling can ensure getting self-tailored, contextual, specific views on how HIV- and AIDS-related stigma is experienced but also how it could be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Mnisi, Thoko Esther
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) in adolescence -- Social aspects -- Africa, Southern , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- Africa, Southern , Stigma (Social psychology) -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Digital storytelling
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9576 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018717
- Description: This study explores, through digital storytelling, the experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma of rural community secondary school learners. HIV- and AIDS-related stigma is seen as an impediment to a proficient response to HIV and AIDS in communities, also rural communities, and requires addressing. The rural community in which the research is undertaken is particularly hard hit by HIV and AIDS. Learners’ experiences of HIV- and AIDS related stigma could therefore inform how school and community could engage with HIV- and AIDS-related stigma and how they could address it in a constructive way. The study attempts to respond to two research questions: What can digital storytelling reveal about secondary school learners’ experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma in schools in a rural community? How can digital storytelling enable secondary school learners in school in a rural community to take action to address stigma? This qualitative study is positioned within a critical paradigm, and employs a community-based participatory research strategy. Twelve Grade 8 and 9 male and female learners aged 15 to 18 years, from two secondary schools in rural Vulindlela district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, who experienced, witnessed or heard about HIV- and AIDS-related stigma participated. Digital storytelling, a visual participatory method, was used to generate the data, and this was complemented by group discussion and written pieces completed by the participants in reflection sessions. The thematic analysis of the data made use of participatory analysis: the analysis of the digital stories was done by the participants while the overarching analysis was done by the researcher. This study, located in the field of the Psychology of Education, is informed by the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. In terms of the experienced stigma, it was found that living with HIV and AIDS and the related stigma is perceived as a ‘hardship’. The stigma is experienced on many levels: in the family, at school, and from friends and members of the community. It has an impact on the individual on an intrapersonal and interpersonal level. The young person is caught up in a vicious cycle of silent suffering since there are no reliable and trustworthy people with whom he or she can share these challenges. Some so-called traditional beliefs and customs such as not talking about sex, and practices like virginity testing, also fuel HIV- and AIDS-related stigma. The use of derogatory terms and the severe criticism of early sexual debut along with the gossiping which is used to spread the stigmatising statements further complicate the hardship experienced by young people. Digital storytelling was found to not only enable the learners’ voices to be heard but also to enable their taking charge of the stigma and thus create the space for critical participation in this research. The implications for the study are that the pervasive stigma that young people experience should be addressed at every level of the community. The stakeholders such as the families, school, educators, the King (Inkosi) and Chiefs (Indunas) of the area, relevant departments with that of Education taking the lead, must work hand-in-hand with the affected young people. Such collaboration may allow for the identification of the problem, for reflection on it, and also for the addressing of it. HIV- and AIDS-related stigma, while it has changed since the emergence of HIV, still is an issue that many HIV-positive individuals have to contend with. This stigma is, however, contextual and how the individual is stigmatised fits in with the language, meaning and thought that a community constructs around stigma. While digital storytelling enables the uncovering of particular stories of stigma that learners experience in the context of a school in a rural community, the digital storytelling in and of itself enables a change in the language, meaning and thought around stigma in its drawing on the specifics of the stigma as experienced in the community. Also, digital storytelling is about sharing stories about, and experiences of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma and how these stories can be used as part of the solution. If such stories can be told, people can spread them just as gossip is spread, but in this case such spreading would work towards positive social change. I claim that in order to confront the challenges raised by the perpetuation of stigma, efforts must involve the communities and must tap into their own experiences of perpetuating or enduring stigmatisation. Suggestions by the very same people from the community who are at the front line of perpetuating and /or suffering the stigma must be considered. This may also become one way of instantly communicating the research findings back to the community involved in the research. Using digital storytelling can ensure getting self-tailored, contextual, specific views on how HIV- and AIDS-related stigma is experienced but also how it could be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Educational needs of the financial planning industry
- Palframan, Jaqueline Birgitta
- Authors: Palframan, Jaqueline Birgitta
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Financial planning industry , Financial planners
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9327 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020986
- Description: The South African financial planning industry experienced a rapid growth from its generic beginnings in the 1970’s to the vast levels of specialisation taking place in the 21st century. Financial planning, akin to the medical profession, is arguably one of the most critical areas of influence in the personal lifestyle planning of individuals given the increasing longevity brought about by the medical profession. Early transgressions and irregularities, as in the case of most industries, brought about the introduction of the Financial Advisory and Iintermediary Services (FAIS) Act in 2004 to regulate, transform and restructure the industry. Since the introduction of the Act, compliance with the legislation and obtaining the appropriate qualifications have become a major focus for financial planners. This groundbreaking academic research involves an assessment of the educational needs of graduates in the financial planning industry including an evaluation of the relative importance of the subject fields, management competencies and skills required in the field of financial planning with specific reference to the financial planning programmes offered by the HEIs in South Africa. The purpose of this study can be phrased in a threefold manner: Firstly, to assess at programme level the theoretical and practical relevancy of the HEIs financial planning programme content relative to the present and immediate future normative requirements of the financial planning profession; Secondly, to assess whether the academic programmes address the critical skills shortage in financial planning by determining the appropriate qualification delivery in terms of academic and practical learning to develop the appropriate management competencies; and Thirdly, based on the findings of this research, to address any gaps pertaining to the financial planning programme content and management competency and skills levels, thereby contributing to the body of knowledge pertaining to financial planning education in order to be relevant and responsive in servicing the financial services sector. To give effect to the problem statement and to validate the research propositions, a mixed methods design within the pragmatic research paradigm was used. A relatively new and innovative mixed methods approach, namely Real-time Delphi (RTD) procedures of sourcing professional expert opinion enabled the collection of qualitative and quantitative data for data triangulation. The RTD methodology which seeks the pooled intelligence from a group of selected experts is also capable of determining future requirements rather than only the current practice. This is the first academic study of its kind in South Africa utilising the RTD methodology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Palframan, Jaqueline Birgitta
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Financial planning industry , Financial planners
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9327 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020986
- Description: The South African financial planning industry experienced a rapid growth from its generic beginnings in the 1970’s to the vast levels of specialisation taking place in the 21st century. Financial planning, akin to the medical profession, is arguably one of the most critical areas of influence in the personal lifestyle planning of individuals given the increasing longevity brought about by the medical profession. Early transgressions and irregularities, as in the case of most industries, brought about the introduction of the Financial Advisory and Iintermediary Services (FAIS) Act in 2004 to regulate, transform and restructure the industry. Since the introduction of the Act, compliance with the legislation and obtaining the appropriate qualifications have become a major focus for financial planners. This groundbreaking academic research involves an assessment of the educational needs of graduates in the financial planning industry including an evaluation of the relative importance of the subject fields, management competencies and skills required in the field of financial planning with specific reference to the financial planning programmes offered by the HEIs in South Africa. The purpose of this study can be phrased in a threefold manner: Firstly, to assess at programme level the theoretical and practical relevancy of the HEIs financial planning programme content relative to the present and immediate future normative requirements of the financial planning profession; Secondly, to assess whether the academic programmes address the critical skills shortage in financial planning by determining the appropriate qualification delivery in terms of academic and practical learning to develop the appropriate management competencies; and Thirdly, based on the findings of this research, to address any gaps pertaining to the financial planning programme content and management competency and skills levels, thereby contributing to the body of knowledge pertaining to financial planning education in order to be relevant and responsive in servicing the financial services sector. To give effect to the problem statement and to validate the research propositions, a mixed methods design within the pragmatic research paradigm was used. A relatively new and innovative mixed methods approach, namely Real-time Delphi (RTD) procedures of sourcing professional expert opinion enabled the collection of qualitative and quantitative data for data triangulation. The RTD methodology which seeks the pooled intelligence from a group of selected experts is also capable of determining future requirements rather than only the current practice. This is the first academic study of its kind in South Africa utilising the RTD methodology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Effectiveness of the project management profession in the Ugandan oil industry : performance, benefits and challenges
- Authors: Kiggundu, Kamulegeya John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Project Mangement -- Uganda , Oil industry workers -- Uganda , Benchmarking (Management) -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9707 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020059
- Description: Oil is one of the most valuable resources. For a country like Uganda, which is one of the least developed countries in the world with more than one third of the population still living below the poverty line; the discovery of this valuable resource has the capacity to radically alter the economy of the country. But on the other hand, oil exploration, mining and refining are complex, costly, long duration projects with many challenges that require sophisticated financial management, planning, scheduling and cost control. The project management profession is charged as a single point of responsibility for initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling projects in order to meet stakeholder’s needs and expectations. The research objectives were: 1. To identify and examine the challenges and risks associated with the oil industry in Uganda. 2. To investigate the effectiveness of project management practices in the Ugandan oil industry in terms 1 above. 3. Identify how project success can be measured in the Ugandan oil industry. A case study was the research technique adopted and interviews were conducted with the major stakeholders in the Ugandan oil industry. The research findings reveal the challenges and risks that continue to plague the Ugandan oil industry and the role of project management in the exploration phase of the project. The research findings were used to evaluate the role, responsibility and service that project management professionals are expected to render and the actual role, responsibility and service that the professionals have been rendering to the stakeholders in the Ugandan oil industry. The research then concludes by proposing ways of improving the chances of project success in the Ugandan oil industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Kiggundu, Kamulegeya John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Project Mangement -- Uganda , Oil industry workers -- Uganda , Benchmarking (Management) -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9707 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020059
- Description: Oil is one of the most valuable resources. For a country like Uganda, which is one of the least developed countries in the world with more than one third of the population still living below the poverty line; the discovery of this valuable resource has the capacity to radically alter the economy of the country. But on the other hand, oil exploration, mining and refining are complex, costly, long duration projects with many challenges that require sophisticated financial management, planning, scheduling and cost control. The project management profession is charged as a single point of responsibility for initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling projects in order to meet stakeholder’s needs and expectations. The research objectives were: 1. To identify and examine the challenges and risks associated with the oil industry in Uganda. 2. To investigate the effectiveness of project management practices in the Ugandan oil industry in terms 1 above. 3. Identify how project success can be measured in the Ugandan oil industry. A case study was the research technique adopted and interviews were conducted with the major stakeholders in the Ugandan oil industry. The research findings reveal the challenges and risks that continue to plague the Ugandan oil industry and the role of project management in the exploration phase of the project. The research findings were used to evaluate the role, responsibility and service that project management professionals are expected to render and the actual role, responsibility and service that the professionals have been rendering to the stakeholders in the Ugandan oil industry. The research then concludes by proposing ways of improving the chances of project success in the Ugandan oil industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Empathy in the time of ecological apartheid : a social sculpture practice-led inquiry into developing pedagogies for ecological citizenship
- Authors: McGarry, Dylan Kenneth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Education -- Philosophy , Social learning , Environmental education , Arts in education
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1985 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013154
- Description: Considering the ecological crisis and the increased disconnection between human beings and nature, this study attempts to find the social and aesthetic educational response needed for developing ecological citizenship for the 21st century. In this transdisciplinary study I articulate what at first seems a clumsy attempt to enable the capacities of the embodied ecological citizen, and which later emerges as an alchemical ‘social sculpture’ approach to learning that expands the range of capacities available to the citizen and the citizen’s immediate community. This learning bridges the gap between purely biocentric and technocentric forms of education, and addresses the ambiguity of concepts and forms of action such as ‘sustainability’. My primary focus is enabling both communal and personal forms of agency: new ways of 'doing’ and 'being' in the world as it changes radically. I argue that this demands constantly reflecting on and engaging without understanding, place and perception of the problems we see. Attending to a call for the importance of complex learning processes, that deepens our understanding of sustainability, and the need for methodological and pedagogical approaches to accessible forms of learning socially in the era of climate change and environmental degradation, this study offers a particular insight into the education of an ecological citizen. In particular I examine a form of learning that enables individuals to explore relationships between themselves and their ecologies (both physical and social), and that encourages personal forms of knowing so that each person’s values can be cultivated within the experience and intuitive expression from both inner and outer realities. Central to my research focus is addressing the difficulties inherent in ‘ecological apartheid’, which is defined as a growing separation of relationships that include the human being’s relationship with the natural world, as well as disconnections experienced within one’s own inner and outer capacities. Subsequently I investigate forms of learning that encourage agency that most appropriately enable citizens to respond personally to both inner and outer forms of disconnection. ‘Personal’ and ‘relational agency’ are defined and investigated through an initial twelve-month collaborative participatory contextual profiling exploratory research period in South Africa (phase A), where I explore various forms of multiple-genre creative social learning practice that develop an accessible set of methodologies and pedagogies for the ecological citizen. Through this exploratory research, I place significance in the relatively unknown field of social sculpture, which I investigate through a self-made apprenticeship with Shelley Sacks, an expert in the field. This is documented through a rigorous ethnographic inquiry over a period of 18 months. Following this I undertake another two-year collaborative, practice-based research study across South Africa (phase B: 17 towns, with a total of 350 citizens) and eventually abroad (United Kingdom, Germany, USA and Belgium).The focus of this study was the implementation of a collaboratively developed citizen learning practice entitled Earth Forum developed by Shelley Sacks as a progression from her work “Exchange Values: voices of insivible lives” and my collaboative exploration into Earth Forum and its further development draws heavily from social sculpture methods obtained during the apprenticeship, and applied in 36 different incidences. I further explore the efficacy of this practice in enabling and expanding the capacities of participants, particularly those that encourage the development of personal and relational agency. This was achieved through a pedagogical development and expansion period (phase C). A primary finding through the iterative phase (phase D) was the value of imaginal contemplation, attentive listening, and empathy as capacities that enable an ecological citizen’s overall capability. I ascribed this to Nussbaum and Sen’s (1993) capability theory and the need to enable the articulation and implementation of a citizen’s valued ‘beings and doings’. Through this iterative phase, specific attention is given to listening and intuitive capacities in enabling personal and relational agency, and specifically I observed the fundamental role of imagination in this form of learning. Particularly valuable for the educational contribution of this study is the pedagogical development of the Earth Forum practice that enables an accessible, socially constructed form of learning. This contributes specifically to exploring ‘how’ social learning is undertaken, and I argue that an aesthetic approach to learning is vital for the education of the ecological citizen. I carefully describe how one can conduct collaborative practice-based research that utilises creative connective practice in agency development. This collaborative approach, with regard to learning socially and capacity development for ecological citizenship (that focuses its attention on addressing ecological apartheid and separateness), is articulated through a multiple-genred text. I found that empathetic capacity in ecological citizen education is relatively unexplored, and within listening and as well in empathy theory, that the role of imagination in listening and empathy development, requires greater attention. I attempt to reveal how connective practice considers aesthetic form and shape in expanding capacities of human beings, and introduce novel expanded forms of developing pedagogies that encourage personal and relational agency in the context of ecological apartheid from the artsbased field of social sculpture. Finally, I aim in this study to share the potential value found in social sculpture theory and practice into the field of environmental education and social learning through a reflection on the current context of education and social learning, and its potential enrichment via social sculpture processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: McGarry, Dylan Kenneth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Education -- Philosophy , Social learning , Environmental education , Arts in education
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1985 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013154
- Description: Considering the ecological crisis and the increased disconnection between human beings and nature, this study attempts to find the social and aesthetic educational response needed for developing ecological citizenship for the 21st century. In this transdisciplinary study I articulate what at first seems a clumsy attempt to enable the capacities of the embodied ecological citizen, and which later emerges as an alchemical ‘social sculpture’ approach to learning that expands the range of capacities available to the citizen and the citizen’s immediate community. This learning bridges the gap between purely biocentric and technocentric forms of education, and addresses the ambiguity of concepts and forms of action such as ‘sustainability’. My primary focus is enabling both communal and personal forms of agency: new ways of 'doing’ and 'being' in the world as it changes radically. I argue that this demands constantly reflecting on and engaging without understanding, place and perception of the problems we see. Attending to a call for the importance of complex learning processes, that deepens our understanding of sustainability, and the need for methodological and pedagogical approaches to accessible forms of learning socially in the era of climate change and environmental degradation, this study offers a particular insight into the education of an ecological citizen. In particular I examine a form of learning that enables individuals to explore relationships between themselves and their ecologies (both physical and social), and that encourages personal forms of knowing so that each person’s values can be cultivated within the experience and intuitive expression from both inner and outer realities. Central to my research focus is addressing the difficulties inherent in ‘ecological apartheid’, which is defined as a growing separation of relationships that include the human being’s relationship with the natural world, as well as disconnections experienced within one’s own inner and outer capacities. Subsequently I investigate forms of learning that encourage agency that most appropriately enable citizens to respond personally to both inner and outer forms of disconnection. ‘Personal’ and ‘relational agency’ are defined and investigated through an initial twelve-month collaborative participatory contextual profiling exploratory research period in South Africa (phase A), where I explore various forms of multiple-genre creative social learning practice that develop an accessible set of methodologies and pedagogies for the ecological citizen. Through this exploratory research, I place significance in the relatively unknown field of social sculpture, which I investigate through a self-made apprenticeship with Shelley Sacks, an expert in the field. This is documented through a rigorous ethnographic inquiry over a period of 18 months. Following this I undertake another two-year collaborative, practice-based research study across South Africa (phase B: 17 towns, with a total of 350 citizens) and eventually abroad (United Kingdom, Germany, USA and Belgium).The focus of this study was the implementation of a collaboratively developed citizen learning practice entitled Earth Forum developed by Shelley Sacks as a progression from her work “Exchange Values: voices of insivible lives” and my collaboative exploration into Earth Forum and its further development draws heavily from social sculpture methods obtained during the apprenticeship, and applied in 36 different incidences. I further explore the efficacy of this practice in enabling and expanding the capacities of participants, particularly those that encourage the development of personal and relational agency. This was achieved through a pedagogical development and expansion period (phase C). A primary finding through the iterative phase (phase D) was the value of imaginal contemplation, attentive listening, and empathy as capacities that enable an ecological citizen’s overall capability. I ascribed this to Nussbaum and Sen’s (1993) capability theory and the need to enable the articulation and implementation of a citizen’s valued ‘beings and doings’. Through this iterative phase, specific attention is given to listening and intuitive capacities in enabling personal and relational agency, and specifically I observed the fundamental role of imagination in this form of learning. Particularly valuable for the educational contribution of this study is the pedagogical development of the Earth Forum practice that enables an accessible, socially constructed form of learning. This contributes specifically to exploring ‘how’ social learning is undertaken, and I argue that an aesthetic approach to learning is vital for the education of the ecological citizen. I carefully describe how one can conduct collaborative practice-based research that utilises creative connective practice in agency development. This collaborative approach, with regard to learning socially and capacity development for ecological citizenship (that focuses its attention on addressing ecological apartheid and separateness), is articulated through a multiple-genred text. I found that empathetic capacity in ecological citizen education is relatively unexplored, and within listening and as well in empathy theory, that the role of imagination in listening and empathy development, requires greater attention. I attempt to reveal how connective practice considers aesthetic form and shape in expanding capacities of human beings, and introduce novel expanded forms of developing pedagogies that encourage personal and relational agency in the context of ecological apartheid from the artsbased field of social sculpture. Finally, I aim in this study to share the potential value found in social sculpture theory and practice into the field of environmental education and social learning through a reflection on the current context of education and social learning, and its potential enrichment via social sculpture processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Establishing a formulation design space for a generic clobetasol 17- propionate cream using the principles of quality by design
- Fauzee, Ayeshah Fateemah Beebee
- Authors: Fauzee, Ayeshah Fateemah Beebee
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:20983 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5868
- Description: The pharmaceutical industry is global, is highly regulated and is able to achieve reasonable product quality but at high cost with maximum effort. Numerous challenges face the pharmaceutical industry and include a shrinking research pipeline, less innovation, outsourcing, investments, increasing research and development costs, long approval times, growth of the generic industry, failure to understand or analyze manufacturing failure and wastage as high at fifty percent for some pharmaceutical products. An efficient and flexible pharmaceutical sector should be able to consistently produce high quality pharmaceutical products at a reduced cost with minimal waste. As a result, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies such as the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) have embraced a “Quality by Design” (QbD) paradigm and this has become the “desired state” so as to shift manufacturing from being empirical to a science, engineering, and risk based approach. QbD is a systematic approach for the development of high quality pharmaceutical dosage forms that begins with predefined objectives based on the premise that quality must be built into and not tested into a product. QbD together with the establishment of a design space for dosage forms is a fairly new concept and there is limited published data on QbD concepts that report the entire process of identifying Critical Quality Attributes (CQA), design of a formulation and manufacturing process to meet product CQA, understanding the impact of material attributes and process parameters on product CQA, identification and controlling sources of variability in materials and processes that affect the CQA of a product and finally establishing, evaluating and testing a design space using both in vitro and in vivo approaches to assure that a product of consistent quality can always be produced. The objective of these studies was to implement a QbD approach to establish a design space for the development and manufacture of a safe, effective, stable generic formulation containing 0.05% w/w clobetasol 17-propionate (CP) that had similar in vitro and in vivo characteristics to an innovator product, Dermovate® (Sekpharma® Pty Ltd, Sandton, Gauteng, RSA). Such a product would pose a minimal risk of failure when treating severe skin disorders such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, extreme photodermatitis and/or severe psoriasis in HIV/AIDS patients in Southern Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Fauzee, Ayeshah Fateemah Beebee
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:20983 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5868
- Description: The pharmaceutical industry is global, is highly regulated and is able to achieve reasonable product quality but at high cost with maximum effort. Numerous challenges face the pharmaceutical industry and include a shrinking research pipeline, less innovation, outsourcing, investments, increasing research and development costs, long approval times, growth of the generic industry, failure to understand or analyze manufacturing failure and wastage as high at fifty percent for some pharmaceutical products. An efficient and flexible pharmaceutical sector should be able to consistently produce high quality pharmaceutical products at a reduced cost with minimal waste. As a result, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies such as the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) have embraced a “Quality by Design” (QbD) paradigm and this has become the “desired state” so as to shift manufacturing from being empirical to a science, engineering, and risk based approach. QbD is a systematic approach for the development of high quality pharmaceutical dosage forms that begins with predefined objectives based on the premise that quality must be built into and not tested into a product. QbD together with the establishment of a design space for dosage forms is a fairly new concept and there is limited published data on QbD concepts that report the entire process of identifying Critical Quality Attributes (CQA), design of a formulation and manufacturing process to meet product CQA, understanding the impact of material attributes and process parameters on product CQA, identification and controlling sources of variability in materials and processes that affect the CQA of a product and finally establishing, evaluating and testing a design space using both in vitro and in vivo approaches to assure that a product of consistent quality can always be produced. The objective of these studies was to implement a QbD approach to establish a design space for the development and manufacture of a safe, effective, stable generic formulation containing 0.05% w/w clobetasol 17-propionate (CP) that had similar in vitro and in vivo characteristics to an innovator product, Dermovate® (Sekpharma® Pty Ltd, Sandton, Gauteng, RSA). Such a product would pose a minimal risk of failure when treating severe skin disorders such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, extreme photodermatitis and/or severe psoriasis in HIV/AIDS patients in Southern Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Evaluating the post-implementation effectiveness of selected household water treatment technologies in rural Kenya
- Authors: Onabolu, Boluwaji
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Water-supply, Rural -- Kenya , Sanitation, Rural -- Kenya , Sanitation, Household -- Kenya , Drinking water -- Purification -- Kenya , Drinking water -- Microbiology -- Kenya , Health behavior -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6045 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013145
- Description: Water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases are responsible for 7% of all deaths and 8% of all disability adjusted live years (DALYs), as well as the loss of 320 million days of productivity in developing countries. Though laboratory and field trials have shown that household water treatment (HWT) technologies can quickly improve the microbiological quality of drinking water, questions remain about the effectiveness of these technologies under real-world conditions. Furthermore, the value that rural communities attach to HWT is unknown, and it is not clear why, in spite of the fact that rural African households need household water treatment (HWT) most, they are the least likely to use them. The primary objective of this multi-level study was to assess the post-implementation effectiveness of selected HWT technologies in the Nyanza and Western Provinces of Kenya. The study was carried out in the rainy season between March and May, 2011 using a mixed method approach. Evidence was collected in order to build a case of evidence of HWT effectiveness or ineffectiveness in a post-implementation context. A quasi-experimental design was used first to conduct a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey in 474 households in ten intervention and five control villages (Chapter 3). The survey assessed the context in which household water treatment was being used in the study villages to provide real-world information for assessing the effectiveness of the technologies. An interviewer-administered questionnaire elicited information about the water, sanitation and hygiene-related KAP of the study communities. A household water treatment (HWT) survey (Chapter 4) was carried out in the same study households and villages as the KAP study, using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather HWT adoption, compliance and sustained use-related information to provide insight into the perceived value the study households attach to HWT technologies, and their likelihood of adoption of and compliance with these technologies. The drinking water quality of 171 (one quarter of those surveyed during KAP) randomly selected households was determined and tracked from source to the point of use (Chapter 5). This provided insights into HWT effectiveness by highlighting the need for HWT (as indicated by source water quality) and the effect of the study households’ KAP on drinking water quality (as indicated by the stored water quality). Physico-chemical and microbiological water quality of the nineteen improved and unimproved sources used by the study households was determined, according to the World Health Organisation guidelines. The microbiological quality of 291 water samples in six intervention and five control villages was determined from source to the point-of-use (POU) using the WHO and Sphere Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. An observational study design was then used to assess the post-implementation effectiveness of the technologies used in 37 households in five intervention villages (Chapter 6). Three assessments were carried out to determine the changes in the microbiological quality of 107 drinking water samples before treatment (from collection container) and after treatment (from storage container) by the households. The criteria used to assess the performance of the technologies were microbial efficacy, robustness and performance in relation to sector standards. A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was then carried out in the HWT effectiveness study households to assess the technologies’ ability to reduce the users’ exposure to and probability of infection with water-borne pathogens (Chapter 7). The KAP survey showed that the intervention and control communities did not differ significantly in 18 out of 20 socio-economic variables that could potentially be influenced by the structured manner of introducing HWT into the intervention villages. The majority of the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG) were poor or very poor on the basis of household assets they owned. The predominant level of education for almost two-thirds of the IG and CG respondents was primary school (completed and non-completed). Though very few were unemployed in IG (8.07%) and CG (14.29%), the two groups of respondents were predominantly engaged in subsistence farming — a low income occupation. With regard to practices, both groups had inadequate access to water and sanitation with only one in two of the households in both IG and CG using improved water sources as their main drinking water source in the non-rainy season. One in ten households in both study groups possessed an improved sanitation facility, though the CG was significantly more likely to practice open defecation than the IG. The self-reported use of soap in both study groups was mainly for bathing and not for handwashing after faecal contact with adult or child faeces. Despite the study groups' knowledge about diarrhoea, both groups showed a disconnection between their knowledge about routes of contamination and barriers to contamination. The most frequent reason for not treating water was the perceived safety of rain water in both the IG and CG. , The HWT adoption survey revealed poor storage and water-handling practices in both IG and CG, and that very few respondents knew how to use the HWT technologies correctly: The IG and CG were similar in perceived value attached to household water treatment. All HWT technologies had a lower likelihood of adoption compared to the likelihood of compliance indicators in both IG and CG. The users’ perceptions about efficacy, time taken and ease of use of the HWT technologies lowered the perceived value attached to the technologies. The assessment of the drinking water quality used by the study communities indicated that the improved sources had a lower geometric mean E. coli and total coliform count than the unimproved sources. Both categories of sources were of poor microbiological quality and both exceeded the Sphere Project (2004) and the WHO (2008) guidelines for total coliforms and E. Coli respectively The study communities’ predominant drinking water sources, surface water and rainwater were faecally contaminated (geometric mean E. coli load of 388.1±30.45 and 38.9±22.35 cfu/100 ml respectively) and needed effective HWT. The improved sources were significantly more likely than the unimproved sources to have a higher proportion of samples that complied with the WHO drinking water guidelines at source, highlighting the importance of providing improved water sources. The lowest levels of faecal contamination were observed between the collection and storage points which coincided with the stage at which HWT is normally applied, suggesting an HWT effect on the water quality. All water sources had nitrate and turbidity levels that exceeded the WHO stipulated guidelines, while some of the improved and unimproved sources had higher than permissible levels of lead, manganese and aluminium. The water source category and the mouth type of the storage container were predictive of the stored water quality. The active treater households had a higher percentage of samples that complied with WHO water quality guidelines for E. coli than inactive treater households in both improved and unimproved source categories. In inactive treater households, 65% of storage container water samples from the improved sources complied with the WHO guidelines in comparison to 72% of the stored water samples in the active treater households. However the differences were not statistically significant. The HWT technologies did not attain sector standards of effective performance: in descending order, the mean log10 reduction in E. coli concentrations after treatment of water from unimproved sources was PUR (log₁₀ 2.0), ceramic filters (log₁₀ 1.57), Aquatab (log₁₀ 1.06) and Waterguard (log₁₀ 0.44). The mean log10 reduction in E. coli after treatment of water from improved sources was Aquatab (log₁₀ 2.3), Waterguard (log₁₀ 1.43), PUR (log₁₀ 0.94) and ceramic filters (log₁₀ 0.16). The HWT technologies reduced the user’s daily exposure to water-borne pathogens from both unimproved and improved drinking water sources. The mean difference in exposure after treatment of water from unimproved sources was ceramic filter (log₁₀ 2.1), Aquatab (log₁₀ 1.9), PUR (log₁₀ 1.5) and Waterguard (log₁₀ 0.9), in descending order. The mean probability of infection with water-borne pathogens (using E.coli as indicator) after consumption of treated water from both improved and unimproved sources was reduced in users of all the HWT technologies. The difference in reduction between technologies was not statistically significant. The study concluded that despite the apparent need for HWT, the study households’ inadequate knowledge, poor attitudes and unhygienic practices make it unlikely that they will use the technologies effectively to reduce microbial concentrations to the standards stipulated by accepted drinking water quality guidelines. The structured method of HWT promotion in the intervention villages had not resulted in more hygienic water and sanitation KAP in the IG compared to the CG, or significant differences in likelihood of adoption and compliance with the assessed HWT technologies. Despite attaching a high perceived value to HWT, insufficient knowledge about how to use the HWT technologies and user concerns about factors such as ease of use, accessibility and time to use will impact negatively on adoption and compliance with HWT, notwithstanding their efficacy during field trials. Even though external support had been withdrawn, the assessed HWT technologies were able improve the quality of household drinking water and reduce the exposure and risk of water-borne infections. However, the improvement in water quality and reduction in risk did not attain sector guidelines, highlighting the need to address the attitudes, practices and design criteria identified in this study which limit the adoption, compliance and effective use of these technologies. These findings have implications for HWT interventions, emphasising the need for practice-based behavioural support alongside technical support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Onabolu, Boluwaji
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Water-supply, Rural -- Kenya , Sanitation, Rural -- Kenya , Sanitation, Household -- Kenya , Drinking water -- Purification -- Kenya , Drinking water -- Microbiology -- Kenya , Health behavior -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6045 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013145
- Description: Water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases are responsible for 7% of all deaths and 8% of all disability adjusted live years (DALYs), as well as the loss of 320 million days of productivity in developing countries. Though laboratory and field trials have shown that household water treatment (HWT) technologies can quickly improve the microbiological quality of drinking water, questions remain about the effectiveness of these technologies under real-world conditions. Furthermore, the value that rural communities attach to HWT is unknown, and it is not clear why, in spite of the fact that rural African households need household water treatment (HWT) most, they are the least likely to use them. The primary objective of this multi-level study was to assess the post-implementation effectiveness of selected HWT technologies in the Nyanza and Western Provinces of Kenya. The study was carried out in the rainy season between March and May, 2011 using a mixed method approach. Evidence was collected in order to build a case of evidence of HWT effectiveness or ineffectiveness in a post-implementation context. A quasi-experimental design was used first to conduct a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey in 474 households in ten intervention and five control villages (Chapter 3). The survey assessed the context in which household water treatment was being used in the study villages to provide real-world information for assessing the effectiveness of the technologies. An interviewer-administered questionnaire elicited information about the water, sanitation and hygiene-related KAP of the study communities. A household water treatment (HWT) survey (Chapter 4) was carried out in the same study households and villages as the KAP study, using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather HWT adoption, compliance and sustained use-related information to provide insight into the perceived value the study households attach to HWT technologies, and their likelihood of adoption of and compliance with these technologies. The drinking water quality of 171 (one quarter of those surveyed during KAP) randomly selected households was determined and tracked from source to the point of use (Chapter 5). This provided insights into HWT effectiveness by highlighting the need for HWT (as indicated by source water quality) and the effect of the study households’ KAP on drinking water quality (as indicated by the stored water quality). Physico-chemical and microbiological water quality of the nineteen improved and unimproved sources used by the study households was determined, according to the World Health Organisation guidelines. The microbiological quality of 291 water samples in six intervention and five control villages was determined from source to the point-of-use (POU) using the WHO and Sphere Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. An observational study design was then used to assess the post-implementation effectiveness of the technologies used in 37 households in five intervention villages (Chapter 6). Three assessments were carried out to determine the changes in the microbiological quality of 107 drinking water samples before treatment (from collection container) and after treatment (from storage container) by the households. The criteria used to assess the performance of the technologies were microbial efficacy, robustness and performance in relation to sector standards. A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was then carried out in the HWT effectiveness study households to assess the technologies’ ability to reduce the users’ exposure to and probability of infection with water-borne pathogens (Chapter 7). The KAP survey showed that the intervention and control communities did not differ significantly in 18 out of 20 socio-economic variables that could potentially be influenced by the structured manner of introducing HWT into the intervention villages. The majority of the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG) were poor or very poor on the basis of household assets they owned. The predominant level of education for almost two-thirds of the IG and CG respondents was primary school (completed and non-completed). Though very few were unemployed in IG (8.07%) and CG (14.29%), the two groups of respondents were predominantly engaged in subsistence farming — a low income occupation. With regard to practices, both groups had inadequate access to water and sanitation with only one in two of the households in both IG and CG using improved water sources as their main drinking water source in the non-rainy season. One in ten households in both study groups possessed an improved sanitation facility, though the CG was significantly more likely to practice open defecation than the IG. The self-reported use of soap in both study groups was mainly for bathing and not for handwashing after faecal contact with adult or child faeces. Despite the study groups' knowledge about diarrhoea, both groups showed a disconnection between their knowledge about routes of contamination and barriers to contamination. The most frequent reason for not treating water was the perceived safety of rain water in both the IG and CG. , The HWT adoption survey revealed poor storage and water-handling practices in both IG and CG, and that very few respondents knew how to use the HWT technologies correctly: The IG and CG were similar in perceived value attached to household water treatment. All HWT technologies had a lower likelihood of adoption compared to the likelihood of compliance indicators in both IG and CG. The users’ perceptions about efficacy, time taken and ease of use of the HWT technologies lowered the perceived value attached to the technologies. The assessment of the drinking water quality used by the study communities indicated that the improved sources had a lower geometric mean E. coli and total coliform count than the unimproved sources. Both categories of sources were of poor microbiological quality and both exceeded the Sphere Project (2004) and the WHO (2008) guidelines for total coliforms and E. Coli respectively The study communities’ predominant drinking water sources, surface water and rainwater were faecally contaminated (geometric mean E. coli load of 388.1±30.45 and 38.9±22.35 cfu/100 ml respectively) and needed effective HWT. The improved sources were significantly more likely than the unimproved sources to have a higher proportion of samples that complied with the WHO drinking water guidelines at source, highlighting the importance of providing improved water sources. The lowest levels of faecal contamination were observed between the collection and storage points which coincided with the stage at which HWT is normally applied, suggesting an HWT effect on the water quality. All water sources had nitrate and turbidity levels that exceeded the WHO stipulated guidelines, while some of the improved and unimproved sources had higher than permissible levels of lead, manganese and aluminium. The water source category and the mouth type of the storage container were predictive of the stored water quality. The active treater households had a higher percentage of samples that complied with WHO water quality guidelines for E. coli than inactive treater households in both improved and unimproved source categories. In inactive treater households, 65% of storage container water samples from the improved sources complied with the WHO guidelines in comparison to 72% of the stored water samples in the active treater households. However the differences were not statistically significant. The HWT technologies did not attain sector standards of effective performance: in descending order, the mean log10 reduction in E. coli concentrations after treatment of water from unimproved sources was PUR (log₁₀ 2.0), ceramic filters (log₁₀ 1.57), Aquatab (log₁₀ 1.06) and Waterguard (log₁₀ 0.44). The mean log10 reduction in E. coli after treatment of water from improved sources was Aquatab (log₁₀ 2.3), Waterguard (log₁₀ 1.43), PUR (log₁₀ 0.94) and ceramic filters (log₁₀ 0.16). The HWT technologies reduced the user’s daily exposure to water-borne pathogens from both unimproved and improved drinking water sources. The mean difference in exposure after treatment of water from unimproved sources was ceramic filter (log₁₀ 2.1), Aquatab (log₁₀ 1.9), PUR (log₁₀ 1.5) and Waterguard (log₁₀ 0.9), in descending order. The mean probability of infection with water-borne pathogens (using E.coli as indicator) after consumption of treated water from both improved and unimproved sources was reduced in users of all the HWT technologies. The difference in reduction between technologies was not statistically significant. The study concluded that despite the apparent need for HWT, the study households’ inadequate knowledge, poor attitudes and unhygienic practices make it unlikely that they will use the technologies effectively to reduce microbial concentrations to the standards stipulated by accepted drinking water quality guidelines. The structured method of HWT promotion in the intervention villages had not resulted in more hygienic water and sanitation KAP in the IG compared to the CG, or significant differences in likelihood of adoption and compliance with the assessed HWT technologies. Despite attaching a high perceived value to HWT, insufficient knowledge about how to use the HWT technologies and user concerns about factors such as ease of use, accessibility and time to use will impact negatively on adoption and compliance with HWT, notwithstanding their efficacy during field trials. Even though external support had been withdrawn, the assessed HWT technologies were able improve the quality of household drinking water and reduce the exposure and risk of water-borne infections. However, the improvement in water quality and reduction in risk did not attain sector guidelines, highlighting the need to address the attitudes, practices and design criteria identified in this study which limit the adoption, compliance and effective use of these technologies. These findings have implications for HWT interventions, emphasising the need for practice-based behavioural support alongside technical support.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Exploring the leadership capacity development needs of middle management within a selected higher education institution
- Authors: Moodley, Kumaree
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: LCSHDevelopment leadership Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11309 , vital:26909
- Description: The twenty first century society is characterised by a lack of certainty and an unstable economic, social, political, and technological environment. Many South African higher education institutions are facing many challenges in understanding and responding to organisational change and development and this has implications for leadership. Ensuring an adequate leadership skills base is one of the key priorities for the transforming South African higher education landscape, especially as this pertains to developing the type of leaders who can meaningfully engage staff in change and transformation processes (Herbst, 2007). Effective leadership is vital for a productive, functional organisation and it is important to cultivate leadership development initiatives that are in alignment with and contribute to the achievement of the desired strategic outcomes. There is increasing emphasis on developing executive and middle management staff to be highly competent in achieving the strategic goals and priorities of the institution. The focus of this study is to explore the leadership capacity development needs of middle managers employed by a specific higher education institution in the Eastern Cape. The study will use the well-documented scholarship from Bernard Bass‟s interpretation of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles to frame the understanding of the leadership styles of middle managers as well as their developmental needs with regard to leadership (Bass, 1997). This will be used as an interpretive lens to assess the leadership development needs, including leadership skills needs, and the effectiveness of leadership development programmes in addressing the needs of middle managers within the higher education institution that is the focus of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Moodley, Kumaree
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: LCSHDevelopment leadership Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11309 , vital:26909
- Description: The twenty first century society is characterised by a lack of certainty and an unstable economic, social, political, and technological environment. Many South African higher education institutions are facing many challenges in understanding and responding to organisational change and development and this has implications for leadership. Ensuring an adequate leadership skills base is one of the key priorities for the transforming South African higher education landscape, especially as this pertains to developing the type of leaders who can meaningfully engage staff in change and transformation processes (Herbst, 2007). Effective leadership is vital for a productive, functional organisation and it is important to cultivate leadership development initiatives that are in alignment with and contribute to the achievement of the desired strategic outcomes. There is increasing emphasis on developing executive and middle management staff to be highly competent in achieving the strategic goals and priorities of the institution. The focus of this study is to explore the leadership capacity development needs of middle managers employed by a specific higher education institution in the Eastern Cape. The study will use the well-documented scholarship from Bernard Bass‟s interpretation of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles to frame the understanding of the leadership styles of middle managers as well as their developmental needs with regard to leadership (Bass, 1997). This will be used as an interpretive lens to assess the leadership development needs, including leadership skills needs, and the effectiveness of leadership development programmes in addressing the needs of middle managers within the higher education institution that is the focus of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Factors affecting blended learning acceptance and utilisation amongst academic staff at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Authors: Van Heerden, Andale
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Blended learning , Education, Higher -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5098 , vital:20802
- Description: Blended learning constitutes a key element of the NMMU’s Vision 2020; therefore, creating the expectation that academics from the NMMU will implement and utilise blended learning as part of their teaching pedagogy. Implementation reports drawn from Moodle (the learning management system utilised by NMMU) indicates that there are still numerous departments that are not fully utilising blended learning. The aim of this study was thus to determine the factors that impact on the acceptance and implementation of blended learning by academics at the NMMU. A modified version of the Technology Acceptance Questionnaire was electronically distributed to academics from the various NMMU campuses in order to collect the empirical data, with purposeful non-probability sampling being employed. The results indicated that factors, such as perceived usefulness, the student-centered nature of blended learning, the appeal of such environments to students, accessibility, as well as administrative- and communication benefits, had a positive influence on blended learning adoption. Lack of time and lack of knowledge with regard to blended learning use and implementation, concerns regarding accessibility, and lack of capacity and technical support were cited as issues that hampered blended learning implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Van Heerden, Andale
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Blended learning , Education, Higher -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5098 , vital:20802
- Description: Blended learning constitutes a key element of the NMMU’s Vision 2020; therefore, creating the expectation that academics from the NMMU will implement and utilise blended learning as part of their teaching pedagogy. Implementation reports drawn from Moodle (the learning management system utilised by NMMU) indicates that there are still numerous departments that are not fully utilising blended learning. The aim of this study was thus to determine the factors that impact on the acceptance and implementation of blended learning by academics at the NMMU. A modified version of the Technology Acceptance Questionnaire was electronically distributed to academics from the various NMMU campuses in order to collect the empirical data, with purposeful non-probability sampling being employed. The results indicated that factors, such as perceived usefulness, the student-centered nature of blended learning, the appeal of such environments to students, accessibility, as well as administrative- and communication benefits, had a positive influence on blended learning adoption. Lack of time and lack of knowledge with regard to blended learning use and implementation, concerns regarding accessibility, and lack of capacity and technical support were cited as issues that hampered blended learning implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Factors affecting strategy implementation in state corparations in Kenya
- Authors: Kiboi, Anne Wanjiru
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Government corporations -- Kenya , Strategic planning -- Kenya , Industrial management -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9326 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020963
- Description: The purpose of this study was to develop and empirically test a hypothetical model of factors impacting strategy implementation in state Corporations in Kenya in order to establish their statistical significance. To achieve effectiveness and efficiency in strategy implementation in state corporations, change is needed. Due to the rapid changing global environment and increasing demand for service delivery, continuous change is needed. Changes have been taking place in the Kenyan state corporations since 2003 and this has been as a result of corporate strategy implementation. However it is not enough to develop a good strategy, good strategies can fail during implementation. The state corporations in Kenya, like in most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, have been characterised by slow and bureaucratic processes that retard corporation‟s performance. Employees and managers in these corporations have been perceived as not performing as they should. Kenyan state corporations are important to the economy of the country. They provide social and essential services to the Kenyan population. There is therefore a need to investigate ways to improve strategy implementation in state corporations, collectively viewed in this study as factors affecting strategy implementation. The study investigated and analysed how the independent variables (internal-, market- and external) impact strategy implementation (dependent variable). The study reviewed literature in the areas of internal-, market- and external factors supported by Louw and Venter‟s (2006), the planning context environmental scan (2010), Zaribaf and Hamid‟s drivers for implementation outcomes (2010), and the Nortel network external environment (2010) models as presented in section 1.5 of chapter one. The hypothetical model developed was based on the models mentioned. The study sought to establish the perceptions of Kenyan state corporation‟s managers and utilised the quantitative research paradigm. A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to managers in state corporations in Kenya. The final sample comprised 485 respondents. Data was collected between October, 2012 and February 2013, that is, a period of five months. The returned questionnaires were subjected to several statistical analyses. The validity of the measuring instrument was ascertained using exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach‟s alpha values for reliability were calculated for each of the factors identified during the exploratory factor analysis. In this study, correlation and exploratory factor analysis, the KMO measure of sample adequacy, Bartlett‟s test of sphericity, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality, multi-colinearity diagnostic and regressions were the main statistical procedures used to test the appropriateness of data, correlation and significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. The study identified twelve independent variables as significantly impacting the strategy implementation (dependent variable) of state corporations in Kenya. Five statistical significant relationships were found between the internal factors: organisational structure, human resources, financial resources, leadership, communication and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. Three statistical significant relationships were found between the market factors: customers, suppliers, labour market and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. Four statistical significant relationships were found between the external factors: social-cultural, technology, ecological, global forces and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. The study also found three statistically insignificant variables. It was found that managers in state corporations in Kenya should be encouraged to study and clearly understand the culture of their state corporations in order for them to believe that organisational culture could have a significant impact on strategy implementation and that the culture of their corporation needs to be compatible with the strategy being implemented, because where there is incompatibility between strategy and culture, it can lead to high organisational resistance to change. The managers should also be made to understand that organisational culture shapes employees behaviour, guides strategic decisions and accommodates proposed changes and that When culture influences the actions of employees to support current strategy, implementation is strengthened. Managers should strive to achieve competitive advantage by offering distinctive or unique products or services that clearly add value to the customers. They should be made aware that the strategies of competitors who offer unique service to the customers could derail their strategy implementation. State corporation managers should acknowledge that severe competition results in pressure on prices, margins and profitability for all state corporations. There is a need for managers to ensure that the state corporation strategies are supported and aligned with government policies, directives and programmes. They should actively lobby with government to enact good policies and directives that support strategy implementation. The study has provided general guidelines at internal environmental level on how to implement strategies effectively and efficiently in state corporations in Kenya. Furthermore, general operational guidelines at market level for improving strategy implementation have been given for such corporations to become and remain competitive in the global market place. The study has also highlighted general guidelines regarding managing external environmental factors to assist in improving strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Kiboi, Anne Wanjiru
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Government corporations -- Kenya , Strategic planning -- Kenya , Industrial management -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9326 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020963
- Description: The purpose of this study was to develop and empirically test a hypothetical model of factors impacting strategy implementation in state Corporations in Kenya in order to establish their statistical significance. To achieve effectiveness and efficiency in strategy implementation in state corporations, change is needed. Due to the rapid changing global environment and increasing demand for service delivery, continuous change is needed. Changes have been taking place in the Kenyan state corporations since 2003 and this has been as a result of corporate strategy implementation. However it is not enough to develop a good strategy, good strategies can fail during implementation. The state corporations in Kenya, like in most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, have been characterised by slow and bureaucratic processes that retard corporation‟s performance. Employees and managers in these corporations have been perceived as not performing as they should. Kenyan state corporations are important to the economy of the country. They provide social and essential services to the Kenyan population. There is therefore a need to investigate ways to improve strategy implementation in state corporations, collectively viewed in this study as factors affecting strategy implementation. The study investigated and analysed how the independent variables (internal-, market- and external) impact strategy implementation (dependent variable). The study reviewed literature in the areas of internal-, market- and external factors supported by Louw and Venter‟s (2006), the planning context environmental scan (2010), Zaribaf and Hamid‟s drivers for implementation outcomes (2010), and the Nortel network external environment (2010) models as presented in section 1.5 of chapter one. The hypothetical model developed was based on the models mentioned. The study sought to establish the perceptions of Kenyan state corporation‟s managers and utilised the quantitative research paradigm. A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to managers in state corporations in Kenya. The final sample comprised 485 respondents. Data was collected between October, 2012 and February 2013, that is, a period of five months. The returned questionnaires were subjected to several statistical analyses. The validity of the measuring instrument was ascertained using exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach‟s alpha values for reliability were calculated for each of the factors identified during the exploratory factor analysis. In this study, correlation and exploratory factor analysis, the KMO measure of sample adequacy, Bartlett‟s test of sphericity, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality, multi-colinearity diagnostic and regressions were the main statistical procedures used to test the appropriateness of data, correlation and significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. The study identified twelve independent variables as significantly impacting the strategy implementation (dependent variable) of state corporations in Kenya. Five statistical significant relationships were found between the internal factors: organisational structure, human resources, financial resources, leadership, communication and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. Three statistical significant relationships were found between the market factors: customers, suppliers, labour market and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. Four statistical significant relationships were found between the external factors: social-cultural, technology, ecological, global forces and strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya. The study also found three statistically insignificant variables. It was found that managers in state corporations in Kenya should be encouraged to study and clearly understand the culture of their state corporations in order for them to believe that organisational culture could have a significant impact on strategy implementation and that the culture of their corporation needs to be compatible with the strategy being implemented, because where there is incompatibility between strategy and culture, it can lead to high organisational resistance to change. The managers should also be made to understand that organisational culture shapes employees behaviour, guides strategic decisions and accommodates proposed changes and that When culture influences the actions of employees to support current strategy, implementation is strengthened. Managers should strive to achieve competitive advantage by offering distinctive or unique products or services that clearly add value to the customers. They should be made aware that the strategies of competitors who offer unique service to the customers could derail their strategy implementation. State corporation managers should acknowledge that severe competition results in pressure on prices, margins and profitability for all state corporations. There is a need for managers to ensure that the state corporation strategies are supported and aligned with government policies, directives and programmes. They should actively lobby with government to enact good policies and directives that support strategy implementation. The study has provided general guidelines at internal environmental level on how to implement strategies effectively and efficiently in state corporations in Kenya. Furthermore, general operational guidelines at market level for improving strategy implementation have been given for such corporations to become and remain competitive in the global market place. The study has also highlighted general guidelines regarding managing external environmental factors to assist in improving strategy implementation in state corporations in Kenya.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Factors influencing ecological sustainability in the ostrich industry in the Little Karoo, South Africa
- Authors: Wheeler, Anita
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ostrich farms -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land use -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Little Karoo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011741 , Ostrich farms -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land use -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Little Karoo
- Description: The Little Karoo, situated in the Succulent Karoo biome of South Africa, has been heavily transformed by land use, and only 8.6% of the remaining natural vegetation is considered to be intact. There is ample evidence that the main cause of degradation is the overstocking of ostriches, an industry that has been the major economic driver of the area for more than 150 years. The ostrich stocking rate currently recommended is 22 ha.ostrich⁻¹. A literature review was used to examine the evidence, assumptions and rationale on which recommended and actually implemented stocking rates for ostriches are based. No experimental evidence using ostriches was found that supported the recommended stocking rate as either ecologically or economically sustainable. From the literature, there appears to be a wide gap between what are considered to be economically and ecologically sustainable stocking rates, with the implication that these two aims may be impossible to reconcile when practicing ostrich farming on natural veld. A comparison of recommended with actual stocking rates among land managers in the Little Karoo showed that all land managers far exceeded the recommended agricultural stocking rate of 22.8 ha.ostrich⁻¹. However, the stocking rates reported by land managers to the South African Ostrich Business Chamber were found to accurately reflect actual numbers determined when whole flocks had to be slaughtered after an outbreak of avian influenza. The recommended stocking rate appeared to be irrelevant to ostrich flock breeders and there appeared to be a trade-off between profitable ostrich farming and sustainable land-use practices. This study also investigated the attitudes and behaviour of ostrich farmers. It was found that environmental attitude is most likely the most important characteristic of a land manager to ensure positive conservation behaviour. This characteristic was most prominent in younger land managers with larger farms. The last component of the study integrated the context and complexity of the long term social, economic and ecological sustainability of this industry through the development of a logic model. The results showed a general lack of linkages between industry elements which impact on achieving sustainability targets. Greater collaboration between industry role-players, organized agriculture and conservation organizations is required to find a balance between utilization and conservation in the ostrich industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Wheeler, Anita
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ostrich farms -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land use -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Little Karoo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011741 , Ostrich farms -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land use -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Land degradation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Little Karoo , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Little Karoo
- Description: The Little Karoo, situated in the Succulent Karoo biome of South Africa, has been heavily transformed by land use, and only 8.6% of the remaining natural vegetation is considered to be intact. There is ample evidence that the main cause of degradation is the overstocking of ostriches, an industry that has been the major economic driver of the area for more than 150 years. The ostrich stocking rate currently recommended is 22 ha.ostrich⁻¹. A literature review was used to examine the evidence, assumptions and rationale on which recommended and actually implemented stocking rates for ostriches are based. No experimental evidence using ostriches was found that supported the recommended stocking rate as either ecologically or economically sustainable. From the literature, there appears to be a wide gap between what are considered to be economically and ecologically sustainable stocking rates, with the implication that these two aims may be impossible to reconcile when practicing ostrich farming on natural veld. A comparison of recommended with actual stocking rates among land managers in the Little Karoo showed that all land managers far exceeded the recommended agricultural stocking rate of 22.8 ha.ostrich⁻¹. However, the stocking rates reported by land managers to the South African Ostrich Business Chamber were found to accurately reflect actual numbers determined when whole flocks had to be slaughtered after an outbreak of avian influenza. The recommended stocking rate appeared to be irrelevant to ostrich flock breeders and there appeared to be a trade-off between profitable ostrich farming and sustainable land-use practices. This study also investigated the attitudes and behaviour of ostrich farmers. It was found that environmental attitude is most likely the most important characteristic of a land manager to ensure positive conservation behaviour. This characteristic was most prominent in younger land managers with larger farms. The last component of the study integrated the context and complexity of the long term social, economic and ecological sustainability of this industry through the development of a logic model. The results showed a general lack of linkages between industry elements which impact on achieving sustainability targets. Greater collaboration between industry role-players, organized agriculture and conservation organizations is required to find a balance between utilization and conservation in the ostrich industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Farmers’ awareness of climate change and variability and it’s effects on agricultural productivity: (the case of King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipalty in Eastern Cape)
- Authors: Mdoda, Lelethu
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Agricultural productivity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and climate -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and water -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural assistance -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11234 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021294 , Agricultural productivity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and climate -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and water -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural assistance -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Climate is an important factor of agricultural productivity and many rural dwellers in developing countries depend on agriculture and are highly affected by climate change and variability. The world is currently experiencing climatic changes and variability conditions which results in high temperatures, low rainfall patterns, shortage of water and drought persistence. Climate change and variability is affecting weather patterns and shifting seasons which results in serious repercussions on smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers are extremely vulnerable to climate change and variability because their farming and production systems are climate sensitive and are not rebound to climate stresses. These adverse effects in developing countries arise from different climate change and variability-related causes, notable extreme weather events, food security, increased health risks in agriculture from vector home diseases, and temperature-related morbidity in environments. The study was carried in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. This study examines farmers’ awareness of climate change and variability and its effects on agricultural productivity in King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality using a Descriptive Statistics, Binary and Ricardian Model fitted to data from a cross-sectional survey of 200 farmers in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. Both primary and secondary data was used. This research study estimates the effects of climate change and variability on King Sabata Dalindyebo agricultural productivity using a continental dimension of Ricardian analysis. Results revealed that local farmers were aware of climate change and variability and perceived changes in average temperatures and rainfall. The changes in average temperatures and rainfall had adverse effects on crop and livestock production. However, farmers’ awareness of climate change is not to an extent that they presume adaptation to climate change as a necessity and crucial. The results show that climate change and variability affects farm income and there is a non-linear relationship existing between climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) and farm income which depicts U-shaped. The study results indicated that climate change and variability affect agricultural productivity and have an effect on agricultural productivity in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. In view of the research findings, several policy proposals are suggested. The study findings suggest that climate change and variability must be taken seriously and monitored. Policy makers and government officials must support farmers with information distribution,education, market access, well trained extension agents, credit and information about mitigation strategies to climate change and variability which includes institutional and technological methods, particularly smallholder farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Mdoda, Lelethu
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Agricultural productivity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and climate -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and water -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural assistance -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11234 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021294 , Agricultural productivity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and climate -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and water -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural assistance -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Climate is an important factor of agricultural productivity and many rural dwellers in developing countries depend on agriculture and are highly affected by climate change and variability. The world is currently experiencing climatic changes and variability conditions which results in high temperatures, low rainfall patterns, shortage of water and drought persistence. Climate change and variability is affecting weather patterns and shifting seasons which results in serious repercussions on smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers are extremely vulnerable to climate change and variability because their farming and production systems are climate sensitive and are not rebound to climate stresses. These adverse effects in developing countries arise from different climate change and variability-related causes, notable extreme weather events, food security, increased health risks in agriculture from vector home diseases, and temperature-related morbidity in environments. The study was carried in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. This study examines farmers’ awareness of climate change and variability and its effects on agricultural productivity in King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality using a Descriptive Statistics, Binary and Ricardian Model fitted to data from a cross-sectional survey of 200 farmers in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. Both primary and secondary data was used. This research study estimates the effects of climate change and variability on King Sabata Dalindyebo agricultural productivity using a continental dimension of Ricardian analysis. Results revealed that local farmers were aware of climate change and variability and perceived changes in average temperatures and rainfall. The changes in average temperatures and rainfall had adverse effects on crop and livestock production. However, farmers’ awareness of climate change is not to an extent that they presume adaptation to climate change as a necessity and crucial. The results show that climate change and variability affects farm income and there is a non-linear relationship existing between climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) and farm income which depicts U-shaped. The study results indicated that climate change and variability affect agricultural productivity and have an effect on agricultural productivity in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. In view of the research findings, several policy proposals are suggested. The study findings suggest that climate change and variability must be taken seriously and monitored. Policy makers and government officials must support farmers with information distribution,education, market access, well trained extension agents, credit and information about mitigation strategies to climate change and variability which includes institutional and technological methods, particularly smallholder farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014