Financial inclusion in South Africa
- Authors: Abrahams, Rayghana
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Financial services industry -- South Africa , Financial institutions -- South Africa Finance -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13579 , vital:27240
- Description: The research for this study was guided by the question on whether the financial inclusion improvement strategies of the South African government adequately address the financial inclusion targets, as set out in the National Development Plan. This descriptive non-empirical study was conducted by means of a literature review. The secondary data used for the study were collected from a number of sources, namely: (i) the 2015 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project report; (ii) the 2014 Global Findex survey; (iii) the InterMedia surveys; (iv) Financial Access surveys; (v) various national FinScope surveys; and (iv) a number of working papers of the World Bank related to financial inclusion. The data revealed that South Africa, with its sophisticated financial sector, was early to adopt policies and initiatives to advance financial inclusion and the country has experienced a noticeable increase in financial inclusion from 61% in 2004 to 87% in 2015. South Africa is 3% away from its National Development Plan goal of 90% financial inclusion by 2030. This indicates that overall, the financial inclusion initiatives adopted by the South African government were successful.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Abrahams, Rayghana
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Financial services industry -- South Africa , Financial institutions -- South Africa Finance -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13579 , vital:27240
- Description: The research for this study was guided by the question on whether the financial inclusion improvement strategies of the South African government adequately address the financial inclusion targets, as set out in the National Development Plan. This descriptive non-empirical study was conducted by means of a literature review. The secondary data used for the study were collected from a number of sources, namely: (i) the 2015 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project report; (ii) the 2014 Global Findex survey; (iii) the InterMedia surveys; (iv) Financial Access surveys; (v) various national FinScope surveys; and (iv) a number of working papers of the World Bank related to financial inclusion. The data revealed that South Africa, with its sophisticated financial sector, was early to adopt policies and initiatives to advance financial inclusion and the country has experienced a noticeable increase in financial inclusion from 61% in 2004 to 87% in 2015. South Africa is 3% away from its National Development Plan goal of 90% financial inclusion by 2030. This indicates that overall, the financial inclusion initiatives adopted by the South African government were successful.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The financial impact on the Nelson Mandela University as a result of excluding international students from the university funding model
- Authors: Bezuidenhout, Janine Ingrid
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Finance , Student aid -- South Africa Students, Foreign -- Rating of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23613 , vital:30587
- Description: The higher education sector in South Africa (SA) is currently facing financial constraints due to the admission of an increasing number of students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2015, students started protesting, demanding free higher education (OECD, 2017). In addition, the unstable political situation and declining economic conditions prevailing in the country also contributes to increased financial pressure on the higher education sector. Despite these conditions, it is important for higher education institutions (HEIs) in SA to respond decisively and efficiently without sacrificing their obligation to the neighbouring countries and their international duty as set forth in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol (Mello, 2013). The South African government subsidies are an important source of income for universities. The SA government subsidises the international students at the same rate as the South African students (Cilliers, 2017). According to Cilliers (2017), no funding policy is currently available, which excludes the international students from the block grant. The research for this study was guided by the question whether the exclusion of international students’ subsidies from the SA government university funding model could have an adverse financial impact on the Nelson Mandela University. This study was conducted by means of the collection and analysis of secondary quantitative data. The SA government subsidies for the international students enrolled at the Nelson Mandela University for the period 2009 to 2015 were calculated in order to answer the research question. It was concluded that if the international students were excluded from the SA government subsidies, the financial impact on the Nelson Mandela University could be approximately R64,5 million in the 2017 academic year. The outcome of this study is to enable the policymakers, government officials and university administrators to realise the financial impact on the universities if the international students were excluded from the SA government subsidies. Although this study focused on the Nelson Mandela University, the impact of the exclusion of the international students from the SA government university funding model would be significant and negative for the universities, international offices, international students and the plans to internationalise teaching, learning and research at the South African universities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Bezuidenhout, Janine Ingrid
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Finance , Student aid -- South Africa Students, Foreign -- Rating of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23613 , vital:30587
- Description: The higher education sector in South Africa (SA) is currently facing financial constraints due to the admission of an increasing number of students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2015, students started protesting, demanding free higher education (OECD, 2017). In addition, the unstable political situation and declining economic conditions prevailing in the country also contributes to increased financial pressure on the higher education sector. Despite these conditions, it is important for higher education institutions (HEIs) in SA to respond decisively and efficiently without sacrificing their obligation to the neighbouring countries and their international duty as set forth in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol (Mello, 2013). The South African government subsidies are an important source of income for universities. The SA government subsidises the international students at the same rate as the South African students (Cilliers, 2017). According to Cilliers (2017), no funding policy is currently available, which excludes the international students from the block grant. The research for this study was guided by the question whether the exclusion of international students’ subsidies from the SA government university funding model could have an adverse financial impact on the Nelson Mandela University. This study was conducted by means of the collection and analysis of secondary quantitative data. The SA government subsidies for the international students enrolled at the Nelson Mandela University for the period 2009 to 2015 were calculated in order to answer the research question. It was concluded that if the international students were excluded from the SA government subsidies, the financial impact on the Nelson Mandela University could be approximately R64,5 million in the 2017 academic year. The outcome of this study is to enable the policymakers, government officials and university administrators to realise the financial impact on the universities if the international students were excluded from the SA government subsidies. Although this study focused on the Nelson Mandela University, the impact of the exclusion of the international students from the SA government university funding model would be significant and negative for the universities, international offices, international students and the plans to internationalise teaching, learning and research at the South African universities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Factors impacting the design of a mobile application for soil management: a case study of the Eastern Cape crops
- Authors: Botha, Stephan
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile applications -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Information technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Soil management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44907 , vital:38187
- Description: Some of the biggest challenges the global community has to face are the ever-dwindling levels of freshwater resources, the drastic impact of the greenhouse gases on the global climate and the loss of non-renewable fertile soil. South African agriculture contributes a total of 12.7% to the overall South African GDP (gross domestic product). Only a small portion of the South African soil is considered as being able to grow healthy and nutritious crops. The world of information communication technology (ICT) is extremely vast and growing daily with newly created tools, to accommodate the needs of a specific sector, such as agriculture. As the ICT-based agricultural solutions increase and improve, the uptake of these solutions within the South African agricultural sector becomes even smaller. The reasons for the low uptake of mobile soil management solutions for crop-growing farmers are unknown, due to limited research conducted. The identified problem was a lack of understanding of the way mobile technologies can be designed to adequately support farmers to correctly manage their soil to produce the best possible crops. The primary objective of this research study was to identify factors, which may have a significant impact on the design of a mobile soil management application for crop farmers in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). The secondary objectives were as follows: (i) to determine what soil management is and which aspects are required to implement soil management effectively; (ii) to identify possible mobile technologies suitable to act as an effective support structure for a mobile soil management application; and (iii) to identify which user experience guidelines are key for the development of an effective mobile soil management solution and to compile a user experience guideline for an effective mobile soil management solution. Achieving these objectives, resulted in a better understanding of the identified problem. The problem was addressed by conducting a thorough literature review and a case study to better grasp the different aspects of the identified problem. Quantitative data was collected by conducting a user interface evaluation. Qualitative data were also gathered by means of a field test using the mobile soil management application. The field test was done in conjunction with a heuristic evaluation, completed by the participants. Data triangulation was used to compare the results of the gathered data. The results from the data triangulation were used to confirm the factors, which made the most significant impact on the success of the soil management application. These confirmed design factors were used to produce a list of guidelines to improve the design of future mobile ICT soil management applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Botha, Stephan
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile applications -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Information technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Soil management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44907 , vital:38187
- Description: Some of the biggest challenges the global community has to face are the ever-dwindling levels of freshwater resources, the drastic impact of the greenhouse gases on the global climate and the loss of non-renewable fertile soil. South African agriculture contributes a total of 12.7% to the overall South African GDP (gross domestic product). Only a small portion of the South African soil is considered as being able to grow healthy and nutritious crops. The world of information communication technology (ICT) is extremely vast and growing daily with newly created tools, to accommodate the needs of a specific sector, such as agriculture. As the ICT-based agricultural solutions increase and improve, the uptake of these solutions within the South African agricultural sector becomes even smaller. The reasons for the low uptake of mobile soil management solutions for crop-growing farmers are unknown, due to limited research conducted. The identified problem was a lack of understanding of the way mobile technologies can be designed to adequately support farmers to correctly manage their soil to produce the best possible crops. The primary objective of this research study was to identify factors, which may have a significant impact on the design of a mobile soil management application for crop farmers in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). The secondary objectives were as follows: (i) to determine what soil management is and which aspects are required to implement soil management effectively; (ii) to identify possible mobile technologies suitable to act as an effective support structure for a mobile soil management application; and (iii) to identify which user experience guidelines are key for the development of an effective mobile soil management solution and to compile a user experience guideline for an effective mobile soil management solution. Achieving these objectives, resulted in a better understanding of the identified problem. The problem was addressed by conducting a thorough literature review and a case study to better grasp the different aspects of the identified problem. Quantitative data was collected by conducting a user interface evaluation. Qualitative data were also gathered by means of a field test using the mobile soil management application. The field test was done in conjunction with a heuristic evaluation, completed by the participants. Data triangulation was used to compare the results of the gathered data. The results from the data triangulation were used to confirm the factors, which made the most significant impact on the success of the soil management application. These confirmed design factors were used to produce a list of guidelines to improve the design of future mobile ICT soil management applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Potable water production from atmospheric vapour using an ejector evacuated solar powered refrigeration system
- Authors: Cawood, John Henry
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Solar energy , Solar radiation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23481 , vital:30567
- Description: This research project explores the possibility of using solar radiation energy to produce safe liquid water through the condensation of atmospheric water vapour for human consumption, livestock watering and also for small scale high value crop irrigation. The research activities are comprised of a literature study, comparison of similar devices in use, a design and prototyping exercise, a measure of development work to enhance the performance of the prototype and testing in Al-Batinah province in the Sultanate of Oman, where the author is currently on a work assignment. This dissertation describes the research activities performed to answer the following question: ‘Is it possible to economically produce sufficient quantities of liquid water from atmospheric vapour using only heat energy from the sun?’ This question poses a further two questions which need to be answered in the literature study. These are: ‘What is an economical price for clean drinking water?’ and ‘What is a sufficient quantity of water?’ The purpose of producing liquid water from atmospheric water vapour is an attempt to develop the technology to harvest an alternative and almost inexhaustible water source. The reason for requiring a new source of water is due to the fact that the available fresh water resources of the world are diminishing due to pollution, extensive utilisation and salination. Several references indicate that the problem is compounding itself due the increasing demand on a diminishing resource, with deepening negative effects on agriculture1, health2, economy3, industry and lifestyle4. Many future scenarios depict clean water as a scarce and expensive commodity, unaffordable to many. The condensation of atmospheric vapour is not a new concept. The literature study explores historical attempts to achieve this, as well as detailing the shortcomings of contemporary vapour condensation units as the modern state of the art. This survey covers the spectrum from large versions deployed by military and remote area construction operations to produce water for all purposes, to small desktop electrical water producing machines. The focus of the research is on a more environmentally conscious process, attempting to use a simple ejector driven device with sunshine as the energy source and water as the refrigerant. A further environmental enhancement of the concept is that of designing the machine to last for an extremely long working life, thereby diluting the carbon footprint of manufacture over a great number of years. A portion of the research is devoted to the development of a basic model which takes into account the climatic and meteorological variables to accurately predict a water harvest. The development of the model is then used to optimise the process, narrow the variability of assumptions and assist with the design. The model also serves to predict the performance of the unit in other locations under different prevailing climatic conditions. A design specification and a prototype are produced and tested. Finally the design is scrutinised using value engineering principles to reduce cost, effort and environmental impact and also to reduce the overall cost to provide a more economically viable appliance. The prototype device used in this study will use a collector area of 1 square meter, roughly equivalent to 1000 Watts of solar power under ideal conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Cawood, John Henry
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Solar energy , Solar radiation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23481 , vital:30567
- Description: This research project explores the possibility of using solar radiation energy to produce safe liquid water through the condensation of atmospheric water vapour for human consumption, livestock watering and also for small scale high value crop irrigation. The research activities are comprised of a literature study, comparison of similar devices in use, a design and prototyping exercise, a measure of development work to enhance the performance of the prototype and testing in Al-Batinah province in the Sultanate of Oman, where the author is currently on a work assignment. This dissertation describes the research activities performed to answer the following question: ‘Is it possible to economically produce sufficient quantities of liquid water from atmospheric vapour using only heat energy from the sun?’ This question poses a further two questions which need to be answered in the literature study. These are: ‘What is an economical price for clean drinking water?’ and ‘What is a sufficient quantity of water?’ The purpose of producing liquid water from atmospheric water vapour is an attempt to develop the technology to harvest an alternative and almost inexhaustible water source. The reason for requiring a new source of water is due to the fact that the available fresh water resources of the world are diminishing due to pollution, extensive utilisation and salination. Several references indicate that the problem is compounding itself due the increasing demand on a diminishing resource, with deepening negative effects on agriculture1, health2, economy3, industry and lifestyle4. Many future scenarios depict clean water as a scarce and expensive commodity, unaffordable to many. The condensation of atmospheric vapour is not a new concept. The literature study explores historical attempts to achieve this, as well as detailing the shortcomings of contemporary vapour condensation units as the modern state of the art. This survey covers the spectrum from large versions deployed by military and remote area construction operations to produce water for all purposes, to small desktop electrical water producing machines. The focus of the research is on a more environmentally conscious process, attempting to use a simple ejector driven device with sunshine as the energy source and water as the refrigerant. A further environmental enhancement of the concept is that of designing the machine to last for an extremely long working life, thereby diluting the carbon footprint of manufacture over a great number of years. A portion of the research is devoted to the development of a basic model which takes into account the climatic and meteorological variables to accurately predict a water harvest. The development of the model is then used to optimise the process, narrow the variability of assumptions and assist with the design. The model also serves to predict the performance of the unit in other locations under different prevailing climatic conditions. A design specification and a prototype are produced and tested. Finally the design is scrutinised using value engineering principles to reduce cost, effort and environmental impact and also to reduce the overall cost to provide a more economically viable appliance. The prototype device used in this study will use a collector area of 1 square meter, roughly equivalent to 1000 Watts of solar power under ideal conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Factors that impact on the user experience of a mobile school health application
- Authors: Chetty, Avineshin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Wireless communication systems in medical care , Medical informatics Application software Technology -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21801 , vital:29780
- Description: In South Africa, the National Department of Health through its Integrated School Health Policy, use school nurses, to visit schools and perform health screening of learners which focus mainly on nutrition, eyesight and hearing. To date, this was done manually, but with the advance of technology, there is a need to investigate the use of for example, mobile applications to assist with health screening tasks. As part of the TECH4RED project in the Chris Hani district, a mobile school health assessment application was implemented and used over a period three years. As this is a new way of conducting the health screening, there is a need to understand the user experiences of the end users who interact with both the technology and the application. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceived factors that impact on the UX of the school health assessment application. The research aimed to understand the uses, advantages and disadvantages of mobile health applications. It also aimed at determining whether there are unique characteristics of the targeted end users and if so, whether such characteristics would affect the overall UX when using the application. Determining the levels of satisfaction and investigating the apparent challenges the users faced while interacting with the application provided some insights into underlying factors. A theoretical framework was constructed using existing literature. Using a case study approach, data was collected by means of end user satisfaction and user experience questionnaires. Additional data collection was done by means of an expert review to obtain feedback on the content and workflow of the school health assessment application. The resulting findings from the research included, a descriptive list of factors that impact the school health assessment application, as well as a subsequent list of recommendations for improvements. These key-findings could lead to possible guidelines, while additionally, providing valuable insight into mobile school health applications on the whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Chetty, Avineshin
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Wireless communication systems in medical care , Medical informatics Application software Technology -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21801 , vital:29780
- Description: In South Africa, the National Department of Health through its Integrated School Health Policy, use school nurses, to visit schools and perform health screening of learners which focus mainly on nutrition, eyesight and hearing. To date, this was done manually, but with the advance of technology, there is a need to investigate the use of for example, mobile applications to assist with health screening tasks. As part of the TECH4RED project in the Chris Hani district, a mobile school health assessment application was implemented and used over a period three years. As this is a new way of conducting the health screening, there is a need to understand the user experiences of the end users who interact with both the technology and the application. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceived factors that impact on the UX of the school health assessment application. The research aimed to understand the uses, advantages and disadvantages of mobile health applications. It also aimed at determining whether there are unique characteristics of the targeted end users and if so, whether such characteristics would affect the overall UX when using the application. Determining the levels of satisfaction and investigating the apparent challenges the users faced while interacting with the application provided some insights into underlying factors. A theoretical framework was constructed using existing literature. Using a case study approach, data was collected by means of end user satisfaction and user experience questionnaires. Additional data collection was done by means of an expert review to obtain feedback on the content and workflow of the school health assessment application. The resulting findings from the research included, a descriptive list of factors that impact the school health assessment application, as well as a subsequent list of recommendations for improvements. These key-findings could lead to possible guidelines, while additionally, providing valuable insight into mobile school health applications on the whole.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
An exploration of the materiality of forged steel as medium for visual artists
- Authors: De Lange, Neil
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Blacksmithing , Art -- 21st century Art -- Sculpture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39425 , vital:35245
- Description: This research is an exploration into the materiality of forged steel, and is aimed at the preservation of traditional blacksmith forging techniques and methods by incorporating these methods as added skill set during the making of three dimensional visual art. An investigation into the history of traditional forging (iron works) serves as background aimed at the identification of the various techniques and methods utilized during the processes found in traditional blacksmith forging. The practice of this research consists of three parts: firstly, a textual investigation to establish the basics (note taking- visual journal); secondly, practical exercises to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of various steels by utilizing traditional methods of forging to explore the potential applications for the forge as a tool in service of the visual arts; and lastly, reflection on the process to modify and adapt processes (methods and techniques) to promote further interest in the use of a forge as tool during the making of three-dimensional visual art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: De Lange, Neil
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Blacksmithing , Art -- 21st century Art -- Sculpture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39425 , vital:35245
- Description: This research is an exploration into the materiality of forged steel, and is aimed at the preservation of traditional blacksmith forging techniques and methods by incorporating these methods as added skill set during the making of three dimensional visual art. An investigation into the history of traditional forging (iron works) serves as background aimed at the identification of the various techniques and methods utilized during the processes found in traditional blacksmith forging. The practice of this research consists of three parts: firstly, a textual investigation to establish the basics (note taking- visual journal); secondly, practical exercises to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of various steels by utilizing traditional methods of forging to explore the potential applications for the forge as a tool in service of the visual arts; and lastly, reflection on the process to modify and adapt processes (methods and techniques) to promote further interest in the use of a forge as tool during the making of three-dimensional visual art.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Developing end-user requirements for the design of an eProcurement portal
- Authors: Du Preez, Pedro Gordon
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: End-user computing , Government purchasing -- South Africa Business information services Management information systems Business logistics -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/33272 , vital:32628
- Description: During the 2015 South African budget speech, the country was made aware of the proposed changes to be introduced to the tendering process. These changes were to be implemented from 1 April 2015 and were to span over two years. The changes were to facilitate the transition of the tendering process from a paper- based system to a completely digital process, where the majority of the processes will take place on an eProcurement portal (www.etenders.gov.za). This means that businesses will be obligated to use the portal, in order to access tender opportunities and ultimately, to submit tenders on this portal, with the phasing out of all paper-based tender processes. If the portal is to succeed it has to be well adopted by its users. If the portal is not adopted or is used incorrectly, businesses might struggle to access tender opportunities for their business. This research searches to address this problem by helping the users of this portal to gain efficient and effective access to tendering opportunities, through finding and developing user requirements for successful adoption from a user experience perspective. The primary objective of this research is to develop end-user requirements for the design of an eProcurement portal. To achieve this, a general understanding of the legal policies in place for tendering is necessary, as well as a first-hand experience of the users. Case study research methodology and a mixed method approach are used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. The case study is conducted in the Eastern Cape and directed at business within the construction sector that do tender, as this research is only focusing on the end user and their roles within the tendering process and not on the government internal tendering processes. The outcome of this research is to offer a list of user requirements that can be used within the design of the eProcurement portal that will function as valuable material towards the adoption and effectiveness of the eProcurement portal.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Du Preez, Pedro Gordon
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: End-user computing , Government purchasing -- South Africa Business information services Management information systems Business logistics -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/33272 , vital:32628
- Description: During the 2015 South African budget speech, the country was made aware of the proposed changes to be introduced to the tendering process. These changes were to be implemented from 1 April 2015 and were to span over two years. The changes were to facilitate the transition of the tendering process from a paper- based system to a completely digital process, where the majority of the processes will take place on an eProcurement portal (www.etenders.gov.za). This means that businesses will be obligated to use the portal, in order to access tender opportunities and ultimately, to submit tenders on this portal, with the phasing out of all paper-based tender processes. If the portal is to succeed it has to be well adopted by its users. If the portal is not adopted or is used incorrectly, businesses might struggle to access tender opportunities for their business. This research searches to address this problem by helping the users of this portal to gain efficient and effective access to tendering opportunities, through finding and developing user requirements for successful adoption from a user experience perspective. The primary objective of this research is to develop end-user requirements for the design of an eProcurement portal. To achieve this, a general understanding of the legal policies in place for tendering is necessary, as well as a first-hand experience of the users. Case study research methodology and a mixed method approach are used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. The case study is conducted in the Eastern Cape and directed at business within the construction sector that do tender, as this research is only focusing on the end user and their roles within the tendering process and not on the government internal tendering processes. The outcome of this research is to offer a list of user requirements that can be used within the design of the eProcurement portal that will function as valuable material towards the adoption and effectiveness of the eProcurement portal.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Top-soil water retention in organic and conventional farming systems in South Africa’s Southern Cape
- Authors: Eckert, Catherine Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Water harvesting , Soil moisture conservation Organic farming Sustainable agriculture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39885 , vital:35500
- Description: With the world’s growing population and limited natural resources, there is a need to produce more food using less inputs. A major limiting factor to meeting the agricultural production needs of the growing population is fresh water. Water is a critical resource in agriculture and may be more of a limiting factor than other crop growth requirements in some areas. Furthermore, water availability is being impacted by climate change and competition from other industries. Methods of improving crop water use efficiency through conservation of water and the enhancement of crop growth need to be employed to meet the growing demand sustainably. The purpose of the research was to assess the differences in soil water status between organically farmed crops with a grass mulch and conventionally farmed crops without mulch, with a view to making more efficient use of the water resource. This research was conducted at the Mandela long term organic farming systems research trial site at Nelson Mandela University, George campus in the southern Cape, South Africa. It is part of a larger research project (the Mandela Trials) in which various researchers have been involved in different aspects of this trial including agronomy, microbiology and pest and disease control. This research took place over two seasons, namely, 2016-2017 season and 2017-2018 season. The soil water content (SWC) of organic and conventional plots were measured using fixed capacitance probes that recorded continuous data, every half hour, at depths of 10, 30 and 50 cm. A handheld theta probe was also used to measure the SWC in the top 6 cm of the soil at 7 to14 day intervals. The organic treatment had a significantly higher SWC than the conventional treatment over the two seasons in which this research was conducted. In addition, soil carbon was significantly higher in the organic treatment, than the conventional. Organic farming methods preserve and promote an increase in soil organic matter, thus improving the soil structure and increasing the soil’s water holding capacity. From this research, it is concluded that organic farming practices can be used to help conserve SWC, keeping it available to crops for longer and helping farmers make more efficient use of this scarce resource. This is especially relevant for low rainfall areas which are affected by water shortages. The improved SWC availability should be coupled with good agronomic practices to increase productive water losses and the conversion of water to yields, thus increasing water use efficiency. In addition, adding organic matter to the soil will improve resilience of the soil and help sequester carbon and thus help in mitigating climate change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Top-soil water retention in organic and conventional farming systems in South Africa’s Southern Cape
- Authors: Eckert, Catherine Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Water harvesting , Soil moisture conservation Organic farming Sustainable agriculture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39885 , vital:35500
- Description: With the world’s growing population and limited natural resources, there is a need to produce more food using less inputs. A major limiting factor to meeting the agricultural production needs of the growing population is fresh water. Water is a critical resource in agriculture and may be more of a limiting factor than other crop growth requirements in some areas. Furthermore, water availability is being impacted by climate change and competition from other industries. Methods of improving crop water use efficiency through conservation of water and the enhancement of crop growth need to be employed to meet the growing demand sustainably. The purpose of the research was to assess the differences in soil water status between organically farmed crops with a grass mulch and conventionally farmed crops without mulch, with a view to making more efficient use of the water resource. This research was conducted at the Mandela long term organic farming systems research trial site at Nelson Mandela University, George campus in the southern Cape, South Africa. It is part of a larger research project (the Mandela Trials) in which various researchers have been involved in different aspects of this trial including agronomy, microbiology and pest and disease control. This research took place over two seasons, namely, 2016-2017 season and 2017-2018 season. The soil water content (SWC) of organic and conventional plots were measured using fixed capacitance probes that recorded continuous data, every half hour, at depths of 10, 30 and 50 cm. A handheld theta probe was also used to measure the SWC in the top 6 cm of the soil at 7 to14 day intervals. The organic treatment had a significantly higher SWC than the conventional treatment over the two seasons in which this research was conducted. In addition, soil carbon was significantly higher in the organic treatment, than the conventional. Organic farming methods preserve and promote an increase in soil organic matter, thus improving the soil structure and increasing the soil’s water holding capacity. From this research, it is concluded that organic farming practices can be used to help conserve SWC, keeping it available to crops for longer and helping farmers make more efficient use of this scarce resource. This is especially relevant for low rainfall areas which are affected by water shortages. The improved SWC availability should be coupled with good agronomic practices to increase productive water losses and the conversion of water to yields, thus increasing water use efficiency. In addition, adding organic matter to the soil will improve resilience of the soil and help sequester carbon and thus help in mitigating climate change.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Carbon monoxide exposure and respiratory diseases in Wells Estate and Walmer township in Port Elizabeth, South africa
- Authors: Ejesieme, Amarachi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Air -- Pollution -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Carbon monoxide , Respiratory organs -- Diseases , Respiratory infections
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39874 , vital:35496
- Description: To ascertain household exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and its associations with respiratory diseases in Port Elizabeth, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in Walmer Township and Wells Estate in Port Elizabeth. Ambient and indoor CO levels were measured in each township and compared with national and international air quality guideline. ChromAir® diffusion carbon monoxide badges were used for carbon monoxide measurement. Badges are relatively inexpensive and easy to use and results can be obtained after a 48-hour passive exposure. Exposure to CO was determined by measuring levels in the ambient environment and living rooms of study dwellings. The prevalence of respiratory diseases and symptoms were assessed using the iBhayi study questionnaire. The mean of ambient and indoor CO levels for the total sample was 8.02 (SD 2.43) and 0.68 (SD 1.23) ppm respectively. In this study, 40% of ambient CO measurements exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) 8-hour guideline of 8.7 ppm. The Student’s t-test showed that ambient (p = 0.59) and indoor (p = 0.16) CO levels in Walmer Township and Wells Estate were similar. This shows that CO exposure in both townships do not vary significantly. Fever and chills (32%), headache (19%) and runny/blocked nose (19%) were the most prevalent acute respiratory symptoms. The predominant respiratory diseases/conditions were tuberculosis (8.5%) and asthma (5.7%). CO at levels below the WHO 8-hour guidelines was significantly associated with the prevalence of acute respiratory symptoms (AOR = 2.286; 95% CI: 1.220 - 4.283). Ageing emerged as an independent risk factor for high tuberculosis prevalence in the study sites (AOR = 5.837; 95% CI: 1.654 – 20. 596). The study indicated low levels of carbon monoxide exposure in the study areas. From the findings, CO may be associated with an increase in respiratory symptoms in the study population. Increasing community awareness on sources and adverse health effects of CO exposure with improved service delivery will be helpful in reducing the burden of respiratory outcomes in the study sites.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ejesieme, Amarachi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Air -- Pollution -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Carbon monoxide , Respiratory organs -- Diseases , Respiratory infections
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39874 , vital:35496
- Description: To ascertain household exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and its associations with respiratory diseases in Port Elizabeth, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in Walmer Township and Wells Estate in Port Elizabeth. Ambient and indoor CO levels were measured in each township and compared with national and international air quality guideline. ChromAir® diffusion carbon monoxide badges were used for carbon monoxide measurement. Badges are relatively inexpensive and easy to use and results can be obtained after a 48-hour passive exposure. Exposure to CO was determined by measuring levels in the ambient environment and living rooms of study dwellings. The prevalence of respiratory diseases and symptoms were assessed using the iBhayi study questionnaire. The mean of ambient and indoor CO levels for the total sample was 8.02 (SD 2.43) and 0.68 (SD 1.23) ppm respectively. In this study, 40% of ambient CO measurements exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) 8-hour guideline of 8.7 ppm. The Student’s t-test showed that ambient (p = 0.59) and indoor (p = 0.16) CO levels in Walmer Township and Wells Estate were similar. This shows that CO exposure in both townships do not vary significantly. Fever and chills (32%), headache (19%) and runny/blocked nose (19%) were the most prevalent acute respiratory symptoms. The predominant respiratory diseases/conditions were tuberculosis (8.5%) and asthma (5.7%). CO at levels below the WHO 8-hour guidelines was significantly associated with the prevalence of acute respiratory symptoms (AOR = 2.286; 95% CI: 1.220 - 4.283). Ageing emerged as an independent risk factor for high tuberculosis prevalence in the study sites (AOR = 5.837; 95% CI: 1.654 – 20. 596). The study indicated low levels of carbon monoxide exposure in the study areas. From the findings, CO may be associated with an increase in respiratory symptoms in the study population. Increasing community awareness on sources and adverse health effects of CO exposure with improved service delivery will be helpful in reducing the burden of respiratory outcomes in the study sites.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Towards a framework for the integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula
- Gomana, Lindokuhle Gcina, Thomson, Kerry-Lynn
- Authors: Gomana, Lindokuhle Gcina , Thomson, Kerry-Lynn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Information technology -- Study and teaching , Computer security -- Study and teaching Educational technology Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13691 , vital:27296
- Description: Information is an important and valuable asset, in both our everyday lives and in various organisations. Information is subject to numerous threats, these can originate internally or externally to the organisation and could be accidental, intentional or caused by natural disasters. As an important organisational asset, information should be appropriately protected from threats and threat agents regardless of their origin. Organisational employees are, however, often cited as the “weakest link” in the attempt to protect organisational information systems and related information assets. Additionally to this, employees are one of the biggest and closest threat-agents to an organisation’s information systems and its security. Upon graduating, computing (Computer Science, Information Systems and Information Technology) graduates typically become organisational employees. Within organisations, computing graduates often take on roles and responsibilities that involve designing, developing, implementing, upgrading and maintaining the information systems that store, process and transmit organisational information assets. It is, therefore, important that these computing graduates possess the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding that could enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities in a secure manner. These information security skills, knowledge and understanding can be acquired through information security education obtained through a qualification that is offered at a higher education institution. At many higher education institutions where information security is taught, it is taught as a single, isolated module at the fourth year level of study. The problem with this is that some computing students do not advance to this level and many of those that do, do not elect information security as a module. This means that these students may graduate and be employed by organisations lacking the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding to perform their roles and responsibilities securely. Consequently, this could increase the number of employees who are the “weakest link” in securing organisational information systems and related information assets. The ACM, as a key role player that provides educational guidelines for the development of computing curricula, recommends that information security should be pervasively integrated into computing curricula. However, these guidelines and recommendations do not provide sufficient guidance on “how” computing educators can pervasively integrate information security into their modules. Therefore, the problem identified by this research is that “currently, no generally used framework exists to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula”. The primary research objective of this study, therefore, is to develop a framework to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula. In order to meet this objective, secondary objectives were met, namely: To develop an understanding of the importance of information security; to determine the importance of information security education as it relates to undergraduate computing curricula; and to determine computing educators’ perspectives on information security education in a South African context. Various research methods were used to achieve this study’s research objectives. These research methods included a literature review which was used to define and provide an in-depth discussion relating to the domain in which this study is contained, namely: information security and information security education. Furthermore, a survey which took the form of semi-structured interviews supported by a questionnaire, was used to elicit computing educators’ perspectives on information security education in a South African context. Argumentation was used to argue towards the proposed framework to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula. In addition, modelling techniques were used to model the proposed framework and scenarios were used to demonstrate how a computing department could implement the proposed framework. Finally, elite interviews supported by a questionnaire were conducted to validate the proposed framework. It is envisaged that the proposed framework could assist computing departments and undergraduate computing educators in the integration of information security into their curricula. Furthermore, the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula could ensure that computing graduates exit higher education institutions possessing the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities securely. It is hoped that this could enable computing graduates to become a stronger link in securing organisational information systems and related assets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Gomana, Lindokuhle Gcina , Thomson, Kerry-Lynn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Information technology -- Study and teaching , Computer security -- Study and teaching Educational technology Computer networks -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13691 , vital:27296
- Description: Information is an important and valuable asset, in both our everyday lives and in various organisations. Information is subject to numerous threats, these can originate internally or externally to the organisation and could be accidental, intentional or caused by natural disasters. As an important organisational asset, information should be appropriately protected from threats and threat agents regardless of their origin. Organisational employees are, however, often cited as the “weakest link” in the attempt to protect organisational information systems and related information assets. Additionally to this, employees are one of the biggest and closest threat-agents to an organisation’s information systems and its security. Upon graduating, computing (Computer Science, Information Systems and Information Technology) graduates typically become organisational employees. Within organisations, computing graduates often take on roles and responsibilities that involve designing, developing, implementing, upgrading and maintaining the information systems that store, process and transmit organisational information assets. It is, therefore, important that these computing graduates possess the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding that could enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities in a secure manner. These information security skills, knowledge and understanding can be acquired through information security education obtained through a qualification that is offered at a higher education institution. At many higher education institutions where information security is taught, it is taught as a single, isolated module at the fourth year level of study. The problem with this is that some computing students do not advance to this level and many of those that do, do not elect information security as a module. This means that these students may graduate and be employed by organisations lacking the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding to perform their roles and responsibilities securely. Consequently, this could increase the number of employees who are the “weakest link” in securing organisational information systems and related information assets. The ACM, as a key role player that provides educational guidelines for the development of computing curricula, recommends that information security should be pervasively integrated into computing curricula. However, these guidelines and recommendations do not provide sufficient guidance on “how” computing educators can pervasively integrate information security into their modules. Therefore, the problem identified by this research is that “currently, no generally used framework exists to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula”. The primary research objective of this study, therefore, is to develop a framework to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula. In order to meet this objective, secondary objectives were met, namely: To develop an understanding of the importance of information security; to determine the importance of information security education as it relates to undergraduate computing curricula; and to determine computing educators’ perspectives on information security education in a South African context. Various research methods were used to achieve this study’s research objectives. These research methods included a literature review which was used to define and provide an in-depth discussion relating to the domain in which this study is contained, namely: information security and information security education. Furthermore, a survey which took the form of semi-structured interviews supported by a questionnaire, was used to elicit computing educators’ perspectives on information security education in a South African context. Argumentation was used to argue towards the proposed framework to aid the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula. In addition, modelling techniques were used to model the proposed framework and scenarios were used to demonstrate how a computing department could implement the proposed framework. Finally, elite interviews supported by a questionnaire were conducted to validate the proposed framework. It is envisaged that the proposed framework could assist computing departments and undergraduate computing educators in the integration of information security into their curricula. Furthermore, the pervasive integration of information security into undergraduate computing curricula could ensure that computing graduates exit higher education institutions possessing the necessary information security skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities securely. It is hoped that this could enable computing graduates to become a stronger link in securing organisational information systems and related assets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten: a critique of bargain retail practices and homemaking through critical design
- Authors: Hawley, Ami Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Stores, Retail -- Designs and plans -- South Africa , Interior decoration -- South Africa House furnishings -- South Africa -- 20th century Furniture -- South Africa Store decoration Interior architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40349 , vital:36146
- Description: Although bargains commonly manifest as loud advertisements and trivial objects, as a moment of exchange they provide a basis to critique economic relations and judgements of taste. This research presents a document study of “bargains” in the context of bargain retail practices and homemaking, illustrated in the case of OK Furniture in South Africa; further situated by Julier’s study of economy and class within design culture, and Bourdieu’s fields of cultural production. The investigation builds to a discussion of the research practice, alluded to in the research project’s title, “A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten”. The title is an entry from this practice’s journal that conveys how the everyday experience of a bargain might find a connection to poetry when its exchange is seen as a performance; as a moment or encounter “unwritten”, capable of generating different modes of meaning and sociability. Using critical design strategies, the research practice explores the manifesting discountproduct cultures and retail practices associated with homes as a way to inhabit richer interpersonal relationships and unscripted sociability. This is discussed through four critical design proposals and 26 thought experiments, resulting in Text me when you see this, an online concept store that sells bargains, personal agreements, quality time, conversation and curio: www.textmewhenyouseethis.com. The research explores the limits to a bargain’s economic and emotional exchange by asking What if a bargain represented other forms of sociability, and How else might this mode of exchange look? These questions are used in the critique to model critical design towards both poetic expression and pragmatic embodiment of criticality in the project of reflecting on everyday life and what it might “dissolve into”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Hawley, Ami Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Stores, Retail -- Designs and plans -- South Africa , Interior decoration -- South Africa House furnishings -- South Africa -- 20th century Furniture -- South Africa Store decoration Interior architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40349 , vital:36146
- Description: Although bargains commonly manifest as loud advertisements and trivial objects, as a moment of exchange they provide a basis to critique economic relations and judgements of taste. This research presents a document study of “bargains” in the context of bargain retail practices and homemaking, illustrated in the case of OK Furniture in South Africa; further situated by Julier’s study of economy and class within design culture, and Bourdieu’s fields of cultural production. The investigation builds to a discussion of the research practice, alluded to in the research project’s title, “A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten”. The title is an entry from this practice’s journal that conveys how the everyday experience of a bargain might find a connection to poetry when its exchange is seen as a performance; as a moment or encounter “unwritten”, capable of generating different modes of meaning and sociability. Using critical design strategies, the research practice explores the manifesting discountproduct cultures and retail practices associated with homes as a way to inhabit richer interpersonal relationships and unscripted sociability. This is discussed through four critical design proposals and 26 thought experiments, resulting in Text me when you see this, an online concept store that sells bargains, personal agreements, quality time, conversation and curio: www.textmewhenyouseethis.com. The research explores the limits to a bargain’s economic and emotional exchange by asking What if a bargain represented other forms of sociability, and How else might this mode of exchange look? These questions are used in the critique to model critical design towards both poetic expression and pragmatic embodiment of criticality in the project of reflecting on everyday life and what it might “dissolve into”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students regarding assessor feedback during summative clinical assessments
- Authors: Hodgson, Hayley Dianne
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Medical education , Teacher-student relationships Communication in education Mentoring in education Radiography, Medical -- Digital techniques
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42296 , vital:36643
- Description: Assessment and feedback are closely interlinked terms. High quality feedback within education and assessment can have a profound influence on learning. Summative clinical assessments and feedback, conducted in clinical training sites, are vital steps in successfully preparing an undergraduate diagnostic radiography student for the desired outcome of a competent, skilled diagnostic radiographer. Feedback has the potential to close the gap between a student’s actual clinical performance and desired clinical performance. Despite the importance of feedback, students across the globe, particularly in the health professions, are dissatisfied with the current feedback systems. Failure to provide effective feedback within the clinical context can be detrimental to patient safety because students have a false impression of their clinical skills and competencies. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students regarding assessor feedback during summative clinical assessments. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used to gain in-depth knowledge of the experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students regarding assessor feedback during summative clinical assessments. Data were gathered from students by means of semi-structured focus group interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and coded using Tesch’s eight steps. Two principle themes emerged from the data analysis. Theme 1 unpacked whether an assessor is an ally or foe. Theme 2 focussed on key elements that influence the nature of the feedback process. There were various positive experiences regarding assessor feedback during the summative clinical assessments reported by the participants. However, they were dissatisfied with numerous aspects of assessor feedback during their summative clinical assessments and this subsequently impeded their learning experience. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical research practices governed this research study. Based on the findings, the recommendations include that the higher education institution, clinical supervisors, and radiography students, should utilise feedback as a learning tool for skills development during summative clinical assesssments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Hodgson, Hayley Dianne
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Medical education , Teacher-student relationships Communication in education Mentoring in education Radiography, Medical -- Digital techniques
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42296 , vital:36643
- Description: Assessment and feedback are closely interlinked terms. High quality feedback within education and assessment can have a profound influence on learning. Summative clinical assessments and feedback, conducted in clinical training sites, are vital steps in successfully preparing an undergraduate diagnostic radiography student for the desired outcome of a competent, skilled diagnostic radiographer. Feedback has the potential to close the gap between a student’s actual clinical performance and desired clinical performance. Despite the importance of feedback, students across the globe, particularly in the health professions, are dissatisfied with the current feedback systems. Failure to provide effective feedback within the clinical context can be detrimental to patient safety because students have a false impression of their clinical skills and competencies. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students regarding assessor feedback during summative clinical assessments. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used to gain in-depth knowledge of the experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students regarding assessor feedback during summative clinical assessments. Data were gathered from students by means of semi-structured focus group interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and coded using Tesch’s eight steps. Two principle themes emerged from the data analysis. Theme 1 unpacked whether an assessor is an ally or foe. Theme 2 focussed on key elements that influence the nature of the feedback process. There were various positive experiences regarding assessor feedback during the summative clinical assessments reported by the participants. However, they were dissatisfied with numerous aspects of assessor feedback during their summative clinical assessments and this subsequently impeded their learning experience. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical research practices governed this research study. Based on the findings, the recommendations include that the higher education institution, clinical supervisors, and radiography students, should utilise feedback as a learning tool for skills development during summative clinical assesssments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Human resources strategies for creating a green organisational culture
- Authors: Jacobs, Petro
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Personnel management , Environmental responsibility Corporate culture Social responsibility of business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22090 , vital:29839
- Description: Organisations of the future have to focus strongly on sustainability to meet the needs of and ensure the survival of future generations. Many organisations either ignore environmental issues or address these issues superficially. To become a green organisation, requires a change in attitude, knowledge and behaviour and therefore a change in organisational culture. The purpose of this study was to explore Human Resources strategies for developing and implementing a green organisational culture in organisations. To address the main problem and the identified sub-problems, a literature study was undertaken. The concept of sustainability was explored, the rationale for going green and major stakeholders in creating a green organisational culture were identified. The literature study provided a synopsis of previous research on HR strategies for managing a culture change and more specifically, for creating and implementing a green culture in organisations. The research revealed that leadership, communication, recruitment, orientation, training, performance management, reward and recognition initiatives, as well as discipline, could be used to develop green values, attitudes and behaviours among organisational members. A web-based survey with a questionnaire as data collecting instrument was conducted among public and private organisations in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area to determine the extent to which these organisations used the identified HR strategies to create a green organisational culture. A snowball sample technique was used. The main factors surveyed, included leadership, green technologies, green communication, HR strategies and procedures, brand communication and brand image. The results confirmed that executives or senior management were the main drivers to create a green culture; however, even though these leaders were considered passionate about the environment, they did not optimise the vision values and strategy to build a green organisational culture. The study also confirmed that although these organisations used green technologies to reduce waste, they did not encourage or reward employees for their contributions to green initiatives and did not adequately use communication in this respect. The results revealed that of the factors surveyed, leadership and HR strategies or procedures contributed the most to organisations developing a green organisational brand or image. The study confirmed the importance of using an integrated approach to develop a green organisation. Such an approach is initiated by senior management, through the formulation of a green vision, green values and a green strategy, and is supported by both technological resources and employee contributions. In addition, HR strategies should be aligned vertically and horizontally to develop an appropriate green mind-set and behaviour among all organisational members. In this respect, the HR department should also model appropriate green behaviours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Jacobs, Petro
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Personnel management , Environmental responsibility Corporate culture Social responsibility of business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22090 , vital:29839
- Description: Organisations of the future have to focus strongly on sustainability to meet the needs of and ensure the survival of future generations. Many organisations either ignore environmental issues or address these issues superficially. To become a green organisation, requires a change in attitude, knowledge and behaviour and therefore a change in organisational culture. The purpose of this study was to explore Human Resources strategies for developing and implementing a green organisational culture in organisations. To address the main problem and the identified sub-problems, a literature study was undertaken. The concept of sustainability was explored, the rationale for going green and major stakeholders in creating a green organisational culture were identified. The literature study provided a synopsis of previous research on HR strategies for managing a culture change and more specifically, for creating and implementing a green culture in organisations. The research revealed that leadership, communication, recruitment, orientation, training, performance management, reward and recognition initiatives, as well as discipline, could be used to develop green values, attitudes and behaviours among organisational members. A web-based survey with a questionnaire as data collecting instrument was conducted among public and private organisations in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area to determine the extent to which these organisations used the identified HR strategies to create a green organisational culture. A snowball sample technique was used. The main factors surveyed, included leadership, green technologies, green communication, HR strategies and procedures, brand communication and brand image. The results confirmed that executives or senior management were the main drivers to create a green culture; however, even though these leaders were considered passionate about the environment, they did not optimise the vision values and strategy to build a green organisational culture. The study also confirmed that although these organisations used green technologies to reduce waste, they did not encourage or reward employees for their contributions to green initiatives and did not adequately use communication in this respect. The results revealed that of the factors surveyed, leadership and HR strategies or procedures contributed the most to organisations developing a green organisational brand or image. The study confirmed the importance of using an integrated approach to develop a green organisation. Such an approach is initiated by senior management, through the formulation of a green vision, green values and a green strategy, and is supported by both technological resources and employee contributions. In addition, HR strategies should be aligned vertically and horizontally to develop an appropriate green mind-set and behaviour among all organisational members. In this respect, the HR department should also model appropriate green behaviours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Motivation of construction workers in the nelson Mandela Bay Metropole, South Africa
- Jesumoroti, Christtestimony Oluwafemi
- Authors: Jesumoroti, Christtestimony Oluwafemi
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Performance standards -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Construction workers -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Construction industry -- Employees -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30573 , vital:30962
- Description: The issue of construction workers’ motivation has become a subject of debate among construction project management professionals. Construction workers mostly work long hours in relatively disagreeable environments and, far from their families. Most of the activities are done under difficult conditions including harsh weather conditions, however, employees are required to be motivated towards ensuring the attractiveness of the industry to them. Moreover, there are diverse perceptions that the motivation of construction workers positively impacts construction workers performance or rather adversely affects the general performance of construction workers. Although, workers motivation has been proven to improve construction productivity globally, motivation of construction workers seems not to be effectively implemented in South African Construction Industry. As a result, it is difficult for management to identify motivational factors that affect workers productivity in a work environment. A quantitative research approach was employed to analyse the result obtained from a structured questionnaire survey. The research respondents included: bricklayers, plumbers, concrete workers, electricians, carpenters, and professionals. This study used data from primary source which focus on tradesman, labourer and professional context. A survey was conducted with tradesmen, labourers and professionals regarding motivation on construction workers which was conducted in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole, Eastern Cape. It was found that motivation is important to construction workers’ performance. Awarding bonuses to workers is important to improving workers’ efficiency and there is a need for construction workers recognition by management. Construction industry stakeholder should shift their attention and prioritise the motivation of its workers since the industry has a way of cubing poverty and uplifting the county’s economy. The findings revealed that motivational communication, rather than functional communication, would enhance worker productivity. It was found that both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are needed to improve worker productivity. It was also found that positive reinforcement techniques, should be used to enhance worker productivity. The findings from this research study revealed that the motivational theories apply to construction workers, and management needs to apply these theories wisely to achieve improved productivity. The study therefore concludes that motivational techniques are necessary to improve construction workers productivity on a vii construction site. It is recommended that supervisors use motivational communication, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards and positive reinforcement to motivate their workers to achieve higher levels of productivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Jesumoroti, Christtestimony Oluwafemi
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Performance standards -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Construction workers -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Construction industry -- Employees -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30573 , vital:30962
- Description: The issue of construction workers’ motivation has become a subject of debate among construction project management professionals. Construction workers mostly work long hours in relatively disagreeable environments and, far from their families. Most of the activities are done under difficult conditions including harsh weather conditions, however, employees are required to be motivated towards ensuring the attractiveness of the industry to them. Moreover, there are diverse perceptions that the motivation of construction workers positively impacts construction workers performance or rather adversely affects the general performance of construction workers. Although, workers motivation has been proven to improve construction productivity globally, motivation of construction workers seems not to be effectively implemented in South African Construction Industry. As a result, it is difficult for management to identify motivational factors that affect workers productivity in a work environment. A quantitative research approach was employed to analyse the result obtained from a structured questionnaire survey. The research respondents included: bricklayers, plumbers, concrete workers, electricians, carpenters, and professionals. This study used data from primary source which focus on tradesman, labourer and professional context. A survey was conducted with tradesmen, labourers and professionals regarding motivation on construction workers which was conducted in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole, Eastern Cape. It was found that motivation is important to construction workers’ performance. Awarding bonuses to workers is important to improving workers’ efficiency and there is a need for construction workers recognition by management. Construction industry stakeholder should shift their attention and prioritise the motivation of its workers since the industry has a way of cubing poverty and uplifting the county’s economy. The findings revealed that motivational communication, rather than functional communication, would enhance worker productivity. It was found that both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are needed to improve worker productivity. It was also found that positive reinforcement techniques, should be used to enhance worker productivity. The findings from this research study revealed that the motivational theories apply to construction workers, and management needs to apply these theories wisely to achieve improved productivity. The study therefore concludes that motivational techniques are necessary to improve construction workers productivity on a vii construction site. It is recommended that supervisors use motivational communication, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards and positive reinforcement to motivate their workers to achieve higher levels of productivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
An examination of the visual representation of young white Afrikaner women
- Authors: Jordan, Nicole
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Photography of women -- South Africa , Photography, Artistic -- South Africa Photography -- South Africa Photography, Artistic -- 21st century Women -- South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39972 , vital:35622
- Description: The purpose of this qualitative research study is to comment on the visual representation of women between the ages of twenty and thirty within white contemporary Afrikaans culture. This will be achieved through an analysis of stereotypes evident in Afrikaner culture. Examples of this include but are not limited to the text and visuals in the Goeie Maniere en Etiket (1981) book by Emsie Schoeman and dated Afrikaans magazine issues by Huisgenoot (Issue XLII, 2 June 1961) and Sarie Marais (Issue 17/19, 30 March 1966). Interviews were conducted with five white young Afrikaner women using a collaborative approach, to gain a better understanding of the influences that cultural and visual stereotypes have on an individual. The research aims to comment on how the emerging post-apartheid generation of young Afrikaner women are responding to the cultural expectations and engaging with their Afrikaner identity in the way they choose to represent themselves through tableau portrait photography. The study is based on a practice-based research method, which encompasses two components: a written output and a practical output. These function as a unity, where the written component guides the development of the practical body of work. The written document provides the foundation and framework in which the practical work functions, creating a conceptual framework that guides the process of collaboration between the visual artist and subject to construct a contemporary visual representation that focuses on how young Afrikaner women react to traditional cultural roles and develop an understanding of self. The study makes use of Gillian Rose’s visual analysis framework as a critical analysis tool to determine the visual representation that emerges from the collaboration between the visual artist and the subject. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to facilitate the potential for the subject to critically engage with visual identity by collaborating with the visual artist. This research presents a unique approach to communicate an evolving post-apartheid identity and has contributed to an understanding of the feminine identity construction of the emerging Afrikaner generation in a democratic South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Jordan, Nicole
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Photography of women -- South Africa , Photography, Artistic -- South Africa Photography -- South Africa Photography, Artistic -- 21st century Women -- South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39972 , vital:35622
- Description: The purpose of this qualitative research study is to comment on the visual representation of women between the ages of twenty and thirty within white contemporary Afrikaans culture. This will be achieved through an analysis of stereotypes evident in Afrikaner culture. Examples of this include but are not limited to the text and visuals in the Goeie Maniere en Etiket (1981) book by Emsie Schoeman and dated Afrikaans magazine issues by Huisgenoot (Issue XLII, 2 June 1961) and Sarie Marais (Issue 17/19, 30 March 1966). Interviews were conducted with five white young Afrikaner women using a collaborative approach, to gain a better understanding of the influences that cultural and visual stereotypes have on an individual. The research aims to comment on how the emerging post-apartheid generation of young Afrikaner women are responding to the cultural expectations and engaging with their Afrikaner identity in the way they choose to represent themselves through tableau portrait photography. The study is based on a practice-based research method, which encompasses two components: a written output and a practical output. These function as a unity, where the written component guides the development of the practical body of work. The written document provides the foundation and framework in which the practical work functions, creating a conceptual framework that guides the process of collaboration between the visual artist and subject to construct a contemporary visual representation that focuses on how young Afrikaner women react to traditional cultural roles and develop an understanding of self. The study makes use of Gillian Rose’s visual analysis framework as a critical analysis tool to determine the visual representation that emerges from the collaboration between the visual artist and the subject. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to facilitate the potential for the subject to critically engage with visual identity by collaborating with the visual artist. This research presents a unique approach to communicate an evolving post-apartheid identity and has contributed to an understanding of the feminine identity construction of the emerging Afrikaner generation in a democratic South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Challenging the aesthetics and functionality of metals in contemporary blacksmithing
- Authors: Lucas, Justin
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art metal-work , Blacksmithing Ironwork
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40533 , vital:36180
- Description: A forge allows the creation of both utilitarian craftwork and artworks. It is difficult to find blacksmiths who are willing to pass on their knowledge, particularly in South Africa where the art of blacksmithing is practised by a small number of individuals who rely on their labour for an income. This dissertation documents the building of a forge and what is needed to practise the art of blacksmithing, sourcing of the materials, and the application of blacksmithing to make pleasing artefacts. The document includes the processes of forge tool-making, providing an avenue for future students to fabricate tools and use the processes for art-making as well as list of suppliers and list of blacksmiths in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Lucas, Justin
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art metal-work , Blacksmithing Ironwork
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40533 , vital:36180
- Description: A forge allows the creation of both utilitarian craftwork and artworks. It is difficult to find blacksmiths who are willing to pass on their knowledge, particularly in South Africa where the art of blacksmithing is practised by a small number of individuals who rely on their labour for an income. This dissertation documents the building of a forge and what is needed to practise the art of blacksmithing, sourcing of the materials, and the application of blacksmithing to make pleasing artefacts. The document includes the processes of forge tool-making, providing an avenue for future students to fabricate tools and use the processes for art-making as well as list of suppliers and list of blacksmiths in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The development of armature based ceramics using South African raw materials
- Authors: Luyt, Michelle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pottery -- Research -- South Africa , Pottery craft -- South Africa -- Technique Ceramics in interior decoration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22618 , vital:30028
- Description: The purpose of the research was to develop a procedure by which South African ceramicists can use locally sourced ceramic materials to create armature based art forms, without having to rely on the importation of raw materials. The study also investigated the suitability of wire armatures as well as variable temperature ranges applicable to this investigation. It was found that commercial clay slip bodies purchased from South African suppliers tended to crack when coated over wire armatures during the firing process. It was shown that by substituting South African ceramic raw materials in the John W. Conrad’s C25 casting slip and Jeremy Dubber’s Ascent casting slip formulae with the addition of paper pulp and potassium feldspar, reduced the problem of the clay cracking when applied to wire armatures. The addition of paper fibres gave the clay bodies strong adhesive qualities which allowed the clay them to adhere onto the wire armatures which prevented the dry clay coatings from chipping off prior to and after firing. The addition of potassium feldspar helped with the maturing point of both the clay bodies and helped fuse the clay particles together which strengthened the clay coatings after being fired to their respective maturing temperatures. A further application of hydrochloric acid 30% or Pro Grip Key Coat ® to the three wire armature types, being galvanized binding wire, galvanized diamond mesh and Kanthal wire prior to coating with the above two formulae improved the adhesion of the clay slips to the armatures. This prevented them from the tendency to slide off the wire during the dipping and pouring process and helped eliminate any cracks that formed during the firing process. However, the glazing of the clay slips above proved to be problematic where it was sought as a further enhancement of the clay coated wire armatures. A general-purpose earthenware glaze caused the fired clay coating to crack probably due to the increased tension between the wire, clay body and the glaze. This problem was solved by developing a low firing transparent glaze. Other decorative effects were achieved by the inclusion of 0.5% cobalt oxide into the low firing transparent glaze which produced a blemish free deep blue colour. A further effect was achieved using binding copper wire over the bisque ware and then glazing with the low firing transparent glaze. A smoke firing technique as well an application of a copper oxide wash to the bisque fired ware and then re-firing to the required maturing temperature produced pleasing results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Luyt, Michelle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pottery -- Research -- South Africa , Pottery craft -- South Africa -- Technique Ceramics in interior decoration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22618 , vital:30028
- Description: The purpose of the research was to develop a procedure by which South African ceramicists can use locally sourced ceramic materials to create armature based art forms, without having to rely on the importation of raw materials. The study also investigated the suitability of wire armatures as well as variable temperature ranges applicable to this investigation. It was found that commercial clay slip bodies purchased from South African suppliers tended to crack when coated over wire armatures during the firing process. It was shown that by substituting South African ceramic raw materials in the John W. Conrad’s C25 casting slip and Jeremy Dubber’s Ascent casting slip formulae with the addition of paper pulp and potassium feldspar, reduced the problem of the clay cracking when applied to wire armatures. The addition of paper fibres gave the clay bodies strong adhesive qualities which allowed the clay them to adhere onto the wire armatures which prevented the dry clay coatings from chipping off prior to and after firing. The addition of potassium feldspar helped with the maturing point of both the clay bodies and helped fuse the clay particles together which strengthened the clay coatings after being fired to their respective maturing temperatures. A further application of hydrochloric acid 30% or Pro Grip Key Coat ® to the three wire armature types, being galvanized binding wire, galvanized diamond mesh and Kanthal wire prior to coating with the above two formulae improved the adhesion of the clay slips to the armatures. This prevented them from the tendency to slide off the wire during the dipping and pouring process and helped eliminate any cracks that formed during the firing process. However, the glazing of the clay slips above proved to be problematic where it was sought as a further enhancement of the clay coated wire armatures. A general-purpose earthenware glaze caused the fired clay coating to crack probably due to the increased tension between the wire, clay body and the glaze. This problem was solved by developing a low firing transparent glaze. Other decorative effects were achieved by the inclusion of 0.5% cobalt oxide into the low firing transparent glaze which produced a blemish free deep blue colour. A further effect was achieved using binding copper wire over the bisque ware and then glazing with the low firing transparent glaze. A smoke firing technique as well an application of a copper oxide wash to the bisque fired ware and then re-firing to the required maturing temperature produced pleasing results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Laser welding of thin-walled stainless steel tubing
- Authors: Mabveka, Greystone Graham
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Laser welding , Welding Mechanical engineering
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40690 , vital:36223
- Description: Longitudinal butt welds in the motor industry are increasingly being made by laser welding. One of the materials being welded is thin walled type 441 stainless steel tubing. The welding process parameters should however be optimised to give a weld that possesses acceptable properties. In this research, a Yb:YAG laser machine was used to weld a 1.2mm thick tubing. Laser power and welding speed were varied to achieve an optimum weld whose properties compare well with the parent metal. The two parameters were combined such that the heat input was in the range of 7.5 to 25kJ/m. The welds were characterised by the microstructure from the weld, intergranular attack and mechanical properties. It has been shown by microstructure study that grains originated from ‘weld metal/base metal’ interface and elongated towards the weld centreline. A defined line ran through the interface through the thickness of the plate. Smaller grains were noted around the interface in some welds. Susceptibility to intergranular attack tests showed random ditching in the weld metal microstructure which indicated that the weldments produced were acceptable. Mechanical tests of all welds showed a slight increase in micro-hardness in the weld metal. While the base metal had a micro-hardness range of 160 –199HV0.1, it increased to 187 – 242HV0.1 in the fusion zone. An ANOVA regression of tensile test results predicted an expected maximum of 471MPa to occur when a 1000W power is used at a welding speed of 0.06m/s. Fracture morphology of tensile test samples showed that all failures were by overload. This showed that the weld metal still exhibited similar ductility properties with the base metal.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mabveka, Greystone Graham
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Laser welding , Welding Mechanical engineering
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40690 , vital:36223
- Description: Longitudinal butt welds in the motor industry are increasingly being made by laser welding. One of the materials being welded is thin walled type 441 stainless steel tubing. The welding process parameters should however be optimised to give a weld that possesses acceptable properties. In this research, a Yb:YAG laser machine was used to weld a 1.2mm thick tubing. Laser power and welding speed were varied to achieve an optimum weld whose properties compare well with the parent metal. The two parameters were combined such that the heat input was in the range of 7.5 to 25kJ/m. The welds were characterised by the microstructure from the weld, intergranular attack and mechanical properties. It has been shown by microstructure study that grains originated from ‘weld metal/base metal’ interface and elongated towards the weld centreline. A defined line ran through the interface through the thickness of the plate. Smaller grains were noted around the interface in some welds. Susceptibility to intergranular attack tests showed random ditching in the weld metal microstructure which indicated that the weldments produced were acceptable. Mechanical tests of all welds showed a slight increase in micro-hardness in the weld metal. While the base metal had a micro-hardness range of 160 –199HV0.1, it increased to 187 – 242HV0.1 in the fusion zone. An ANOVA regression of tensile test results predicted an expected maximum of 471MPa to occur when a 1000W power is used at a welding speed of 0.06m/s. Fracture morphology of tensile test samples showed that all failures were by overload. This showed that the weld metal still exhibited similar ductility properties with the base metal.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Financial viability and sustainability of the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma catchment management agency upon establishment
- Authors: Madube-dube, Melikhaya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Water-supply -- South Africa -- Management , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Management Watersheds -- South Africa -- Finance Water resources development -- South Africa -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30832 , vital:31170
- Description: The National Water Act, 36 of 1998 through chapter seven mandates the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to establish (CMAs) throughout the Republic of South Africa. These CMAs are institutions geographically based with their boundaries coinciding, as far as is possible, with the river catchment boundaries. The purpose of establishing the CMAs is to delegate the raw water resources management function to the regional or catchment level or in water management areas. There were previously two water management areas (WMAs) in the Eastern Cape as proposed by the 2004 National Water Resources Strategy (NWRS), namely WMA twelve (WMA 12) and WMA fifteen (WMA 15). WMA twelve ran from the Mzimvubu to Kieskamahoek Rivers with WMA fifteen running from the Great Fish to the Tsitsikamma Rivers. The 2012 edition of the NWRS proposed the amalgamation of the two WMAs into one, running from the Mzimvubu to the Tsitsikamma Rivers, coinciding with the provincial boundary. The amalgamation of the two WMAs is due to the management and financial viability of the institution. When established, the institution will be called the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma Catchment Management Agency (CMA). The CMA determines its budget allocation by identifying and costing the functions that will be performed and dividing those by the registered volumes of allocated water which equals the tariff/charge. The tariff is recovered from the raw water users or customers (DWS, 2015b). Water users are categorised with their water use as follows: Agricultural sector, Municipal sector, Industry and mining, Hydropower, High assurance use Water has been declared a scarce resource in South Africa due to, amongst others, pollution, infrastructure development, and changes in climatic conditions such as droughts (Water Research Commission, n.d.,; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 2016). Poor attendance and participation by water stakeholder representatives in raw water tariff consultation sessions have been established. In addition to the above are fair and good participation by both stakeholders coupled with negative feedback from the questionnaires. These challenges have great potential to render the agency as financially unviable and unsustainable when established. However, the above issues do not preclude other challenges as identified in the research area. Proposed recommendations to turn the fortunes of the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma CMA around when established should be explored in detail.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Madube-dube, Melikhaya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Water-supply -- South Africa -- Management , Water resources development -- South Africa -- Management Watersheds -- South Africa -- Finance Water resources development -- South Africa -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30832 , vital:31170
- Description: The National Water Act, 36 of 1998 through chapter seven mandates the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to establish (CMAs) throughout the Republic of South Africa. These CMAs are institutions geographically based with their boundaries coinciding, as far as is possible, with the river catchment boundaries. The purpose of establishing the CMAs is to delegate the raw water resources management function to the regional or catchment level or in water management areas. There were previously two water management areas (WMAs) in the Eastern Cape as proposed by the 2004 National Water Resources Strategy (NWRS), namely WMA twelve (WMA 12) and WMA fifteen (WMA 15). WMA twelve ran from the Mzimvubu to Kieskamahoek Rivers with WMA fifteen running from the Great Fish to the Tsitsikamma Rivers. The 2012 edition of the NWRS proposed the amalgamation of the two WMAs into one, running from the Mzimvubu to the Tsitsikamma Rivers, coinciding with the provincial boundary. The amalgamation of the two WMAs is due to the management and financial viability of the institution. When established, the institution will be called the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma Catchment Management Agency (CMA). The CMA determines its budget allocation by identifying and costing the functions that will be performed and dividing those by the registered volumes of allocated water which equals the tariff/charge. The tariff is recovered from the raw water users or customers (DWS, 2015b). Water users are categorised with their water use as follows: Agricultural sector, Municipal sector, Industry and mining, Hydropower, High assurance use Water has been declared a scarce resource in South Africa due to, amongst others, pollution, infrastructure development, and changes in climatic conditions such as droughts (Water Research Commission, n.d.,; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 2016). Poor attendance and participation by water stakeholder representatives in raw water tariff consultation sessions have been established. In addition to the above are fair and good participation by both stakeholders coupled with negative feedback from the questionnaires. These challenges have great potential to render the agency as financially unviable and unsustainable when established. However, the above issues do not preclude other challenges as identified in the research area. Proposed recommendations to turn the fortunes of the Mzimvubu-Tsitsikamma CMA around when established should be explored in detail.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Development of polypropylene – waste tyre crumbs based tpe's with the aid of vistamaxxtm as a compatibiliser
- Authors: Masele, Siyamtanda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Polymers , Polymerization Crumb rubber Rubber
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42589 , vital:36670
- Description: Polypropylene (PP) is a semi crystalline thermoplastic polymer and one of the most commonly used polyolefins. It is well known for its poor impact resistance; hence, for industries such as the automotive and packaging, reinforced PP is widely used. In general plastic waste disposal is a global crisis raising environmental and human health concerns, with PP being the highest consumed polymer globally; hence a push in the reuse and recycling of PP. Recycled polypropylene has limited uses for industrial applications due to its highly reduced properties owing to the recycling process which inhabits cutting of chains lengths, broadened molecular weight distributions and compromised crystallinity. Several studies have investigated the use of reinforcing fillers and modifiers in order to improve properties of PP. Inorganic materials and minerals such as CaCO3, Mica, Talc and glass fibre are used as fillers to improve mechanical properties (tensile and hardness), but still lacks in improving the impact resistance. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are typically used where elastomer and thermoplastics fail as individual components. This is because they have the benefit of thermoplastic properties at hypo ambient condition and elastomer properties such as good impact and elongation at sub-zero conditions. The study took a route of using PP and waste tyre crumb rubber (CR) material to prepare potentially low-cost waste based TPE’s, which would then inherit both properties of PP and the rubber component. VistamaxxTM 6202 (EPR), a commercial name for ethylene-propylene monomer (EPR), was used as a compatibiliser to improve interaction between PP and CR and to contribute towards the overall improvement of various properties such as mechanical properties. VistamaxxTM has a low glass transition temperature (Tg, = -30 ºC), which is important for low temperature applications such as cold storage; it also has a very high elongation and as a result contributed significantly to the overall properties when used in TPE blends. The study highlighted differences between two TPE compounding formulation pathways; namely master-batch (MB) and design of experiments (DoE). The MB formulations were blends that were prepared by a conventional way of compounding; where a pre-mixed CR/EPR blend, in the ratio of 80(CR):20(EPR), was used to form a master-batch. Results showed that there are some similarities between TPEs prepared in different ways, which suggests that the ultimate properties such as thermal stability are in fact more PP matrix based. Thermal analyses results revealed that when high amount of CR was added to the TPE blends, there was a substantial amount of residue mainly due to inherent carbon black. The degree of crystallinity of the blends decreased with increased amounts of CR irrespective of whether it was the MB or DoE blends. The MB TPE blends demonstrated that hardness is not linked to the amount of the MB nor the crystallinity of blends. Meanwhile, tensile elongation and tensile stress were affected by crystallinity. On the other hand, the impact strength findings showed that the amount of MB in TPE blends reached a threshold at 30%. The DoE based TPE blends demonstrated that the optimum mechanical properties are observed when components of the blends are incorporated individually during compounding. This was observed for impact strength, tensile stress as well as elongation at break. The results showed that the incorporation of EPR should be at least 20% for good impact and elongation properties; however, for tensile and hardness, the PP matrix must be high. The study also showed that, for better mechanical properties it was more suitable to use the blends formulated with DoE, because the master-batch approach limited the improving of the mechanical properties by an addition of up to 30% of both the CR and EPR. The storage modulus as well as the tan delta for both MB and DoE decreased when the elastomeric phases were added on both methods, whereas tan delta Tg values decreased as more of the elastomeric phase was added. Evidence from morphology studies showed that the majority of TPE blends suffer from inadequate distribution and adhesion between PP and elastomer; resulting in poor mechanical properties. Furthermore, a threshold of matrix invasion is observed from 30% and above of CR in the blend, where lack of in capsulated lamps of CR were observed hindering the stress induced crystallization and relaxation of the PP phase. The latter was observed irrespective of the type of blend, which strongly suggests and highlights the limits of blending PP with elastomers. Study demonstrated the ability of VistamaxxTM to be utilized as a binding material for PP and CR and displaying the challenges that might arise when used as a master-batch with crumb rubber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Masele, Siyamtanda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Polymers , Polymerization Crumb rubber Rubber
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42589 , vital:36670
- Description: Polypropylene (PP) is a semi crystalline thermoplastic polymer and one of the most commonly used polyolefins. It is well known for its poor impact resistance; hence, for industries such as the automotive and packaging, reinforced PP is widely used. In general plastic waste disposal is a global crisis raising environmental and human health concerns, with PP being the highest consumed polymer globally; hence a push in the reuse and recycling of PP. Recycled polypropylene has limited uses for industrial applications due to its highly reduced properties owing to the recycling process which inhabits cutting of chains lengths, broadened molecular weight distributions and compromised crystallinity. Several studies have investigated the use of reinforcing fillers and modifiers in order to improve properties of PP. Inorganic materials and minerals such as CaCO3, Mica, Talc and glass fibre are used as fillers to improve mechanical properties (tensile and hardness), but still lacks in improving the impact resistance. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are typically used where elastomer and thermoplastics fail as individual components. This is because they have the benefit of thermoplastic properties at hypo ambient condition and elastomer properties such as good impact and elongation at sub-zero conditions. The study took a route of using PP and waste tyre crumb rubber (CR) material to prepare potentially low-cost waste based TPE’s, which would then inherit both properties of PP and the rubber component. VistamaxxTM 6202 (EPR), a commercial name for ethylene-propylene monomer (EPR), was used as a compatibiliser to improve interaction between PP and CR and to contribute towards the overall improvement of various properties such as mechanical properties. VistamaxxTM has a low glass transition temperature (Tg, = -30 ºC), which is important for low temperature applications such as cold storage; it also has a very high elongation and as a result contributed significantly to the overall properties when used in TPE blends. The study highlighted differences between two TPE compounding formulation pathways; namely master-batch (MB) and design of experiments (DoE). The MB formulations were blends that were prepared by a conventional way of compounding; where a pre-mixed CR/EPR blend, in the ratio of 80(CR):20(EPR), was used to form a master-batch. Results showed that there are some similarities between TPEs prepared in different ways, which suggests that the ultimate properties such as thermal stability are in fact more PP matrix based. Thermal analyses results revealed that when high amount of CR was added to the TPE blends, there was a substantial amount of residue mainly due to inherent carbon black. The degree of crystallinity of the blends decreased with increased amounts of CR irrespective of whether it was the MB or DoE blends. The MB TPE blends demonstrated that hardness is not linked to the amount of the MB nor the crystallinity of blends. Meanwhile, tensile elongation and tensile stress were affected by crystallinity. On the other hand, the impact strength findings showed that the amount of MB in TPE blends reached a threshold at 30%. The DoE based TPE blends demonstrated that the optimum mechanical properties are observed when components of the blends are incorporated individually during compounding. This was observed for impact strength, tensile stress as well as elongation at break. The results showed that the incorporation of EPR should be at least 20% for good impact and elongation properties; however, for tensile and hardness, the PP matrix must be high. The study also showed that, for better mechanical properties it was more suitable to use the blends formulated with DoE, because the master-batch approach limited the improving of the mechanical properties by an addition of up to 30% of both the CR and EPR. The storage modulus as well as the tan delta for both MB and DoE decreased when the elastomeric phases were added on both methods, whereas tan delta Tg values decreased as more of the elastomeric phase was added. Evidence from morphology studies showed that the majority of TPE blends suffer from inadequate distribution and adhesion between PP and elastomer; resulting in poor mechanical properties. Furthermore, a threshold of matrix invasion is observed from 30% and above of CR in the blend, where lack of in capsulated lamps of CR were observed hindering the stress induced crystallization and relaxation of the PP phase. The latter was observed irrespective of the type of blend, which strongly suggests and highlights the limits of blending PP with elastomers. Study demonstrated the ability of VistamaxxTM to be utilized as a binding material for PP and CR and displaying the challenges that might arise when used as a master-batch with crumb rubber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019