Dissertations / Theses: 'Foundation for Research Development (South Africa)'

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Baduza, Gugulethu Qhawekazi. "A needs-ICTD strategy alignment framework foundation for the measurement of ICTD impact." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011116.

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Many Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) projects are established with the overall aim of positively developing the communities they are implemented in. However, the solutions that are provided are often commonly developed without the needs of these communities being sufficiently investigated beforehand. As a result the ICTD strategy of the project ends up not well aligned with the aims and targets of the needs of the community. As a result of this, an appropriate programme theory for the project and relevant impact indicators fail to be adequately developed. Consequently, when an impact assessment is conducted it is often found that the intended effects are not directly linked to the needs of the community or what the community had hoped to gain from the ICTD initiative. The purpose of this research serves to develop a needs-ICTD strategy alignment foundation that supports the identification and formulation of impact assessment indicators. Through this research, a framework is developed to support the alignment of ICTD strategy, the development and the promotion of contextual needs of rural communities and other frequently marginalized areas. The Needs-ICTD strategy alignment framework is composed of eight main components that describe the process that can be used to align ICTD strategy with community needs. These components include: collaboration between the internal and external stakeholders, the development of the community, conducting baseline studies, the needs assessment, the ICTD strategy, linking of the needs-ICTD strategy, and lastly the identification of impact indicators. An interpretive research approach is used to explore and inform the framework through a multi-case study investigation of the Siyakhula Living Lab and two projects in the Systems Application Products (SAP) Living Lab. Two main case study questions drive the exploration of the framework, that being: 1) How are the needs of the community elicited and how is the ICTD strategy aligned to the needs of the community? 2) And, why were the selected approaches chosen for aligning the needs of the community and ICTD strategy? Data for this research was collected qualitatively through interviews, document analysis and participant observation. Key findings indicate that the involvement of internal (local) stakeholders in the development and alignment of ICTD strategy to the needs of the community is still lacking. As a consequence, many community members end up not fully understanding the project objectives and how these objectives aims are to be achieved. The research also finds that ‘solution specific’ projects also fail communities as they focus specifically on one target group and repeatedly fail to assist the community holistically in supporting their information and their community development needs.

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Jaftha, A. P. "An investigation into whether a leadership and management development project changed the perceptions of the educators in a black, disadvantaged school." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003502.

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This study investigates whether a leadership and management development programme changed the management perceptions of the teachers of one of the schools that participated in the programme. The programme seeks to change the organisational culture of schools and develop effective management. The development philosophy of the programme is informed by literature on school effectiveness, organisation development, whole school development and systemic change. My research is conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Interpretive researchers view reality a construct of the human mind, and therefore the way people perceive the world is not necessarily the same since there can be different understandings of what is real. I employ convenience sampling to select the school and purposive sampling to identify my research participants. Whilst overall impression that the data conveys is that much of the programme does not seem to have had a lasting effect on the culture of the school, it nonetheless made an impression on the teachers’ perceptions of management. There clearly seems to be a greater appreciation of participative management processes. The reintroduction of proper prior planning played a decisive role in re-establishing sound work ethics at the school and contributes to a more structured approach to events at the school. Some sort of organisational learning has also been introduced at the school. The realisation on the part of the staff that they now have their destiny in their own hands is an especially critical development. And whilst the vision is not a compelling force in the organisation, it has nevertheless produced some strategic focus at the school. The insights and skills they acquired concerning resource management will also stand them in good stead.

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Hlam, Thandiwe Lillian. "A teacher collective as a professional development approach to promote foundation phase mathematics teaching." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15071.

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This qualitative study is a response to a request for help from a group of Grade 3 (year 3) teachers who were disheartened with the poor performance of their learners in Mathematics. In an attempt to address their challenge, they resolved to form a Teacher Collective (TC) amongst themselves. Their main objective was to support each other in their development of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT). The participants, being frustrated by what they perceived as an inefficient and unhelpful cluster approach to professional development used by the Department of Basic Education initiated their own teacher collective strategy. I was approached by this TC to assist them in developing a strategy to make this TC suit the needs of the participants. A Lesson Study (LS) approach was used as an alternative Teacher Professional Development strategy within the TC. In studies conducted by Ono and Ferreira (2010) and Jita and Mokhele (2014), a LS approach is regarded as an essential tool desirable for enhancement of teacher collaboration and participant’s MKT. However, both studies reported on challenges related to contextual issues. Those contextual issues revealed themselves as similar to the challenges that threatened to weaken the collaborative structure initiated by the participants in this current study. To overcome these challenges, participants felt a need for some sort of adaptation for a LS approach to work in their context. In the application of the revised adapted version of a LS approach, participants experienced a Teacher Collective (TC) in action using real and useful experiences (Ono & Ferreira, 2010). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a Teacher Collective for improving participating teachers’ pedagogical and disciplinary content knowledge in Foundation Phase (FP) Mathematics. As this study targeted a small group of teachers, it adopted a case-study methodology. The participants were five Grade 3 teachers purposefully self-selected from two Port Elizabeth township schools. Semi-structured interviews were used to determine participating teachers’ perceptions of a Teacher Collective as a Teacher Professional Development strategy necessary to promote Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Descriptive methodologies which concern inter alia practices that prevail, relationships that exists, point of views that were held, processes that are going on and effects that are felt by participants were used (Creswell, 2013). The following major findings emerged from the data analysis: For the TC to be a successful alternative TPD, it requires that: (1) Teachers must regard themselves as being responsible for the own professional growth and own the TPD programme. (2) Participants of the TC must adopt flexible strategies to allow for active participation of the participants in building meaning for themselves. (4) A TPD strategy should be sensitive to contextual issues and be addressed accordingly. (5) A TPD programme should seek to improve classroom instruction but this must be based on the needs of the participants. It is primarily the following structural features that affected teacher learning within the TC: (a) the form of the activity (joint lesson planning, observed lesson presentation, post lesson feedback, etc.), (b) collective participation of teachers within and across the schools and (c) the duration of the activity. In this study the LS approach worked well as it sought to address the needs of the participants.

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Lawrence, Yolisa Innocentia. "Poverty alleviation through empowerment and participation: the Seki Women's Foundation." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020020.

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As poverty alleviation projects are being established in communities in order to reduce the impact of unemployment, crime, and inequality as well as other factors propagating poverty, numerous projects fail to democratically meet the needs of the poor majority. Development initiatives brought forth by government and non-governmental organisations, which adopt a top-down approach in order to accelerate development, do not always have a positive effect on the community, especially on the poor majority, which development is meant to empower and benefit. This results in the short life span of the project and leads the community into immense poverty. Thus, the focus of this research paper was to evaluate the extent to which poverty alleviation projects such as the Seki Women’s Foundation, contribute towards the alleviation of poverty in its community, located in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth. This evaluation study focused more on aspects of development concerning community participation, empowerment through skills training and project sustainability. The objectives of the study were to investigate the values, aims and objectives of the Seki Women’s Foundation; how these values, aims and objectives were fulfilled; the challenges faced by the project towards effective community development and the determinants of the long-term sustainability of the project. The research study adopted a qualitative approach, which allowed the researcher to collect meaningful knowledge from the volunteers and stakeholders by conducting semi-structured interviews and a focus group which were guided by open-ended questions. The data was thematically analysed where important concepts were coded in order to obtain accurate information so that valid results could be reached. The main findings of the research study suggested that the contribution made by the Seki Women’s Foundation towards poverty alleviation and community development is to empower the volunteers and community through skills training in baking, gardening and sewing. The volunteers share these skills amongst community members, enabling them to be self-sufficient and implement the skills in their own surroundings. The project builds strong partnerships with the stakeholders by being accountable and transparent about the utilisation of funds through report formulation. Although the project implements some principles of community development, the full participation of volunteers in the development process remains a concern, especially in decision making. The challenges faced by the project are concerned with burglary of clothing containers, stealing of vegetation and garden tools and the community not buying the products sold by the project. The research study recommends that the volunteers reason with the community and instil trust and honesty to avoid crime. The project should instil authentic participation in all development processes and form a partnership with local shops in convincing them to sell their produce as this will allow some income to generate within the project and community.

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Mabuda, Gcotyiswa. "Investigating the impact of poverty in Amahlathi Municipality: the case of Siyakholwa Development Foundation project." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7846.

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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, have been the most effective anti‐poverty push in history. The lives of thousands of people have been improved and targets have already been met on reducing poverty, increasing access to safe water, improving the lives of slum dwellers, and achieving gender parity in primary education. Despite huge gains, progress towards the eight MDGs has been uneven, not only among regions and countries, but also between population groups within countries, with accelerated action needed in many areas (MDG, 2013). On the other hand poverty alleviation, when we look at poverty alleviation, Mbaku (2007) defines it as the creation of a social, economic, and political environment that enhances and promotes entrepreneurial activities particularly among the poorest and most deprived persons while at the same time eliminating the inequalities that have diminished their life chances.

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Maqwelane, Nonkoliso Sheila. "An exploratory case study of a Foundation Phase learning program to examine how curriculum contextualisation contributes to environmental learning and relevance." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006041.

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This study is an exploration of contextual environmental learning through integrated life skills and literacy in a Foundation Phase classroom. It attempts to document, explore and clarify some of the challenges of situated environmental learning in a Foundation Phase classroom through an integrated program of life skills learning and literacy acquisition. The research draws on a rich but often overlooked cultural historical context of embodied intergenerational healthy living practices in a rural Eastern Cape context to construct a learning platform for a more carefully situated and potentially relevant education. The integrated life skills and literacy acquisition program thus unfolded as a contextual process of situated learning within a developing blend of listening, writing and reading to learn in a Grade 3 program of additive bilingualism. The data generated in the study and represented in Chapter 4 suggests curriculum contextualisation in an integrated Foundation Phase program can contribute to environmental learning with enhanced relevance and literacy skills. The evidence from working with learner knowledge and experience in a community context appears to be a key to meaningful curriculum contextualization in an integrated Foundation Phase programme producing enhanced literacy and relevance. It was noted that engaging elders (gogos) enabled the process of opening up local knowledge to link with learner experience and school knowledge to foster relevance, appeared to contribute to more meaningful learning across other learning areas. There is evidence that acquiring literacy skills is a lengthy process that is supported by learner interest and the relevance of what they are learning especially when it is acknowledged by the teacher and the community. The findings of an exploratory study such as this cannot be conclusive beyond the experience that I had of working with learners who were engaged in learning as well as acquiring literacy skills literacy skills. My personal enthusiasm and work with the Gogos and with a community focus were key factors that strengthened environmental learning across school, home and community. The experience has convinced me that this is the way we must work to enhance relevance and literacy in our Foundation Phase teaching.

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Ruiters, Mellaney Bualin. "The development of a translucent low fired porcelain casting slip using South African raw materials." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20004.

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The purpose of the research was to develop a translucent low fired porcelain casting slip using South African raw materials, due to the ever increasing electricity tariffs in South Africa as well as the physical deterioration put on the elements and brickwork in electric kilns when fired to traditional porcelain temperatures. Traditional porcelain bodies that can be purchased from South African suppliers are required to be fired to between 12000C and 13000C. The commercially prepared porcelains when tested produced white vitrified bodies but were lacking in translucency. Local ceramic artists are therefore compelled to import their porcelains from overseas suppliers if they require a white translucent porcelain but this is still requires a firing temperature well above 12000C. It has been shown that by using South African ceramic raw materials and adjusting a Parian ceramic formula using a selected frit; a low fired translucent porcelain can be made that matures below 12000C. The addition of paper fibres to the non-plastic porcelain was necessary to reduce the high shrinkage rate and prevented the clay from cracking and tearing in the firing process. With the further adjustments to the formula by the addition of calcium triphosphate true white translucent porcelain was produced. Without this last adjustment the porcelain would be an off-white colour due to the impurities found in the South African ceramic raw materials which are mainly contaminated with iron oxide. It was found that the following formula produced a white translucent porcelain which vitrified at 11900C and satisfies the original concept in the title stated above.

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Mayson, David. "The Rural Foundation, management and change on fruit farms : a case study of selected farms in the Elgin area." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17265.

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Includes bibliography.
This is an exploratory study which investigates changes introduced by management on farms in Elgin and explores the perceptions of some of those involved in the changes. The initiatives and activities of the Rural Foundation for Community Development (Rural Foundation) and its involvement in these changes forms a crucial part of the exploration. Three questions direct the study. 1. What are the changes that have been introduced? 2. Why were they introduced? 3. What is the social meaning of the changes? The study is based on a case study of four farms. Documentary material was collected from a variety of sources including the Rural Foundation, the South African Government, as well as other agencies operating in the field. Interviews with various actors were conducted, including management and a selection of workers on each of the four farms, Rural Foundation officials as well as other actors connected to the developments on the farms. The study is informed by historical materialist theory and draws from certain labour process theories. Important for the study was the discussion raised in these theories around the effect that workers' motivation has on their productivity. The study is located in the context of the national historical development of capitalist agriculture since the Second World War. More specifically it is situated locally in terms of changes that occurred on Elgin farms more generally prior to the 1980's as well as the present general circumstances in the area. Three fields of change are identified on the four farms: (i) training of workers, (ii) new incentives and pay structures, and (iii) community development. It is asserted that these changes are measures introduced by management in an attempt to, firstly, decrease production costs by employing greater numbers of women and migrant workers and paying them less. Secondly, they are aimed at increasing the productivity of workers through measures designed to improve the 'quality' and stability of workers and to develop a new authority structure on the farms. Four trends are thus identified as occurring on the farms: 1. Increasing use of women and migrant workers. 2. An improvement in workers' living conditions and standards. 3. An increasing emphasis on improving workers' productivity. 4. A shift in the emphasis on control towards developing workers' consent.

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Dison, Arona. "Research capacity development of individuals at three South African university research centres." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2007. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7177_1253849279.

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In South Africa, there has been recognition of the need for increasing research capacity at South African universities and within the national science system. Furthermore there has been a need to address imbalances in the racial and gender profile of researchers. There has been a growth of application-oriented, multidisciplinary research centres at South African universities in response to changing national and international knowledge contexts. Many research centres have a research capacity development component and run postgraduate programmes in collaboration with academic departments. This it was relevant to investigate what types of contexts these centres provide for research capacity development and postgraduate education. In this study, individual research capacity development was examined as a process of identity formation and socialisation through social, organisational and epistemological lenses.

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Kirsten, Maria Albertina. "Improving the well-being of the poor through microfinance : evidence from the Small Enterprise Foundation in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/18002.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty in South Africa’s rural areas is complex and severe, especially among female-headed households. The marginalisation of South Africa’s rural areas over a period of decades resulted in an acute lack of economic opportunities, limited infrastructure and a serious breakdown of social capital. Women living in rural areas are particularly poor in moneymetric terms; they are often illiterate and therefore isolated from economic and social opportunities; and many fall victim to violence in the household. They eke out a meagre existence, based on small-scale agriculture, marginal self-employment or limited wage and remittance income. While such income diversification, combined with the government’s range of development interventions, helps to buffer them against risks such as illness, death and disaster, rural poverty is not just a matter of income and assets. It is also rooted in other disadvantages, such as exclusion, disempowerment and unequal power relations. These all contribute to making poverty a multidimensional phenomenon. The South African government has committed significant resources to poverty intervention over the past 17 years. These interventions, which include social assistance grants, basic municipal services and free water, electricity, schooling and health services, certainly have an impact on the livelihoods of the rural poor, but they do not seem to bring a significant improvement in the standard of living of the most vulnerable people in marginalised areas. There is increasing recognition in the poverty literature that vulnerabilities – of income, health, social exclusion and service delivery – are linked, and that support programmes should focus not only on increasing the poor’s access to resources and assets but also on empowering individuals to use these assets and make decisions. This study investigates the potential of microfinance to address the overlapping vulnerabilities experienced by women in South Africa’s rural areas. It suggests that microfinance has the potential to generate positive shifts in selected indicators of empowerment and well-being among participating women in rural areas. These claims are tested by evaluating data gathered among clients of the Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF) against a conceptual framework. The framework offers a stepwise progression away from vulnerability: acquiring internal skills (empowerment), strengthening social capital, accumulating assets and, eventually, transforming these assets into wealth. Existing datasets, gathered over a period of five years in rural Limpopo and representing both a group that received microfinance from SEF and a control group, were examined. No evidence could be found that the recipients of SEF’s microfinance experienced increased empowerment, but the results did provide evidence that belonging to the group that received microfinance increased the likelihood of experiencing livelihood security and well-being. The findings show that microfinance can, even over the short term, make a difference in people’s ability to smooth their consumption and, as such, provide them with more secure livelihoods. The research also suggests that microfinance assists women in rural areas in constructing and maintaining a portfolio of assets, thus improving well-being among the recipients of microfinance. The scope of the study was confined to measuring the effect of microfinance on selected poverty indicators, and it did not attempt to prove that microfinance alleviates poverty. As such, the research demonstrates that the government’s efforts to reduce rural poverty can be complemented by micro-level interventions such as access to finance.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Armoede in Suid-Afrika se landelike gebiede is kompleks en straf, veral vir huishoudings met vroue aan die hoof. Landelike gebiede is vir dekades lank gemarginaliseer en dit het gelei tot gebrekkige ekonomiese geleenthede, beperkte infrastruktuur en ‘n ineenstorting van sosiale kapitaal. Vroue in Suid-Afrika se landelike gebiede is nie net arm in monetêre terme nie, maar ook dikwels ongelettered, geïsoleerd van ekonomiese en sosiale geleenthede, en dikwels die slagoffers van huishoudelike geweld. Hul huishoudings oorleef deur die skamele bestaan wat hulle maak uit bestaansboerdery, gebrekkige besoldiging en trekarbeider lone. Alhoewel die regering se wydverspreide ontwikkelingshulp daartoe bydra om arm mense te help om risiko’s soos siekte, dood en natuurrampe te kan hanteer, gaan landelike armoede oor veel meer as net inkomste en bates, en sluit dit ook ontmagtiging, uitsluiting en ongelyke magsverdeling in. Al hierdie ontberinge maak armoede ‘n multidimensionele verskynsel. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het oor die afgelope 17 jaar aansienlike bronne op armoede verligting gespandeer. Die hulp, wat maatskaplike toelaes, basiese munisipale dienslewering, gratis water, elektrisiteit, opvoeding en gesondheidsdienste insluit, het sonder twyfel die oorlewing van die armes in landelike gebiede meer houdbaar gemaak, maar tog lyk dit nie of die lewenskwaliteit van die mees kwesbare huishoudings in die gemarginaliseerde areas verbeter het nie. Die armoede-literatuur dui daarop dat verskillende vorms van kwesbaarheid – kwesbaarheid in terme van inkomste, gesondheid, sosiale uitsluiting en dienslewering – met mekaar verband hou. Daarom is dit belangrik dat hulpverlening nie alleen vir die armes toegang gee tot hulpbronne en bates nie, maar ook die individue bemagtig om die bronne te gebruik en besluite te neem. Hierdie studie ondersoek die potensiaal van mikrofinansiering om die verskeidenheid sosiale kwesbaarhede wat vroue in Suid Afrika se landelike gebiede ervaar aan te spreek. Die studie voer aan dat mikrofinansiering kan lei tot positiewe veranderinge in geselekteerde bemagtigings- en welvaarts-indikatore onder deelnemende vroue. Data wat versamel is onder die kliente van die Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF) word gebruik om hierdie aansprake te evalueer. Die studie is gedoen teen die agtergrond van ‘n konseptuele model, wat voorhou dat armoede en kwesbaarheid oorkom kan word as ‘n trapsgewyse program gevolg word – deur eerstens kundigheid (bemagtiging) te verkry, daarna sosiale kapitaal te versterk, bates op te bou en uiteindelik die bates in rykdom te omskep beweeg die vroue, en hul huishoudings, al verder weg van hulle aanvanklike kwesbaarheid. Bestaande data, versamel oor ‘n tydperk van vyf jaar in die landelike gebiede van Limpopo is geanaliseer. Die data verteenwoordig twee groepe – ‘n groep wat mikrofinansiering ontvang het en ‘n kontrole groep. Geen empiriese bewyse kon gevind word dat die vroue wat mikrofinansiering van SEF ontvang het, bemagtig is nie. Die resultate het wel daarop gedui dat vroue wat mikrofinansiering ontvang na alle waarskynlikheid meer bestaans-sekerheid het en dat hulle welvaart verbeter het. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat mikrofinansiering, selfs oor die kort termyn, ‘n wesenlike verskil kan maak in die vermoë van kwesbare vroue om hulle verbruik, oor tyd, beter te bestuur en sodoende bestaans-sekuriteit te verseker. Die navorsing toon ook dat mikrofinansiering vroue in landelike gebiede kan help om ‘n portefeulje van bates te skep en te handhaaf, wat bydra tot groter welvaart. Hierdie studie het die impak van mikrofinansiering op geselekteerde armoede indikatore geevalueer, en het nie gepoog om te bewys dat mikrofinansiering armoede verlig nie. Sodoende dui die navorsing daarop dat die regering se pogings om armoede te verlig kan baat vind by mikrovlakintervensies soos mikrofinansiering.

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Tait, Angela Julie. "The Urban Foundation and self-help housing in South Africa : difficulties, dilemmas and contradictions of development." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1994. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/283701.

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Marshall, Christine Louise. "The role of APPRAISAL in the National Research Foundation (NRF) rating system evaluation and instruction in peer reviewer reports." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002638.

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This thesis reports on two aspects of interpersonal meaning in peer reviewer reports for eleven researchers in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences awarded NRF ratings in A1, B1, C1 and Y1 rating categories. These aspects are the evaluation of the researcher applying for a rating, and the instruction to the NRF as to the rating the researcher ought to receive. A full APPRAISAL Analysis (Martin & White 2005) complemented by an investigation of politeness strategies (Myers 1989) is used to analyse the reports and show how the various systems of interpersonal meaning co-function and to what effect. The analysis reveals that there are clear differences between the evaluative and instructive language used in the reports. Those for the A1 rated researchers are characterised by only positive evaluations of the applicant, frequently strengthened in terms of Graduation and contracted in terms of Engagement. Overall there is less Engagement and politeness in these reports rendering them more ‘factual’ than the reports for the other rating categories. The A1 rated researcher is therefore construed as being, incontestably, a leader in his/her field of research, worthy of a top rating. The reports for the B1 and C1 rated researchers are characterised by the increasing presence of negative evaluations. In addition, there are more instances of softened/downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, showing that there is more perceived contention about the evaluations made. The reports for the Y1 rated researchers (a category for young researchers) focus on the applicant’s demonstrated potential to become a leader in the field. In addition to a high incidence of negative evaluations, downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, the Y1 reports are also characterised by a high incidence of advice and suggestions from the reviewers concerning the applicant’s work and standing. At a broader level, the analysis reveals that the language used in the reports has a profound influence on the outcome of the rating process. The reports are crucial, not only for evaluating the applicant but, also, more subtly, in directing the NRF towards a specific rating category. It offers insights into what is valued in the scientific community, what is considered quality research, and what leads to international recognition. The research also adds uniquely to current thinking about the language of science and, more particularly, highlights the nuanced understanding of evaluative and instructive language in the reports that is possible if one draws on the full APPRAISAL framework, and insights into politeness behaviour.

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Niven, Penelope Mary. "Narrating emergence in the curious terrain of academic development research: a realist perspective." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003558.

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This dissertation adopts a realist meta-perspective on a body of the scholar's own research papers written between 2005 and 2011, all either published or in press and offered for reference in the Appendices. The six papers represent the point of departure for the thesis; they are the phenomenon for further investigation into 'what must be the case' for the research events to have emerged as they did. One aspect of this study, therefore, is an auto ethnographic account of conducting research in the field of Academic Development within varied settings and over a given time frame. But alongside this personal history it narrates cycles in the Academic Development movement in South Africa over 30 years. Margaret Archer's Social Realist principle of analytical dualism (1995) is used to disaggregate the emergent properties within these histories and to enable an analysis of the underlying mechanisms that generated them. It refers to three social domains. Firstly, it describes the material structures - the institutional environments, policies, roles or professional conditions - in which the projects were conceived. Secondly, it identifies the cultural registers that the profession was drawing on - such as theories, beliefs or discourses. Thirdly, it draws attention to the agency of individuals and communities in the field as they independently activated or mediated these various conditioning structures and registers. So the study is a systematic examination of the parts and the people in research stories, of the complex interrelationship of structural and agential elements, and of how together they have generated particular forms of knowing and kinds of knowledge in Academic Development. Drawing from this 'history-within-a-history', the study makes some claims for 'what must be the case' for substantial knowledge to flourish in a newly emergent, hotly contested and relatively unstable field. It argues that Academic Development has few shared epistemological foundations and boundaries, and its roles and functions are shifting and diverse. It describes the tensions in the field between those who have been inclined to understand it as primarily concerned with redress or equity in the postapartheid state, and yet others who have prioritised Academic Development as an efficiency project within higher education. But there is a third discourse emanating from those in the profession who have consistently argued that neither of these approaches can succeed without drawing on stronger theoretical foundations. This study endorses the view that Academic Developers need to identify more coherent ontological and epistemological frames for their research work. This has important implications for building the kind of substantial knowledge base that could be more influential in addressing the troubled terrain of South African higher education. The study refers extensively to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) and to Mervyn Peake's 1946 illustrations of these children's stories, finding in these texts powerful analogies and metaphors for principles in realist philosophy and theory, and for describing a researcher's journey towards a more assured identity in the curious field of Academic Development.

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Gastrow, M. "Thinking small : the state of nanotechnology research and development in South Africa." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 7, Issue 1: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/517.

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Published Article
I n the context of government policy and international comparisons, the state of national nanoscience R&D is explored using bibliometric data as well as data sourced from the National Survey of Research and Experimental Development Inputs. This includes information about expenditure, ownership, collaboration and research fields. While the business sector performs the greatest proportion of nanotechnology R&D in South Africa, the higher education sector plays a critical role, and the science councils are common collaboration partners. In this context the development of catalysts and carbon nanotubes emerge as a key nanotechnology in South Africa.

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Brink, Zonia. "A foundation to the development of an economic impact study of the tourism industry for GHACT." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52638.

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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This document contains a Situation Analysis of tourism in the Greater Hermanus region, which is part of the Overberg region in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It forms an essential component of the process to develop a Tourism Policy and Strategy for the local tourism bureau. As such it is important to note that the objectives of the document are threefold. Firstly, it provides overall background information and an analysis of the current tourism situation of Hermanus, the various role-players and the different festivals. Secondly, it provides a broad framework of the positive and negative impacts tourism and festivals could have on the economic, social and environmental fields of a tourist destination like Hermanus. Lastly, the document offers guidelines for future study areas under which the tourist, various role-players and festivals/events can be evaluated in order to calculate their impacts in the Hermanus tourism industry. These goals were to be established in subsequent interactive workshops, discussions, interviews and other inputs from the various community representatives and other tourism role-players in Greater Hermanus. The scope of this report is limited to an overall framework and broad guidelines to put festival and role-player evaluation, and impact management for the Greater Hermanus region on a firm platform and continuous footing. At this phase of the project specific recommendations and proposals for development of the tourism industry in the region are excluded, as this will form part of the further phases of the project of developing the Tourism Policy and Strategy. Based on the findings it is recommended that the local tourism bureau must focus on developing a sustainable tourism strategy, identify a single spokesperson that is recognised as the leading force for unifying the industry towards one goal, and lastly to develop and maintain a knowledge base system to ensure proper planning and support decisionmaking. The document concludes by summarising the recommendations along with a list of the key issues and strategic challenges that needs to be addressed.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie dokument bevat 'n situasie analise van die toerismebedryf in die Groter Hermanus, 'n gebied wat deel is van die Overberg in die provinsie Wes- Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Dit is 'n onmisbare komponent van die proses om in Toerisme Beleid en Stategie vir die plaaslike toerismeburo te ontwikkel. Die einddoel van die dokument is drievoudig. Eerstens word oorsigtelike agtergrond inligting en 'n analise van die huidige stand van die toerismebedryf in Hermanus, die verskillende rolspelers en die feeste daarin vervat. Tweedens verskaf dit 'n breë raamwerk oor die positiewe en negatiewe impak wat toerisme en feeste kan hê op ekonomiese-, sosiale- en ontwikkelingsgebied op 'n toeriste-attraksie soos Hermanus. Laastens bevat die dokument riglyne aan die hand waarvan verdere studies onderneem kan word, soos dié waarin toeriste, die verskillende rolspelers en feeste geevalueer word. Hierdie doelwitte is daargestel tydens werksessies, besprekings, onderhoude en ander insette deur verskeie verteenwoordigers van die plaaslike gemeenskap en ander rolspelers in die toerismebedryf van Hermanus. Die omvang van hierdie studie is egter beperk tot 'n oorsigtelike raamwerk en breë riglyne om die assesering van die feeste en die rolspelers sowel as die impakbestuur van die Groter Hermanus op 'n stewige voetstuk te plaas. Op hierdie tydstip van die projek word spesifieke aanbevelings en voorstelle vir die ontwikkeling van die toerisme-industrie in die gebied uitgesluit. Dit sal gevolglik ingesluit word in die verdere fases van die projek wanneer die ontwikkeling van 'n toerisme beleid en strategie in diepte bestudeer word. Aanbevelings wat spruit uit die bevindings van hierdie studie is dat die plaaslike toerismeburo 'n volhoubare toerisme strategie moet ontwikkel. Verder moet daar ook 'n persoon aangewys word om die industrie aan te voer tot 'n gesamentlike einddoel. Laastens moet die toerismeburo 'n kennis basis sisteem ontwikkel en onderhou wat voldoende beplanning sal verseker en besluitneming kan ondersteun. Ter afsluiting word daar volstaan deur die aanbevelings op te som en die sleutelfaktore en strategiese uitdagings wat aandag moet geniet, kortliks aan te spreek.

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Nieuwoudt, Thalma Wilna. "Privatisation and measurement of research and development in the South African sugar industry, 1925 to 2001." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53558.

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Mini-study project (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study considers the importance of research and development (R&D) investment for enhanced productivity in the agricultural sector. In this regard, some detail of R&D investments will be discussed. Focus is given to research intensity ratios and government spending intensities in different parts of the world, for both developed and developing countries. Furthermore, the extent of focus on investment activities by the public and private sector, respectively, will be considered. Aspects of agricultural R&D in Africa, such as the crisis of funding, incentives to perform, priorities and procedures will be deliberated. Measures for reform will be addressed. Thereafter, the sustainability of investment in agricultural R&D will be emphasized. Roles and responsibilities of the public and private sectors, funding adequacy, funding trends and mechanisms of funding are discussed. Attention will be given to the impact public and agricultural policies have on both the level and nature of agricultural investment. Furthermore, R&D efforts may impact a wide audience and in this regard welfare implications for different interest groups are evaluated. Previous econometric studies are discussed. The relationship between R&D investment and productivity in the sugar industry in South Africa is studied for the period 1925-2001 within the context of a production function regression. Data were obtained from the South African Sugar Association Experiment Station. The dependent variable was sucrose yield, while the independent variables were rainfall, land used in sugar production, technology and production costs. The techniques of ordinary least squares and Ridge Regression, respectively, were used. Using ordinary least squares, it was determined that the length of the R&D lag was three years. The short lag length may be justified by the fact that research done by the Experiment Station is of an applied nature and research, training and extension are integrated by this commodity organisation. Furthermore, the education level of South African commercial farmers is relatively high. All the variables were economically relevant and statistically significant at the 1% level, except the land variable, which was statistically significant at the 5% level. In addition, it was established that there was a structural change in the model during the period concerned. The impact of technology on sucrose yield was higher during 1959-1979, than either before or after this period. Remedies and violations to the classic normal linear regression model were considered. In particular, there was evidence of multicollinearity, as indicated by the high condition index and variance inflation factors. Multicollinearity was addressed using the technique of Ridge Regression (k=O,15).The R2 determined for this model was 83,43%. All the t-statistics, except for land, were statistically significant at the 1% level. The t-statistics describing the technology and production cost variables were higher in the Ridge Regression model. However, the land variable proved to be unstable using Ridge Regression, as the sign changed. This made it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the contribution of this variable. It was concluded that the Ridge regression model provided the best fit to the data. Finally, the rate of return to R&D investment in the sugar industry in South Africa was calculated. Cost-benefit analysis yielded a benefiUcost value of 1,61, when allowing for direct spillover effects to millers. Furthermore, the export realisation price for sugar was used in the calculation. Costs included those of production, harvesting and land. Using the three-year lag determined in this study, the internal rate of return in the South African sugar industry was estimated as 17{20%. This exceeds the discount rate in South African agriculture, the latter that is equal to 6%. In conclusion, this study makes the argument that even if a commodity displays public good characteristics, there may still be incentives for the private sector to invest, especially if research benefits can be internalised in the industry. A prime example of this situation may be seen in the sugar industry in South Africa, which is privately-funded by industry levies. This concept can be stretched to include other industries. Furthermore, this study established that there was sufficient statistical evidence to conclude, that there is a relationship between investment in R&D and increased productivity in the sugar industry in South Africa, at the 1% level of significance. In addition, it was determined that these investments yielded a high . rate of return.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie oorweeg die belangrikheid van investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling vir verbeterde produktiwiteit in die landbousektor. In hierdie verband, sal sekere aspekte van navorsing en ontwikkelingsbeleggings bespreek word. Fokus· sal gegee word aan navorsingsintensiteit verhoudings and regeringsbestedings intensiteite in verskillende dele van die wêreld, vir beide ontwikkelde en ontwikkelende lande. Verder, sal die mate waarin die publieke- en privaatsektore betrokke is by investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling, oorweeg word. Verskillende aspekte van navorsing en ontwikkeling in landbou in Afrika word bespreek. Voorbeelde hiervan is die krisis in befondsing, motivering om te presteer, prioriteite en prosedures. Stappe vir hervorming word oorweeg. Vervolgens, word die volhoubaarheid van investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling beskou. Daar is verskillende rolle en verantwoordelikhede vir beide die publieke- en privaatsektore in hierdie verband. Verder, lê aspekte van befondsing, soos die genoegsaamheid daarvan, verandering in maniere van befondsing en verskillende meganismes van befondsing, onder die riem. Fokus sal gegee word aan die impak van publieke - en landbouregulasies op beide die vlak en tipe landbou investering wat waargeneem word. Navorsing en ontwikkelingsaktiwiteite beïnvloed 'n wye verskeidenheid van belangegroepe. Die mate waarin hierdie groepe geaffekteer word, word oorweeg. Die verwantskap tussen investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling en produktiwiteit in die suikerindustrie in Suid-Afrika word vervolgens beskou. Vorige ekonometriese artikels word bespreek, waarna modelle van meervoudige lineêre regressie bepaal word. Data vir die periode 1925-2001, wat produksie in die suikerindustrie beskryf, is verkry van die Suid-Afrikaanse Suiker Assosiasie Eksperiment Stasie. Die afhanklike veranderlike is opbrengs van sukrose, terwyl die onafhanklike veranderlikes na reënval, land onder suikerproduksie, produksiekostes en tegnologie verwys. Die tegnieke van gewone kleinste kwadrate en rif regressie (Ridge Regression) is gebruik. Deur die tegniek van gewone kleinste kwadrate te gebruik, is dit bepaal dat die sloer voor die voordele van navorsing en ontwikkeling inskop, drie jaar is. Dat die sloer wat bepaal is so kort is, kan gemotiveer word deur die feit dat die navorsing wat gedoen word deur die Eksperiment Stasie, van 'n toegepaste aard is. Verder is navorsing, opleiding en ekstensie is geïntegreer. Die vlak van opvoeding van Suid- Afrikaanse kommersiële boere is ook relatief hoog. AI die veranderlikes was ekonomies relevant en statisties beduidend by die 1% vlak, behalwe die veranderlike wat land onder suikerproduksie beskryf, wat beduidend was by die 5% vlak. Verder is dit bepaal, dat daar 'n strukturele verandering in die model ingetree het. Die impak van tegnologie was groter tydens die 1959-1979 periode, as vóór of ná hierdie tydperk. Daar is verskeie aannames wat gemaak word met die gebruik van 'n lineêre regressie model. Daar was tekens van multikolineariteit, soos duidelik deur die hoë waardes vir die kondisie indeks en variansie inflasie indeks aangedui is. Multikolineariteit is aangespreek deur die tegniek van rif regressie (k=0,15) te gebruik. Die R2 waarde wat vir hierdie model bepaal is, is 83,43%. AI die t-waardes, behalwe dié van land, was statisties beduidend by die 1% vlak. Dié veranderlike se koëffisiëntleken het met rif regressie, verander van negatief na positief. Siende dat die veranderlike geblyk het om onstabiel te wees, was dit moeilik om ferm beslissings oor die bydrae daarvan te lewer. Wanneer die rif regressie model vergelyk word met die model wat strukturele verandering beskryf met gewone kleinste kwadrate, is die t-waardes wat tegnologie en produksiekoste beskryf, heelwat hoër in die eersgenoemde model. Dit was beslis dat die rif regressie model die beste passing vir die data gebied het. Vervolgens is die terugkeerkoers tot investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling vir die suikerindustrie in Suid-Afrika bereken. Die beraamde waarde vir die voordeel/koste van navorsing en ontwikkeling was 1,61. Die voordeel wat deur suikerindustriemeulenaars verkry is, is in berekening gebring. Verder is die uitvoer realisasieprys vir suiker gebruik. Die kostes het dié van produksie, oes en geleentheidskoste van land ingesluit. Die interne terugkeerkoers vir die suikerindustrie in Suid-Afrika is bereken as 17,20%, inaggenome die drie jaar sloer voor die voordele van navorsing en ontwikkeling realiseer. Hierdie waarde is heelwat hoër as die verdiskonteringskoers in die Suid-Afrikaanse landboubedryf, wat beraam word op 6%. Ter samevatting, in hierdie studie word geargumenteer dat al sou 'n kommoditeit eienskappe van openbare goedere toon, daar tog motivering is vir die privaatsektor om te investeer, veral as die voordele van navorsing en ontwikkeling in die industrie self ge-internaliseer word. 'n Welsprekende geval hiervan is die suikerindustrie in Suid-Afrika wat privaat befonds word. Hierdie beginsel kan gestrek word om ander industrieë in te sluit. Verder was daar in hierdie studie oorweldigende statistiese bewyse, by die 1% vlak van beduidendheid, van 'n verwantskap tussen investering in navorsing en ontwikkeling in die suikerindustrie in Suid-Afrika en verhoogde produktiwiteit. Vervolgens was dit bepaal dat hierdie investerings 'n goeie terugkeerkoers gelewer het.

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Mbatha, Cyril. "A case for institutional investigations in economic research methods with reference to South Africa's agricultural sector." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002706.

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Economic development remains elusive for many world economies, but especially those of African countries. The current global inequalities in terms of GNP per capita and human living standards between developed and developing nations have ensured that the challenges of food insecurities are only some of the many negative experiences of underdevelopment in the African continent. Hence, delivery pressures are increasing on policy makers and researchers to provide tangible and timely economic solutions to the resilient state of underdevelopment. In the policy fights against the challenges posed by a lack of development in South Africa, the agricultural sector has in the past and continues in the present to play a central role. Such is the case because the majority of citizens rely on agricultural production activities for their livelihoods. For instance, even though the sector only contributed four percent towards the national Gross Domestic Product in 2006, in the Eastern Cape Province, more than seventy percent of the total population resided in rural areas. Moreover, in 2004 more than sixty percent of the national formal and informal employment levels were found in the sector. These economic indicators do not only reinforce the assertions that high levels of geographical and sectoral inequalities exist in the country’s economy, but they also illustrate the importance of the agricultural sector in public policy attempts, which are aimed at achieving food security alongside long-term developmental objectives. Some economists, especially the proponents of institutionalism, have argued that most of the recommendations to public policy interventions from mainstream economic research endeavours are not adequately helpful. The recommendations generally lack well considered and socially effective ideas, mainly because there remains some level of ignorance about the impacts that institutions have on economic and social systems. Some argue that this ignorance is reflected in (flawed) hedonistic and rationalist assumptions made about economic actors and in the methodological thinking of many research designs and economic analyses. The misuse of formal tools and statistical methods, for example, are some of the important factors, which have led to failures of the discipline of economics to provide effective policy solutions to problems of underdevelopment and poverty, especially in poor country environments. The thesis, having taken account of the majority of criticisms levelled against the classical and new-classical economic schools of thought, argues that the discipline as a whole lacks a paradigmatic integration of institutional and new-classical economic perspectives to offer appropriate guidelines for a methodology aimed at achieving socially responsive research outputs. The lack of this integration has resulted in a skewed selection of methods by economists, which are employed in research without a supportive and in-depth understanding of institutional and social factors. To support the thesis, a more effective and integrated framework for economic research is developed and presented with case study illustrations in a cumulative manner. The 20th century history of agricultural policies in South Africa, the agricultural and institutional case studies from the Eastern Cape Province alongside reviews of other agricultural studies are all used in presenting a case for rigorous institutional investigations in general economic research. These are also used in developing the proposed integrated framework, which aims to give guidance in developing research methods, which are more socially responsive. Having shown the usefulness of the proposed research framework, the thesis recommends that public policy interventions (at national and local levels) should aim to eliminate all types of institutions which have high associated transactional costs. The interventions should also encourage the emergence and growth of the types of institutions, which present the lowest costs to initiatives of economic development. In the primary case studies from the Eastern Cape Province, the insecurity of land tenure and the various local initiatives of business ventures are highlighted as two examples of the types of institutions, which respectively present high and low transactional costs to local initiatives of agricultural and economic development.

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Desai, Ahmed Yacoob. "Development of a hydraulic sub-model as part of a desktop environmental flow assessment method." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006200.

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Countries around the world have been developing ecological policies to protect their water resources and minimise the impacts of development on their river systems. The concept of ‘minimum flows’ was initially established as a solution but it did not provide sufficient protection as all elements of a flow regime were found to be important for the protection of the river ecosystem. “Environmental flows” were developed to determine these flow regimes to maintain a river in some defined ecological condition. Rapid, initial estimates of the quantity component of environmental flows may be determined using the Desktop Reserve Model in South Africa. However, the Desktop Reserve Model is dependent upon the characteristics of the reference natural hydrology used. The advancements in hydraulic and ecological relationships from the past decade have prompted the development of a Revised Desktop Reserve Model (RDRM) that would incorporate these relationships. The research in this thesis presents the development of the hydraulic sub-model for the RDRM. The hydraulic sub-model was designed to produce a realistic representation of the hydraulic conditions using hydraulic parameters/characteristics from readily available information for any part of South Africa. Hydraulic data from past EWR studies were used to estimate the hydraulic parameters. These estimated hydraulic parameters were used to develop hydraulic estimation relationships and these relationships were developed based on a combination of regression and rule-based procedures. The estimation relationships were incorporated into the hydraulic sub-model of the integrated RDRM and assessments of the hydraulic outputs and EWR results were undertaken to assess the ‘applicability’ of the hydraulic sub-model. The hydraulic sub-model was assessed to be at a stage where it can satisfactorily be incorporated in the RDRM and that it is adequately robust in many situations. Recommendations for future work include the refinement of estimation of the channel forming discharge or the use of spatial imagery to check the maximum channel width estimation. It is also proposed that a future version of the hydraulic sub-model could include flow regime change impacts on channel geomorphology and sedimentology so that flow management scenarios can be more effectively assessed.

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Stemela, Mbuyiselo. "A critical analysis of land redistribution and economic development of farm workers in the Stellenbosch Agricultural Area : a research treatise." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/852.

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This study critically analyzed land redistribution and economic empowerment of farm workers in the Stellenbosch agricultural area. Past socio-economic and political policies have resulted in a racially skewed and inequitable distribution of land as well as overcrowding, overstocking and poverty in the countryside. It has become imperative that fundamental change is brought about in order to improve economical opportunities of all South Africans to access land for beneficial and productive use. Land reform, as the central thrust of land policy, is not only part of the effort towards the creation of equitable land distribution, but also of national reconciliation and stability. This study analyzed the notion of economic empowerment of farm workers. It looked at historical overview of the evolution of politics in South Africa and contemporary legislative framework pertaining to land redistribution and farm workers in the Western Cape. A case study of Bouwland farm in the Stellenbosch agricultural area was used as an example of how land redistribution can contribute to economically empower farm workers.

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Mqondeki, Phumlani. "Assessing the influence of groundwater recharge mechanism on non-perennial river systems, Tankwa Karoo, South Africa." University of the Western Cape, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7035.

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Masters of Science
In South Africa and neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia, most river systems are non-perennial due to semi-arid or arid climatic characteristics. In such river systems, the interaction between groundwater and surface water is of significance in terms of developing appropriate methods for determining ecological water requirements among others. However, the interaction is not well understood in terms of the influence on the volume and quality of water on the gaining and losing water bodies. In past research, the importance of non-perennial rivers (NPRS) was neglected because these river systems were considered as systems of low ecological importance and economic value. However, an improved understanding of these systems illustrated that they provide habitat for diverse and unique flora and fauna. Therefore, the main research question that was posed for the study was what is the influence of river-aquifer interactions in non-perennial river systems in the semi-arid environment? The central argument was that unless we assess the interaction between surface water and groundwater in NPRS, we cannot improve on understanding of the role of groundwater on the NPRS. The aim of the study was therefore, to assess surface water-groundwater (river-aquifer) interactions in non-perennial river systems to provide an insight regarding how these water resources interact in semi-arid environments. To achieve the aim, three specific objectives were formulated, namely, to establish the groundwater contribution to the river system, to investigate the role of the river in recharging the underlying aquifer, and to develop a regional hydrogeological conceptual model of recharge mechanisms. To achieve the objectives of the study, samples were collected from boreholes, a dug well, springs, surface water and cumulative rainfall collectors during the summer and winter seasons. The samples were analysed for hydrochemistry and stable isotopic signatures (δ2H and δ18O). The intention was to identify where and when do river-aquifer interactions occur in the study area. Secondary data from records review and field data from hydrometric methods, ERT geophysical surveys and tracer techniques were also used to address the third objective.

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Linde, Kathryn Leigh. "An analysis of the determinants and recent decline of private savings in South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002742.

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Low domestic saving rates make South Africa highly dependent on foreign capital inflows to fund higher investment levels. These inflows are highly volatile and may prove to be unsustainable in the long-run. This study analyses the determinants of private saving in South Africa, with specific reference to the decline in private saving rates that occurred at a time of higher economic growth prior to the 2008 global financial crisis. The Johansen cointegration method is used to estimate separate vector error correction models (VECM) in order to assess the effect of specific variables on both corporate and household saving. The results obtained that are common to both corporate and household savmg show that the govemment budget balance negatively impacts private saving rates though the offset is less than one. The real prime overdraft rate positively impacts private saving, although the result is small . The impact of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is positive. In recent years, however, private saving rates fell alongside higher economic growth, which may reflect a structural change in corporate saving behaviour. The results distinct to the corporate saving model show that commodity prices have a negative impact on corporate saving. This does not conform to a priori expectations, but is supported by the behaviour of these two variables in recent years. Foreign savings were found to impact negatively on corporate saving. This result is important, since the dependence of the South African economy on foreign capital inflows to fund higher investment levels is reflected by high current account deficits during recent periods of economic growth. Evidence of financial liberalization negatively impacting on private saving in South Africa due to the removal of borrowing constraints was found. A negative relationship was found between corporate saving and investment demonstrating that corporations have reduced levels of retained eamings for funding investment expenditures. The results distinct to the household saving model provide evidence of a negative wealth effect in South Africa, with rising housing wealth found to increase consumption. Evidence of households "piercing the corporate veil" in South Africa was found. Therefore, households view corporate saving behaviour as essentially being conducted on their behalf. This finding and the finding that the offset between the budget deficit and private saving is less than one suggest that counter-cyclical fiscal policy will be an important policy response for achieving higher domestic saving rates in South Africa.

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Curran, Patrick. "Research and development of a preliminary South African voluntary carbon standard for landscape restoration projects." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006968.

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The mandatory and voluntary carbon markets have both developed around the increasing trade of carbon offsets. In order to add legitimacy to an otherwise intangible commodity there has been a rise in the development of third party carbon certification standards, particularly in the voluntary market. These standards aim to provide independent, third party certification to projects that are developed specifically to generate and sell carbon offsets. South Africa has the opportunity to engage with these markets, but current participation in and certification of projects is sluggish. These projects have not taken off mainly due to the high transaction costs and lag times surrounding the current certification of projects', complex baseline methodologies, accounting uncertainty and the often bureaucratic systems surrounding the current voluntary carbon certification standards and methodologies. In order to overcome these pitfalls this project aimed to address these challenges through initiating the development of a preliminary South African voluntary carbon standard. This was done by: a) undertaking a critical assessment of the development of current carbon markets, with a particular focus on voluntary markets and third party certification, b) critically analysing the current voluntary carbon certification standards for best practices, pitfalls and weaknesses. To provide a better understanding of the historical development of voluntary certification standards, various established certification standards were evaluated, including the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and ISO 14000 standards. This analysis focussed on the challenges they faced in acceptance and in particular how they have managed to operationalize sustainable development within the certification process. In order to explicitly ensure the incorporation of a sustainable development assessment of projects under the proposed standard, an expert workshop was held with 14 experts from a wide variety of disciplines. These experts identified the crucial sustainable development challenges facing South Africa. They identified 12 sub-themes and 44 indicators that could be used to measure and incorporate sustainable development indicators into the certification process. These were then further developed through using the 'Input – Output – Outcome – Impact' framework model which allowed the indicators to be organised and understood and thus practical. The analysis of the voluntary certification standards and the development of the sustainable development indicator framework were ultimately incorporated into the development of the proposed South African voluntary carbon standard. The key approach to this standard is the incorporation and focus of the proposed standard to ensuring the generation of net SD benefits and placing them at the same level as carbon within the project design and development, validation and verification process. The full and effective integration of these has been missing within current fully fledged voluntary carbon standards, as they often rely on a mixture of project design standards to achieve this. Offering the inclusion of all components into one standard, specifically designed for South Africa, will not only assure SD credentials but also increase transparency and understanding, and reduce costs. This thesis allowed for the development of innovative new ideas and process focussed specifically at including and mainstreaming South Africa’s developmental challenges into the certification process. This is the hoped that the standard will effectively certify South African based landscape restoration projects, but also decrease costs and increase efficiencies in order to encourage the development of these projects. This preliminary standard not only aims to incorporate and address all the issues identified but also has the end goal of acting as the basis for future debate and development surrounding a potential South African voluntary carbon certification standard.

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Gale, Frances. "A preliminary examination of teacher development in farm schools through an illuminative evaluation of a teacher development course implemented by the 1820 Foundation Farm School Project." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003595.

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The 1820 Foundation INSET Farm School Project is described in order to set the context in which this illuminative evaluation of a Teacher Development course took place. The concepts of training, education and development are discussed and it is suggested that the term 'education' encompasses a training-development continuum. The design and implementation of the Teacher Development course, which attempts to promote both personal and professional development, are presented, and the facilitator discusses i) her attempt to encourage teacher control of the course and, ii) the factors which mitigate against teacher control. The decision to use the illuminative evaluation method is placed in the context of interpretive research methodologies, and the methods of data collection are discussed. A wide range of data sources is used, but primary importance is attached to i) a questionnaire administered to the five teachers involved and ii) a group interview and individual interviews with the teachers. Factors which emerge in the illumination of the data indicate that teacher control of development courses in farm schools in the Eastern Cape is problematic, that the teachers' preference is for professional development, and that development seems to take place through implementation of training strategies.

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Krauss, Kirstin Ellard Max. "Ethical ICT research practice for community engagement in rural South Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/39923.

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The research reported here evolved from the researcher’s ethnographic immersion in an ICT for Development (ICT4D) project in a deep rural part of South Africa. During ethnographic immersion, three key issues emerged from fieldwork. Firstly, the researcher realised his limited understanding of the worldview of research participants. Secondly, he realised his inability to appropriately and ethically do community entry and implement the ICT4D artefact (e.g. ICT4D training and policy), especially because of his limited understanding of the cultural context, underlying values, emancipatory concepts and interests, as well as incomplete insight into the oppressive circumstances that the people in the research setting find themselves in. The third issue relates to an inability to interpret and explain the collisions and conflicts that emerged from introducing, aligning, and implementing the ICT4D artefact. Through critical ethnographic methods and a critical orientation to knowledge, the researcher shows how these inabilities, collisions, and false consciousnesses emerged to be the result of cultural entrapment and ethnocentricity that he and the research participants suffered from. A key argument throughout this thesis is that the emancipation of the researcher is a precursor for the emancipation of the researched. The researcher thus asks: In what ways should ICT4D researchers and practitioners achieve self-emancipation, in order to ensure the ongoing emancipation and empowerment of the deep rural developing community in South Africa? The study subsequently argues the link between the topic of this thesis, namely the issue of ethical research practice, and the primary research question. A unique perspective on these problems is presented as the study looks at emancipatory ICT4D research and practice in context of a deep rural Zulu community in South Africa, and specifically the journey of social transformation that the researcher himself embarked on. The study retrospectively applies Bourdieu’s critical lineage to reflect on the research contribution and how the researcher was eventually able to construct adequate knowledge of the ICT4D social situation. Building onto the idea of critical reflexivity, the researcher argues that critical introspection should also be part of critical ICT4D research in South African contexts. Through confessional writing, the researcher describes experiential knowledge of the worldview collisions that emerged from ICT4D research and practice. In particular, manifestations of the collisions between the typical task-orientated or performance-orientated value system of Western-minded societies and the traditional loyalty-based value system or people-orientated culture of the Zulu people are described. The research contributes by challenging dominant ICT4D discourses and by arguing for an end to a line of ICT4D research and practice where outsiders with a Western task-orientated worldview, like the researcher himself, make unqualified and inadequate assumptions about their own position in ICT4D practice, and about their own understanding of how to “develop” traditional communities in South Africa through ICTs. Following Bourdieu, the researcher argues that one can only build an adequate understanding of the social situation through critical reflexivity, by making the necessary knowledge breaks, and by allowing oneself to be carried away by the game of ICT4D practice.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
Informatics
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25

Webber, Susan Marion. "An investigation into knowledge and change in a Grade 9 environmental research project." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003479.

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This study considers a Grade 9 Integrated Environmental Research Project which was implemented as a vehicle to induce knowledge-based change in learners. It was noted that change did not occur as hoped, and this study was undertaken to review the Grade 9 Project in order to improve it and to probe the apparent gap between knowledge and action. The study generated evidence on the learning processes within the project. This revealed a number of contradictions and tensions which limit change initiatives within the local environment. Notable here was a contradictory mandate between undertaking a research-based change project and responding to the rubric of assessment which was not linked to the research done. It was found that faced with this dual mandate, learners chose to focus on the assessment-laden mandate as this was the ultimate agenda that would reap the reward within the traditional school environment. The study examines the gap between knowledge and practice to probe ways in which to close this gap in the context of an environmental research assignment. The outcome is a recommendation that we as the project designers review the evidence of tensions and contradictions revealed in the study to reflect on the underlying purpose of the project and reshape it in light of recent literature on the challenges of social learning and change.

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Nelson, Erika Denise. "A Community Perspective on Volunteer Tourism and Development in South Africa." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1279848801.

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27

Sotshangane, Nkosinathi Owen. "Working Towards Improved Facilitation of Research Capacity Development at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Using Action Research (AR) Methodology." Thesis, Walter Sisulu University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11260/901.

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This study was originally undertaken to change and improve the way I do my practice at Walter Sisulu University as a Research Associate whose responsibility is to facilitate research capacity development and research excellence within the University, amongst academics and postgraduate students. The success of the Research Resource Centre that I manage depends on the way I promote research culture and research productivity amongst academics and postgraduate students. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2013, p. 2), research is a systematic process that is used to collect, analyse, and interpret data in order to increase my understanding of the phenomenon about interest and concern about a given/identified phenomenon. In this case my own practice changed and improved for the better. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the reasons behind the decline in research productivity in terms of research output and how this could be reversed through action research study intervention in order to enhance research productivity at Walter Sisulu University (WSU). The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) allocation of research output units for WSU indicated that there was a decline in research output from 2005 to 2010. The extent to which my practice improvement could contribute towards changing or improving research productivity was a question which this study addressed through a quantitative, qualitative and self-reflective action research cyclic inquiry. I organized sample strategies of this study as follows: For quantitative data, I used 120 lecturers as my respondents through questionnaires (females = 47 and males = 73) who were randomly selected; For qualitative data, I used 24 lecturers as respondents who were randomly selected with whom I conducted interviews; and For self-reflective action research cyclic inquiry I used 7 Transformative Education/al Studies (TES) project group members as my focus group. My research findings concluded that the heavy teaching workload at WSU was problematic and lecturers/academics could not devote time to do research. My recommendation is that research should be made compulsory so that academics become aware that at least one or two published articles are required from them, for the benefit of annual university research productivity. Some research participants also recommended that the Research Resource Centre must include programs that focus directly on active participation in research in order to increase the capacity of individual researchers so as to build a critical mass of competent researchers, perhaps by even including incentives as a reward for doing research. According to Koshy (2010), action research is a specific method of conducting research by professionals and practitioners with the ultimate aim of improving practice. My new knowledge, therefore, in respect of how a concerned Research Associate, from a Historically Disadvantaged Institution (HDI), provided the impetus to create a collaborative practice in a higher education institution which was forced to merge with two former technikons (which lacked understanding of what a university means by research productivity and research output). I consequently developed the Nkosinathi Sotshangane’s cyclic practice improvement model through self-reflective action research, from which I believed other research practitioners could learn by doing something similar in their own context.

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Raven, Glenda C. "Enabling reflexivity and the development of reflexive competence within course processes: a case study of an environmental education professional development course." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003389.

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This research was undertaken in the context of socio-economic transformation in South Africa, and more specifically, in the context of change in education policy. To support socio-economic transformation in South Africa after the first democratic elections in 1994, a competence-based National Qualifications Framework (NQF) was introduced in 1995. In responding to the particular socio-historical context of South Africa, the South African NQF is underpinned by the notion of applied competence, integrating practical, foundational and reflexive competence, which is the key and distinguishing feature of this competence-based framework. In this context of transformation, the research was aimed at an in-depth exploration of the notion of reflexivity and reflexive competence, and course processes that enable its development, with a view to providing curriculum development insights for learning programme development in the competence-based NQF, more broadly, and environmental education professional development programmes, more specifically. To enable these aims, the research was undertaken in the context of the Rhodes University / Gold Fields Participatory Course in Environmental Education (RU/GF course), as a case example of a professional development course that aims to develop critically reflexive practitioners. Within an interpretivist orientation, a multiple-embedded case study approach was used to gain insight into the relationship between course processes, reflexivity and the development of reflexive competence to clarify and provide a critical perspective on how competence develops in the context of the course. Data was collected over a period of one year using observation, interviewing and document analysis as the primary data collection techniques. Data was analysed through various phases and layers to inform data generation and the synthesising of data for further interpretation. Through the literature review undertaken within the study, various significant insights emerged around the notion of reflexivity and reflexive competence. Firstly, there appears to be a need to distinguish between reflexivity as social processes of change (social actions and interactions within social systems, structures and processes) and reflexive competence (a range of integrative elements of competence) that provides the evidence of an engagement within social processes of change. The second key insight emerging is the significance of social structure in shaping participation in reflexive processes, thus emphasising the duality of structure as both the medium for, and outcome of reflexive social actions and interactions and so challenges the deterministic conception of social structure. Further, the significance of an epistemologically framed notion of reflexivity and reflexive competence emerged, in the context of responding to the complex and uncertain quality of socio-ecological risks and in supporting change in context. Reflexivity, distinguished from processes of critical reflection, foregrounds a critical exploration of both knowledge and unawareness. As such a reinterpretation of reflexive competence is offered as a process of potential challenge to dominant and reigning forms of reasoning (knowledge frameworks) and consequent principles of ordering. Through this reframing of reflexive competence, the potential exists to destabilise dominant forms of reasoning and principles of ordering to create a broader scope of possibilities for action and change in context. This reframing of reflexive competence in the context of transformation in South Africa has critical implications for engaging within processes of learning programme design in the NQF to support an engagement within reflexive processes of change and the development of a range of integrative elements of reflexive competence. In this light, the study attempts to make the following contribution to curriculum deliberations within the context of environmental education and the NQF in relation to reflexivity, reflexive competence and change: ♦ Reflexivity is conceptualised as social processes of change with reflexive competence providing evidence of engagement within these social processes of change; ♦ An epistemologically framed conception of reflexivity and reflexive competence recognises how rules of reason and the ordering of the ‘reasonable’ person come to shape social life; and so ♦ Change is conceptualised as ruptures and breaks in dominant knowledge frames and the power relations embedded in these; ♦ Unawareness emerges as a key dimension within reflexive environmental education processes in responding to the unpredictable and uncertain nature of risks; ♦ An epistemological framing of reflexivity and reflexive competence highlights the need to develop open processes of learning to support the critical exploration of knowledge and unawareness; and ♦ Within this framing of reflexivity and reflexive competence, the difficulty emerges in specifically predefining reflexive competence to inform standard setting processes within a context of intended change. In framing data within this emerging conception of reflexivity and reflexive competence, a review of course processes highlighted potential areas for reorienting the RU/GF course to support change in context, for which I make specific recommendations. Drawing on the review of course processes in the RU/GF course, and in light of the reframing of reflexivity and reflexive competence, I further offer summative discussions as ‘possible implications’ for learning programme design in the South African competence-based NQF, broadly and environmental education professional development programmes in this framework, more specifically.

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Luruli, Ndivhuwo Mord. "Research funding and modes of knowledge production : a comparison between NRF-funded and industry-funded researchers in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86411.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The changing South African policy context since 1994 (new science and innovation policies), and institutional changes at the National Research Foundation (NRF) have had an effect on different funding instruments and related modes of knowledge production. In this study we compare the modes of knowledge production utilized by researchers funded by the NRF and those funded by industry. We also compare the level of scientific productivity of these groups. This study makes two major contributions: first, we provided a reconstruction of the history of research funding in South Africa from 1918 (through the Research Grant Board – RGB), to date (through the NRF established in 1999 as a result of the merger of the Foundation for Research Development (FRD) and the Centre for Science Development (CSD). The second major contribution of this study concerns the relationship between funding sources and modes of knowledge production and dissemination. We found evidence that there is an increase in third stream funding for university research in South Africa. The study shows that respondents who received funding from both the Focus Areas and THRIP, concurrently, produced more average annual research outputs than those who received funding from either the Focus Areas or THRIP only. When we compared respondents who only received the Focus Areas or THRIP grant, we found that those who received the Focus Areas grant published more outputs annually than THRIP-funded researchers, despite the fact that those who received the THRIP grant had larger grant amounts, on average, than their Focus Areas-funded counterparts. We also found that industry/THRIP funding is utilised on problem-solving type of research, i.e. applied research, while public/NRF funding is utilised on basic/fundamental/curiosity-driven research. Overall, the findings show that there is no clear cut conclusion about the influence of funding on the mode of knowledge production. We could not prove that the two factors, that is, funding and mode of knowledge production, are related in a linear fashion. This is a much more complicated situation that requires more investigation.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die veranderende Suid-Afrikaanse beleidskonteks sedert 1994 (nuwe wetenskap- en innovasiebeleid), sowel as institusionele veranderinge aan die Nasionale Navorsingstigting (NNS), het 'n uitwerking gehad op verskillende befondsingsinstrumente en verwante vorme van kennisproduksie. In die lig hiervan vergelyk die huidige studie die vorme van kennisproduksie van navorsers wat deur die NNS befonds word met dié van navorsers wat deur die bedryf befonds word. Die twee groepe se onderskeie vlakke van wetenskaplike produktiwiteit word ook vergelyk. Die studie lewer twee belangrike bydraes. In die eerste plek bied dit 'n rekonstruksie van die geskiedenis van die finansiering van navorsing in Suid-Afrika, vanaf 1918 (deur die Navorsingstoekenningsraad), tot en met vandag (deur die NNS wat in 1999 tot stand gekom het met die samesmelting van die destydse Stigting vir Navorsingsontwikkeling – SNO – en die Sentrum vir Wetenskapsontwikkeling – SWO). Die tweede belangrike bydrae van hierdie studie is die ondersoek na die verband tussen befondsingsbronne en verskillende vorme van kennisproduksie en -disseminasie. Die resultate van die ondersoek dui op 'n toename in derdegeldstroom-befondsing wat universiteitsnavorsing in Suid-Afrika betref. Die studie toon verder dat respondente wat befondsing van beide die fokusarea- en THRIP-programme ontvang, se gemiddelde jaarlikse navorsingsuitsette beduidend hoër is as dié van respondente wat slegs binne een van die twee programme befonds word. ŉ Vergelyking van die navorsingsuitsette van respondente wat slegs fokusarea-befondsing ontvang en respondente wat slegs THRIP-befondsing ontvang, toon dat diegene met fokusarea-befondsing se jaarlikse publikasieuitsette gemiddeld hoër is, ondanks die feit dat die THRIP-toekennings groter bedrae behels. Daar is ook gevind dat befondsing deur die bedryf/THRIP gebruik word vir navorsing wat gerig is op probleemoplossing, d.w.s. toegepaste navorsing, terwyl publieke of NNS-befondsing aangewend word vir basiese/ fundamentele/nuuskierigheid-gedrewe navorsing. Die algehele beskouing is dat geen duidelike gevolgtrekking gemaak kan word met betrekking tot die invloed van befondsing op die vorme van kennisproduksie nie. Daar kan nie onomwonde gestel word dat die twee kernfaktore van ondersoek, naamlik befondsing en vorme van kennisproduksie, reglynig met mekaar verband hou nie. Die situasie is meer kompleks en vereis verdere navorsing.

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30

Mash, Bob. "The development of distance education for general practitioners on common mental disorders through participatory action research." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53100.

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31

Swart, Marthane. "Piecing the puzzle : the development of feminist identity." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1345.

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32

Montague, Carl Thomas. "Developing a strategy for a centre of competence for HIV research and development in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/892.

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Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
The government has identified the need to transform the South African economy from one that is primarily resource based to one that is knowledge-based and has formulated a 10 year plan in order to accomplish this objective. The plan involves the creation and funding of five theme-specific consortium-based centres of competence that focus on the five top national health priorities, linked to the growth of the local pharmaceutical industry. This research study proposed that if collaboration and communication between academic researchers and the biotechnology industry in South Africa was improved it would lead to an increase in the development of innovative products for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The objective of the study was the development of a strategy for a centre of competence for HIV research and development that brings together academic researchers and industry in a public private partnership and that will enable the proposal to be tested. Centre of competence programmes in both developed and developing countries, including Sweden, Austria and Estonia, were reviewed. The success factors for the various programmes were discussed. The strategic planning analysis began by considering the mandate of the CoC for HIV R&D. The requirements and expectations of the DST in establishment of the centres of competence were examined. An analysis of the external environment relevant to the South African biotechnology industry was then performed. This involved a detailed macro-environmental analysis in which political, economic, social, technological and environmental factors were considered. It was followed by an analysis of the current biotechnology industry in South Africa. The industry’s dominant economic features were identified as were its future driving forces. In a competitive environment analysis the South African biotechnology industry was found to be extremely competitive. Two industry issues, price controls and access to capital, were identified and discussed. The industry key success factors identified included access to large and sustained capital, attracting and retaining talented employees, an efficient and high quality regulatory authority, continued government support, productive and appropriate partnerships and skilled intellectual property management. An internal environment analysis was performed which identified competencies and resource strengths of the CoC for HIV R&D, including the high level of academic research in the HIV/AIDS field and expertise in clinical trials of HIV/AIDS products. Competitive deficiencies and resource weaknesses identified included shortages of skills and talent and the lack of co-ordination for funding of HIV/AIDS research. The analysis of the internal environment continued with the examination of the internal value chain of the CoC for HIV R&D. This consisted of discovery, pre-clinical development and clinical development stages. Gaps in the value chain were identified, including the lack of facilities for high-throughput screening of compounds for anti-HIV activity, lack of pre-clinical testing facilities and lack of manufacturing plants capable of producing products for use in clinical trials. The results of the external and internal environment analysis were used in a SWOC analysis and a number of strategies were identified to capitalise on opportunities and to address challenges. A subsequent competitive strength assessment identified a competitive advantage in the formation of the CoC for HIV R&D. In addition a number of strategic issues facing the centre were identified and ways to address or manage the issues were proposed. The strategic planning process was completed by the selection of a strategic approach for the CoC for HIV R&D. The study concluded that a PPP of public and private organisations operating under a corporate strategy of related diversification developed and implemented by the CoC for HIV R&D, would be suitable for testing the Proposal. The study’s conclusion also highlighted the need to ensure that the CoC for HIV R&D receives a long term commitment of funding from public sources, and that is managed by an experienced team with strong leadership skills. Important strategies emerging from the study and specifically from the SWOC analysis were development of a national HIV research plan and funding of the highest priority projects; focusing research funding on research with greatest potential for generation of HIV/AIDS products; and establishment of new technology platforms to fill gaps in the value chain. Finally, a number of recommendations were made for implementation of the results of this study or as the basis for further study.

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Mostert-Wentzel, Karien. "Development of standards for undergraduate community physiotherapy education in South Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/32938.

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Introduction: Education of physiotherapists still fails to meet the health and social needs of society. One instrument to steer change in health sciences education is a re-designed curriculum. The overall intent of this study was to develop standards of competencies, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment, for an undergraduate community physiotherapy curriculum in South Africa. The grounding for this research was pragmatism. The Six-step model for curriculum development and the Clinical Prevention and Population Health Curriculum framework guided the research process and main analysis. Methods : A sequential mixed method design was used. First, a two-phase parallel situation analysis was conducted which included a qualitative document analysis of community physiotherapy curricula of the eight physiotherapy university departments in South Africa and a review of health policy documents. The experience of 12 purposively selected physiotherapists who had completed a compulsory community service year was qualitatively explored through interviews within an appreciative inquiry stance. In phase 2, input was gained from physiotherapists, from all ecological levels, on the community physiotherapy curriculum through a Delphi study. Three rounds were used. Round 1 explored the roles of physiotherapy in community health, round 2 quantified consensus in overarching competency domains, and round 3 gathered learning and teaching, and assessment, strategies to gain these competencies. Results : All eight universities had gaps in their community physiotherapy curriculum and were variedly aligned with South African health policies and health profile. Graduates need to be able to provide physiotherapy over the lifespan, to conditions mirroring the quadruple burden of disease, in settings varying from hospitals to homes of clients, with emphasis on health education and promotion within an interprofessional team. They must be prepared for suboptimal practice environments and to utilise the compulsory community service year as a gateway in professional development. Graduates need resilience to cope during the year and awareness about the importance of identifying a mentor in the frequent absence of a profession-specific supervisor. Community physiotherapy needs three core knowledge and skill sets; i.e. clinical physiotherapy, population health and community development. Consensus of 70%+ was gained on competency criteria in the domains of the following professional roles: clinician, professional, communicator and collaborator, scholar, health promoter, public health practitioner, community developer (change agent), and manager/leader. Service-learning was identified as a strategy to develop these roles supported by learning and assessment portfolios. Reflection in different formats – essays, presentations, case analysis, projects such as community wellness programmes, diaries - is a core activity to facilitate learning. A range of complementary strategies were suggested that included direct observation, role-play, and journal clubs. Core to assessment for professional competencies is for the students to be able to give evidence of their own learning (e.g. in a portfolio or oral examination) and to get frequent formative feedback. Conclusion : The physiotherapy profession is important for improving the health status of the South African population. Physiotherapy students should be educated to take on relevant professional roles through the application of appropriate educational standards. The study recommends that the curriculum standards be implemented and evaluated and that the application of complex theory in the further development and implementation of the curriculum be investigated. Lastly, future research in the generic professional domains, such as public health and community development, should be interprofessional in nature.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2013
Physiology
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Bolana, Khayalethu Kenneth. "The role of the Dohne Agricultural Research Institute in rural agricultural development in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8198.

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The decline of sustainable farming in the past twenty years in the villages of Amahlathi Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province is a cause for concern as this has resulted in reduced food security and increased levels of poverty and unemployment in the villages. As this decline continues to escalate even to date, this study was intended to investigate the role that could be played by the Dohne Agricultural Research Institute in the reduction of poverty through sustainable agricultural activities in these villages. Using a case study of Kubusi village in Amahlathi Local Municiplality, data was gathered through interviewing farming and non-farming households as well as the extension officer for Kubusi village and Dohne officials in order to understand the reasons for and the nature of the decline in farming activities in the villages. The study was conducted against the background of sustainable liveIihood (SL) theory. Important findings revealed that economic factors, primarily lack of money to buy fence and hire tractors to plough are primary causes for the decline, this followed by the effects of global warming and the lack of interest by the young generation to participate in crop farming. The study recommends that the government of the Eastern Cape should intervene through the Dohne Agricultural Research Institute in reskilling rural people in modern farming methods and assisting rural farmers with inputs, primarily fence, tractors and irrigation systems.

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Jari, Bridget. "An investigation into the impact of fairtrade in South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002741.

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World international trade is moving towards more free trade, through globalization and trade liberalization. These moves are guided by trade theories which state that on an aggregated level, nations involved in free trade should benefit, and further that free trade is fair. However, in practice, contradictory views have been raised, stating that free trade may not necessarily be benefiting all participants equally. Rather, other nations, especially developing nations, have become worse-off after opening up their markets for free trade. On the other hand, many developed nations have benefited substantially from free trade. Among other factors, the difference in benefits is believed to have been influenced by the types of commodities being traded (where developing nations mainly trade in primary goods and developed nations in anufactured goods) and unequal power relations (some nations for example, the EU and the US, still adopt protectionism in their agricultural sector). In order to address market imbalances resulting from free trade, Fairtrade has arisen. Fairtrade aims to improve international trading conditions in order to benefit small-scale farmers and farm workers in the developing nations. The Fairtrade organization further claims that its principles are in line with sustainable development. However, Fairtrade suffers a credibility gap because there is a lack of independent research to support their claims. To date in South Africa, there is little research examining the claims of the Fairtrade organization. In order to contribute to the Fairtrade discussion in South Africa, this study has investigated the validity of Fairtrade‘s claims that it contributes towards sustainable development. The study utilised primary data, which was collected from ten commercial farms and two small-scale farmer cooperatives located in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces that are/were Fairtrade certified. The main reason for including commercial farmers and small-scale farmer cooperatives in the study was for comparing relative impacts in the two Fairtrade structures. The data was then analysed using a sustainable livelihoods framework, which was developed in the study. The study focussed on investigating the impact of Fairtrade tools, which are minimum prices, premiums, pre-financing and support for long-term relationships, on its intended beneficiaries. Minimum prices offered to producers cover production costs and are above market prices, and Fairtrade premiums are to be invested in developmental projects. Therefore, examining the influence of Fairtrade tools on individuals and communities provides an overview of how Fairtrade influences development. The results of the study show that sampled Fairtrade beneficiaries in South Africa have witnessed substantial positive changes as a result of Fairtrade. The Fairtrade initiative has managed to empower small-scale producers and farm workers, as well as leverage development opportunities for their wider communities. It has supported organizational development in the supply chain, facilitated investment in community development projects and in business-related training. Producers, both commercial and small-scale producers, managed to access a market that offers stable prices, and have gained from minimum prices. Furthermore, small-scale farmers have been allowed an opportunity to expand their business into export markets, and enjoyed an increase in incomes. Fairtrade benefits further trickle down to non-Fairtrade community members, in the form of employment creation and community development. Despite positive effects, Fairtrade producers faced challenges, including high Fairtrade administration costs and a small market for Fairtrade commodities. The study concludes that in the face of challenges, Fairtrade brings economic, social and environmental benefits, but as compared to economic and social development, the impact on environmental development is rather limited. Even though that is the case, Fairtrade offers valuable development opportunities to producers in South Africa.

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Kimemia, Peter Njau. "Credit accessibility and rural development in the former Ciskei: an overview of Keiskammahoek." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003100.

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This study focuses on the issue of credit accessibility for the rural poor. Taking cognisance of the critical role played by innovative micro-lending mechanisms in the sphere of rural development, the study reaffirms the need to enhance access to financial services by rural communities. However, it also reveals the fact that there are numerous impediments to access to credit for the people living in parts of the Keiskammahoek District of the former Ciskei. Key among the impediments has been lack of awareness about the existence and the activities of micro-lending institutions. This has, in a large measure been blamed for many of the rural poor people's failure to approach such institutions for funding. As a result, the affected people's efforts to fully actualize themselves economically have to a certain extent been hampered. Consequently, as its core argument, this study views as crucial the need to tackle all the attendant impediments. It also suggests that as the first step, the government, NGOs as well as formal and informal lending institutions should endeavour to disseminate the requisite information on micro-financing and in enhancing the affected people's institutional capacity to effectively use credit obtained for commercially productive ventures. Without sorting out the basics first, credit extension even when easily availed may not have the desired impact. At worst, it may actually complicate the poverty situation as the people grapple with piling debts.

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Schreuder, Glynis Rholeen. "Teacher professional development : the case of quality teaching in accounting at selected Western Cape secondary schools." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1990.

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Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014
In South Africa the education system has undergone three major phases of change since the inception of democracy in 1994. Such a degree of change requires teachers to adapt and keep pace with each phase. Professional development provides the support teachers need to learn, and be part of, pedagogical transition. The way teachers were trained during their initial training does not match what is required from them a number of years later. Accounting is a subject that has received on-going criticism because of the poor performance of learners and declining numbers of those opting to do the subject. Professional development is crucial in ensuring quality teaching. Research proves that quality teachers ensure quality teaching and improved learner performance. Goldhaber (2002:2) suggests that providing learners with good teachers is crucial. The main purpose of this research was to examine the teaching of Accounting in schools in the Western Cape within the concept of quality. The aim is to understand what professional development programmes Accounting teachers are engaging with and what the effect is of such initiatives. Phenomenology is used as the theoretical strategy for this research. The main epistemological assumption is that a way of knowing reality is through exploring the experiences of others regarding the phenomena being investigated: namely quality teaching in Accounting and professional development of teachers of Accounting. Experiences and voices of respondents were the medium through which I explored the teaching of Accounting and the extent to which, and ways in which, professional development activities they engage in affect their teaching as well as, ultimately, the performance of learners. A mixed methods approach, framed within an interpretive paradigm, was used in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed. Multi-stage sampling was used to identify the districts, the schools and teachers for the questionnaires. All subject advisers from the districts sampled were interviewed. The teachers for the interviews were purposively sampled. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and subject advisers in the Western Cape in order to elicit their views on the phenomena being studied. Teachers completed questionnaires that included both quantitative and qualitative data. The questionnaires were designed to facilitate teacher reflection on their beliefs about what constitutes quality teaching in Accounting, as well as their current practices, and to provide information on the professional development activities they were engaged in. Data revealed that there are many teachers who are successfully providing quality teaching. There are, however, many schools where learners are not receiving quality teaching and there is thus a need to reform teaching practice. The findings indicate that professional development has a large role to play in updating and upgrading teachers’ skills and subject knowledge. The need for updating the content knowledge of teachers and for transforming their pedagogical practice are areas that should be dealt with urgently to correct declining trends in the performance of learners offering Accounting at school level. This thesis concludes with recommendations for improving the quality of teaching in Accounting that aim to enhance learner performance in the subject. Recommendations are made for professional development opportunities that transform and improve teaching practice with the final aim of leading to improved learner performance. Recommendations for further research in the field of Accounting at school level are included.

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Gaika, Nandipha Gloria. "The development of effective promotional strategies to market public FET/Technical Colleges in the Eastern Cape Province." Thesis, Port Elizabeth Technikon, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1006191.

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Education is a powerful and pervasive agent of change. Therefore, it is the key to unlock the doors to development and modernisation. Currently, business and communities knowledge very little about what the FET/Technical College is offering and its importance to the society as whole. Therefore there is a great need to market the technical sector so that the community is knowledgeable about the FET/Technical Colleges. The research conducted focuses on which promotional strategies are effective in marketing the FET Colleges. In order to make technical college students marketable it is necessary to market the institutions effectively so that all the stakeholders can be aware of what technical colleges can offer. Because of high competition in this industry, it is of vital importance not to be out-marketed by competitors by keeping abreast of new trends in promotional strategies. In order to obtain more relevant information about promotional strategies a literature study was conducted to develop a questionnaire to survey the importance of promotional strategies and determine which promotional strategies are being used by the FET Colleges. The East-London, Queenstown and Ezibeleni Public FET Colleges form the respondents. From each college five academic staff, two management members and five students formed the respondents. Community members, business community members, the Department of Education and the Department of Labour representatives were also included in the sample from each of the selected FET Colleges. The findings of the survey revealed the high level of agreement in terms of the importance of the promotional strategies identified in the literature study with the exception of some promotional strategies, which were identified as not compatible with the FET target market. The study recommended that further research be done on a larger sample size focusing on particular stakeholders eg. students of the FET Colleges in a specific area.

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Lynn, Michael David. "The development and distribution of heavy mineral concentrations in alluvial systems." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005549.

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The objective of this review is to summarise the characteristics, significance and evolution of heavy minerals and their accumulations, and to identify the key controls on the development and distribution of heavy mineral concentrations in alluvial systems. These controls can be broadly classified as tectonic setting, geomorphic setting and grain-scale concentrating processes, each of which is discussed. Based on this review, exploration models are developed which are designed to indicate favourable localities for the accumulation of heavy minerals, and trends likely to be exhibited within these accumulations. The models are structured from the broadest scale of target selection, down to the local scale of sample site selection. The major conclusion of this work is that an understanding of process geomorphology is required to develop genetic models of placer development, including a detailed evaluation of climatic fluctuations throughout the Caenozoic. Palaeoplacers such as the Witwatersrand goldfield, are inferred to have formed under similar circumstances of tectonic setting as genetically comparable Caenozoic placers such as those of Otago, New Zealand. The means of preservation of such major basins is however poorly understood.

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Chiweshe, Malvern Tatenda. "The development of an arousal and anxiety control mental skills training programme for the Rhodes University archery club." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002082.

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Research on the development of Mental Skills Training (MST) programmes in sport psychology has largely increased as sport has become more competitive. MST programmes have been seen to improve the performance of athletes. This particular research study focuses on the development of an anxiety and arousal control MST programme designed specifically for, and tailored exclusively to, the needs of four archers from the Rhodes Archery Club in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The development of the programme was guided by the Organisational Development Process model as the research methodology design. Data from two quantitative measures (CSAI-2 and Sport Grid-R), a focus group, and an individual interview were integrated with currently existing mental skills literature and theory to devise this particular MST programme. The results of the assessment phase showed that individual archers have different experiences in how anxiety and arousal affect their performances. The results also showed that archers have different zones in which they feel their performance is good. These zones depend on their subjective interpretations of anxiety and arousal. The results also showed that other factors that include personality differences, level of experience and level of expertise also influence how anxiety and arousal affect performance. The archers had previous exposure to MST programmes although they had not received systematic training in mental skills training. The programme was developed in the form of MST workshops that would run over a three week period. As part of the programme the archers would be given a mental skills manual to aid in the mental skills training. It is recommended in future that more research in MST programmes be done as a way of improving the performance of athletes in South Africa

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Wells, Stephanie Alice. "Vocabulary development in a grade 7 class using dictionary skills: an action research project." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003708.

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As I was involved as a voluntary, part-time teacher in a local, semi-rural school in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, I became increasingly aware of the learners' lack of English literacy. I therefore decided to do a practical research on vocabulary development, focusing on dictionary skills. In this thesis I describe how I implemented a vocabulary development programme as an Action Research project. My research group was a grade 7 class of English First Additional Language learners who had minimal exposure to English at school and in their communities. The class was a mixture of Afrikaans and isiXhosa home language speakers and the medium of instruction was Afrikaans. The school served a low-income community and was poorly resourced. As dictionary skills is a requirement of the national curriculum, I used 10 time-tabled lessons over a 5 week period to introduce the learners to dictionaries. My data sources were a journal detailing my reflections on each lesson; a video-recording of the lessons; small group interviews after each lesson which were audio-recorded; tasksheets on the work covered in class and questionnaires asking the learners for written responses to the lessons. The class teacher who filmed the lessons was also asked for feedback during and after the programme. My goals were to assess my teaching approach in these circumstances and to what extent the outcomes were positive for the learners. As I had come from a background of English Home Language teaching in good, well-resourced schools I found I had to question many of my assumptions. Although I was an experienced, qualified and confident teacher, I was continually having to reassess my teaching methods which were being challenged by very different classroom conditions. The outcomes of the research show why I was not able to achieve what I had thought I could in the time given.

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Halbert, Andrea Sarah. "A detailed analysis of energy tax incentives in South Africa." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60495.

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Coupled with the issue of promoting energy efficiency in South Africa is the need to focus on the source of energy production. The country's excessive burning of coal resources has been linked to the global warming crisis. To address this energy crisis, taxpayers can be encouraged to play an important role in moving the country towards a position of energy stability by conserving energy or decreasing their energy consumption, or contributing towards the research and development of energy-efficient processes as well as cleaner forms of energy. This study analyses the energy-related tax incentives that are currently legislated and available to South African taxpayers and discusses the feasibility of taking advantage of these incentives. The study may provide guidance to taxpayers that have decided to invest in renewable energy sources and will discuss some of the advantages and perceived challenges facing the renewable energy industry. This study also provides a worked example that illustrates a detailed calculation of the energy tax saving incentive set out in section 12L of the Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962. A case study guides taxpayers though the practical process of applying for and calculating their energy-saving tax deduction. The case study may be used as a point of reference for taxpayers planning to implement the section 12L energy efficiency tax incentive for the first time and may highlight complexities and concerns they should consider.
Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
Taxation
MCom
Unrestricted

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Knauer, Jens. "Development of an artificial weaning diet for the South African abalone, Haliotis midae (Haliotidae: Gastropoda)." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004099.

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An adequate supply of diatoms during the weaning stage (generally 5 - 10 mm shell length (SL)) is one of the primary constraints to the commercial culture of the South African abalone, Haliotis midae. Because of the seriousness of the problem, a project aimed at the development of an artificial weaning diet was initiated. Initially, the chemical composition (proximate composition, amino acid, fatty acid and mineral element profile) of juvenile H. midae was analyzed, as a general lack of such information was identified in a review. Due to the lack of knowledge on the nutritional requirements of H. midae, the formulation of the weaning diet was based on the essential amino acid (EAA) pattern of the shucked tissue, and the known nutrient requirements of haliotids. Subsequently, a water stable gel and pellet form of the diet were developed. The best water stability of a gel was obtained with a 1:3 agar/gelatine mixture which retained 70.7 ± 2.7 % of its dry weight after 24 h. Starch based pellets, however, retained 89.0 ± 0.6 % of their dry weight after 24 h. In a comparative growth trial, pellets produced a significantly better increase in SL and weight than gels after only 15 days. This was probably due to the better water stability of pellets, which resulted in a better nutritional quality than in gels. The feeding behaviour on both forms of the diet did not differ. Activity patterns were exclusively nocturnal and feeding frequency was consistently low. The percentage composition of the pelleted weaning diet, on a dry weight basis, was 5 % casein, 15 % gelatine, 15 % fish meal, 10 % Spirulina spp., 2.5 % fish oil, 2.5 % sunflower oil, 21.0 % dextrin, 23.0 % starch, 4.0 % of a mineral and 2.0 % of a vitamin mixture. The correlation coefficient between the EAA pattern of H. midae and the dietary EAA pattern was r⁷= 0.8989. Pellets were fed to juveniles in a 30 day growth trial to study the effect of photoperiod (12, 16, 20 and 23 hours of darkness) on growth and general nutritional parameters. A comparative experiment feeding diatoms was conducted under a 12hL: 12hD light regime at the same time. The SL and weight of the juveniles did not increase significantly with an increase in hours of darkness. The growth of juveniles fed on pellets did not differ significantly from those fed on diatoms. Percentage feed consumption (PFC), percentage feeding rate (PFR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and percentage protein deposited (PPD) were determined for the animals fed on pellets. None of the parameters were significantly affected by photoperiod. However, there were trends in that PFC increased with longer periods of darkness, while PPD decreased. The FCRs (0.44 ± 0.04 to 0.60 ± 0.19) and PERs (5.06 ± 1.74 to 6.64 ± 0.77) indicated that juveniles used the feed, and in particular the protein, very efficiently. Photoperiod did not have an effect on the specific activity of the digestive enzymes amylase, protease and lipase. The specific activity of amylase in the juveniles fed on diatoms was significantly higher than in the pellet fed groups. This was surprising as the main carbohydrate of diatoms is the ß-(l-3) glucan chrysolaminarin, and not starch, a ß-(l-4) glucan. Protease specific activity, on the other hand, was significantly higher in the pellet fed groups, indicating an ability to adapt to the high protein content in the artificial diet (35.48 %), compared to diatoms which had a protein content of 5 %. The specific activity of lipase did not differ significantly between groups, probably because of a similar lipid concentration (5 - 10 %) in diatoms and pellets. Finally, the effect of stocking density, ranging from 1250 to 10,000 juveniles/m2, on the growth of juveniles was evaluated. A model of hatchery productivity was developed based on this investigation. Hatchery productivity was defined as the number of juveniles per unit space reared through to the grow-out stage per unit time. The model predicted that maximum productivity would be achieved at a stocking density of 10,000 juveniles/m2. The results have shown that H. midae can be successfully weaned on an artificial diet, as the growth on the diet was not significantly different to growth obtained on diatoms. Long-term growth trials are needed to confirm these results. The importance of standardized experiments on the nutritional requirements and digestibility of abalone was emphasized. The importance of improved artificial diets, optimal culture conditions, as well as the application of biotechnological techniques to further abalone aquaculture was highlighted.

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Ferreira, Tremaine Pierre. "Research and development of an intelligent AGV-based material handling system for industrial applications." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21711.

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The use of autonomous robots in industrial applications is growing in popularity and possesses the following advantages: cost effectiveness, job efficiency and safety aspects. Despite the advantages, the major drawback to using autonomous robots is the cost involved to acquire such robots. It is the aim of GMSA to develop a low cost AGV capable of performing material handling in an industrial environment. Collective autonomous robots are often used to perform tasks, that is, more than one working together to achieve a common goal. The intelligent controller, responsible for establishing coordination between the individual robots, plays a key role in managing the tasks of each robot to achieve the common goal. This dissertation addresses the development of an AGV capable of such functionality. Key research areas include: the development of an autonomous coupling system, integration of key safety devices and the development of an intelligent control strategy that can be used to govern the operation of multiple AGVs in an area.

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Pieterse, Petronella Johanna. "An interpretive analysis of systems development methodology adaptation in South Africa / P.J. Pieterse." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1565.

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Andrews, Rushda Ruth. "Where leaders learn: constructions of leadership and leadership development at Rhodes University." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003903.

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This thesis explores the Where Leaders Learn slogan of Rhodes University. It does this by means of an analysis of discourses constructing leadership and leadership development within the institutional context. The discourse analysis was made possible as a result of interviews with a range of people involved in leadership and leadership development at the University. The analysis revealed that leadership development is constructed as taking place within a highly structured system that enables instructional and managerial leadership but constrains transformational leadership. The discourses that give meaning and understanding to the construct of leadership draw heavily on position within a hierarchy. The discourse of functional efficiency is enabled through practices related to reward, recognition, succession planning and mentorship which all serve to replicate the existing leadership structures creating more of the same and in essence stifling the potential for emancipatory leadership. The analysis also shows that a discourse of collegiality serves to create a false sense of a common understanding of leadership in the light of evidence of uncertainty and contestation around the meaning of the slogan Where Leaders Learn and, by association, the very construct of leadership. The discursive process of understanding leadership and developing an institutional theory for the purposes of infusing this into a curriculum poses many challenges. Barriers to new ways of thinking reside within the researchers' ontological and epistemological commitments. This amplifies the need for a more reflective ontology towards leadership and its consequences, especially so in a multidisciplinary environment such as Rhodes University.

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Rafferty, Benjamin. "Shaky structures on solid foundation : the impact of low-income state-subsidised housing on the realisation of the right to adequate housing in post-apartheid South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21741.

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This dissertation examines the impact of state-subsidised housing on the realisation of the right to adequate housing in South Africa. The incremental housing policy adopted in 1994 has its roots in the work of the Urban Foundation and others, who significantly shaped the discussions in the National Housing Forum, where South Africa's first post-apartheid housing policy was formulated. As a result low-income housing policy is centred on the use of capital subsidies allocated towards homeownership. In 1996 the state promulgated the Constitution obligating government to ensure that, inter alia, 'everyone has the right of access to adequate housing'. 'Adequate housing', as per the United Nations Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, comprises of six core elements: accessibility, affordability, location, availability of services, habitability and security of tenure; which have all been affected in various ways by government's legislative and policy interventions. The delivery of state-subsidised housing has been impressive - with nearly three million completed since 1994. However, there have been significant problems. This paper emphasises four main issues: the poor quality houses that have required rectification and/or rebuilding; an overemphasis on homeownership, above rental tenure; a lack of effective transfer of title deeds; and the informal sale of state-subsidised houses. All of which have negatively impacted on progress towards full realisation of the right of access to adequate housing.

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Rabinowitz, David. "Towards a theoretical foundation of Project Finance and its practice in South Africa." Diss., 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/23234.

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The academic research into Project Finance lags far behind the practice of it. Project Finance, with limited or non recourse debt as its defining characteristic, has been growing tremendously since 2001 and is set to grow even further. This is due to the massive spend in infrastructure both globally and in South Africa, the need for private sector involvement and the limited capacity of corporations‟ balance sheets to fund such projects. Given this setting, this research aims to act as a catalyst for the development of a theoretical foundation of Project Finance in South Africa and to encourage further research. There were two phases to the research. The first phase consisted of an analysis of twenty two case studies on international projects that have used Project Finance, with the aim of extracting theories, principles and lessons that can be used to form a theory base. The second phase consisted of sixteen interviews with South African Project Finance industry experts, based on the theory from phase one, with the aim of exploring the current state of South African Project Finance. The first phase resulted in a broad description of the theory of Project Finance that can be used as an introduction to Project Finance or as a base for further research. The second phase produced a portrayal of South African Project Finance as it relates to the theory with specific recommendations for further research into Project Finance in South Africa. Copyright
Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted

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Khan, Rashida Bebe. "Supporting foundation phase professional development : a self-study of a Head of Department." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/9485.

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This personal history self-study focuses on supporting Foundation Phase teacher learning through professional development in an Independent school context in South Africa. In engaging in this study I am the main research participant who takes the reader through the passages of my early childhood experiences, my schooling, and my training as a student teacher and my practice of being a teacher and a Head of Department at an Independent Muslim School. I investigate how I can use a deeper understanding of my personal history to enhance my understanding of my professional practice and thus to better support Foundation Phase teacher learning through professional development strategies and initiatives in my particular Independent school context. Through this process of deliberate remembering, I uncover many hidden experiences of my early learning, and of becoming a professional, which have impacted on my present practices as teacher and Foundation Phase Head of Department. Key themes that emerge are: a) guidance and inspiration from family; b) evolving from teacher centredness to learner centredness; c) deep-rooted intrinsic motivation; d) teacher mentoring and collaboration; and e) developing greater self esteem and freedom of expression. From these themes I develop questions to spur me on in supporting teacher learning through professional development initiatives in my school context, allowing me to revisit my existing practice. This study illustrates how our lived experiences have helped to shape and continue to reshape our practices as teachers and school managers. The study also shows how we can learn from our personal histories in order to enable us to develop our pedagogical and managerial capacities.
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

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Matakanye, Avhashoni Edward. "The impact of economic driven community development projects in addressing poverty." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14966.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Foundation for Research Development (South Africa)'

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