A 5G Communication system based on flexible spectrum technology for the SKA
- Authors: Karembera, Reinhard Siwombe
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems--Technological innovations , Wireless communication systems -- Standards --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56177 , vital:56013
- Description: Faculty of Science Radio astronomy research is rapidly expanding across the African continent. At the same time, the fifth generation (5G) of mobile communication systems are also being researched and developed. Throughout history, mobile communication networks are known to affect the activities of radio astronomy. If not carefully managed, radio frequencies from mobile communication devices can severely affect radio astronomy observations. To that end, many techniques have been proposed to protect the radio astronomer from RFIs coming from radio communication networks. Some of the proposed techniques such as RFI quite zones and spectrum assignment by regulatory authorities will not be convenient during the implementation of 5G mobile networks. This is because 5G radio communication systems are expected to support spectrum-hungry application such as video-on-demand, augmented realities, high-definition television and so on. To realize this, the 5G networks will be forced to have access to protected radio spectrum, including those at which radio astronomy activities are being researched. To facilitate this, the 5G radio communication networks should have the intelligence to coexist within such protected spectrums without the consequences of radio frequency interferences (RFI) to the primary user. In this thesis, we present novel 5G networks with the intelligence that allow them to coexist within radio astronomy areas without introducing RFIs to the primary user. We proposed a photonic solution, keeping in mind the characteristic requirements for future 5G radio communication networks. The thesis begins by reviewing the current trend of radio astronomy research in Africa. It was found that radio astronomy research in Africa is growing rapidly. Many African countries such as South Africa and Ghana are at advanced stages when it comes to radio astronomy research. Therefore, the finding and proposal of this thesis will be valuable to such countries. In order to develop a radio access network (RAN) that can coexist within radio astronomy areas, the thesis reviewed past and present state-of-the-art RANs. Each access network was analyses for its feasibility to be implemented within radio astronomy areas to realize mobile communication without the consequences of RFIs to the astronomer. It was motivated that the current centralized radio access network (C-RAN) the best solution to be developed for radio communication within radio astronomy areas. This is because the C-RAN architecture is centralized by pooling network resources to a common point. From such pool, network resources can be controlled and shared among 5G network user, including radio astronomers and the surrounding communities. The next chapters reviewed photonic RF transmitters and their associated lasers currently being proposed to be used within C-RANs. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Karembera, Reinhard Siwombe
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems--Technological innovations , Wireless communication systems -- Standards --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56177 , vital:56013
- Description: Faculty of Science Radio astronomy research is rapidly expanding across the African continent. At the same time, the fifth generation (5G) of mobile communication systems are also being researched and developed. Throughout history, mobile communication networks are known to affect the activities of radio astronomy. If not carefully managed, radio frequencies from mobile communication devices can severely affect radio astronomy observations. To that end, many techniques have been proposed to protect the radio astronomer from RFIs coming from radio communication networks. Some of the proposed techniques such as RFI quite zones and spectrum assignment by regulatory authorities will not be convenient during the implementation of 5G mobile networks. This is because 5G radio communication systems are expected to support spectrum-hungry application such as video-on-demand, augmented realities, high-definition television and so on. To realize this, the 5G networks will be forced to have access to protected radio spectrum, including those at which radio astronomy activities are being researched. To facilitate this, the 5G radio communication networks should have the intelligence to coexist within such protected spectrums without the consequences of radio frequency interferences (RFI) to the primary user. In this thesis, we present novel 5G networks with the intelligence that allow them to coexist within radio astronomy areas without introducing RFIs to the primary user. We proposed a photonic solution, keeping in mind the characteristic requirements for future 5G radio communication networks. The thesis begins by reviewing the current trend of radio astronomy research in Africa. It was found that radio astronomy research in Africa is growing rapidly. Many African countries such as South Africa and Ghana are at advanced stages when it comes to radio astronomy research. Therefore, the finding and proposal of this thesis will be valuable to such countries. In order to develop a radio access network (RAN) that can coexist within radio astronomy areas, the thesis reviewed past and present state-of-the-art RANs. Each access network was analyses for its feasibility to be implemented within radio astronomy areas to realize mobile communication without the consequences of RFIs to the astronomer. It was motivated that the current centralized radio access network (C-RAN) the best solution to be developed for radio communication within radio astronomy areas. This is because the C-RAN architecture is centralized by pooling network resources to a common point. From such pool, network resources can be controlled and shared among 5G network user, including radio astronomers and the surrounding communities. The next chapters reviewed photonic RF transmitters and their associated lasers currently being proposed to be used within C-RANs. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
A behaviour of South Africa’s economy towards inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) from BRICs economies
- Authors: Dingela, Siyasanga
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- Developing countries , South Africa -- Economic conditions , BRIC countries -- Foreign economic relations
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51141 , vital:43212
- Description: This study investigated a behaviour of South Africa’s economy towards inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) economies, during the period 1997 to 2016. The BRICs bloc was coined in 2001 by then chairperson of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O’Neil. According to Goldman Sach (2001), the BRICs group was collectively expected to overtake the major economic powers over the span of a few decades. Their growth is expected to shape a new economic order and replace the currently dominant advanced economies. South Africa joined the BRICs bloc in 2010 as the jeweler of the world and as a gateway to Africa. It joined the BRICs group at the time when economic growth was at a sluggish rate, and the savings and investment were at the lowest rate. The country had a high unemployment rate, high levels of poverty and income inequality. On the other hand, the BRICs economies had limited intra-BRICs flows amongst themselves. It is against this background that this study investigated the long run impact of BRICs FDI inflows on South Africa’s economic growth, and the causality relationship between South Africa’s economic growth and BRICs FDI inflows. This study contributes to the body of knowledge of economics in South Africa and the literature on foreign direct investment and economic growth in South Africa. The study employed two cointegration methods to investigate the behaviour of South Africa’s economy towards inflows of foreign direct investment from BRICs economies. These are fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). For granger causality, the study employed Stacked and Dumistrescu Hurlin tests. All the models used time series annual data from 1997 to 2016. The Unit root test results confirmed that the variables were stationary at first difference using panel Im, Pesaran, Shin (IPS) and Levin, Lin, Chu (LLC). The research employs four regressions, first, Economic growth and foreign direct investment (i.e. private sector, banking sector and both sectors), human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; Second, Employment and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; third, Economic complexity and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; finally, Unemployment and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land. The cointegration results for private FDI and economic growth, employment, economic complexity, and unemployment. The results show only economic complexity has significant effect on foreign direct investment and other variables show insignificant results. However, this effect is smaller compared to other growth determinants which are included in the regressions. The cointegration results for bank FDI. These results show more similarities with private FDI results and few differences. However, this effect is smaller compared to other growth determinants included in the regressions. These growth determinants, however, show a positive effect of human capital and household consumption on economic growth which is expected. Other interesting results are exports being positively related with economic growth and unemployment but negative with employment and insignificant with economic complexity. Another one is government spending negatively influence economic growth, employment and positively influence unemployment. But insignificant for economic complexity. Total FDI results and other variables. These results are also similar to private and bank FDI results discussed above. Economic complexity shows significant effect with foreign direct investment, yet other variables are insignificant. . Further results show human capital positively related with economic growth, which is expected. However, physical capital and household consumption negatively affects growth. Another one exports show positive influence on economic growth but negatively related with employment. Yet, insignificant with economic complexity and unemployment. Other results government spending shows negative influence with employment but insignificant with economic growth, economic complexity and unemployment. The results for nonlinearity between the variables under review. The results that employment and economic complexity are nonlinear with foreign direct investment and no nonlinearity between unemployment, economic growth and foreign direct investment. For employment, low levels of foreign direct investment (LFDI_private) adversely affects employment but at higher levels (FDI_private_SQ) is insignificant. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant for economic complexity but at higher levels there is a positive effect of squared foreign direct investment on economic complexity. Further results show that economic growth and employment are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, household consumption and exports. Physical capital and household consumption adversely affect economic growth, yet positively affects employment. Human capital positively affects economic growth, employment, and unemployment. Exports positively affect economic growth, but negatively affect employment. Further results show nonlinearity between employment and government expenditure. Government expenditure adversely affects employment. Also, economic growth and unemployment show nonlinearity with arable land. Arable land adversely affects economic growth but positively affects unemployment. Nonlinear results for economic growth and economic complexity with foreign direct investment but no nonlinearity in other remaining variables. For economic growth, low levels of foreign direct investment there is a positive effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth, however, at higher levels foreign direct investment are insignificant. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant, yet, higher levels of foreign direct investment there is a positive influence of foreign direct investment on economic complexity. Further results show economic growth and employment that are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, and household consumption. Human capital positively affects both economic growth and employment. Physical capital and household consumption are adversely affecting economic growth, yet positively affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between economic growth and government expenditure. Government expenditure adversely affects employment. More results, employment, and unemployment show nonlinearity results with exports. Exports adversely affect employment but positively affects unemployment. Results show economic growth and unemployment that are nonlinear with arable land. Arable land adversely affects economic growth, but positively affect unemployment. Nonlinear results for economic complexity only and other variables show no nonlinearity in the regressions. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant, but at higher levels of foreign direct investment there is positive effect of foreign direct investment on economic complexity. More results show economic growth and employment that are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, household consumption and exports. Human capital and exports positively affect economic growth, employment, and unemployment. Whereas, physical capital and household consumption adversely affects economic growth and unemployment, yet positively affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between employment and government expenditure. Government spending adversely affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between economic growth and unemployment with arable land. Arable land positively affects unemployment, yet adversely affects economic growth. The following section discusses granger causality results. This study also employed granger causality tests. The causality results between economic growth, employment, economic complexity, unemployment, and private foreign direct investment. The causality results show that there is granger causality between economic growth and economic complexity with private foreign direct investment. Whereas, between bank foreign direct investment and other variables there is no granger causality. However, between total foreign direct investment and economic growth and employment there is granger causality. There are a number of policy recommendations that can be drawn from the study. The study results in overall revealed that BRICs (private and bank) FDI inflows had a positive impact on South Africa’s economic growth between 1997 and 2016. The study results suggest that the policy makers should focus the attention on lobbying foreign direct investment from BRICs economies, since this study shows positive impact and relationship between South Africa’s economic growth and BRICs FDI inflows. The BRICs economies should focus on enhancing investment partnership, preventing protectionism, and promoting intra-BRICS flows. In addition, South Africa should eliminate barriers affecting business with BRICs countries. Policy makers should promote the building of new companies (for example Greenfield Investment) so that the economy of South Africa could grow and create employment. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Economics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Dingela, Siyasanga
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- Developing countries , South Africa -- Economic conditions , BRIC countries -- Foreign economic relations
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51141 , vital:43212
- Description: This study investigated a behaviour of South Africa’s economy towards inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) economies, during the period 1997 to 2016. The BRICs bloc was coined in 2001 by then chairperson of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O’Neil. According to Goldman Sach (2001), the BRICs group was collectively expected to overtake the major economic powers over the span of a few decades. Their growth is expected to shape a new economic order and replace the currently dominant advanced economies. South Africa joined the BRICs bloc in 2010 as the jeweler of the world and as a gateway to Africa. It joined the BRICs group at the time when economic growth was at a sluggish rate, and the savings and investment were at the lowest rate. The country had a high unemployment rate, high levels of poverty and income inequality. On the other hand, the BRICs economies had limited intra-BRICs flows amongst themselves. It is against this background that this study investigated the long run impact of BRICs FDI inflows on South Africa’s economic growth, and the causality relationship between South Africa’s economic growth and BRICs FDI inflows. This study contributes to the body of knowledge of economics in South Africa and the literature on foreign direct investment and economic growth in South Africa. The study employed two cointegration methods to investigate the behaviour of South Africa’s economy towards inflows of foreign direct investment from BRICs economies. These are fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). For granger causality, the study employed Stacked and Dumistrescu Hurlin tests. All the models used time series annual data from 1997 to 2016. The Unit root test results confirmed that the variables were stationary at first difference using panel Im, Pesaran, Shin (IPS) and Levin, Lin, Chu (LLC). The research employs four regressions, first, Economic growth and foreign direct investment (i.e. private sector, banking sector and both sectors), human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; Second, Employment and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; third, Economic complexity and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land; finally, Unemployment and foreign direct investment, human capital, physical capital, household consumption, government expenditure, exports, and arable land. The cointegration results for private FDI and economic growth, employment, economic complexity, and unemployment. The results show only economic complexity has significant effect on foreign direct investment and other variables show insignificant results. However, this effect is smaller compared to other growth determinants which are included in the regressions. The cointegration results for bank FDI. These results show more similarities with private FDI results and few differences. However, this effect is smaller compared to other growth determinants included in the regressions. These growth determinants, however, show a positive effect of human capital and household consumption on economic growth which is expected. Other interesting results are exports being positively related with economic growth and unemployment but negative with employment and insignificant with economic complexity. Another one is government spending negatively influence economic growth, employment and positively influence unemployment. But insignificant for economic complexity. Total FDI results and other variables. These results are also similar to private and bank FDI results discussed above. Economic complexity shows significant effect with foreign direct investment, yet other variables are insignificant. . Further results show human capital positively related with economic growth, which is expected. However, physical capital and household consumption negatively affects growth. Another one exports show positive influence on economic growth but negatively related with employment. Yet, insignificant with economic complexity and unemployment. Other results government spending shows negative influence with employment but insignificant with economic growth, economic complexity and unemployment. The results for nonlinearity between the variables under review. The results that employment and economic complexity are nonlinear with foreign direct investment and no nonlinearity between unemployment, economic growth and foreign direct investment. For employment, low levels of foreign direct investment (LFDI_private) adversely affects employment but at higher levels (FDI_private_SQ) is insignificant. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant for economic complexity but at higher levels there is a positive effect of squared foreign direct investment on economic complexity. Further results show that economic growth and employment are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, household consumption and exports. Physical capital and household consumption adversely affect economic growth, yet positively affects employment. Human capital positively affects economic growth, employment, and unemployment. Exports positively affect economic growth, but negatively affect employment. Further results show nonlinearity between employment and government expenditure. Government expenditure adversely affects employment. Also, economic growth and unemployment show nonlinearity with arable land. Arable land adversely affects economic growth but positively affects unemployment. Nonlinear results for economic growth and economic complexity with foreign direct investment but no nonlinearity in other remaining variables. For economic growth, low levels of foreign direct investment there is a positive effect of foreign direct investment on economic growth, however, at higher levels foreign direct investment are insignificant. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant, yet, higher levels of foreign direct investment there is a positive influence of foreign direct investment on economic complexity. Further results show economic growth and employment that are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, and household consumption. Human capital positively affects both economic growth and employment. Physical capital and household consumption are adversely affecting economic growth, yet positively affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between economic growth and government expenditure. Government expenditure adversely affects employment. More results, employment, and unemployment show nonlinearity results with exports. Exports adversely affect employment but positively affects unemployment. Results show economic growth and unemployment that are nonlinear with arable land. Arable land adversely affects economic growth, but positively affect unemployment. Nonlinear results for economic complexity only and other variables show no nonlinearity in the regressions. For economic complexity, low levels of foreign direct investment are insignificant, but at higher levels of foreign direct investment there is positive effect of foreign direct investment on economic complexity. More results show economic growth and employment that are nonlinear with human capital, physical capital, household consumption and exports. Human capital and exports positively affect economic growth, employment, and unemployment. Whereas, physical capital and household consumption adversely affects economic growth and unemployment, yet positively affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between employment and government expenditure. Government spending adversely affects employment. Further results show nonlinearity between economic growth and unemployment with arable land. Arable land positively affects unemployment, yet adversely affects economic growth. The following section discusses granger causality results. This study also employed granger causality tests. The causality results between economic growth, employment, economic complexity, unemployment, and private foreign direct investment. The causality results show that there is granger causality between economic growth and economic complexity with private foreign direct investment. Whereas, between bank foreign direct investment and other variables there is no granger causality. However, between total foreign direct investment and economic growth and employment there is granger causality. There are a number of policy recommendations that can be drawn from the study. The study results in overall revealed that BRICs (private and bank) FDI inflows had a positive impact on South Africa’s economic growth between 1997 and 2016. The study results suggest that the policy makers should focus the attention on lobbying foreign direct investment from BRICs economies, since this study shows positive impact and relationship between South Africa’s economic growth and BRICs FDI inflows. The BRICs economies should focus on enhancing investment partnership, preventing protectionism, and promoting intra-BRICS flows. In addition, South Africa should eliminate barriers affecting business with BRICs countries. Policy makers should promote the building of new companies (for example Greenfield Investment) so that the economy of South Africa could grow and create employment. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Economics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A best practice guideline for the management of the quality of objective structured clinical examinations at a multi-campus public college of nursing
- Authors: Nyangeni, Thandolwakhe
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Nursing assessment-- Management , Clinical Competence -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51466 , vital:43281
- Description: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a robust method of clinical assessment which, when properly planned and executed, results in a high quality and credible student assessment. However, concerns regarding its uniformity, fairness, objectivity and accuracy have been raised. Concerns regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a public College of Nursing in the Eastern Cape were raised by the College’s stakeholders. No best practice guideline had been developed regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs for this College. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at a public College of Nursing. The Transformative Pedagogy Theory proposed by Khedkar and Nair was used as a philosophical underpinning for this study. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) model for evidence-based healthcare was used as a theoretical basis for this study. In Phase One, a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from fourteen (n=14) nurse educators. Thereafter, a qualitative document analysis of fifteen (n=15) external moderators’ reports was conducted to explore the information external moderators shared regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. A document analysis checklist designed by the researcher was used to extract the data from external moderators’ reports. Tesch’s method of data analysis was utilised to analyse the data from the interviews while the data analysis process proposed by Dalglish, Khalid and McMahon was used to analyse the data from the external moderator’s reports. In Phase Two, an integrative literature review was conducted to search, select, extract, appraise and synthesise best practices regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs in health sciences education. The adapted integrative literature review steps, as proposed by de Souza, da Silva and de Carvalho, were utilised to guide this phase. Data of a total of thirteen (n=13) articles were extracted and synthesised. In Phase Three, the findings of Phase One and Phase Two were synthesised, as a basis for informing the development of a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs. The National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) frameworks were used as a basis for developing the best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. The draft best practice guideline was reviewed by eight (n=8) expert reviewers who were experienced in conducting OSCE’s and best practice guideline development. Lincoln and Guba’s principles—namely credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were applied to ensure the trustworthiness of the interview data. Wesley’s criteria- namely triangulation, thick description and audit trail were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the document analysis. The principles as stipulated in the Belmont Report were applied in order to ensure the ethical soundness of this study. Findings of the interviews and the document analysis in Phase One revealed that, while there are measures currently in place to facilitate quality in the management of OSCEs in this College of Nursing, there are gaps such as uncertainty in the assessment practices being used and resource constraints that hinder the overall quality of OSCEs. The participants indicated the need for the development of a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at this College. Findings from the integrative literature review in Phase Two revealed three themes, namely: apply quality measures in the preparation and planning phase of OSCEs; apply quality measures in the implementation phase of OSCEs; and apply quality measures in the evaluation phase of OSCEs. For Phase Three, the developed best practice guideline included three recommendations regarding the quality measures that should be applied in each of the three phases of OSCEs. It is recommended for the developed best practice guideline to be further refined, piloted and implemented to be used by nurse educators and other relevant stakeholders Once implemented, the guideline is expected to enhance the management of the quality of OSCEs at the multi-campus College of Nursing and, ultimately, nursing and patient outcomes through quality nursing education and assessment. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Nyangeni, Thandolwakhe
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Nursing assessment-- Management , Clinical Competence -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51466 , vital:43281
- Description: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a robust method of clinical assessment which, when properly planned and executed, results in a high quality and credible student assessment. However, concerns regarding its uniformity, fairness, objectivity and accuracy have been raised. Concerns regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a public College of Nursing in the Eastern Cape were raised by the College’s stakeholders. No best practice guideline had been developed regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs for this College. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at a public College of Nursing. The Transformative Pedagogy Theory proposed by Khedkar and Nair was used as a philosophical underpinning for this study. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) model for evidence-based healthcare was used as a theoretical basis for this study. In Phase One, a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from fourteen (n=14) nurse educators. Thereafter, a qualitative document analysis of fifteen (n=15) external moderators’ reports was conducted to explore the information external moderators shared regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. A document analysis checklist designed by the researcher was used to extract the data from external moderators’ reports. Tesch’s method of data analysis was utilised to analyse the data from the interviews while the data analysis process proposed by Dalglish, Khalid and McMahon was used to analyse the data from the external moderator’s reports. In Phase Two, an integrative literature review was conducted to search, select, extract, appraise and synthesise best practices regarding the management of the quality of OSCEs in health sciences education. The adapted integrative literature review steps, as proposed by de Souza, da Silva and de Carvalho, were utilised to guide this phase. Data of a total of thirteen (n=13) articles were extracted and synthesised. In Phase Three, the findings of Phase One and Phase Two were synthesised, as a basis for informing the development of a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs. The National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) frameworks were used as a basis for developing the best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at a multi-campus public College of Nursing. The draft best practice guideline was reviewed by eight (n=8) expert reviewers who were experienced in conducting OSCE’s and best practice guideline development. Lincoln and Guba’s principles—namely credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were applied to ensure the trustworthiness of the interview data. Wesley’s criteria- namely triangulation, thick description and audit trail were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the document analysis. The principles as stipulated in the Belmont Report were applied in order to ensure the ethical soundness of this study. Findings of the interviews and the document analysis in Phase One revealed that, while there are measures currently in place to facilitate quality in the management of OSCEs in this College of Nursing, there are gaps such as uncertainty in the assessment practices being used and resource constraints that hinder the overall quality of OSCEs. The participants indicated the need for the development of a best practice guideline for the management of the quality of OSCEs at this College. Findings from the integrative literature review in Phase Two revealed three themes, namely: apply quality measures in the preparation and planning phase of OSCEs; apply quality measures in the implementation phase of OSCEs; and apply quality measures in the evaluation phase of OSCEs. For Phase Three, the developed best practice guideline included three recommendations regarding the quality measures that should be applied in each of the three phases of OSCEs. It is recommended for the developed best practice guideline to be further refined, piloted and implemented to be used by nurse educators and other relevant stakeholders Once implemented, the guideline is expected to enhance the management of the quality of OSCEs at the multi-campus College of Nursing and, ultimately, nursing and patient outcomes through quality nursing education and assessment. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A case study assessment of the ecological and social status of the South African boat-based whale watching industry
- Authors: Tolsma, Minke
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Whale watching --South Africa , Dolphin watching
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55887 , vital:54397
- Description: Boat-based whale-watching (BBWW) is a rapidly growing marine tourism industry globally and in South Africa (SA). BBWW in SA was established in 1998, and since then the number of permits available has doubled from 20 to 40. However, the establishment and past growth of the industry was undertaken without ecological research or impact assessments. Global research has shown that BBWW has the potential to cause short-term changes in cetacean behaviour and movement, which in turn can have long-term population-level consequences. National policies to grow ocean economies in SA may encourage excessive growth in the BBWW industry, impacting the ecological sustainability. In the absence of long-term impact data, the BBWW industry should be managed to minimise short-term changes. This study aimed to determine the social and ecological status of the SA BBWW industry, using Plettenberg Bay as a case study, to inform its long term sustainability. To achieve this aim: 1) the short-term behavioural and movement responses of six cetacean species to encounters with commercial BBWW vessels were measured; 2) the efficacy of three permit regulations (approach speed, approach angle, and encounter duration) to prevent short-term behavioural changes in three cetacean species was measured; 3) rates of compliance of BBWWoperators with current regulations were recorded; 4) BBWW tourists’ expectations of and satisfaction with the industry were investigated; as well as 5) operators’ views on the current permit regulations of the industry All research was conducted between September 2018 and November 2020 in Plettenberg Bay (SA) where two BBWW companies operating two vessels each are active. Three dolphin (bottlenose, common and humpback dolphins) and three whale (Bryde’s, humpback and southern right whales) species are targeted by the industry, and were encountered during this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Tolsma, Minke
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Whale watching --South Africa , Dolphin watching
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55887 , vital:54397
- Description: Boat-based whale-watching (BBWW) is a rapidly growing marine tourism industry globally and in South Africa (SA). BBWW in SA was established in 1998, and since then the number of permits available has doubled from 20 to 40. However, the establishment and past growth of the industry was undertaken without ecological research or impact assessments. Global research has shown that BBWW has the potential to cause short-term changes in cetacean behaviour and movement, which in turn can have long-term population-level consequences. National policies to grow ocean economies in SA may encourage excessive growth in the BBWW industry, impacting the ecological sustainability. In the absence of long-term impact data, the BBWW industry should be managed to minimise short-term changes. This study aimed to determine the social and ecological status of the SA BBWW industry, using Plettenberg Bay as a case study, to inform its long term sustainability. To achieve this aim: 1) the short-term behavioural and movement responses of six cetacean species to encounters with commercial BBWW vessels were measured; 2) the efficacy of three permit regulations (approach speed, approach angle, and encounter duration) to prevent short-term behavioural changes in three cetacean species was measured; 3) rates of compliance of BBWWoperators with current regulations were recorded; 4) BBWW tourists’ expectations of and satisfaction with the industry were investigated; as well as 5) operators’ views on the current permit regulations of the industry All research was conducted between September 2018 and November 2020 in Plettenberg Bay (SA) where two BBWW companies operating two vessels each are active. Three dolphin (bottlenose, common and humpback dolphins) and three whale (Bryde’s, humpback and southern right whales) species are targeted by the industry, and were encountered during this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
A corporate strategy framework to increase financial performance in Zimbabwean firms
- Authors: Matanhire, Farai
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- Zimbabwe -- Finance -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54047 , vital:46206
- Description: The world over, contrasting company performance by firms in the same operating environment and industry has been a conundrum. Firms do not operate in a vacuum, but within spheres where various factors around them affect their performances. To that end, heterogeneous firm performance is a common phenomenon that is influenced by a number of factors, including how management develops appropriate selections, trade-offs and calculated choices to be dissimilar from other players in the market in order to gain a competitive advantage that will lead to superior financial performance. A collection of actions that management puts in place to out-perform competing firms in order to achieve greater profitability is called corporate strategy. These plans of action include the effective management of the socio-political and cultural institutions in a manner beneficial to the organisation. This plan of action on the socio-political and cultural institutions gives rise to institutional strategic management. The formulation of corporate strategies is done through a process that involves a set of rules, ideas or beliefs called frameworks, which include the Resource Based Strategy Framework, Business Models, Innovation and Institutionalism. Research has shown that the financial performance of firms is driven by a number of factors, namely corporate strategy, industry competitiveness, operating environment and core competencies amongst other factors. There is a plethora of determinants for the performance of firms and the complexity in the current business environment that has contributed to some models becoming obsolete while others remain relevant. It is against this background that the primary research objective of establishing a corporate strategy framework used by Zimbabwean firms to increase financial performance was developed. To answer this primary research objective, secondary objectives to (a) determine the impact of the Resource-Based Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (b) ascertain the impact of business models using Porter’s Generic Strategies Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (c) determine the impact of the Institutional Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (d) determine the impact of the Innovation Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (e) establish the joint impact of the Resource-Based Strategy framework, Business Models, Institutional Strategies and Innovation Strategies on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; and (f) establish other corporate strategy frameworks used by Zimbabwean firms to increase financial performance, were developed. The study population was the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) listed firms that fairly represented all the major operating sectors and firms in Zimbabwe. The researcher adopted a mixed research design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to best reflect the critical strategy elements that were increasing financial performance in Zimbabwean firms. Qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with executive managers of ZSE firms. Triangulation was achieved by comparing and contrasting data collected from interviews to secondary data extracted from websites, reports and audited financial statements. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis was done using RQDA, an open-source computer-aided data software. ZSE listed firms were categorised into the five sectors of basic materials, consumer goods, consumer services, financial services and industrials. These firms were further categorised into excellent, medium, poor and very poor performers. Collected data was analysed to establish strategies that were used by excellent, medium, poor and very poor firms to see if they were using the same and figure out the impact of the various strategy frameworks on the financial performance on Zimbabwean firms. Data was analysed using univariate, ordinal and binomial logistics regression analysis. These data analysis models confirmed that RBS was a significant driver of financial performance for ZSE listed firms when all the strategy frameworks were combined. However, evaluating the impact of each strategy framework separately showed that all the frameworks were significant in driving financial performance, with the exception of the Institutional Strategy Framework. All the firms were doing more or less the same on Institutional Strategy Framework (ISF), hence it could not be a predictor of financial performance under the regression models. However, the ISF had a high score on univariate evaluation method. It is against this background that the study recommended the use of the Resource Based Strategy Framework (RBS) in pursuit of increasing financial performance of firms as this has been empirically found to have a significant impact on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Matanhire, Farai
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- Zimbabwe -- Finance -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54047 , vital:46206
- Description: The world over, contrasting company performance by firms in the same operating environment and industry has been a conundrum. Firms do not operate in a vacuum, but within spheres where various factors around them affect their performances. To that end, heterogeneous firm performance is a common phenomenon that is influenced by a number of factors, including how management develops appropriate selections, trade-offs and calculated choices to be dissimilar from other players in the market in order to gain a competitive advantage that will lead to superior financial performance. A collection of actions that management puts in place to out-perform competing firms in order to achieve greater profitability is called corporate strategy. These plans of action include the effective management of the socio-political and cultural institutions in a manner beneficial to the organisation. This plan of action on the socio-political and cultural institutions gives rise to institutional strategic management. The formulation of corporate strategies is done through a process that involves a set of rules, ideas or beliefs called frameworks, which include the Resource Based Strategy Framework, Business Models, Innovation and Institutionalism. Research has shown that the financial performance of firms is driven by a number of factors, namely corporate strategy, industry competitiveness, operating environment and core competencies amongst other factors. There is a plethora of determinants for the performance of firms and the complexity in the current business environment that has contributed to some models becoming obsolete while others remain relevant. It is against this background that the primary research objective of establishing a corporate strategy framework used by Zimbabwean firms to increase financial performance was developed. To answer this primary research objective, secondary objectives to (a) determine the impact of the Resource-Based Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (b) ascertain the impact of business models using Porter’s Generic Strategies Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (c) determine the impact of the Institutional Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (d) determine the impact of the Innovation Strategy Framework on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; (e) establish the joint impact of the Resource-Based Strategy framework, Business Models, Institutional Strategies and Innovation Strategies on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe; and (f) establish other corporate strategy frameworks used by Zimbabwean firms to increase financial performance, were developed. The study population was the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) listed firms that fairly represented all the major operating sectors and firms in Zimbabwe. The researcher adopted a mixed research design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to best reflect the critical strategy elements that were increasing financial performance in Zimbabwean firms. Qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with executive managers of ZSE firms. Triangulation was achieved by comparing and contrasting data collected from interviews to secondary data extracted from websites, reports and audited financial statements. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis was done using RQDA, an open-source computer-aided data software. ZSE listed firms were categorised into the five sectors of basic materials, consumer goods, consumer services, financial services and industrials. These firms were further categorised into excellent, medium, poor and very poor performers. Collected data was analysed to establish strategies that were used by excellent, medium, poor and very poor firms to see if they were using the same and figure out the impact of the various strategy frameworks on the financial performance on Zimbabwean firms. Data was analysed using univariate, ordinal and binomial logistics regression analysis. These data analysis models confirmed that RBS was a significant driver of financial performance for ZSE listed firms when all the strategy frameworks were combined. However, evaluating the impact of each strategy framework separately showed that all the frameworks were significant in driving financial performance, with the exception of the Institutional Strategy Framework. All the firms were doing more or less the same on Institutional Strategy Framework (ISF), hence it could not be a predictor of financial performance under the regression models. However, the ISF had a high score on univariate evaluation method. It is against this background that the study recommended the use of the Resource Based Strategy Framework (RBS) in pursuit of increasing financial performance of firms as this has been empirically found to have a significant impact on the financial performance of firms in Zimbabwe. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
A framework for public infrastructure financing in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Kapesa, Tonderai
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Finance, Public -- Accounting -- Standards , Accounting -- Standards , Finance -- Zimbabwe , Infrastructure (Economics) -- Zimbabwe -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51688 , vital:43363
- Description: The Government of Zimbabwe is operating using the mantra: ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’. The notion of opening for business requires robust supporting economic infrastructure for enhanced productivity, in the form of reliable supply of electricity, accessible road/railway transport networks and availability of contemporary Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. The aim of the study was to develop a framework for making financing decisions for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study are to: determine the main sources of public infrastructure financing in Zimbabwe; establish innovative finance’s capacity to close the public infrastructure financing gap in Zimbabwe; assess the role played by public-sector accounting in attracting appropriate and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe; and ultimately to develop and recommend a framework for selecting suitable and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. According to literature reviewed, public infrastructure is broadly financed by public sector entities using their own resources (internally financed) or through private sector investments and innovative financing instruments (externally financed). When infrastructure is internally financed, the study is theoretically guided by the Public Goods Theory and the Theory of Public Finance and Public Policy. When externally financed, the Risk Return and Pecking Order theories are important. There are many instruments used to finance public infrastructure and one project may be financed using one or more instruments. Therefore, considerations are given to the need for a framework that helps improve the efficiency of the financing decision. The study was designed as a multiple case study that focused on four sectors of economic infrastructure, that is, transport, energy (electricity), ICT as well as water and sanitation. The research used synchronous mixed methods to achieve the objectives of the study. Qualitative research methods addressed the following objectives: a) to determine the main sources of public infrastructure financing in Zimbabwe; b) to establish innovative finance’s capacity to close the public infrastructure financing gap in Zimbabwe; and c) to assess the role played by public-sector accounting in attracting appropriate and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. Whilst to develop and recommend a framework for selecting suitable and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe the study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with officials and staff from government ministries, government departments, as well as parastatal enterprises dealing with the four infrastructure types. The same respondents were asked to complete a survey questionnaire used to address part of the objective that developed a framework for public infrastructure financing. Interview data were triangulated using secondary data extracted from reports and financial statements. Some of the secondary data was collected from the World Bank’s development indicators online repository. Qualitative data analysis was done using RQDA, an open-source computer-aided data analysis software. Findings from the study revealed that the main sources of finance for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe are the government through budget appropriations, and concessionary loans from the China Export-Import Bank. There was also finance obtained from multilateral financial institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the African Export-Import Bank. The study revealed that there is currently very limited use of innovative financing instruments such as PPPs in financing public infrastructure in Zimbabwe, despite the country having legislation to support such financing arrangements. The innovations in financing observed in the study entail the use of conventional financing mechanisms in unconventional ways. However, there is scope for improving the financing of public infrastructure using innovative financing mechanisms and significantly mitigate the financing gap. Public sector accountants in Zimbabwe are mainly active in financial reporting, although the financial statements for most ministries, government departments and parastatal enterprises had qualified audit opinions from the Auditor General’s office. Public sector accountants are not active in financial management and cost and management accounting responsibilities. As a result, public sector accountants are not adding value to public money through offering advisory services in the efficient investment of public money, as well as financing public infrastructure assets using the most efficient financing mechanism. There is no uniformly applied framework when making financing decisions for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. Therefore, a framework was developed and is recommended for use by this study. The developed framework entails eight steps that are interrelated and interconnected. Use of the proposed framework requires availability of data about infrastructure projects that have been done in the past. The study recommends that Zimbabwe should ensure a robust framework for protecting private sector investments, which can be achieved by ensuring policy consistency; creating and implementing a legal framework that protects private capital; and having economically viable infrastructure sectors, that are liberalised to allow private sector participation. The Government of Zimbabwe must take deliberate actions that ensure variety of financing options at the disposal of the public sector to lower costs of financing public infrastructure. It is also important to fully operationalise the legislation and policies designed to facilitate the participation of the private sector in financing public sector projects. Such operationalisation entails a decentralisation of the regulations and policies to the provincial and municipal levels. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Accounting, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Kapesa, Tonderai
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Finance, Public -- Accounting -- Standards , Accounting -- Standards , Finance -- Zimbabwe , Infrastructure (Economics) -- Zimbabwe -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51688 , vital:43363
- Description: The Government of Zimbabwe is operating using the mantra: ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’. The notion of opening for business requires robust supporting economic infrastructure for enhanced productivity, in the form of reliable supply of electricity, accessible road/railway transport networks and availability of contemporary Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. The aim of the study was to develop a framework for making financing decisions for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study are to: determine the main sources of public infrastructure financing in Zimbabwe; establish innovative finance’s capacity to close the public infrastructure financing gap in Zimbabwe; assess the role played by public-sector accounting in attracting appropriate and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe; and ultimately to develop and recommend a framework for selecting suitable and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. According to literature reviewed, public infrastructure is broadly financed by public sector entities using their own resources (internally financed) or through private sector investments and innovative financing instruments (externally financed). When infrastructure is internally financed, the study is theoretically guided by the Public Goods Theory and the Theory of Public Finance and Public Policy. When externally financed, the Risk Return and Pecking Order theories are important. There are many instruments used to finance public infrastructure and one project may be financed using one or more instruments. Therefore, considerations are given to the need for a framework that helps improve the efficiency of the financing decision. The study was designed as a multiple case study that focused on four sectors of economic infrastructure, that is, transport, energy (electricity), ICT as well as water and sanitation. The research used synchronous mixed methods to achieve the objectives of the study. Qualitative research methods addressed the following objectives: a) to determine the main sources of public infrastructure financing in Zimbabwe; b) to establish innovative finance’s capacity to close the public infrastructure financing gap in Zimbabwe; and c) to assess the role played by public-sector accounting in attracting appropriate and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. Whilst to develop and recommend a framework for selecting suitable and efficient mechanisms to finance public infrastructure in Zimbabwe the study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with officials and staff from government ministries, government departments, as well as parastatal enterprises dealing with the four infrastructure types. The same respondents were asked to complete a survey questionnaire used to address part of the objective that developed a framework for public infrastructure financing. Interview data were triangulated using secondary data extracted from reports and financial statements. Some of the secondary data was collected from the World Bank’s development indicators online repository. Qualitative data analysis was done using RQDA, an open-source computer-aided data analysis software. Findings from the study revealed that the main sources of finance for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe are the government through budget appropriations, and concessionary loans from the China Export-Import Bank. There was also finance obtained from multilateral financial institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the African Export-Import Bank. The study revealed that there is currently very limited use of innovative financing instruments such as PPPs in financing public infrastructure in Zimbabwe, despite the country having legislation to support such financing arrangements. The innovations in financing observed in the study entail the use of conventional financing mechanisms in unconventional ways. However, there is scope for improving the financing of public infrastructure using innovative financing mechanisms and significantly mitigate the financing gap. Public sector accountants in Zimbabwe are mainly active in financial reporting, although the financial statements for most ministries, government departments and parastatal enterprises had qualified audit opinions from the Auditor General’s office. Public sector accountants are not active in financial management and cost and management accounting responsibilities. As a result, public sector accountants are not adding value to public money through offering advisory services in the efficient investment of public money, as well as financing public infrastructure assets using the most efficient financing mechanism. There is no uniformly applied framework when making financing decisions for public infrastructure in Zimbabwe. Therefore, a framework was developed and is recommended for use by this study. The developed framework entails eight steps that are interrelated and interconnected. Use of the proposed framework requires availability of data about infrastructure projects that have been done in the past. The study recommends that Zimbabwe should ensure a robust framework for protecting private sector investments, which can be achieved by ensuring policy consistency; creating and implementing a legal framework that protects private capital; and having economically viable infrastructure sectors, that are liberalised to allow private sector participation. The Government of Zimbabwe must take deliberate actions that ensure variety of financing options at the disposal of the public sector to lower costs of financing public infrastructure. It is also important to fully operationalise the legislation and policies designed to facilitate the participation of the private sector in financing public sector projects. Such operationalisation entails a decentralisation of the regulations and policies to the provincial and municipal levels. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Accounting, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A framework for transmitting and entrenching values in indigenous black South African family businesses
- Authors: Kupangwa, Welcome
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53991 , vital:46171
- Description: Family businesses are the predominant form of business globally and their importance to the economies of countries and job creation are often highlighted. In comparison to non-family businesses, family businesses are often described as having several unique characteristics such as a long-term orientation, being more emotions-laden, and having multiple family generations work in the business. Family businesses are also more deeply rooted in their cultures and values than non-family businesses are, and it is these values that contribute to their uniqueness and longevity. The dominant cultures and values found in family businesses are often associated with those of the founders and their families, and most founders want successive generations to run their family businesses according to established traditions and core values. Despite their importance in both developed and developing economies, family businesses face significant challenges to survive and prosper across generations. One such challenge involves the transmission of values from business founders and/or current leaders to the next generation of family members. If these values are not transmitted to and shared by the next generation, and not entrenched into the functions and processes of their family business, the functioning of the family and the family business are at risk. Existing research on values in family businesses reveals limited knowledge of values transmission to the next generation of family members. In addition, questions remain unanswered as to how values are institutionalised and entrenched into family businesses, and how these values contribute to their longevity and success. Given the need to understand the role of values in the transgenerational success of family businesses, many research calls have been made to investigate the nature of values, values transmission and values entrenchment among family businesses, including those in developing countries. In response to these calls the primary objective of this study was to provide a framework for explaining how values are transmitted among indigenous Black South African business owning families and how these values are entrenched into their family businesses. Investigating values in the context of indigenous Black South African business owning families highlights the influence of indigenous culture on the transmission and entrenchment processes. This study is positioned in the interpretivism and the postmodernism research paradigm. Both deductive and inductive reasoning to theory development and qualitative methodological approach were adopted to create new and richer understandings and interpretations of the phenomena under investigation. Utilising a multiple and descriptive case study methodology, data was collected from seven indigenous Black South African family businesses through semi-structured interviews. To corroborate the interview findings, observations, document analysis and field notes were also used for data collection, which was then analysed utilising reflexive thematic analysis. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Kupangwa, Welcome
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53991 , vital:46171
- Description: Family businesses are the predominant form of business globally and their importance to the economies of countries and job creation are often highlighted. In comparison to non-family businesses, family businesses are often described as having several unique characteristics such as a long-term orientation, being more emotions-laden, and having multiple family generations work in the business. Family businesses are also more deeply rooted in their cultures and values than non-family businesses are, and it is these values that contribute to their uniqueness and longevity. The dominant cultures and values found in family businesses are often associated with those of the founders and their families, and most founders want successive generations to run their family businesses according to established traditions and core values. Despite their importance in both developed and developing economies, family businesses face significant challenges to survive and prosper across generations. One such challenge involves the transmission of values from business founders and/or current leaders to the next generation of family members. If these values are not transmitted to and shared by the next generation, and not entrenched into the functions and processes of their family business, the functioning of the family and the family business are at risk. Existing research on values in family businesses reveals limited knowledge of values transmission to the next generation of family members. In addition, questions remain unanswered as to how values are institutionalised and entrenched into family businesses, and how these values contribute to their longevity and success. Given the need to understand the role of values in the transgenerational success of family businesses, many research calls have been made to investigate the nature of values, values transmission and values entrenchment among family businesses, including those in developing countries. In response to these calls the primary objective of this study was to provide a framework for explaining how values are transmitted among indigenous Black South African business owning families and how these values are entrenched into their family businesses. Investigating values in the context of indigenous Black South African business owning families highlights the influence of indigenous culture on the transmission and entrenchment processes. This study is positioned in the interpretivism and the postmodernism research paradigm. Both deductive and inductive reasoning to theory development and qualitative methodological approach were adopted to create new and richer understandings and interpretations of the phenomena under investigation. Utilising a multiple and descriptive case study methodology, data was collected from seven indigenous Black South African family businesses through semi-structured interviews. To corroborate the interview findings, observations, document analysis and field notes were also used for data collection, which was then analysed utilising reflexive thematic analysis. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
A framework to integrate social entrepreneurship into development planning in South Africa
- Authors: Nwauche, Sokeibelemaye
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52982 , vital:44881
- Description: The thesis presents a framework to integrate social entrepreneurship (SE) into development planning in South Africa. Even though there is no consensus on a universally accepted definition of the term, there is concurrence that SE brings about social change that can influence the overall development of the community. In South Africa, SE is thus conceived of as one of the mechanisms for addressing the wicked and persistent socio-economic challenges that face the country. Social entrepreneurship occurs in areas such as education, health, skills development, youth programmes, rehabilitation, safety, food security, poverty, job creation, human rights activism, environmental issues, arts and culture, among others. However, it remains unclear how SE is integrated into the development planning and implementation processes. Questions of integrating SE into development planning are asked within the context of South Africa as a democratic developmental state that intervenes in the development process. It emphasises the mobilization of and engagement with all sectors towards the achievement of its development objectives as articulated in the national development plan (NDP). Also, government recognizes organizations in the social enterprise sector (such as NPOs and NPCs) as stakeholders and development partners who deliver relevant services towards the achievement of these development objectives. However, there is a lack of framework to mobilize and integrate the social enterprise sector and SE into the development planning process. Social entrepreneurship, therefore, tends to occur in insolation from other development programmes. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Nwauche, Sokeibelemaye
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52982 , vital:44881
- Description: The thesis presents a framework to integrate social entrepreneurship (SE) into development planning in South Africa. Even though there is no consensus on a universally accepted definition of the term, there is concurrence that SE brings about social change that can influence the overall development of the community. In South Africa, SE is thus conceived of as one of the mechanisms for addressing the wicked and persistent socio-economic challenges that face the country. Social entrepreneurship occurs in areas such as education, health, skills development, youth programmes, rehabilitation, safety, food security, poverty, job creation, human rights activism, environmental issues, arts and culture, among others. However, it remains unclear how SE is integrated into the development planning and implementation processes. Questions of integrating SE into development planning are asked within the context of South Africa as a democratic developmental state that intervenes in the development process. It emphasises the mobilization of and engagement with all sectors towards the achievement of its development objectives as articulated in the national development plan (NDP). Also, government recognizes organizations in the social enterprise sector (such as NPOs and NPCs) as stakeholders and development partners who deliver relevant services towards the achievement of these development objectives. However, there is a lack of framework to mobilize and integrate the social enterprise sector and SE into the development planning process. Social entrepreneurship, therefore, tends to occur in insolation from other development programmes. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A Functional Data Analysis approach to understand patterns imbedded within various data types
- Authors: Mangisa, Siphumlile
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Data mining
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52091 , vital:43426
- Description: The thesis investigates the use of the novel Functional Data Analysis (FDA) methods in tackling various data types. Strong motivation is provided for the use of interesting opportunities offered by FDA to analyse not only economic data, but generally, data from any domain. The use of these methods is illustrated using three unique self-contained case-studies from econometrics. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Mangisa, Siphumlile
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Data mining
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52091 , vital:43426
- Description: The thesis investigates the use of the novel Functional Data Analysis (FDA) methods in tackling various data types. Strong motivation is provided for the use of interesting opportunities offered by FDA to analyse not only economic data, but generally, data from any domain. The use of these methods is illustrated using three unique self-contained case-studies from econometrics. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A multiple case study exploration into community members’ ecopsychological responses to environmental degradation in South Africa
- Authors: Barnwell, Garret
- Date: 2021-03
- Subjects: Environmental psychology -- South Africa , Environmental degradation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54892 , vital:48377
- Description: The psychological impact of environmental degradation in South Africa and its impact on communities’ relationships to the natural world is an understudied area. This study’s main aim was to explore community members’ reactions and responses to different forms of environmental degradation in South Africa by analysing two case studies: Rustenburg in the North West province and Limpopo province’s Vhembe District. The qualitative case studies relied on emplaced individual and focus group interviews. The findings from this study are presented in this doctoral thesis by publication. The first case study of Rustenburg in the North West’s platinum mining belt was selected due to the extractive industry’s historical impact on the natural environment, which is interlinked with the identity and heritage of host mining communities who could be considered land and environmental defenders. Two publications have been published on this case study. The first article, Critical reflections from South Africa: Using the Power Threat Meaning Framework to place climate-related distress in its socio-political context, was published in the British Psychology Society’s Clinical Psychology Forum Special Issue: Psychology and the Climate and Environmental Crisis in August 2020 and provides a critical reflection on psychological distress in Rustenburg, and questions whether popular terms used, such as “climate anxieties”, are useful for communities confronted by ecological crises. The paper concludes that there is danger in the dehistoricisation and medicalisation of distress that is rooted in climate, land and environmental injustices. The paper sets the scene for papers to follow that examine the interrelationship between place attachments and psychological responses to environmental degradation associated with slow violence. The second article, ’Nothing green can grow without being on the land’: Mine-affected communities’ psychological experiences of ecological degradation and resistance in Rustenburg, South Africa, was published in Community Psychology in Global Perspective Special Issue: Communities reclaiming power and social justice in the face of climate change and presents a broad overview of psychological responses to ecological degradation associated with environmental injustices. The paper suggests that psychological distress is attributed to environmental injustices. Furthermore, the process of place severing – the psychological threats, harms and disruptions to place-based dialogues – contributes to distress experienced in extractive settings. The two articles in this case study concluded by demonstrating how community resistance plays a part in addressing cumulative ecological harms and restoring the ancestral relationship with place. The second case study in the Vhembe District was selected due to the community’s psycho-spiritual connection to the sacred sites in the area and the histories of environmental degradation in the area. Article three, ‘Mupo is life’: Intergenerational community identity and safeguarding of sacred natural sites is in press in the journal Ecopsychology. The paper found that place plays a role in shaping and transferring intergenerational community identities. Furthermore, Zwifho shape worldviews about Mupo, i.e. all of existence, that underpin land and environmental defenders’ responses to environmental degradation and place severing. The fourth article, “Restoring roots”: Lived experiences of place severing and dialogical resurgence associated with deforestation and land dispossession in Limpopo province, South Africa, is under review by AWRY: Journal of Critical Psychology. The article demonstrates that place severing is rooted in histories of colonialism and that distress is related to losses and cumulative ecological harm. Furthermore, the article shows how decolonial dialogical resurgence responds to the mechanisms that drive place severing. The fifth and final publication, Grounding community psychology in ecopsychosocial accompaniment, is a chapter that explores opportunities for community psychologists to accompany others, specifically in relationship with people who have experienced displacement and environmental justice struggles. Collectively, these four articles and book chapter present the first publications of a larger research study that spans two South African case studies and that should yield several more publications. These publications draw on critical psychologies, including decolonial theory, liberation psychology, critical community psychology and radical ecopsychology. Within this thesis, the journal articles and book chapter are consolidated by an overarching discussion chapter that situates these five publications within the context of existing literature, and describes how existing theory and methodology have been advanced. The study demonstrates the interconnectedness between histories of colonialism, land injustices and environmental degradation that contribute to intergenerational psychological distress. Grassroots community organising groups play a critical role in addressing the resulting cumulative environmental harms through place-based resistance and dialogical resurgence. Moreover, the study suggests that critical psychologies have important roles to play in supporting land and environmental justice struggles through critical research, evaluations and assessments, and litigation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-03
- Authors: Barnwell, Garret
- Date: 2021-03
- Subjects: Environmental psychology -- South Africa , Environmental degradation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54892 , vital:48377
- Description: The psychological impact of environmental degradation in South Africa and its impact on communities’ relationships to the natural world is an understudied area. This study’s main aim was to explore community members’ reactions and responses to different forms of environmental degradation in South Africa by analysing two case studies: Rustenburg in the North West province and Limpopo province’s Vhembe District. The qualitative case studies relied on emplaced individual and focus group interviews. The findings from this study are presented in this doctoral thesis by publication. The first case study of Rustenburg in the North West’s platinum mining belt was selected due to the extractive industry’s historical impact on the natural environment, which is interlinked with the identity and heritage of host mining communities who could be considered land and environmental defenders. Two publications have been published on this case study. The first article, Critical reflections from South Africa: Using the Power Threat Meaning Framework to place climate-related distress in its socio-political context, was published in the British Psychology Society’s Clinical Psychology Forum Special Issue: Psychology and the Climate and Environmental Crisis in August 2020 and provides a critical reflection on psychological distress in Rustenburg, and questions whether popular terms used, such as “climate anxieties”, are useful for communities confronted by ecological crises. The paper concludes that there is danger in the dehistoricisation and medicalisation of distress that is rooted in climate, land and environmental injustices. The paper sets the scene for papers to follow that examine the interrelationship between place attachments and psychological responses to environmental degradation associated with slow violence. The second article, ’Nothing green can grow without being on the land’: Mine-affected communities’ psychological experiences of ecological degradation and resistance in Rustenburg, South Africa, was published in Community Psychology in Global Perspective Special Issue: Communities reclaiming power and social justice in the face of climate change and presents a broad overview of psychological responses to ecological degradation associated with environmental injustices. The paper suggests that psychological distress is attributed to environmental injustices. Furthermore, the process of place severing – the psychological threats, harms and disruptions to place-based dialogues – contributes to distress experienced in extractive settings. The two articles in this case study concluded by demonstrating how community resistance plays a part in addressing cumulative ecological harms and restoring the ancestral relationship with place. The second case study in the Vhembe District was selected due to the community’s psycho-spiritual connection to the sacred sites in the area and the histories of environmental degradation in the area. Article three, ‘Mupo is life’: Intergenerational community identity and safeguarding of sacred natural sites is in press in the journal Ecopsychology. The paper found that place plays a role in shaping and transferring intergenerational community identities. Furthermore, Zwifho shape worldviews about Mupo, i.e. all of existence, that underpin land and environmental defenders’ responses to environmental degradation and place severing. The fourth article, “Restoring roots”: Lived experiences of place severing and dialogical resurgence associated with deforestation and land dispossession in Limpopo province, South Africa, is under review by AWRY: Journal of Critical Psychology. The article demonstrates that place severing is rooted in histories of colonialism and that distress is related to losses and cumulative ecological harm. Furthermore, the article shows how decolonial dialogical resurgence responds to the mechanisms that drive place severing. The fifth and final publication, Grounding community psychology in ecopsychosocial accompaniment, is a chapter that explores opportunities for community psychologists to accompany others, specifically in relationship with people who have experienced displacement and environmental justice struggles. Collectively, these four articles and book chapter present the first publications of a larger research study that spans two South African case studies and that should yield several more publications. These publications draw on critical psychologies, including decolonial theory, liberation psychology, critical community psychology and radical ecopsychology. Within this thesis, the journal articles and book chapter are consolidated by an overarching discussion chapter that situates these five publications within the context of existing literature, and describes how existing theory and methodology have been advanced. The study demonstrates the interconnectedness between histories of colonialism, land injustices and environmental degradation that contribute to intergenerational psychological distress. Grassroots community organising groups play a critical role in addressing the resulting cumulative environmental harms through place-based resistance and dialogical resurgence. Moreover, the study suggests that critical psychologies have important roles to play in supporting land and environmental justice struggles through critical research, evaluations and assessments, and litigation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-03
A political economy of transformation in Nelson Mandela University Bay: a critical analysis of the construction sector 2005
- Authors: Mtimka, Ongama
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Transformation -- Port Elizabeth -- Nelson Mandela Bay , Construction industry -- South Africa –Port Elizabeth , Politics -- Nelson Mandela Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59392 , vital:62077
- Description: In democracies and purportedly free market economies, questions of “who gets what, when, and how” ought to be resolved mainly through free competition, where those with the competitive advantage on merit are guaranteed to succeed. If it is political parties, they only have to compete well and fairly to win elections. If it is businesses, they ought to have the best value and price and they win customers. However, there are institutions which regulate this competition and political economic behaviour. Interest groups such as business chambers, industry and professional associations, as well as various structures of representation engage in the political economic space to sway the distribution outcomes from these “institutions” in the favour of their members. To do so, at times they use methods that affirm the principles and spirit of free competition and at other times, they do not. This thesis reviews the political economy of transformation within the construction sector in Nelson Mandela Bay to further advance knowledge within the subfield of political economy in South Africa. By looking at a specific economic sector, the study adds an important element to the sub-discipline, a nuance to the debates about the role of the state in the economy or macroeconomic policy and the much studied mining-energy complex. The study focuses on the role of small business forums created mostly by newcomers within the construction sector in the city and the methods they used to increase the share of their members in construction sector revenues. Their methods were unconventional and earned them the unfavourable term of ‘the construction mafia’. Through a grounded theoretical research process, this study details the story of the rise and fall of forums and dissects it in line with ongoing debates within political economy and related disciplines, particularly about the nexus between politics and business as well as the role of interest groups in pluralist political systems. Among other things, the study finds that the forums did not see the construction industry as a free market and did not take principles of competition in the sector as a given. As such, they sought to make and remake institutions of the sector in ways that could increase their share of revenues. In similar fashion to the roles of iinjoli nosokhaya in traditional isiXhosa ceremonies, they accorded to themselves the right to distribute benefits to their members contrary to legal and general market prescripts. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Government and Social sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
- Authors: Mtimka, Ongama
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Transformation -- Port Elizabeth -- Nelson Mandela Bay , Construction industry -- South Africa –Port Elizabeth , Politics -- Nelson Mandela Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59392 , vital:62077
- Description: In democracies and purportedly free market economies, questions of “who gets what, when, and how” ought to be resolved mainly through free competition, where those with the competitive advantage on merit are guaranteed to succeed. If it is political parties, they only have to compete well and fairly to win elections. If it is businesses, they ought to have the best value and price and they win customers. However, there are institutions which regulate this competition and political economic behaviour. Interest groups such as business chambers, industry and professional associations, as well as various structures of representation engage in the political economic space to sway the distribution outcomes from these “institutions” in the favour of their members. To do so, at times they use methods that affirm the principles and spirit of free competition and at other times, they do not. This thesis reviews the political economy of transformation within the construction sector in Nelson Mandela Bay to further advance knowledge within the subfield of political economy in South Africa. By looking at a specific economic sector, the study adds an important element to the sub-discipline, a nuance to the debates about the role of the state in the economy or macroeconomic policy and the much studied mining-energy complex. The study focuses on the role of small business forums created mostly by newcomers within the construction sector in the city and the methods they used to increase the share of their members in construction sector revenues. Their methods were unconventional and earned them the unfavourable term of ‘the construction mafia’. Through a grounded theoretical research process, this study details the story of the rise and fall of forums and dissects it in line with ongoing debates within political economy and related disciplines, particularly about the nexus between politics and business as well as the role of interest groups in pluralist political systems. Among other things, the study finds that the forums did not see the construction industry as a free market and did not take principles of competition in the sector as a given. As such, they sought to make and remake institutions of the sector in ways that could increase their share of revenues. In similar fashion to the roles of iinjoli nosokhaya in traditional isiXhosa ceremonies, they accorded to themselves the right to distribute benefits to their members contrary to legal and general market prescripts. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Government and Social sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
A problematisation of Afrikaner identity subject positions as found in the coverage of contemporary Afrikaans music in HUISGENOOT magazine discourse
- Authors: Hughes, Lestie
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Afrikaners -- South Africa -- Music -- History and criticism , Multimedia (Art)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52558 , vital:43686
- Description: Through the lens of Foucauldian genealogy, this thesis problematises the subject positions towards Afrikaner identity reflected in contemporary Afrikaans songs covered by Huisgenoot magazine. Such a genealogical exploration thematises the games of truth underpinning the formation of Huisgenoot, highlights its role in solidifying white Afrikaner Nationalist discourse of apartheid, observes its more populist, profit-oriented approach from the 1970s onwards and considers the residual echoing of its former discursive orientation. The song analysis of selected Afrikaans songs/music videos covered in Huisgenoot is guided by the semiotics of Nicholas Cook, such that it frames the analytical question of how such music is driven by conformance, contest and complementation between multi-media elements in ways that make meaning possible. Accordingly, this methodology resonates with the non-essentialising focus of Foucauldian problematisation, premised on critical resistance that makes new responses simultaneously possible. The self-reflexive autoethnographical approach employed, entailing the author’s dialogical engagement with her own ‘Afrikaner self’, similarly facilitates the dynamic interplay between multiplicities. Correlatively, on the one hand, more ‘closed’ and more ‘open’ Afrikaner identity positions reflected within the songs are analysed, as well as seemingly ‘reconciliatory’ / collaborative’ musical manifestations which ultimately revert back to more ‘closed’ identity constructs. But on the other hand, observation of adherence to a ‘white-black’ dichotomy within songs that manifest more ‘closed’ identity positions also leads to consideration of the parallels between the goals of white Afrikaner Nationalism and the current Decolonisation narrative, which is informed by Black Consciousness thought and generated by the ‘Colonisation of a Special Kind’ ANC policy. Both such Decolonisation rhetoric and the countering rhetoric of the Neo-Afrikaner Protest Movement (NAP) are thus identified as metanarratives, underpinned by a ‘white-black’ dichotomy. In this regard, while Huisgenoot’s predisposition towards songs manifesting more ‘closed’ Afrikaner identity positions is considered in terms of its aforementioned profit-oriented endeavour to appeal to its ostensible primary readership, an encouraging increase in coverage of coloured artists is both noted and occasionally seen to overlap with its coverage of songs manifesting more ‘open’ Afrikaner identity positions. Among the latter one may – again in Foucauldian terms – differentiate between songs focussed on an engagement in cross-cultural relations of power, and songs intent on shattering states of domination of power blocks, often through shocking juxtaposition of disparate elements. These more violently dismantling endeavours, it is argued, comprise examples of Foucauldian transversal struggles, although their coverage in Huisgenoot is also attributed to their shock value and/or record sales, rather than their transformational potential. Furthermore, such Huisgenoot coverage is also seen to place more transformationally oriented artists at risk of media ‘domestication’, with its concomitant inhibiting of creativity. Finally, the researcher’s commitment to creative problematisation of her own Afrikaner identity, coupled with acknowledgement of her inescapable textual entrapment, culminates in her acceptance of the continual flux characterising dialogical power relations, before she – in accordance with the Foucauldian methodology employed – presents all ‘conclusions’ in a non-dictatorial spirit of ‘truth creation’, desirous of continual self/other dialogue. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Hughes, Lestie
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Afrikaners -- South Africa -- Music -- History and criticism , Multimedia (Art)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52558 , vital:43686
- Description: Through the lens of Foucauldian genealogy, this thesis problematises the subject positions towards Afrikaner identity reflected in contemporary Afrikaans songs covered by Huisgenoot magazine. Such a genealogical exploration thematises the games of truth underpinning the formation of Huisgenoot, highlights its role in solidifying white Afrikaner Nationalist discourse of apartheid, observes its more populist, profit-oriented approach from the 1970s onwards and considers the residual echoing of its former discursive orientation. The song analysis of selected Afrikaans songs/music videos covered in Huisgenoot is guided by the semiotics of Nicholas Cook, such that it frames the analytical question of how such music is driven by conformance, contest and complementation between multi-media elements in ways that make meaning possible. Accordingly, this methodology resonates with the non-essentialising focus of Foucauldian problematisation, premised on critical resistance that makes new responses simultaneously possible. The self-reflexive autoethnographical approach employed, entailing the author’s dialogical engagement with her own ‘Afrikaner self’, similarly facilitates the dynamic interplay between multiplicities. Correlatively, on the one hand, more ‘closed’ and more ‘open’ Afrikaner identity positions reflected within the songs are analysed, as well as seemingly ‘reconciliatory’ / collaborative’ musical manifestations which ultimately revert back to more ‘closed’ identity constructs. But on the other hand, observation of adherence to a ‘white-black’ dichotomy within songs that manifest more ‘closed’ identity positions also leads to consideration of the parallels between the goals of white Afrikaner Nationalism and the current Decolonisation narrative, which is informed by Black Consciousness thought and generated by the ‘Colonisation of a Special Kind’ ANC policy. Both such Decolonisation rhetoric and the countering rhetoric of the Neo-Afrikaner Protest Movement (NAP) are thus identified as metanarratives, underpinned by a ‘white-black’ dichotomy. In this regard, while Huisgenoot’s predisposition towards songs manifesting more ‘closed’ Afrikaner identity positions is considered in terms of its aforementioned profit-oriented endeavour to appeal to its ostensible primary readership, an encouraging increase in coverage of coloured artists is both noted and occasionally seen to overlap with its coverage of songs manifesting more ‘open’ Afrikaner identity positions. Among the latter one may – again in Foucauldian terms – differentiate between songs focussed on an engagement in cross-cultural relations of power, and songs intent on shattering states of domination of power blocks, often through shocking juxtaposition of disparate elements. These more violently dismantling endeavours, it is argued, comprise examples of Foucauldian transversal struggles, although their coverage in Huisgenoot is also attributed to their shock value and/or record sales, rather than their transformational potential. Furthermore, such Huisgenoot coverage is also seen to place more transformationally oriented artists at risk of media ‘domestication’, with its concomitant inhibiting of creativity. Finally, the researcher’s commitment to creative problematisation of her own Afrikaner identity, coupled with acknowledgement of her inescapable textual entrapment, culminates in her acceptance of the continual flux characterising dialogical power relations, before she – in accordance with the Foucauldian methodology employed – presents all ‘conclusions’ in a non-dictatorial spirit of ‘truth creation’, desirous of continual self/other dialogue. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A social media analytics framework for decision-making in citizen relationship management
- Authors: Yakobi, Khulekani
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Social Media Analytics -- South Africa , Decision making --Mathematical models , Service delivery
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60048 , vital:62815
- Description: Globally social media has shown unprecedented levels of adoption and Social Media Analytics (SMA) is a rapidly growing topic. For governments, SMA holds the promise of providing tools and frameworks to collect, monitor, analyse and visualise social media data, usually driven by specific requirements from a target application. However, social media data is noisy and unstructured, and organisations struggle to extract knowledge from this data, and convert it into actual intelligence. This study argues that SMA can support intelligent decision-making for Citizen Relationship Management (CzRM). CzRM is a growing effort of governments around the world to strive to respond rapidly to their citizens by fostering a closer relationship thereby creating more effective and efficient service delivery. However, there is a little evidence in literature on empirical studies of any existing decision-making framework for CzRM and SMA adoption. In particular, there is a gap with regards incorporating SMA into decision-making for CzRM of governments, particularly in developing countries like South Africa. The aim of this study was to develop a framework that provides guidelines, including methods and tools, incorporating SMA into decision-making for CzRM in the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and the Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) of South Africa. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and conceptual analysis method was conducted to design the Social Media Analytics Framework for Decision-making in the context of CzRM (the SMAF). The findings from the literature review revealed several benefits and challenges with SMA, in particular the shortage of skills, guidelines, methods and tools for SMA. These challenges were used to draft guidelines that were included in the framework, which consists of five components that can be used to derive intelligent information from SMA. The pragmatic philosophy and a case study design was used to generate an in-depth, multifaceted understanding of the underlying problems in the case of the GPG and the FSPG. The German North-West Metropolitan region was used as a third case study to provide a more global perspective and a case of a developed country in terms of Gross Domestic Product. The scope of the study was limited to social media posts by provincial citizens related to CzRM and service delivery. Both formative and summative evaluations of the proposed theoretical framework were conducted. The formative evaluation was conducted v | Page as an Expert Review to receive feedback of the framework from the experts in the field of Computer Science and Information Systems. The findings validated the framework and some minor improvements were made based on the experts’ recommendations. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with participants from government managers and decision makers in the three cases were conducted. Case documents for the three cases were collected and reviewed. All collected data was analysed using the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) method and common categories and themes were identified. Summative evaluations were conducted in the form of a Field Study, which consisted of an analysis of Twitter data from the three cases, and a closing FGD with Business Intelligence (BI) experts at the primary case of the e-Government department of the GPG. The findings revealed that SMA has been adopted in all three cases; however, while their strategies are comprehensive their implementations are very much in their early stages. The findings also highlighted the status of SMA in government and some potential gaps and areas for implementing the framework. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
- Authors: Yakobi, Khulekani
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Social Media Analytics -- South Africa , Decision making --Mathematical models , Service delivery
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60048 , vital:62815
- Description: Globally social media has shown unprecedented levels of adoption and Social Media Analytics (SMA) is a rapidly growing topic. For governments, SMA holds the promise of providing tools and frameworks to collect, monitor, analyse and visualise social media data, usually driven by specific requirements from a target application. However, social media data is noisy and unstructured, and organisations struggle to extract knowledge from this data, and convert it into actual intelligence. This study argues that SMA can support intelligent decision-making for Citizen Relationship Management (CzRM). CzRM is a growing effort of governments around the world to strive to respond rapidly to their citizens by fostering a closer relationship thereby creating more effective and efficient service delivery. However, there is a little evidence in literature on empirical studies of any existing decision-making framework for CzRM and SMA adoption. In particular, there is a gap with regards incorporating SMA into decision-making for CzRM of governments, particularly in developing countries like South Africa. The aim of this study was to develop a framework that provides guidelines, including methods and tools, incorporating SMA into decision-making for CzRM in the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and the Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) of South Africa. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and conceptual analysis method was conducted to design the Social Media Analytics Framework for Decision-making in the context of CzRM (the SMAF). The findings from the literature review revealed several benefits and challenges with SMA, in particular the shortage of skills, guidelines, methods and tools for SMA. These challenges were used to draft guidelines that were included in the framework, which consists of five components that can be used to derive intelligent information from SMA. The pragmatic philosophy and a case study design was used to generate an in-depth, multifaceted understanding of the underlying problems in the case of the GPG and the FSPG. The German North-West Metropolitan region was used as a third case study to provide a more global perspective and a case of a developed country in terms of Gross Domestic Product. The scope of the study was limited to social media posts by provincial citizens related to CzRM and service delivery. Both formative and summative evaluations of the proposed theoretical framework were conducted. The formative evaluation was conducted v | Page as an Expert Review to receive feedback of the framework from the experts in the field of Computer Science and Information Systems. The findings validated the framework and some minor improvements were made based on the experts’ recommendations. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with participants from government managers and decision makers in the three cases were conducted. Case documents for the three cases were collected and reviewed. All collected data was analysed using the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) method and common categories and themes were identified. Summative evaluations were conducted in the form of a Field Study, which consisted of an analysis of Twitter data from the three cases, and a closing FGD with Business Intelligence (BI) experts at the primary case of the e-Government department of the GPG. The findings revealed that SMA has been adopted in all three cases; however, while their strategies are comprehensive their implementations are very much in their early stages. The findings also highlighted the status of SMA in government and some potential gaps and areas for implementing the framework. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
A sociological investigation of child labour in the fishing communities of Kalangala, Uganda
- Majanja, Zaaly’embikke Irene Margaret
- Authors: Majanja, Zaaly’embikke Irene Margaret
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Child labor -- Uganda -- Sociological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53428 , vital:45153
- Description: The researcher conducted a sociological investigation into the persistence of child labour in the fishing communities of Uganda, specifically in the Ssese Islands, Kalangala District, on the Kisaba and Nakibanga landing sites situate in Bukasa. The study aimed at investigating the sociological aspects of persistent child labour practices in the fishing communities. The study employed a qualitative research method with a descriptive case study design, utilising an interpretive paradigm. The case study design facilitated the researcher’s investigation into child labour practices in their natural settings. The study employed mainly in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations for data collection. Data analysis was performed utilising the ATLAS.ti computer software package to identify the sociological factors involved with employing child labour. The Various themes emerged from the data analysis. The study established that despite the Ugandan Government domesticating all the UN/ILO Conventions on Rights of a Child and Worst Forms of Child Labour, the OAU Charter on Child Rights and Welfare and also instituting legal frameworks at national level, the practice of using child labour persists. The findings disclosed that economic, sociological and structural factors appear to perpetuate child labour in the fishing communities. Economic factors such as poverty, unemployment or underemployment, then sociological aspects such as men abandoning their helpless families on landing sites as they follow the fish according to seasons. Furthermore, the community attitudes such as low value for education, child labour being a normal trend and part of apprenticeship for the children. Again, there are structural issues such as the inadequate implementation and the weak enforcement of the legal frameworks, including insufficient infrastructures such as schooling facilities. These factors appear to perpetuate child labour in the fishing communities. The study concluded that there is an urgent need to address the issues associated with the persistence of child labour in the fishing communities. The study recommends employing a holistic multipronged approach through bottom-up participatory planning and integrating stakeholders at various levels. This could enhance efforts and share ideas and resources that can result in effective operations in order to eliminate child labour in the fishing communities. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Humanities, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Majanja, Zaaly’embikke Irene Margaret
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Child labor -- Uganda -- Sociological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53428 , vital:45153
- Description: The researcher conducted a sociological investigation into the persistence of child labour in the fishing communities of Uganda, specifically in the Ssese Islands, Kalangala District, on the Kisaba and Nakibanga landing sites situate in Bukasa. The study aimed at investigating the sociological aspects of persistent child labour practices in the fishing communities. The study employed a qualitative research method with a descriptive case study design, utilising an interpretive paradigm. The case study design facilitated the researcher’s investigation into child labour practices in their natural settings. The study employed mainly in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations for data collection. Data analysis was performed utilising the ATLAS.ti computer software package to identify the sociological factors involved with employing child labour. The Various themes emerged from the data analysis. The study established that despite the Ugandan Government domesticating all the UN/ILO Conventions on Rights of a Child and Worst Forms of Child Labour, the OAU Charter on Child Rights and Welfare and also instituting legal frameworks at national level, the practice of using child labour persists. The findings disclosed that economic, sociological and structural factors appear to perpetuate child labour in the fishing communities. Economic factors such as poverty, unemployment or underemployment, then sociological aspects such as men abandoning their helpless families on landing sites as they follow the fish according to seasons. Furthermore, the community attitudes such as low value for education, child labour being a normal trend and part of apprenticeship for the children. Again, there are structural issues such as the inadequate implementation and the weak enforcement of the legal frameworks, including insufficient infrastructures such as schooling facilities. These factors appear to perpetuate child labour in the fishing communities. The study concluded that there is an urgent need to address the issues associated with the persistence of child labour in the fishing communities. The study recommends employing a holistic multipronged approach through bottom-up participatory planning and integrating stakeholders at various levels. This could enhance efforts and share ideas and resources that can result in effective operations in order to eliminate child labour in the fishing communities. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Humanities, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
A theoretical study of alkoxyl radical and radical cation mediated cyclisation reactions in unsaturated alkanols
- Authors: Lee, Peter Mattison Clarke
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Density functionals
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52130 , vital:43430
- Description: A large part of this computational study focussed on selectivity patterns for 4-penten- 1-oxyl radical 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisations and for those of analogous 5-hexenyl, 4- penten-1-aminyl, 4-penten-1-iminyl and 3-phenylpropan-1-oxyl radicals. The study furthermore included cyclisation reactions of the radical cations of 4-penten-1-ol and 3-phenylpropan-1-ol. Calculations were performed for all applicable species involved in the two cyclisation modes studied, i.e. 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisation. These species included radical and radical cation precursors, as well as relevant radical transition state structures and radical adducts. All cyclisation systems investigated used the Density Functional Theory (DFT) functional B3LYP with a combination of eight basis sets. Each basis set used was a progressively higher level of theory than B3LYP/6-31G* which was used as a starting point. Cyclisations for unsubstituted species, e.g. the 4-penten-1-oxyl radical 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisations, were also simulated using the ωB97X-D and ωB97X-V functionals which account for dispersive effects. The same set of eight basis sets were used with these two functionals. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Lee, Peter Mattison Clarke
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Density functionals
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52130 , vital:43430
- Description: A large part of this computational study focussed on selectivity patterns for 4-penten- 1-oxyl radical 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisations and for those of analogous 5-hexenyl, 4- penten-1-aminyl, 4-penten-1-iminyl and 3-phenylpropan-1-oxyl radicals. The study furthermore included cyclisation reactions of the radical cations of 4-penten-1-ol and 3-phenylpropan-1-ol. Calculations were performed for all applicable species involved in the two cyclisation modes studied, i.e. 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisation. These species included radical and radical cation precursors, as well as relevant radical transition state structures and radical adducts. All cyclisation systems investigated used the Density Functional Theory (DFT) functional B3LYP with a combination of eight basis sets. Each basis set used was a progressively higher level of theory than B3LYP/6-31G* which was used as a starting point. Cyclisations for unsubstituted species, e.g. the 4-penten-1-oxyl radical 1,5- and 1,6-cyclisations, were also simulated using the ωB97X-D and ωB97X-V functionals which account for dispersive effects. The same set of eight basis sets were used with these two functionals. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-04
An analysis of the impact of Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles on the sustainability of Lean Manufacturing Implementation within the local manufacturing industry
- Authors: Katts, Ryan
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing -- South Africa , Manufacturing industries -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53954 , vital:46123
- Description: Businesses are under threat and will need to continuously improve if they are to survive, compete successfully and grow in the global marketplace. This is particularly the case for the manufacturing sector where continuous improvement in the quest to become efficient is of utmost importance. Lean Manufacturing (LM) has been implemented globally and has proven itself to be a benchmark manufacturing practice for achieving continuous improvement directed at business success with respect to increase revenue and business growth. Within the South African manufacturing industry, especially amongst automotive manufacturing sector, Lean Manufacturing has been widely implemented with mixed success. As Lean Manufacturing affects both processes and people, lean principles become key contributors for successful implementation within manufacturing. This study aimed to identify key principles required to improve the success of Lean Manufacturing implementation in the local manufacturing industry in South Africa. The research conducted identified pertinent aspects of LM that could be applied within the SA context. It begins with a review of current literature on Lean Manufacturing, exploring several topics which are relevant to the study. Lean Manufacturing literature was then summarised and tabulated into the Principles and supportive behavioural elements for successful Lean implementation. Important aspects identified during the research that are required for successful LM implementation were Teamwork, Engagement / Commitment, Ideas / Suggestions, Communication, Improvement Culture, Training and Committed Leadership. Then, a literature review on African Leadership was conducted, exploring various elements of leadership and principles that are instilled in leaders within Africa. Key elements from this literature were summarised and tabulated into the Principles and supportive behavioural elements within African Leadership. For African Leadership, principles such as Communalism, Collectivism, Humaneness, Mutual Respect and Cross Cultural Literacy were identified as Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles required to be present for successful Lean implementation. These summaries formed the basis from which two self-constructed questionnaires and a Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles Interview were compiled. The two self-constructed questionnaires and interview were used as measuring instruments to measure the presence of the above mentioned principles and behavioural elements within organisations and determine whether they have an impact on the sustainability of Lean Manufacturing implementation. Finding from this research indicated that the Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles identified were present within organisations, but to an even greater extent within organisations that have successfully implemented Lean Manufacturing. This indicates that Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles have a positive effect on the sustainability of Lean Manufacturing implementation. The researcher recommends that, to further improve the presence of Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles and principles that display successful LI within organisations, focus be placed on the principles and supportive behavioural elements detailed within this document. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Katts, Ryan
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing -- South Africa , Manufacturing industries -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53954 , vital:46123
- Description: Businesses are under threat and will need to continuously improve if they are to survive, compete successfully and grow in the global marketplace. This is particularly the case for the manufacturing sector where continuous improvement in the quest to become efficient is of utmost importance. Lean Manufacturing (LM) has been implemented globally and has proven itself to be a benchmark manufacturing practice for achieving continuous improvement directed at business success with respect to increase revenue and business growth. Within the South African manufacturing industry, especially amongst automotive manufacturing sector, Lean Manufacturing has been widely implemented with mixed success. As Lean Manufacturing affects both processes and people, lean principles become key contributors for successful implementation within manufacturing. This study aimed to identify key principles required to improve the success of Lean Manufacturing implementation in the local manufacturing industry in South Africa. The research conducted identified pertinent aspects of LM that could be applied within the SA context. It begins with a review of current literature on Lean Manufacturing, exploring several topics which are relevant to the study. Lean Manufacturing literature was then summarised and tabulated into the Principles and supportive behavioural elements for successful Lean implementation. Important aspects identified during the research that are required for successful LM implementation were Teamwork, Engagement / Commitment, Ideas / Suggestions, Communication, Improvement Culture, Training and Committed Leadership. Then, a literature review on African Leadership was conducted, exploring various elements of leadership and principles that are instilled in leaders within Africa. Key elements from this literature were summarised and tabulated into the Principles and supportive behavioural elements within African Leadership. For African Leadership, principles such as Communalism, Collectivism, Humaneness, Mutual Respect and Cross Cultural Literacy were identified as Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles required to be present for successful Lean implementation. These summaries formed the basis from which two self-constructed questionnaires and a Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles Interview were compiled. The two self-constructed questionnaires and interview were used as measuring instruments to measure the presence of the above mentioned principles and behavioural elements within organisations and determine whether they have an impact on the sustainability of Lean Manufacturing implementation. Finding from this research indicated that the Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles identified were present within organisations, but to an even greater extent within organisations that have successfully implemented Lean Manufacturing. This indicates that Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles have a positive effect on the sustainability of Lean Manufacturing implementation. The researcher recommends that, to further improve the presence of Uniquely African Traditional Leadership Principles and principles that display successful LI within organisations, focus be placed on the principles and supportive behavioural elements detailed within this document. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
An efficient approach for the synthesis of dolutegravir and its analogue exploiting flow chemistry
- Authors: Nqeketo, Sinazo
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: HIV (Viruses) – Enzymes –Inhibitors , Antiviral agents -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:70635
- Description: Africa has the highest Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence in the world and has invested heavily in running its HIV programmes and conducting research of medical significance. Despite efforts in combating this disease the production, distribution, cost, and availability of antiretroviral (ARV) generics remains a major problem as they are imported from China and India. Exploring the recently emerged “enabling technique”, namely flow chemistry in the production of APIs has gained a lot of attention. This study was devoted on exploring the application of flow chemistry on the synthesis of a newly approved anti-HIV drug dolutegravir (DTG); an integrase inhibitor with a high genetic barrier to resistance with a daily dosing scheduled compared to other ARVs and its third-generation inhibitor analogue, cabotegravir. Chapter one covers a comprehensive background and literature review of the HIV epidemic, an introduction of antiretroviral therapy as well as detailed dolutegravir and cabotegravir synthesis. A brief introduction of continuous flow technology with its advantages and disadvantages is discussed in this chapter. The efficient seven-step continuous flow procedure afforded dolutegravir and cabotegravir in improved reaction times and yields compared to the traditional batch procedure was demonstrated. The significant advantage of this flow process includes the reduction of the overall reaction time from step one to step seven, from prolonged 68 hours in batch to 34 minutes. The overall yield of each reaction step improved dramatically upon flow optimization. The yields of the second step (selective ester hydrolysis), fourth step (cyclization) and fifth step (amidation) increased from 64 %, 40 % and 33 % in batch to 98 %, 71 % and 100 % yield by HPLC respectively. Other than improved yields and residence times which was aided advantages of microreactor technology including intensive mixing, the flow process is also much better because it is cost effective. Most importantly, a novel process on the formation of pyridinone intermediate using ion-exchange resin catalysts towards the synthesis of dolutegravir and cabotegravir was described in this study , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular and Chemical Science, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-04
- Authors: Nqeketo, Sinazo
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: HIV (Viruses) – Enzymes –Inhibitors , Antiviral agents -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:70635
- Description: Africa has the highest Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence in the world and has invested heavily in running its HIV programmes and conducting research of medical significance. Despite efforts in combating this disease the production, distribution, cost, and availability of antiretroviral (ARV) generics remains a major problem as they are imported from China and India. Exploring the recently emerged “enabling technique”, namely flow chemistry in the production of APIs has gained a lot of attention. This study was devoted on exploring the application of flow chemistry on the synthesis of a newly approved anti-HIV drug dolutegravir (DTG); an integrase inhibitor with a high genetic barrier to resistance with a daily dosing scheduled compared to other ARVs and its third-generation inhibitor analogue, cabotegravir. Chapter one covers a comprehensive background and literature review of the HIV epidemic, an introduction of antiretroviral therapy as well as detailed dolutegravir and cabotegravir synthesis. A brief introduction of continuous flow technology with its advantages and disadvantages is discussed in this chapter. The efficient seven-step continuous flow procedure afforded dolutegravir and cabotegravir in improved reaction times and yields compared to the traditional batch procedure was demonstrated. The significant advantage of this flow process includes the reduction of the overall reaction time from step one to step seven, from prolonged 68 hours in batch to 34 minutes. The overall yield of each reaction step improved dramatically upon flow optimization. The yields of the second step (selective ester hydrolysis), fourth step (cyclization) and fifth step (amidation) increased from 64 %, 40 % and 33 % in batch to 98 %, 71 % and 100 % yield by HPLC respectively. Other than improved yields and residence times which was aided advantages of microreactor technology including intensive mixing, the flow process is also much better because it is cost effective. Most importantly, a novel process on the formation of pyridinone intermediate using ion-exchange resin catalysts towards the synthesis of dolutegravir and cabotegravir was described in this study , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular and Chemical Science, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-04
An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem framework for Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Boucher, Marilyn Sasha
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Sustainable development--Eastern Cape (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53562 , vital:45630
- Description: In recent years, the concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems increased in status amongst policy makers, scholars, practitioners, and mainstream media as a regional economic development strategy. Yet, despite the opportunities presented by the entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is both under-theorized and lacks data on a sub-national scale. Furthermore, research from an African and sub-Saharan African context remains in its infancy. The limited research within these resource-constrained countries creates a challenge to determine the underlying factors that influence entrepreneurship. As a result, developing economies, as in the case of sub-Saharan Africa, have applied generalizations of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which undermine the temporal differences of places and reduce the potential to benefit from agglomeration economies. With the National Development Plan: Vision 2030, the South African government strives to achieve an inclusive economy through enhancing the capacity of the state, building capabilities, and promoting partnerships amongst sectors. Motivated by the mandate to redress the inequality caused by economic exclusion, the South African government has taken counteractive measures focused on promoting entrepreneurship as a key driver of economic growth. Despite the measures placed, South Africa struggles with high levels of inequality with a Gini coefficient of 0.63, unemployment of 32.6% and negative GDP per capita growth of - 8.137%. Furthermore, most small businesses in South Africa are informal, which means that a disproportionate concentration of employment exists in the informal sector. Against this backdrop, the problem addressed in this study is based on the challenge of creating productive entrepreneurship that acknowledges the unique structure and resources of Nelson Mandela Bay. To address this gap, a critical inquiry into entrepreneurial ecosystems was motivated. First, the inquiry is focused on a real-world context, namely Nelson Mandela Bay, which is one of the eight metropolitan regions in South Africa, a developing economy. Second, the inquiry uses multiple perspectives through multiple data collection methods. To commence the inquiry, a literature review was conducted on secondary sources to identify the factors influencing entrepreneurial ecosystems and formed the basis of the theoretical framework. The study followed the pragmatism research philosophy and used an abductive research approach. A mixed method research design was utilized and followed a sequential independent process, which was performed in two phases and independently analyzed. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Boucher, Marilyn Sasha
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Sustainable development--Eastern Cape (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53562 , vital:45630
- Description: In recent years, the concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems increased in status amongst policy makers, scholars, practitioners, and mainstream media as a regional economic development strategy. Yet, despite the opportunities presented by the entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is both under-theorized and lacks data on a sub-national scale. Furthermore, research from an African and sub-Saharan African context remains in its infancy. The limited research within these resource-constrained countries creates a challenge to determine the underlying factors that influence entrepreneurship. As a result, developing economies, as in the case of sub-Saharan Africa, have applied generalizations of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which undermine the temporal differences of places and reduce the potential to benefit from agglomeration economies. With the National Development Plan: Vision 2030, the South African government strives to achieve an inclusive economy through enhancing the capacity of the state, building capabilities, and promoting partnerships amongst sectors. Motivated by the mandate to redress the inequality caused by economic exclusion, the South African government has taken counteractive measures focused on promoting entrepreneurship as a key driver of economic growth. Despite the measures placed, South Africa struggles with high levels of inequality with a Gini coefficient of 0.63, unemployment of 32.6% and negative GDP per capita growth of - 8.137%. Furthermore, most small businesses in South Africa are informal, which means that a disproportionate concentration of employment exists in the informal sector. Against this backdrop, the problem addressed in this study is based on the challenge of creating productive entrepreneurship that acknowledges the unique structure and resources of Nelson Mandela Bay. To address this gap, a critical inquiry into entrepreneurial ecosystems was motivated. First, the inquiry is focused on a real-world context, namely Nelson Mandela Bay, which is one of the eight metropolitan regions in South Africa, a developing economy. Second, the inquiry uses multiple perspectives through multiple data collection methods. To commence the inquiry, a literature review was conducted on secondary sources to identify the factors influencing entrepreneurial ecosystems and formed the basis of the theoretical framework. The study followed the pragmatism research philosophy and used an abductive research approach. A mixed method research design was utilized and followed a sequential independent process, which was performed in two phases and independently analyzed. , Thesis (DBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
An evaluation of the effectiveness of area-based conservation interventions in avoiding biodiversity loss in South Africa
- Authors: Von Staden, Lize
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: Environmental policy , Conservation of natural resources -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61115 , vital:69762
- Description: Counterfactual impact evaluation studies form an important evidence base for the effectiveness of conservation projects, programs, and policies (collectively referred to as conservation interventions). In South Africa, counterfactual impact evaluation methods have rarely been applied to local conservation interventions, and therefore evidence for the effectiveness of key strategic national conservation approaches is lacking. This study evaluated three area-based interventions that together aim to avoid the loss of areas most important for the persistence of biodiversity in the terrestrial realm as evidence towards the effectiveness of South Africa’s landscape approach to biodiversity conservation. The first intervention, South Africa’s National Protected Area Expansion Strategy (NPAES), set ambitious targets to double the extent of South Africa’s protected area network while ensuring that the expansion preferentially occurs in areas of under-represented biodiversity. The strategy was evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in guiding protected area expansion towards more equitable representation of South Africa’s biodiversity through an assessment of changes in indicators of protected area expansion decision-making before and after the implementation of the strategy. The second intervention is the use of maps of biodiversity priorities to guide land use change decisions outside protected areas. Impact was evaluated as avoided loss of Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs), which need to remain in a natural condition to meet in situ conservation targets for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes. Avoided loss in CBAs was benchmarked against avoided loss in protected areas, to contextualize the effectiveness of land use planning as a conservation intervention. Lastly, the effectiveness of stricter land use regulations for threatened ecosystems to reduce land conversion pressure on these ecosystems was evaluated. Key findings were that protected areas are highly effective conservation interventions where they can be implemented, but their capacity for conservation impact is limited by severe constraints on strategic expansion. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-04
- Authors: Von Staden, Lize
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: Environmental policy , Conservation of natural resources -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61115 , vital:69762
- Description: Counterfactual impact evaluation studies form an important evidence base for the effectiveness of conservation projects, programs, and policies (collectively referred to as conservation interventions). In South Africa, counterfactual impact evaluation methods have rarely been applied to local conservation interventions, and therefore evidence for the effectiveness of key strategic national conservation approaches is lacking. This study evaluated three area-based interventions that together aim to avoid the loss of areas most important for the persistence of biodiversity in the terrestrial realm as evidence towards the effectiveness of South Africa’s landscape approach to biodiversity conservation. The first intervention, South Africa’s National Protected Area Expansion Strategy (NPAES), set ambitious targets to double the extent of South Africa’s protected area network while ensuring that the expansion preferentially occurs in areas of under-represented biodiversity. The strategy was evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in guiding protected area expansion towards more equitable representation of South Africa’s biodiversity through an assessment of changes in indicators of protected area expansion decision-making before and after the implementation of the strategy. The second intervention is the use of maps of biodiversity priorities to guide land use change decisions outside protected areas. Impact was evaluated as avoided loss of Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs), which need to remain in a natural condition to meet in situ conservation targets for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes. Avoided loss in CBAs was benchmarked against avoided loss in protected areas, to contextualize the effectiveness of land use planning as a conservation intervention. Lastly, the effectiveness of stricter land use regulations for threatened ecosystems to reduce land conversion pressure on these ecosystems was evaluated. Key findings were that protected areas are highly effective conservation interventions where they can be implemented, but their capacity for conservation impact is limited by severe constraints on strategic expansion. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-04
An exploration into an ESD-based teaching strategy to improve the critical thinking and problem-solving skills amongst development studies students at Nelson Mandela University
- Authors: Abrahams, André John
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Problem solving -- Study and teaching , Divergent thinking -- Study and teaching , Sustainable development -- Study and teaching , Environmental education
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50907 , vital:43148
- Description: In recent years, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a significant focus for research pertaining to teacher education and transformative approaches to teaching and learning. However, there has been less specific focus on the implementation of ESD in the context of higher education. This study, therefore, explored the use of an ESD-based teaching and learning approach in an undergraduate Development Studies programme. The focus was on developing a teaching approach that was informed by the principles of ESD and which could assist Development Studies lecturers in creating a more transformative, student-centred environment. This study was a qualitative undertaking, conducted at the Nelson Mandela University’s (NMU) Development Studies undergraduate programme. The ESD-based approach was implemented by two participating lecturers who utilised the approach across four undergraduate classes. Qualitative data were generated through a systematic literature analysis (SLA), exploratory interviews, student exercises and assessments, focus group discussions, and reflective journal entries. The gathered data were then analysed using a framework analysis rubric adapted from the theoretical framework utilised in the study. In addition, the data were coded using the six coding techniques promoted by Saldaña (2013). The findings suggest that the ESD-based approach developed in the study could effectively contribute towards promoting ESD in the Development Studies programme. The findings also suggest that, when properly implemented, the ESD-based approach could assist lecturers in creating a more transformative learning environment where students have greater control over their learning experience. In addition, this study found that students in the selected Development Studies undergraduate programme could benefit from continued exposure to the teaching methods and techniques adopted in the approach. The implementation of the approach also uncovered some of the inhibiting factors that may prevent an ESD-based approach being mainstreamed into the context of higher education. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Development Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Abrahams, André John
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Problem solving -- Study and teaching , Divergent thinking -- Study and teaching , Sustainable development -- Study and teaching , Environmental education
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50907 , vital:43148
- Description: In recent years, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a significant focus for research pertaining to teacher education and transformative approaches to teaching and learning. However, there has been less specific focus on the implementation of ESD in the context of higher education. This study, therefore, explored the use of an ESD-based teaching and learning approach in an undergraduate Development Studies programme. The focus was on developing a teaching approach that was informed by the principles of ESD and which could assist Development Studies lecturers in creating a more transformative, student-centred environment. This study was a qualitative undertaking, conducted at the Nelson Mandela University’s (NMU) Development Studies undergraduate programme. The ESD-based approach was implemented by two participating lecturers who utilised the approach across four undergraduate classes. Qualitative data were generated through a systematic literature analysis (SLA), exploratory interviews, student exercises and assessments, focus group discussions, and reflective journal entries. The gathered data were then analysed using a framework analysis rubric adapted from the theoretical framework utilised in the study. In addition, the data were coded using the six coding techniques promoted by Saldaña (2013). The findings suggest that the ESD-based approach developed in the study could effectively contribute towards promoting ESD in the Development Studies programme. The findings also suggest that, when properly implemented, the ESD-based approach could assist lecturers in creating a more transformative learning environment where students have greater control over their learning experience. In addition, this study found that students in the selected Development Studies undergraduate programme could benefit from continued exposure to the teaching methods and techniques adopted in the approach. The implementation of the approach also uncovered some of the inhibiting factors that may prevent an ESD-based approach being mainstreamed into the context of higher education. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Development Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04