Re-industrialisation of the Nelson Mandela Metropole regional economy
- Authors: Sipuka, Msingathi
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Economic growth , Economic development -- Nelson Mandela
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58190 , vital:58675
- Description: The main assumption underlying this study is that structural change brings about growth and in turn translates to poverty reduction through the expansion of labour absorbing economic sectors and employment in higher productivity non-primary sectors. Since labour productivity in non-primary sectors is higher, the large-scale migration of labour out of primary activity should raise labour incomes and result in poverty reducing growth. Economic growth driven by structural change in income and employment should therefore aid and promote poverty reduction. Notwithstanding the important role of the national sphere of government in setting the industrial policy framework in the country, this research places emphasis on the role and contribution of regional economies in translating active industrial policy into implementation and development results. In South Africa the rise in poverty can be partially attributed to an economy that is not growing at the required rates needed to, among others, create the necessary employment opportunities at scale. The ability to adequately respond to these national development challenges depends on key economic regions in the country unlocking growth in several economic sectors, in particular the manufacturing sector which is described as labour-intensive and with a high multiplier effect on the economy. To this end, the capacity of regional governments working with regional stakeholders to plan, coordinate, implement and provide oversight over integrated regional industrialisation strategies and implementation plans becomes pivotal. Equally, the Nelson Mandela Metropole, which is the geographic area of focus for this study, has identified and prioritised the growth of the manufacturing sector as one of its economic priorities, reflecting its ambition of driving a programme of re-industrialisation and positioning the region as one of the country’s industrial centres. The main proposition of this study is that the Nelson Mandela Metropole, like other regional economies in the country, is not able to drive the programme of re-industrialisation. The reason for this inability is that it does not have a coherent framework of levers that are at the disposal of regional governments and regional stakeholders to design and implement a programme of re-industrialisation within the ii context of a globalised economy but that takes into consideration national peculiarities of the manufacturing sector. The fact that the regions do not have an integrated regional implementation plan for reviving the manufacturing sector creates an eco-system where there is limited coordination of the actions of different role players, in turn limiting collaboration within the region. The research has identified a gap in the literature between the two areas that impact on this study, namely, industrial development and regional economic development. The study navigates the literature across these two areas to emerge with a synthesised framework of strategic enablers for industrialisation at a regional level. These strategic enablers can be used by regional governments to develop an integrated regional framework to drive the industrialisation programme at this level. With specific reference to the Nelson Mandela Metropole, the study used a mixed methods research approach to assess regional actors’ views on the strategic enablers identified through the literature. A survey was employed to extract data from manufacturing enterprises in the region on the perceived constraints to the growth of the manufacturing sector. The quantitative data were complemented by qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with key regional informants. The results of the study reveal some of the general weaknesses that confront the region as it pursues regional industrialisation. Importantly, the study uses the identified regional strategic enablers to develop a framework that can be used by regional actors to design an implementation plan. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
The assessment of socio – economic policy affecting Makana municipality development
- Authors: Stamper, Lindelwa
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Rural development , Local government -- services -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58201 , vital:58695
- Description: The aim was to assess the development policies affecting the development of Makana Municipality. Development policies exist to foster and improve the lives of the people, for example through job creation, poverty alleviation, improvement of infrastructure. Therefore, the neglect of Makana Municipality to deliver such services is a denial of basic human development and opportunities for people to lead a long healthy life and get to enjoy a decent level of dignity, freedom, self-esteem, respect inter alia. The municipality has played a role in how development has been delayed. The recent court ruling is the evidence of that. The high court in Grahamstown dissolved the municipality in January and the judgement was perceived as a historical verdict in the history of local government. Makana municipality has deteriorating service levels and it has been like that for few years now. The livelihoods of the people of Makana have been affected as the dissatisfaction with services continues. This study highlighted the importance of good governance and appropriate policies to respond to issues are for development and to address different challenges. Moreover, one of the strong bases for successful local government is good leadership, that responds to people’s needs strategically and technically. The research has found the slow pace in development has a negative impact in the fight against poverty and unemployment in the municipality. Therefore, serious interventions strategies to improve the pace of service delivery in the local municipality needs to enforce responsibility and accountability. Local Government is the sphere that is the closest to the people and responsible for delivering services as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996). Thus, when a municipality fails to provide services, the citizens are the ones who should hold the government accountable and demand services. Municipalities have a developmental role that they need to play and fulfil, and this is stated in the Constitution as follows. “Developmental local government is local government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, vi economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives” (Republic of South Africa, 1996, section 153). , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
A Talent Retention Framework for the South African Information Technology Sector
- Authors: Swart, Jean-pierre
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Information Technology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58212 , vital:58728
- Description: The South African Information Technology (IT) sector is experiencing a chronic skills shortage, and the skills gap is widening. South African organisations try to retain existing skilled IT professionals in order to compete on a global platform, whilst simultaneously competing against international organisations who poach IT professionals from South Africa in what is referred to as “brain drain”. The South African IT sector is an increasingly important contributor to South Africa’s GDP, with several international corporates investing and creating opportunities in South Arica, including IBM, Dell, Microsoft and Intel. The retention of skilled IT professionals in South Africa is complex and costly due to the high demand for these professionals. An overview of the literature was provided that commenced with a broad analysis of strategic talent management frameworks in order to present a holistic view of talent management. From this broad analysis, the literature review narrowed the focus to the retention of talent. This section focused on the impact of organisational culture and employee engagement, whilst considering the critical roles that managers and leaders play in culture and employee engagement pertinent to the South African IT sector. The research paradigm adopted for this research was interpretivist and the methodology was qualitative research. The empirical data was collected through conducting semi-structured interviews with six IT professionals with extensive experience in the sector, and who directly play a role in the management and retention of skilled IT professionals. Various themes were developed from the interviews, with a focus on the extent of the skills gap and considerations regarding organisational culture, employee engagement and expectations from leaders and managers detailed in the themes. Finally, a talent retention framework for the South African IT sector was developed from the emerging themes. The themes included culture and the work environment, remuneration and benefits, continuous growth and employee engagement. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Enterprise development funds as a catalyst for growth and sustainability of black-owned SMMEs in manufacturing
- Authors: Tsheketshe, Yomelela Mfundo
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa , Small business
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58223 , vital:58742
- Description: South Africa is confronted with a skewed economy along racial lines through a history of colonialism and apartheid. The laws of government have tried to include companies in advancing social cohesion and in dealing with issues of the historical exclusion of African communities from the mainstream economy. With the advent of democracy, the government has been faced with the mammoth task of driving transformation and inclusion in various sectors of the economy. Various pieces of legislation have been promulgated to give effect to this ideal. The Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act with its associated regulations has Enterprise and Supplier development (ESD) as one of the five pillars underpinning the targeted areas for transformation in companies. Enterprise development is a key contributor to companies achieving a good score card rating as determined by the government of South Africa for various industries. This scoring also has advantages in terms of accessing government incentives as well as procurement opportunities for businesses with government. Companies therefore deploy capital for the development of businesses within their supply chains and also any other businesses whether or not they do business with them. This process of enterprise development funding is largely undefined and sees companies use various methods and criteria to deploy the capital with a myriad of outcomes all of which vary depending on the area of interest. The primary intent of the enterprise development funds is to create patient, free and sometimes affordable capital for the growth and sustainability of previously disadvantaged businesses in the South African context. Industries like manufacturing, in their nature are capital intensive and require huge capital outlays which then become a barrier to entry particularly for previously disadvantaged groupings like black people. The aim of the study is to identify key determinants that can unlock the growth and sustainability of black owned SMMEs in the manufacturing sector and also to understand the environment in which they operate. It is intended to assist policy makers, enterprise development practitioners, regulators and the beneficiaries of enterprise development on what can be done to ensure that this critical programme achieves its desired outcome. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
The moderating role of decent work on the relationship between employee motivation and job peformance within the public sector
- Authors: Tungata, Nokwanda
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Public service employment , Performance standards
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58234 , vital:58772
- Description: Orientation: Organisational success is influenced by its ability to employ, develop, sustain and retain skilled employees. Retaining a strongly committed workforce has become a top priority for most organisations. Uncovering and addressing components which influence job insecurity helps retain employees. This is key to improving employee job performance. Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effects of decent work on the relationship between employee motivation and job performance using a sample of public service employees in the Eastern Cape Administration. The study aimed at determining the importance of individual-level performance when diagnosing performance issues in the public sector by focusing on the moderating role of decent work on the relationship between employee motivation and job performance. Motivation for the study: The South African public service is noted to undergoing challenges. Notably, affected are aspects related not only to employee motivation but also job performance. Needed are strategies that address these important organisational realities. Calls in the literature advocate the need to pay attention to the potential role of decent work. Research approach/design and method: A quantitative survey was employed using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 250 surveys were distributed. After data cleaning, a total of 188 surveys were deemed usable. Main findings: The overall findings highlighted in this study are that decent work and employee motivation have a positive relationship with job performance. They also have a significant positive influence on job performance. Additionally the research concludes that the three constructs of decent work that include free time and rest, access to health care and safe working conditions have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between employee motivation and job performance. Practical/managerial implications: This implies that there is need to find ways to keep employees motivated so that their job performance can also improve. Policy makers v should come up with effective work place policies which insure that conditions for employee motivation are ensured at work place as well as decent working conditions. This is important because it results in increased productivity and performance by public service employees. Contribution/value add: The findings provide preliminary insights that contribute to the body of knowledge concerned with decent work and employee job performance in the field of human resource in the South African context. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Antecedents to employee engagement in a Selected quick-service chain in South Africa:
- Authors: Venter, Erasmus Johannes
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Fast food restaurants , Restaurants--Employees
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58246 , vital:58781
- Description: The Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) industry in South Africa is highly competitive with various local and international brands competing for market share. The importance of a differentiated customer experience is crucial to gain market share in such a competitive marketplace. The most important element of an excellent restaurant experience remains friendly and hospitable staff according to a customer experience survey conducted. It was established that customers’ attitude towards the brand is dependent on the level of engagement and commitment of the restaurant’s employees (Deloitte, 2017a, p.7). In the fight for market share most corporate budgets are focused on digital and customer investments, as is currently the trend globally. Unfortunately this results in inadequate investment in programmes that is focussed on employee engagement and commitment. Employee engagement is still considered a Human Resources (HR) issue by many corporates who fail to realise that employee engagement is a strategic imperative for workplace satisfaction and optimal profit realisation. The study has provided insights into the antecedents to employee engagement specific to the Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) industry and highlighted the important role of leadership in inspiring employee engagement. The study answered the research questions by conducting a literature review and data analysis by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. It was confirmed that leadership empowering behaviours, organisational and team factors, being customer focussed and organisational interventions and activities have a significant influence on employee engagement. The study further provides a better understanding of the required leadership empowering behaviours that inspires employee engagement. This knowledge can be used to further develop leaders and managers in understanding their roles in creating an environment conducive to higher levels of employee engagement. The findings of the study provided a solution to a management problem and made a contribution to the field of understanding the antecedents to employee engagement in the Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Port performance and the unexplored perceptions linked to operational outputs
- Authors: Woods, Ryan
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Container terminals , Pressure vessels
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58257 , vital:58801
- Description: The role that container terminals play in global trade and building the economies of many countries, requires high levels of performance and efficient turnaround of container vessels. High performance entails providing fast, reliable and efficient port services which is a non-negotiable pre-requisite from the port’s customers. Existing port customers are the shipping lines that make use of the port systems to service their own respective business customers that make use of their shipping services. Transnet and more specifically, Ngqura Container Terminal (NCT) has always been known for providing fast, reliable and efficient port services since its opening in October 2009, with new state of the art equipment and the latest in port operating systems. Fast forward twelve years later and a steady decline in port performance and port efficiencies over the years, has led to numerous outcries from port users and the industry as a whole. Shipping lines are not satisfied with current performance levels and other port users such as trucking companies struggle with bad port performance and efficiencies. This prompted the need to look into why the performance levels has been steadily declining over the past few years. With increased pressure from shipping lines and other stakeholders, there is a glaring need to improve on port performance and efficiencies if NCT is to maintain the business it currently has. Change is also necessary for it to compete for new business which is one of the reasons that prompted this research study. A literature study and a survey questionnaire make up the main input for this research as well as interviews with key operations and planning managers. The purpose of the research was to explore the non-technical factors perceived by NCT operational and planning staff, to have an impact on port performance and the decline thereof. This study focused on the perceptions of NCT’s operational and planning staff of port performance and the perceived impact that reward and recognition, rest periods, job design and leadership have on that performance levels. The methodology used in the research is a mixed-method approach with the quantitative portion underpinned by a survey questionnaire and the iv qualitative portion underpinned by interviews conducted with key management staff. The data was measured and interpreted using descriptive statistics and analysis of the mean scores. The Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was used to determine if there were relationships between the factors and the significance of those relationships, if any. An Anova analysis was done on the mean score answer of each category of operational staff in the quantitative sample, to determine if the mean score of the different operational categories in my sample are statistically significantly different from each other. The need for drastic improvement of performance outputs in Transnet and more specifically NCT has been highlighted throughout the research as it is of critical importance due to the nature of NCT’s business model of being a transhipment hub. This study has contributed positively by demonstrating the operational staffers and management’s willing responses in an effort to improve performance outputs on both technical and non-technical levels. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04