Communicating positive representations of wheelchair users’ disability identities through illustration and participatory design
- Authors: du Plessis, Amberleigh
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: People with disabilities , Group identity , Visual communication
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70297 , vital:78337
- Description: The study highlights the misrepresentation of people with disabilities in the media, and how it can lead to social exclusion of people with disabilities and misunderstanding of the disability identity. The research question involves disability representation, wheelchair-disabled identity, illustration and participatory design. The study focuses specifically on wheelchair disability and uses a participatory design approach, which allows for wheelchair users collectively to be part of the research. The three different models of disability, namely the medical model, the social model and the cultural model. The South African definition of disability is explored, and images and photographic examples of past representations of disability are examined to identify stereotypes, such as the freak, the medicalised disabled body and the pitiful victim. Positive illustrations, paintings and posters of people living with disabilities are analysed, focusing on physical disability and representation, which reveals that illustration can instil good staring habits from non-disabled viewers, to create a more inclusive society. A qualitative research approach is employed to gain a better understanding of a specific phenomenon. The specific phenomenon was the representation of wheelchair disability identities, and to untangle this, three research approaches were used, namely autoethnography, case studies and participatory design. A total of 10 wheelchair-disabled persons, from Cheshire Home Summerstrand in Gqeberha participated in the study. It was found that by involving participants in the practical development process, more positive illustrations of disability representation can be produced, allowing for clearer communication of the disability identity. The responses to the interview questions confirmed that people with disabilities believe that non-disabled people have misconceptions about the disability identity. The research thus aims to challenge these misconceptions and motivate more positive interpretations and understanding of the disability identity through visual communication. , Thesis (MVA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Visual and Performing Arts, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: du Plessis, Amberleigh
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: People with disabilities , Group identity , Visual communication
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70297 , vital:78337
- Description: The study highlights the misrepresentation of people with disabilities in the media, and how it can lead to social exclusion of people with disabilities and misunderstanding of the disability identity. The research question involves disability representation, wheelchair-disabled identity, illustration and participatory design. The study focuses specifically on wheelchair disability and uses a participatory design approach, which allows for wheelchair users collectively to be part of the research. The three different models of disability, namely the medical model, the social model and the cultural model. The South African definition of disability is explored, and images and photographic examples of past representations of disability are examined to identify stereotypes, such as the freak, the medicalised disabled body and the pitiful victim. Positive illustrations, paintings and posters of people living with disabilities are analysed, focusing on physical disability and representation, which reveals that illustration can instil good staring habits from non-disabled viewers, to create a more inclusive society. A qualitative research approach is employed to gain a better understanding of a specific phenomenon. The specific phenomenon was the representation of wheelchair disability identities, and to untangle this, three research approaches were used, namely autoethnography, case studies and participatory design. A total of 10 wheelchair-disabled persons, from Cheshire Home Summerstrand in Gqeberha participated in the study. It was found that by involving participants in the practical development process, more positive illustrations of disability representation can be produced, allowing for clearer communication of the disability identity. The responses to the interview questions confirmed that people with disabilities believe that non-disabled people have misconceptions about the disability identity. The research thus aims to challenge these misconceptions and motivate more positive interpretations and understanding of the disability identity through visual communication. , Thesis (MVA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Visual and Performing Arts, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Comparative study of the effect of iloprost on neuroinflammatory changes in c8-b4 microglial cells and murine model of trypanosomiasis
- Authors: Jacobs, Ashleigh
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Neuroimmunology , DNA -- Methylation , Nervous system -- Degeneration
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68895 , vital:77160
- Description: Neurodegenerative conditions significantly impact well-being and quality of life in individuals with major symptoms including mood disorders, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disturbances, often resulting from neuroinflammation triggered by immune responses to bacterial or parasitic infections such as gram-negative bacteria or Human African Trypanosomiasis. Microglia play a crucial role in both neurotoxicity and cellular processes involved in restoring the neural health. Exploring the therapeutic potential of prostacyclin and its analogues in regulating microglia responses to inflammatory insult and treating Trypanosoma brucei (T.b) infection remains an unexplored area. The aim of this study was to assess the potential neuroprotective effects of Iloprost through comparative analysis of neuroinflammatory responses in both microglial cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and mouse brains infected with T.b brucei. In phase I of this study both resting and LPS treated C8-B4 microglial cells were exposed to varying concentrations of Iloprost. The effects of Iloprost on LPS-induced inflammation were analysed using immunofluorescence to detect microglial activation and differentiate between pro and anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Furthermore, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion was determined using an ELISA, in addition gene expression analysis was carried out using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Also, DNA methylation status of C8-B4 cells exposed to LPS challenge alone or in combination with various concentrations of Iloprost were determined using bisulfite sequencing technique followed by qPCR. In phase II of the study, a total of twenty-four Albino Swiss male mice (8-10 weeks old) were divided into four treatment groups with 6 mice in each group. All treatment groups except the non-infected control were inoculated with the T.b brucei parasite. One group received a single intraperitoneal injection of Diminazene aceturate (4 mg kg-1)while the remaining group received repeated intraperitoneal injections of Iloprost (200 μg kg-1). On day ten of the study, mouse brains were removed on ice using forceps. The hippocampal tissues were dissected out and processed for quantification of gene expression changes in pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α and IL-1β, secretion and gene expression is down-regulated in C8-B4 microglial cells treated with Iloprost. Furthermore, there was a significant up-regulation in the expression of anti-inflammatory genes, particularly ARG-1, CD206, BDNF and CREB in response to Iloprost treatment following LPS-induced inflammation. This study is also the first to confirm M2 microglial polarization with Iloprost treatment in both resting and LPS treated cells. However, hypermethylation at CREB and BDNF promoter regions was observed 24 hours after Iloprost treatment. Additionally, Iloprost reversed hypomethylation at the BDNF promoter region that had been induced by LPS treatment. The rodent model also indicated a downregulation in the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, expression and upregulation of BDNF transcription in T.b brucei infected mice treated with repeated doses of Iloprost. In conclusion, determining the immunomodulatory roles of Iloprost in both in vitro and in vivo models of neuroinflammation could assist in the development of alternative therapy for neurodegenerative disease. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Jacobs, Ashleigh
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Neuroimmunology , DNA -- Methylation , Nervous system -- Degeneration
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68895 , vital:77160
- Description: Neurodegenerative conditions significantly impact well-being and quality of life in individuals with major symptoms including mood disorders, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disturbances, often resulting from neuroinflammation triggered by immune responses to bacterial or parasitic infections such as gram-negative bacteria or Human African Trypanosomiasis. Microglia play a crucial role in both neurotoxicity and cellular processes involved in restoring the neural health. Exploring the therapeutic potential of prostacyclin and its analogues in regulating microglia responses to inflammatory insult and treating Trypanosoma brucei (T.b) infection remains an unexplored area. The aim of this study was to assess the potential neuroprotective effects of Iloprost through comparative analysis of neuroinflammatory responses in both microglial cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and mouse brains infected with T.b brucei. In phase I of this study both resting and LPS treated C8-B4 microglial cells were exposed to varying concentrations of Iloprost. The effects of Iloprost on LPS-induced inflammation were analysed using immunofluorescence to detect microglial activation and differentiate between pro and anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Furthermore, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion was determined using an ELISA, in addition gene expression analysis was carried out using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Also, DNA methylation status of C8-B4 cells exposed to LPS challenge alone or in combination with various concentrations of Iloprost were determined using bisulfite sequencing technique followed by qPCR. In phase II of the study, a total of twenty-four Albino Swiss male mice (8-10 weeks old) were divided into four treatment groups with 6 mice in each group. All treatment groups except the non-infected control were inoculated with the T.b brucei parasite. One group received a single intraperitoneal injection of Diminazene aceturate (4 mg kg-1)while the remaining group received repeated intraperitoneal injections of Iloprost (200 μg kg-1). On day ten of the study, mouse brains were removed on ice using forceps. The hippocampal tissues were dissected out and processed for quantification of gene expression changes in pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α and IL-1β, secretion and gene expression is down-regulated in C8-B4 microglial cells treated with Iloprost. Furthermore, there was a significant up-regulation in the expression of anti-inflammatory genes, particularly ARG-1, CD206, BDNF and CREB in response to Iloprost treatment following LPS-induced inflammation. This study is also the first to confirm M2 microglial polarization with Iloprost treatment in both resting and LPS treated cells. However, hypermethylation at CREB and BDNF promoter regions was observed 24 hours after Iloprost treatment. Additionally, Iloprost reversed hypomethylation at the BDNF promoter region that had been induced by LPS treatment. The rodent model also indicated a downregulation in the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, expression and upregulation of BDNF transcription in T.b brucei infected mice treated with repeated doses of Iloprost. In conclusion, determining the immunomodulatory roles of Iloprost in both in vitro and in vivo models of neuroinflammation could assist in the development of alternative therapy for neurodegenerative disease. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Conflict management mechanisms for workplace harassment: a case study of a provincial government department of basic education in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Authors: Monakali, Robin
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Conflict management -- South Africa , Bullying in the workplace , Harassment
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70353 , vital:78342
- Description: Workplace harassment remains a significant concern globally, affecting organizational culture and employee well-being. This study aims to develop an integrated conflict management framework to manage workplace harassment in a selected provincial government department in Johannesburg, Gauteng province. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study included organizational theory, socio-cultural theory, and intersectional feminism. Through a mixed methods approach, which involved combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, this research examines the mechanisms in place to deal with workplace harassment in a selected provincial government department. The qualitative research method that was used comprised online, semi-structured, individual interviews with four Human Resource managers, four departmental managers, four line managers and four non-management employees and the quantitative research method involved the completion of self-administered questionnaires by 153 employees from the provincial government department. The researcher used a purposive sampling design for the interviews and simple random sampling for the questionnaires. The findings reveal that the department has internal structures in place to address harassment, yet a gap that was identified was the implementation and application of the policy as many cases go underreported or unresolved. A novel, integrated conflict management framework was developed, which emphasizes both prevention and intervention strategies to deal with workplace harassment. This study adds to existing knowledge of workplace harassment and can also serve as a reference point for further research undertaken by individuals, policymakers, and scholars. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Monakali, Robin
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Conflict management -- South Africa , Bullying in the workplace , Harassment
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70353 , vital:78342
- Description: Workplace harassment remains a significant concern globally, affecting organizational culture and employee well-being. This study aims to develop an integrated conflict management framework to manage workplace harassment in a selected provincial government department in Johannesburg, Gauteng province. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study included organizational theory, socio-cultural theory, and intersectional feminism. Through a mixed methods approach, which involved combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, this research examines the mechanisms in place to deal with workplace harassment in a selected provincial government department. The qualitative research method that was used comprised online, semi-structured, individual interviews with four Human Resource managers, four departmental managers, four line managers and four non-management employees and the quantitative research method involved the completion of self-administered questionnaires by 153 employees from the provincial government department. The researcher used a purposive sampling design for the interviews and simple random sampling for the questionnaires. The findings reveal that the department has internal structures in place to address harassment, yet a gap that was identified was the implementation and application of the policy as many cases go underreported or unresolved. A novel, integrated conflict management framework was developed, which emphasizes both prevention and intervention strategies to deal with workplace harassment. This study adds to existing knowledge of workplace harassment and can also serve as a reference point for further research undertaken by individuals, policymakers, and scholars. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Construction material waste control success model for the construction industry
- Authors: Musah, Abdul Razak
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Construction industry -- Materials management , Construction industry -- Management , Construction industry -- Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68796 , vital:77114
- Description: Economic sustainability and reconstruction in many economies rely heavily on the construction sector and remain strategic tools for governments and industries worldwide. Excessive construction costs and materials waste among some construction companies are rampant in the construction sector. Most of this waste is poorly managed, thus triggering significant project failure problems, leading to the project stakeholders losing the value of their investment. This concern advocate for effective control of construction material to avoid wastage. The primary objective of this study was to develop a Construction Waste Material Control (CWMC) model to be used by construction project professionals throughout the Project Management (PM) phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure. Significant literature on construction materials waste, Project Management (PM) processes, and project performance regarding poor waste management and project failure was reviewed. This literature review was conducted to identify factors affecting Construction Waste Material Control (CWMC). These factors were identified and defined together with their respective contributions to the model. A quantitative survey instrument (questionnaire) was used to obtain information from construction sector professionals. A total of 213 questionnaire were received and administered for the study. Structural Equation Model (SEM) SEM was used to analyse the questionnaire data, and thereby assisting the research to clearly define latent constructs statistically significant to the (CWMC) model. The finding was that, the factors identified to have impact on CWMC are Project Initiation Phase Tools (PIPTs), Project Planning Phase Tools (PPPTs), project failure/success factors (PFFs), Project Execution Phase Tools (PEPTs), Project Monitoring and Control Phase Tools (PMCPTs), Construction waste material Control (CWMC) policy and Project Management (PM) competence. The supported hypotheses also authenticated these factors. Introducing the model into the construction sector provides another dimension to CWMC. By establishing the aforementioned factors, the model gives construction professionals precise CWMC predictive accuracy. As the model reliability test of 0.734 to 0.972 satisfied the theoretical threshold and goodness of fit of 0.912 of Normed fit index respectively. The model is the first of its kind and contributes significantly to the construction sector’s existing body of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, School of Built Environment and Civil Engineering, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Musah, Abdul Razak
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Construction industry -- Materials management , Construction industry -- Management , Construction industry -- Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68796 , vital:77114
- Description: Economic sustainability and reconstruction in many economies rely heavily on the construction sector and remain strategic tools for governments and industries worldwide. Excessive construction costs and materials waste among some construction companies are rampant in the construction sector. Most of this waste is poorly managed, thus triggering significant project failure problems, leading to the project stakeholders losing the value of their investment. This concern advocate for effective control of construction material to avoid wastage. The primary objective of this study was to develop a Construction Waste Material Control (CWMC) model to be used by construction project professionals throughout the Project Management (PM) phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure. Significant literature on construction materials waste, Project Management (PM) processes, and project performance regarding poor waste management and project failure was reviewed. This literature review was conducted to identify factors affecting Construction Waste Material Control (CWMC). These factors were identified and defined together with their respective contributions to the model. A quantitative survey instrument (questionnaire) was used to obtain information from construction sector professionals. A total of 213 questionnaire were received and administered for the study. Structural Equation Model (SEM) SEM was used to analyse the questionnaire data, and thereby assisting the research to clearly define latent constructs statistically significant to the (CWMC) model. The finding was that, the factors identified to have impact on CWMC are Project Initiation Phase Tools (PIPTs), Project Planning Phase Tools (PPPTs), project failure/success factors (PFFs), Project Execution Phase Tools (PEPTs), Project Monitoring and Control Phase Tools (PMCPTs), Construction waste material Control (CWMC) policy and Project Management (PM) competence. The supported hypotheses also authenticated these factors. Introducing the model into the construction sector provides another dimension to CWMC. By establishing the aforementioned factors, the model gives construction professionals precise CWMC predictive accuracy. As the model reliability test of 0.734 to 0.972 satisfied the theoretical threshold and goodness of fit of 0.912 of Normed fit index respectively. The model is the first of its kind and contributes significantly to the construction sector’s existing body of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, School of Built Environment and Civil Engineering, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Consumer online shopping behaviour in South Africa
- Authors: Klassen, Cindy
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Customer services -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70220 , vital:78330
- Description: Online shopping is the ability to purchase goods or services online through the use of the Internet on various sites, either directly from suppliers or through third party sites. Adoption to Online Shopping has seen a steady increase over the last 20 years. Each year consumers seem to become more and more au fait with the concept. This is a trend that has grown in adoption globally and the South African consumer is no different. There are however reasons that influence faster adoption and retailers may also want to understand how important having physical stores still are as these have impacts on the bottom line and profits. Previous studies have investigated the history of online shopping. The reasons as to how and why it is becoming a growing trend as well as what categories consumers prefer to shop online. Other highly researched topics are the factors that inhibit online shopping and the benefits of online shopping. In this study, the focus is on the consumer and how they experience online shopping. This has been identified as the dependent factor. Factors that influence the online shopping experience and thus the independent factors have been identified as Advertising Communication, Trust, Instore Shopping Behaviour and Online Shopping Benefits. The study draws on elements of the Technology Acceptance Model to gain a better understanding on the acceptance of technologies’ influence on online shopping. A sample of 307 respondents completed the questionnaire for this study through convenience sampling. The questionnaire was distributed through business and study networks across South Africa including the Nelson Mandela University Business School. Through this distribution it is evident that most respondents live in urban areas across South Africa and have a postgraduate qualification, which may not be most representative of the South African population. A study needs to take place in future as this sample does not consider the lower income shopper’s experience of online shopping. The results of this study indicate that the independent factor of Online Shopping Benefits has a significantly positive relationship on the Online Shopping Experience which means for practitioners that are trying to grow online shopping, a strong emphasis must be placed on the benefits that consumers are drawn to by v online shopping. These benefits may differ based on the target audience thus it is important for business owners to understand the benefits specific to each target audience. Instore Shopping Behaviour had a negative relationship with Online Shopping Experience, illustrating that the online shopping experience may deter consumers who are attracted to the hedonic behaviours of instore shopping. Furthermore, there appears to be a growing level of trust amongst South African consumers who shop online which may be a reason that online shopping sales revenue continues to increase year on year. Managerial recommendations provide an opportunity for practitioners who want to grow online sales revenue practical solutions to implement. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Klassen, Cindy
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Customer services -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70220 , vital:78330
- Description: Online shopping is the ability to purchase goods or services online through the use of the Internet on various sites, either directly from suppliers or through third party sites. Adoption to Online Shopping has seen a steady increase over the last 20 years. Each year consumers seem to become more and more au fait with the concept. This is a trend that has grown in adoption globally and the South African consumer is no different. There are however reasons that influence faster adoption and retailers may also want to understand how important having physical stores still are as these have impacts on the bottom line and profits. Previous studies have investigated the history of online shopping. The reasons as to how and why it is becoming a growing trend as well as what categories consumers prefer to shop online. Other highly researched topics are the factors that inhibit online shopping and the benefits of online shopping. In this study, the focus is on the consumer and how they experience online shopping. This has been identified as the dependent factor. Factors that influence the online shopping experience and thus the independent factors have been identified as Advertising Communication, Trust, Instore Shopping Behaviour and Online Shopping Benefits. The study draws on elements of the Technology Acceptance Model to gain a better understanding on the acceptance of technologies’ influence on online shopping. A sample of 307 respondents completed the questionnaire for this study through convenience sampling. The questionnaire was distributed through business and study networks across South Africa including the Nelson Mandela University Business School. Through this distribution it is evident that most respondents live in urban areas across South Africa and have a postgraduate qualification, which may not be most representative of the South African population. A study needs to take place in future as this sample does not consider the lower income shopper’s experience of online shopping. The results of this study indicate that the independent factor of Online Shopping Benefits has a significantly positive relationship on the Online Shopping Experience which means for practitioners that are trying to grow online shopping, a strong emphasis must be placed on the benefits that consumers are drawn to by v online shopping. These benefits may differ based on the target audience thus it is important for business owners to understand the benefits specific to each target audience. Instore Shopping Behaviour had a negative relationship with Online Shopping Experience, illustrating that the online shopping experience may deter consumers who are attracted to the hedonic behaviours of instore shopping. Furthermore, there appears to be a growing level of trust amongst South African consumers who shop online which may be a reason that online shopping sales revenue continues to increase year on year. Managerial recommendations provide an opportunity for practitioners who want to grow online sales revenue practical solutions to implement. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Criteria for effective short-term rental business venture property selection in Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Theunissen, Melanie
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Real estate investment -- Rental property -- South Africa , Property investment -- Real estate business -- South Africa , Small business -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69890 , vital:78143
- Description: Short-term rental (STR) accommodations thrive in the online sharing economy and are influenced by market trends and regulations and vary in location. Success hinges on careful planning, continuous management and fulfilling guest expectations. There is limited research on the types of properties that succeed in the STR business. Additionally, STR’s are regulated, competitive and entail financial planning which can offer both lucrative income potential and high expenses. This treatise is an effort to evaluate the criteria for property selection for STR’s as a business in Nelson Mandela Bay. The research approach for this study is positivistic. A literature review has been conducted to determine the existing status of STR studies relating to the business industry. The literature review allowed the formation of criteria which was tested with quantitative methods consisting of data collection, a questionnaire and an analysis of the statistics. This assessment clearly supported STR as a viable business venture. Based on the research study, criteria were created to help STR owners select the right property for STR. The four main considerations in STR accommodation business in this criteria framework included location, type and size of the property, features and amenities and safety and security. The research confirmed that in the STR market, these variables are proposed as key focal point for business owners to focus on and to positively affect the types of property that are purchased to grow the STR business. As a result, create favourable bottom line returns. In agreement with the literature that is reviewed and the outcomes of this treatise, by effectively addressing the criteria, the business owners of STR’s will create a criteria model that is helpful to purchase the most suitable property for a STR business. Certain key findings from the research found it to be true that you can improve property selection decision making through the identification of relevant criteria that can assist STR business investors and managers. It is proposed that the criteria is examined to provide further advancement to the STR industry. The recommendations include further improving the criteria by providing additional information about the STR business behaviours connected to each variable and increasing the scope of the study to more than just one sample from mainly the Eastern Cape in South Africa. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Theunissen, Melanie
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Real estate investment -- Rental property -- South Africa , Property investment -- Real estate business -- South Africa , Small business -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69890 , vital:78143
- Description: Short-term rental (STR) accommodations thrive in the online sharing economy and are influenced by market trends and regulations and vary in location. Success hinges on careful planning, continuous management and fulfilling guest expectations. There is limited research on the types of properties that succeed in the STR business. Additionally, STR’s are regulated, competitive and entail financial planning which can offer both lucrative income potential and high expenses. This treatise is an effort to evaluate the criteria for property selection for STR’s as a business in Nelson Mandela Bay. The research approach for this study is positivistic. A literature review has been conducted to determine the existing status of STR studies relating to the business industry. The literature review allowed the formation of criteria which was tested with quantitative methods consisting of data collection, a questionnaire and an analysis of the statistics. This assessment clearly supported STR as a viable business venture. Based on the research study, criteria were created to help STR owners select the right property for STR. The four main considerations in STR accommodation business in this criteria framework included location, type and size of the property, features and amenities and safety and security. The research confirmed that in the STR market, these variables are proposed as key focal point for business owners to focus on and to positively affect the types of property that are purchased to grow the STR business. As a result, create favourable bottom line returns. In agreement with the literature that is reviewed and the outcomes of this treatise, by effectively addressing the criteria, the business owners of STR’s will create a criteria model that is helpful to purchase the most suitable property for a STR business. Certain key findings from the research found it to be true that you can improve property selection decision making through the identification of relevant criteria that can assist STR business investors and managers. It is proposed that the criteria is examined to provide further advancement to the STR industry. The recommendations include further improving the criteria by providing additional information about the STR business behaviours connected to each variable and increasing the scope of the study to more than just one sample from mainly the Eastern Cape in South Africa. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Development of density-dependent and density-independent competition models to understand single tree growth responses in eucalyptus stands
- Authors: Kepe, Lulama Patrick
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Forests and forestry -- Mathematical models , Trees -- Growth -- Mathematical models , Eucalyptus grandis
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68906 , vital:77161
- Description: In commercial forest production, predicted yields based on mensuration recommendations are seldom realized, and minimal silvicultural standards based on results from trial blocks do not account for the relationship between initial planting density and final stocking. Growth models designed to investigate management options must employ competition indices to provide reliable predictions under extreme silviculture. The competition a tree experiences until the day of harvest is a strong driver for quality and volume of timber. Hence, this turns the regulation of competition into an integral part of silviculture. According to Little et al. (2003), it is known that, at some stage after canopy closure, individual trees in a stand will begin to compete for resources. To investigate competition amongst individual trees, a re-purposed Bayesian mixed effects model, similar in characteristics to a Sire model used for estimating breeding values, is proposed. In animal breeding models, the Sire Model allows for the inclusion of a numerator relationship matrix containing inbreeding coefficients. In a similar way, documented competition indices are included in the model in an attempt to estimate posterior probabilities of specifically selected individual trees being the strongest growers during different stages in the tree growth cycle. Estimated tree growth indices were determined and used to make probability statements in order to rank the individually selected trees based on the amount of growth observed. A tree growth index is a measurement of a tree’s average growth performance in relation to the average growth performance of all trees on the same plot. As different competition indices are introduced into the model, changes in the probabilities are observed and compared to what is visually observed on the plot, i.e. if the tree with the highest probability of being the strongest grower, is actually not necessarily the largest tree of the group of selected trees, but rather the tree that presented the largest amount of growth of the selected group of trees during that specific growth season. From a randomly selected plot, a group of neighboring trees were randomly selected. Four specifically selected target trees were then identified from this group of 25 selected trees, and analyzed. For this discussion, for example, from our randomly selected group of 25 neighboring trees, tree 54, tree 56, tree 86, and tree 88 were specifically selected for further analysis. For these specifically selected trees, marginal posterior densities for the variance components and random effects were then estimated using the Gibbs Sampler, where competition between the trees was assumed present, as well as for the case where it was assumed that no competition takes place between the individually selected trees. In the latter case, an identity matrix was utilized in the Gibbs sampling algorithm where it was assumed that there is no competition between the trees. Both a distance independent competition index (Lorimer,1983), and a distance dependent index (Hegyi, 1974), were used to generate the numerator relationship matrix A that was used by the Gibbs sampling algorithm in the case where competition was assumed between individual trees. Also a new distance dependent index was proposed and tested in this study as well. Results from the selected plot, with a 1500 stems per hectare (sph) density, indicated that there were no significant differences in the average growth between these selected trees. However, the marginal posterior densities of the fixed effects indicated that there was a significant difference in the average growth rates between the base level conditions and other levels determined for each of these fixed effect factors for the selected trees, since their 95% equal tails credibility intervals, did not contain zero. This therefore indicated that the specific treatment applied on the plot, had a significant effect on the individual tree growth. Results when competition was assumed present, revealed that the estimated marginal posterior densities for the error variance as well as tree variance, were severely positively skewed. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Science & Management, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Kepe, Lulama Patrick
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Forests and forestry -- Mathematical models , Trees -- Growth -- Mathematical models , Eucalyptus grandis
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68906 , vital:77161
- Description: In commercial forest production, predicted yields based on mensuration recommendations are seldom realized, and minimal silvicultural standards based on results from trial blocks do not account for the relationship between initial planting density and final stocking. Growth models designed to investigate management options must employ competition indices to provide reliable predictions under extreme silviculture. The competition a tree experiences until the day of harvest is a strong driver for quality and volume of timber. Hence, this turns the regulation of competition into an integral part of silviculture. According to Little et al. (2003), it is known that, at some stage after canopy closure, individual trees in a stand will begin to compete for resources. To investigate competition amongst individual trees, a re-purposed Bayesian mixed effects model, similar in characteristics to a Sire model used for estimating breeding values, is proposed. In animal breeding models, the Sire Model allows for the inclusion of a numerator relationship matrix containing inbreeding coefficients. In a similar way, documented competition indices are included in the model in an attempt to estimate posterior probabilities of specifically selected individual trees being the strongest growers during different stages in the tree growth cycle. Estimated tree growth indices were determined and used to make probability statements in order to rank the individually selected trees based on the amount of growth observed. A tree growth index is a measurement of a tree’s average growth performance in relation to the average growth performance of all trees on the same plot. As different competition indices are introduced into the model, changes in the probabilities are observed and compared to what is visually observed on the plot, i.e. if the tree with the highest probability of being the strongest grower, is actually not necessarily the largest tree of the group of selected trees, but rather the tree that presented the largest amount of growth of the selected group of trees during that specific growth season. From a randomly selected plot, a group of neighboring trees were randomly selected. Four specifically selected target trees were then identified from this group of 25 selected trees, and analyzed. For this discussion, for example, from our randomly selected group of 25 neighboring trees, tree 54, tree 56, tree 86, and tree 88 were specifically selected for further analysis. For these specifically selected trees, marginal posterior densities for the variance components and random effects were then estimated using the Gibbs Sampler, where competition between the trees was assumed present, as well as for the case where it was assumed that no competition takes place between the individually selected trees. In the latter case, an identity matrix was utilized in the Gibbs sampling algorithm where it was assumed that there is no competition between the trees. Both a distance independent competition index (Lorimer,1983), and a distance dependent index (Hegyi, 1974), were used to generate the numerator relationship matrix A that was used by the Gibbs sampling algorithm in the case where competition was assumed between individual trees. Also a new distance dependent index was proposed and tested in this study as well. Results from the selected plot, with a 1500 stems per hectare (sph) density, indicated that there were no significant differences in the average growth between these selected trees. However, the marginal posterior densities of the fixed effects indicated that there was a significant difference in the average growth rates between the base level conditions and other levels determined for each of these fixed effect factors for the selected trees, since their 95% equal tails credibility intervals, did not contain zero. This therefore indicated that the specific treatment applied on the plot, had a significant effect on the individual tree growth. Results when competition was assumed present, revealed that the estimated marginal posterior densities for the error variance as well as tree variance, were severely positively skewed. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Science & Management, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Economic diversification and socio-economic development: a case of Namibia
- Authors: Fikunawa, Brigitte
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Diversification in industry , Economic development -- Namibia , Namibia -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70264 , vital:78334
- Description: Economic diversification has been at the forefront of many countries’ socio-economic development agendas, especially resource-rich developing countries. It is seen as a tool for attaining socio-economic development. After independence as a strategy to resolve socio-economic challenges, most developing economies like Namibia implemented policies and strategies enabling economic diversification. This study provides an empirical analysis of Namibia’s economic diversification and socio-economic development between 1990 and 2021. The study used a concurrent mixed research methodology involving quantitative secondary and qualitative interview-based primary data to assist in filling any gaps left by either methodology. The interviews helped expand and validate the secondary data results. The quantitative component of the study focuses on determining the level of economic diversification, the drivers of that diversification and the effect of economic diversification on socio-economic development. The study used the Tress and Ogive indices to proxy for economic diversification, while employment, poverty reduction and economic growth represent socio-economic development. Reading from these economic diversification measures, Namibia’s economy is relatively diversified but remains in the initial stage, with Tress and Ogive indices levels of 48.09/6.03. The study also found that in the long run, foreign direct investment (FDI), education and institutional quality lead to increased economic diversification while inflation discourage economic diversification. In the short run, FDI and education enhances diversification while inflation, financial sector development and earnings from natural resources lead to a decline in economic diversification. In examining the effect of economic diversification on socio-economic development, the results show that it has a positive influence on employment creation, poverty reduction and economic growth in the long and the short term. So overall the study found that economic diversification contributes positively to socio-economic development. To validate the quantitative results, six senior executives from five entities which includes ministries, government agencies and the private sector were selected purposively for interviews on their perception of economic diversification in Namibia and the data were analysed thematically. The results were inconclusive with regard to the effectiveness of the enabling policies. The participants agreed the enabling policies had contributed to employment, poverty reduction, income equality and economic growth. However, more needs to be done, like creating value chain-connected sectors that create seasonal employment, for the contribution to be sustainable. The study also found that the cost of doing business (mainly taxation and the cost of water and electricity); policies and institutional frameworks (like immigration, trade and investment laws); competitiveness of the economy in terms of its size, quality of human capital, manufacturing capacity and economic uncertainty are the leading challenges affecting the progress of Namibia’s economic diversification process. This researcher drew up several recommendations for the Namibian government to continue enhancing economic diversification to address the socio-economic challenges of unemployment, poverty and income inequality through investment in productive areas of the manufacturing and services sectors which can contribute to growth and employment. The government also needs to address the challenges hindering the progress of economic diversification in the country to create an environment that can foster economic diversification. The study recommends targeted intervention to enhance the attractiveness of other sectors so as to wean the economy off its high dependence on the primary sector through the provision of both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. The required human capital development should be harnessed through investment in capabilities like vocational skills that are needed for economic diversification and socio-economic development to be achieved. Good governance should be attained by fighting corruption to enhance investment confidence. It further recommends that Namibia ratifies and implement the SADC protocol on trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to increase market accessibility and address the country’s market size, which is currently uncompetitive for investment. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Fikunawa, Brigitte
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Diversification in industry , Economic development -- Namibia , Namibia -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70264 , vital:78334
- Description: Economic diversification has been at the forefront of many countries’ socio-economic development agendas, especially resource-rich developing countries. It is seen as a tool for attaining socio-economic development. After independence as a strategy to resolve socio-economic challenges, most developing economies like Namibia implemented policies and strategies enabling economic diversification. This study provides an empirical analysis of Namibia’s economic diversification and socio-economic development between 1990 and 2021. The study used a concurrent mixed research methodology involving quantitative secondary and qualitative interview-based primary data to assist in filling any gaps left by either methodology. The interviews helped expand and validate the secondary data results. The quantitative component of the study focuses on determining the level of economic diversification, the drivers of that diversification and the effect of economic diversification on socio-economic development. The study used the Tress and Ogive indices to proxy for economic diversification, while employment, poverty reduction and economic growth represent socio-economic development. Reading from these economic diversification measures, Namibia’s economy is relatively diversified but remains in the initial stage, with Tress and Ogive indices levels of 48.09/6.03. The study also found that in the long run, foreign direct investment (FDI), education and institutional quality lead to increased economic diversification while inflation discourage economic diversification. In the short run, FDI and education enhances diversification while inflation, financial sector development and earnings from natural resources lead to a decline in economic diversification. In examining the effect of economic diversification on socio-economic development, the results show that it has a positive influence on employment creation, poverty reduction and economic growth in the long and the short term. So overall the study found that economic diversification contributes positively to socio-economic development. To validate the quantitative results, six senior executives from five entities which includes ministries, government agencies and the private sector were selected purposively for interviews on their perception of economic diversification in Namibia and the data were analysed thematically. The results were inconclusive with regard to the effectiveness of the enabling policies. The participants agreed the enabling policies had contributed to employment, poverty reduction, income equality and economic growth. However, more needs to be done, like creating value chain-connected sectors that create seasonal employment, for the contribution to be sustainable. The study also found that the cost of doing business (mainly taxation and the cost of water and electricity); policies and institutional frameworks (like immigration, trade and investment laws); competitiveness of the economy in terms of its size, quality of human capital, manufacturing capacity and economic uncertainty are the leading challenges affecting the progress of Namibia’s economic diversification process. This researcher drew up several recommendations for the Namibian government to continue enhancing economic diversification to address the socio-economic challenges of unemployment, poverty and income inequality through investment in productive areas of the manufacturing and services sectors which can contribute to growth and employment. The government also needs to address the challenges hindering the progress of economic diversification in the country to create an environment that can foster economic diversification. The study recommends targeted intervention to enhance the attractiveness of other sectors so as to wean the economy off its high dependence on the primary sector through the provision of both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. The required human capital development should be harnessed through investment in capabilities like vocational skills that are needed for economic diversification and socio-economic development to be achieved. Good governance should be attained by fighting corruption to enhance investment confidence. It further recommends that Namibia ratifies and implement the SADC protocol on trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to increase market accessibility and address the country’s market size, which is currently uncompetitive for investment. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Effects of supply chain disruptions on alcohol consumption behaviour in a South African township
- Authors: Sipamla, Noluthando
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Business logistics , Inventory control , Alcoholism
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69913 , vital:78172
- Description: This study investigated the effect of supply chain disruptions on alcohol consumer consumption behaviour in the Eastern Cape Province, but with the specific reference to Mdantsane Township in the Buffalo City Municipality. A quantitative methodology was employed, and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The results of the study revealed that: disruptions increase the risk of the company; disruptions have a significant negative impact on profitability; disruptions have a crippling effect on performance because firms take longer to recover from disruptions; and disruptions have a negative impact on stock price, profitability, and share price volatility across the board. The study recommends diversification of alcohol supply chains to mitigate the impact of disruptions, establish robust monitoring and surveillance systems to track changes in alcohol consumption patterns following supply chain disruptions and consider implementing price regulation and taxation policies to moderate alcohol consumption, particularly during periods of supply chain disruptions. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Sipamla, Noluthando
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Business logistics , Inventory control , Alcoholism
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69913 , vital:78172
- Description: This study investigated the effect of supply chain disruptions on alcohol consumer consumption behaviour in the Eastern Cape Province, but with the specific reference to Mdantsane Township in the Buffalo City Municipality. A quantitative methodology was employed, and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The results of the study revealed that: disruptions increase the risk of the company; disruptions have a significant negative impact on profitability; disruptions have a crippling effect on performance because firms take longer to recover from disruptions; and disruptions have a negative impact on stock price, profitability, and share price volatility across the board. The study recommends diversification of alcohol supply chains to mitigate the impact of disruptions, establish robust monitoring and surveillance systems to track changes in alcohol consumption patterns following supply chain disruptions and consider implementing price regulation and taxation policies to moderate alcohol consumption, particularly during periods of supply chain disruptions. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Examining the effect of government expenditure on economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Mafuya, Afika
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Government spending policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , South Africa -- Appropriations and expenditures
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70177 , vital:78308
- Description: This treatise assesses the effect of government expenditure on economic growth in South Africa. The results of most extant empirical studies indicate that government expenditure has a negative effect on economic growth. Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests were conducted to determine stationarity and order of integration. The ADF results indicated that government expenditure (GXE), government infrastructure expenditure (GEIE), government social infrastructure (GSIE), and GDP are stationary after first difference. The Johansen co-integration tests (maximum Eigenvalue and trace tests) indicated one co-integrating relationship between social infrastructure, economic infrastructure, government expenditure, and economic growth. VECM was estimated because of the presence of co-integration between variables for the period 1970-2021. The long run results indicate that government expenditure and economic growth have an effect, but the effect is very low as the speed of adjustment, 0.013% is also slow. on the other hand social infrastructure expenditure has a negative effect on economic growth. This study conducted diagnostic checks- the lagrange multiplier correlation test, normality tests and hetero-scedasticity tests to test the properties of the model and expenditure to components that contribute most the country's productivity and economic growth, which in this case is economic infrastructure. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2024
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Mafuya, Afika
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Government spending policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , South Africa -- Appropriations and expenditures
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70177 , vital:78308
- Description: This treatise assesses the effect of government expenditure on economic growth in South Africa. The results of most extant empirical studies indicate that government expenditure has a negative effect on economic growth. Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests were conducted to determine stationarity and order of integration. The ADF results indicated that government expenditure (GXE), government infrastructure expenditure (GEIE), government social infrastructure (GSIE), and GDP are stationary after first difference. The Johansen co-integration tests (maximum Eigenvalue and trace tests) indicated one co-integrating relationship between social infrastructure, economic infrastructure, government expenditure, and economic growth. VECM was estimated because of the presence of co-integration between variables for the period 1970-2021. The long run results indicate that government expenditure and economic growth have an effect, but the effect is very low as the speed of adjustment, 0.013% is also slow. on the other hand social infrastructure expenditure has a negative effect on economic growth. This study conducted diagnostic checks- the lagrange multiplier correlation test, normality tests and hetero-scedasticity tests to test the properties of the model and expenditure to components that contribute most the country's productivity and economic growth, which in this case is economic infrastructure. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Economics, Development and Tourism, 2024
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the O.R. Tambo District Municipality
- Authors: Wabane, Malibongwe
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Midwifery -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Labor (Obstetrics) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Hospital care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69782 , vital:78034
- Description: Midwifery is a health science profession that deals with women in their confinement period, including the caring of new-borns. Historically, the midwifery profession has evolved from being a female-dominated profession to an occupation followed by both males and females. However, accoucheurs working in public maternity units face various challenges, such as a lack of support and discrimination from their female counterparts and women during confinement. These challenges are based mainly on tradition, religion, and the history of midwifery, a female-dominant profession. The potential effects of these challenges can be seen when women during confinement refuse maternal care from accoucheurs. As a result of this prejudice, accoucheurs may be unable to practice their midwifery skills and may choose other disciplines involving less intimate care. Such acts of refusal of care by women during confinement and these various challenges faced by accoucheurs in public maternity units are common in rural areas. The O.R. Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) comprises predominantly of rural areas where culture and tradition play an essential role in the community’s life. This study employed a qualitative research design with an explorative, descriptive, and contextual approach to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM to make recommendations to nursing managers regarding the provision of optimal support to accoucheurs working in the rural Eastern Cape. The target population of the study was all accoucheurs working in public maternity units in the ORTDM. Snowball sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria and were voluntarily willing to participate in the study. The data collection method used was one-on-one semistructured interviews, which were also captured using a digital voice recorder. Field notes were used during data collection to enhance the researcher’s understanding of accoucheurs’ nonverbal experiences. The sample size, which was 12 accoucheurs, was determined by data saturation. Data was transcribed verbatim, and Braun and Clark’s (2006) steps of reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) were used as a framework for data analysis. Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness was used to maintain the quality of the study by employing credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The ethical principles that guided this study with human participants were the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice as outlined in the Belmont Report and its application (2015:14) Three main themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: • Theme 1: Accoucheurs experienced specific factors that enabled them to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 2: Accoucheurs identified barriers that disabled them in caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 3: Recommendations for nurse managers by accoucheurs to optimize their ability to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. Direct quotations from the raw data and relevant literature supported the research study results and were discussed in-depth in Chapter Four. Various recommendations were discussed in Chapter Five of this study that present options for nurse managers to optimize the support for accoucheurs who were caring for women during confinement in public maternity units.Midwifery is a health science profession that deals with women in their confinement period, including the caring of new-borns. Historically, the midwifery profession has evolved from being a female-dominated profession to an occupation followed by both males and females. However, accoucheurs working in public maternity units face various challenges, such as a lack of support and discrimination from their female counterparts and women during confinement. These challenges are based mainly on tradition, religion, and the history of midwifery, a female-dominant profession. The potential effects of these challenges can be seen when women during confinement refuse maternal care from accoucheurs. As a result of this prejudice, accoucheurs may be unable to practice their midwifery skills and may choose other disciplines involving less intimate care. Such acts of refusal of care by women during confinement and these various challenges faced by accoucheurs in public maternity units are common in rural areas. The O.R. Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) comprises predominantly of rural areas where culture and tradition play an essential role in the community’s life. This study employed a qualitative research design with an explorative, descriptive, and contextual approach to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM to make recommendations to nursing managers regarding the provision of optimal support to accoucheurs working in the rural Eastern Cape. The target population of the study was all accoucheurs working in public maternity units in the ORTDM. Snowball sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria and were voluntarily willing to participate in the study. The data collection method used was one-on-one semistructured interviews, which were also captured using a digital voice recorder. Field notes were used during data collection to enhance the researcher’s understanding of accoucheurs’ nonverbal experiences. The sample size, which was 12 accoucheurs, was determined by data saturation. Data was transcribed verbatim, and Braun and Clark’s (2006) steps of reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) were used as a framework for data analysis. Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness was used to maintain the quality of the study by employing credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The ethical principles that guided this study with human participants were the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice as outlined in the Belmont Report and its application (2015:14) Three main themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: • Theme 1: Accoucheurs experienced specific factors that enabled them to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 2: Accoucheurs identified barriers that disabled them in caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 3: Recommendations for nurse managers by accoucheurs to optimize their ability to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. Direct quotations from the raw data and relevant literature supported the research study results and were discussed in-depth in Chapter Four. Various recommendations were discussed in Chapter Five of this study that present options for nurse managers to optimize the support for accoucheurs who were caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. , Thesis (MCur) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Care & Medicinal Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Wabane, Malibongwe
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Midwifery -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Labor (Obstetrics) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Hospital care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69782 , vital:78034
- Description: Midwifery is a health science profession that deals with women in their confinement period, including the caring of new-borns. Historically, the midwifery profession has evolved from being a female-dominated profession to an occupation followed by both males and females. However, accoucheurs working in public maternity units face various challenges, such as a lack of support and discrimination from their female counterparts and women during confinement. These challenges are based mainly on tradition, religion, and the history of midwifery, a female-dominant profession. The potential effects of these challenges can be seen when women during confinement refuse maternal care from accoucheurs. As a result of this prejudice, accoucheurs may be unable to practice their midwifery skills and may choose other disciplines involving less intimate care. Such acts of refusal of care by women during confinement and these various challenges faced by accoucheurs in public maternity units are common in rural areas. The O.R. Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) comprises predominantly of rural areas where culture and tradition play an essential role in the community’s life. This study employed a qualitative research design with an explorative, descriptive, and contextual approach to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM to make recommendations to nursing managers regarding the provision of optimal support to accoucheurs working in the rural Eastern Cape. The target population of the study was all accoucheurs working in public maternity units in the ORTDM. Snowball sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria and were voluntarily willing to participate in the study. The data collection method used was one-on-one semistructured interviews, which were also captured using a digital voice recorder. Field notes were used during data collection to enhance the researcher’s understanding of accoucheurs’ nonverbal experiences. The sample size, which was 12 accoucheurs, was determined by data saturation. Data was transcribed verbatim, and Braun and Clark’s (2006) steps of reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) were used as a framework for data analysis. Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness was used to maintain the quality of the study by employing credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The ethical principles that guided this study with human participants were the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice as outlined in the Belmont Report and its application (2015:14) Three main themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: • Theme 1: Accoucheurs experienced specific factors that enabled them to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 2: Accoucheurs identified barriers that disabled them in caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 3: Recommendations for nurse managers by accoucheurs to optimize their ability to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. Direct quotations from the raw data and relevant literature supported the research study results and were discussed in-depth in Chapter Four. Various recommendations were discussed in Chapter Five of this study that present options for nurse managers to optimize the support for accoucheurs who were caring for women during confinement in public maternity units.Midwifery is a health science profession that deals with women in their confinement period, including the caring of new-borns. Historically, the midwifery profession has evolved from being a female-dominated profession to an occupation followed by both males and females. However, accoucheurs working in public maternity units face various challenges, such as a lack of support and discrimination from their female counterparts and women during confinement. These challenges are based mainly on tradition, religion, and the history of midwifery, a female-dominant profession. The potential effects of these challenges can be seen when women during confinement refuse maternal care from accoucheurs. As a result of this prejudice, accoucheurs may be unable to practice their midwifery skills and may choose other disciplines involving less intimate care. Such acts of refusal of care by women during confinement and these various challenges faced by accoucheurs in public maternity units are common in rural areas. The O.R. Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) comprises predominantly of rural areas where culture and tradition play an essential role in the community’s life. This study employed a qualitative research design with an explorative, descriptive, and contextual approach to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of accoucheurs caring for women during confinement in public maternity units in the ORTDM to make recommendations to nursing managers regarding the provision of optimal support to accoucheurs working in the rural Eastern Cape. The target population of the study was all accoucheurs working in public maternity units in the ORTDM. Snowball sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria and were voluntarily willing to participate in the study. The data collection method used was one-on-one semistructured interviews, which were also captured using a digital voice recorder. Field notes were used during data collection to enhance the researcher’s understanding of accoucheurs’ nonverbal experiences. The sample size, which was 12 accoucheurs, was determined by data saturation. Data was transcribed verbatim, and Braun and Clark’s (2006) steps of reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) were used as a framework for data analysis. Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness was used to maintain the quality of the study by employing credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The ethical principles that guided this study with human participants were the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice as outlined in the Belmont Report and its application (2015:14) Three main themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: • Theme 1: Accoucheurs experienced specific factors that enabled them to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 2: Accoucheurs identified barriers that disabled them in caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. • Theme 3: Recommendations for nurse managers by accoucheurs to optimize their ability to care for women during confinement in public maternity units. Direct quotations from the raw data and relevant literature supported the research study results and were discussed in-depth in Chapter Four. Various recommendations were discussed in Chapter Five of this study that present options for nurse managers to optimize the support for accoucheurs who were caring for women during confinement in public maternity units. , Thesis (MCur) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Care & Medicinal Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploiting continuous flow technology to develop synthetic processes for active pharmaceutical ingredients: prilocaine and betrixaban
- Authors: Sagandira, Mellisa Brenda
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Pharmaceutical technology , Drug development , Pharmaceutical biotechnology
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69464 , vital:77259
- Description: The dilemma of providing affordable health care has long haunted African countries due to the continuously growing disease burden as the population increases. Africa accounts for only 3 % of global drug production and imports over 90 % of its life saving medicines at a yearly cost of US$14 billion according to the African Development Bank (AfDB). Attaining Africa’s Agenda 2063, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable development Goal 3 (SDG3) aspirations of ensuring healthy and well-nourished citizens remain difficult given this situation. This over-dependence on imports has led to drug shortages, high pricing, poor quality medicines and unguaranteed supply chains, thus there still remains an unmet need. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic worsened this situation as many countries curbed exports resulting in a crisis across the continent. Africa experienced high demand of medicines compared to prepandemic level, which threatened the health care of the continent. This situation can be addressed by establishment of local pharmaceutical manufacturing capability through adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies such as continuous flow chemistry. In this research, we therefore seek to exploit continuous flow chemistry, an enabling technology to develop safe and efficient synthetic processes for active pharmaceutical ingredients: prilocaine and betrixaban as case studies. To the best of our knowledge there is no reported work on synthetic processes towards prilocaine and betrixaban under continuous flow conditions, thus this research extensively unearthed interesting continuous flow processes towards these APIs. In a broader view, establishment of local APIs production will ease Africa’s over-dependence on imports, which will in turn address issues such as drug shortages, poor quality and high pricing. This work aims to demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be useful for the establishment of local APIs manufacturing, which will inherently revolutionize medicines availability, affordability and accessibility to the greater population. Chapter one begins with a brief overview on Africa’s disease burden and pharmaceutical supply chain. Continuous flow chemistry is introduced with its benefits and limitations discussed. Lastly a mini review of examples of APIs synthesised in continuous flow is presented. In chapter two, we demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be exploited to develop synthetic processes towards prilocaine as our first case study. This chapter clearly demonstrates how highly exothermic nitration reactions can be safely handled by using continuous flow systems. Additionally, the use of a micro structured mixer facilitated biphasic nitration of toluene to be carried out with enhanced mass transfer, which inherently led to improved selectivity of ortho-nitrotoluene (preferred isomer) to 79 % compared to 59 % achieved in batch mode. A two-step synthesis of ortho-toluidine via biphasic nitration of toluene and nitroreduction was demonstrated with the incorporation of a Zaiput liquid/liquid separator to facilitate in-line separation. Comprehensive optimisation studies were carried out in flow. Prilocaine was synthesised in 74 % overall yield in a 13.6 min residence time for all processes. In chapter three, we demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be exploited to develop synthetic processes towards betrixaban. Synthetic routes towards betrixaban feature two amide bond formation transformations. Pleasingly, we explored multistep chemistry to develop amide synthesis protocols in flow without interruption for work up and isolation. An overall yield of 92 % was achieved to get to key intermediate to betrixaban in 8 min total residence time. Chapter four demonstrates the robustness of developed amide synthesis protocols, a key transformation in synthetic routes towards prilocaine and betrixaban in continuous flow systems. A total of 22 amides were synthesised via flow multistep processes with isolated yields greater than 82 %. All the compounds were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Quantification of the reaction mixtures were carried out using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Sagandira, Mellisa Brenda
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Pharmaceutical technology , Drug development , Pharmaceutical biotechnology
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69464 , vital:77259
- Description: The dilemma of providing affordable health care has long haunted African countries due to the continuously growing disease burden as the population increases. Africa accounts for only 3 % of global drug production and imports over 90 % of its life saving medicines at a yearly cost of US$14 billion according to the African Development Bank (AfDB). Attaining Africa’s Agenda 2063, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable development Goal 3 (SDG3) aspirations of ensuring healthy and well-nourished citizens remain difficult given this situation. This over-dependence on imports has led to drug shortages, high pricing, poor quality medicines and unguaranteed supply chains, thus there still remains an unmet need. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic worsened this situation as many countries curbed exports resulting in a crisis across the continent. Africa experienced high demand of medicines compared to prepandemic level, which threatened the health care of the continent. This situation can be addressed by establishment of local pharmaceutical manufacturing capability through adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies such as continuous flow chemistry. In this research, we therefore seek to exploit continuous flow chemistry, an enabling technology to develop safe and efficient synthetic processes for active pharmaceutical ingredients: prilocaine and betrixaban as case studies. To the best of our knowledge there is no reported work on synthetic processes towards prilocaine and betrixaban under continuous flow conditions, thus this research extensively unearthed interesting continuous flow processes towards these APIs. In a broader view, establishment of local APIs production will ease Africa’s over-dependence on imports, which will in turn address issues such as drug shortages, poor quality and high pricing. This work aims to demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be useful for the establishment of local APIs manufacturing, which will inherently revolutionize medicines availability, affordability and accessibility to the greater population. Chapter one begins with a brief overview on Africa’s disease burden and pharmaceutical supply chain. Continuous flow chemistry is introduced with its benefits and limitations discussed. Lastly a mini review of examples of APIs synthesised in continuous flow is presented. In chapter two, we demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be exploited to develop synthetic processes towards prilocaine as our first case study. This chapter clearly demonstrates how highly exothermic nitration reactions can be safely handled by using continuous flow systems. Additionally, the use of a micro structured mixer facilitated biphasic nitration of toluene to be carried out with enhanced mass transfer, which inherently led to improved selectivity of ortho-nitrotoluene (preferred isomer) to 79 % compared to 59 % achieved in batch mode. A two-step synthesis of ortho-toluidine via biphasic nitration of toluene and nitroreduction was demonstrated with the incorporation of a Zaiput liquid/liquid separator to facilitate in-line separation. Comprehensive optimisation studies were carried out in flow. Prilocaine was synthesised in 74 % overall yield in a 13.6 min residence time for all processes. In chapter three, we demonstrate how continuous flow technology can be exploited to develop synthetic processes towards betrixaban. Synthetic routes towards betrixaban feature two amide bond formation transformations. Pleasingly, we explored multistep chemistry to develop amide synthesis protocols in flow without interruption for work up and isolation. An overall yield of 92 % was achieved to get to key intermediate to betrixaban in 8 min total residence time. Chapter four demonstrates the robustness of developed amide synthesis protocols, a key transformation in synthetic routes towards prilocaine and betrixaban in continuous flow systems. A total of 22 amides were synthesised via flow multistep processes with isolated yields greater than 82 %. All the compounds were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Quantification of the reaction mixtures were carried out using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring children’s understandings of gender using critical literacy in a reading club
- Jansen, Lincoln Lee, Surname, name
- Authors: Jansen, Lincoln Lee , Surname, name
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Book clubs (Discussion groups) -- South Africa , Literacy -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , Literacy -- Study and teaching (Middle school)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68333 , vital:76976
- Description: School literacy practices have always favoured traditional, gender stereotypical portrayals of characters in books. These portrayals are not troublesome as it helps children build a sense of identity. However, these portrayals often fail to represent people in more diverse ways and thus does not reflect how societies have progressed. These narrow portrayals are also often limiting and do not take into consideration people’s personal interests which can lead to them being ostracised and marginalised. The People’s Republic of China is the context for this study where traditional, conservative views are upheld about ways of being and doing for males and females. This is a qualitative study within the interpretivist paradigm which recognised the individual perceptions of participants within their specific sociocultural context. By establishing a reading club as a Third Space for literacy engagement, this study sought to explore how grade 2 learners at a school in Beijing, China responded to traditional and diverse portrayals of characters in books. This study regarded the establishment of a reading club as an empowering practice as it allowed a safe space for the participants to freely share their deliberations about ways of being in the world. Coupled with critical literacy as a practice, participants took a critical stance in instances of gender bias and injustices and in doing so, allowed them to accentuate their morality. Findings of this study suggest that the Chinese participants had very flexible ideas about ways of being and doing in the world as long as these did not conflict with their understandings of the law. Participants also upheld that gender performances and gendered behaviour are open to all with impunity. The findings of this study also highlight the importance of providing diverse literature to children as this helps them to deal with, and examine, issues they might not ordinarily encounter in a safe way and in doing so, expand their worldviews and cultivate empathy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, School of Primary Schooling, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Jansen, Lincoln Lee , Surname, name
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Book clubs (Discussion groups) -- South Africa , Literacy -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , Literacy -- Study and teaching (Middle school)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/68333 , vital:76976
- Description: School literacy practices have always favoured traditional, gender stereotypical portrayals of characters in books. These portrayals are not troublesome as it helps children build a sense of identity. However, these portrayals often fail to represent people in more diverse ways and thus does not reflect how societies have progressed. These narrow portrayals are also often limiting and do not take into consideration people’s personal interests which can lead to them being ostracised and marginalised. The People’s Republic of China is the context for this study where traditional, conservative views are upheld about ways of being and doing for males and females. This is a qualitative study within the interpretivist paradigm which recognised the individual perceptions of participants within their specific sociocultural context. By establishing a reading club as a Third Space for literacy engagement, this study sought to explore how grade 2 learners at a school in Beijing, China responded to traditional and diverse portrayals of characters in books. This study regarded the establishment of a reading club as an empowering practice as it allowed a safe space for the participants to freely share their deliberations about ways of being in the world. Coupled with critical literacy as a practice, participants took a critical stance in instances of gender bias and injustices and in doing so, allowed them to accentuate their morality. Findings of this study suggest that the Chinese participants had very flexible ideas about ways of being and doing in the world as long as these did not conflict with their understandings of the law. Participants also upheld that gender performances and gendered behaviour are open to all with impunity. The findings of this study also highlight the importance of providing diverse literature to children as this helps them to deal with, and examine, issues they might not ordinarily encounter in a safe way and in doing so, expand their worldviews and cultivate empathy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, School of Primary Schooling, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring cultural context and masculine ideals: implications for male mental health help-seeking in South Africa
- Authors: Bux, Shezadia
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Masculinity -- South Africa , Men -- Mental health , Help-seeking behavior -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69849 , vital:78040
- Description: The pervasive underdiagnosis and undertreatment of mental health issues among males, exacerbated by societal expectations of masculinity, represent a significant public health concern. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how sociocultural constructs of masculinity influence mental health help-seeking behaviours among males in South Africa, a context marked by high rates of crime, violence, substance abuse, and male suicides. Adopting a qualitative research approach, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 12 participants, employing convenience and snowball sampling techniques to achieve data saturation. Thematic analysis was utilised to systematically identify and interpret patterns of meaning within the data, focusing on participants' understandings of mental health, the impact of sociocultural constructions of masculinity on their help-seeking behaviours, and the barriers they encounter. The findings illuminate the profound impact of sociocultural constructs of masculinity on male mental health help-seeking behaviours, revealing significant barriers rooted in societal stigma, traditional masculinity norms, and a lack of tailored mental health services. The study also introduces a conceptual model illustrating the influences on mental health acknowledgement and help-seeking behaviour among males in South Africa, underscored by a reflective analysis of exploring male emotional well-being. This study highlights the urgent need for culturally sensitive mental health care interventions that address the unique challenges faced by men in South African communities. By challenging societal norms and advocating for improved mental health awareness and services tailored to men, this research contributes to the broader discourse on gender, mental health, and social change, offering insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to enhance male mental health outcomes. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Bux, Shezadia
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Masculinity -- South Africa , Men -- Mental health , Help-seeking behavior -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69849 , vital:78040
- Description: The pervasive underdiagnosis and undertreatment of mental health issues among males, exacerbated by societal expectations of masculinity, represent a significant public health concern. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how sociocultural constructs of masculinity influence mental health help-seeking behaviours among males in South Africa, a context marked by high rates of crime, violence, substance abuse, and male suicides. Adopting a qualitative research approach, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 12 participants, employing convenience and snowball sampling techniques to achieve data saturation. Thematic analysis was utilised to systematically identify and interpret patterns of meaning within the data, focusing on participants' understandings of mental health, the impact of sociocultural constructions of masculinity on their help-seeking behaviours, and the barriers they encounter. The findings illuminate the profound impact of sociocultural constructs of masculinity on male mental health help-seeking behaviours, revealing significant barriers rooted in societal stigma, traditional masculinity norms, and a lack of tailored mental health services. The study also introduces a conceptual model illustrating the influences on mental health acknowledgement and help-seeking behaviour among males in South Africa, underscored by a reflective analysis of exploring male emotional well-being. This study highlights the urgent need for culturally sensitive mental health care interventions that address the unique challenges faced by men in South African communities. By challenging societal norms and advocating for improved mental health awareness and services tailored to men, this research contributes to the broader discourse on gender, mental health, and social change, offering insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to enhance male mental health outcomes. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring resilience in undergraduate nursing students at a nursing education institution in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Blatti, Jenny
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Nursing students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychology , Nursing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Nursing schools -- Faculty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69805 , vital:78036
- Description: Undergraduate nursing students worldwide experience stress and anxiety due to the demands of nursing education, which include challenges related to academic workloads and the clinical environment. This, in turn, may impede programme completion and continuation in nursing careers. Resilience is recognised as an effective attribute for nursing students in adapting to stressors and has been found to have a beneficial impact on learning experiences, academic performance, and professional practice. Despite numerous research studies conducted on resilience in the health professions, there remains little empirical work that has explored undergraduate nursing students' understanding and experience of their resilience. The purpose of this study was thus to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of their resilience at a nursing education institution in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and to compile recommendations for a resilience training programme in undergraduate nursing education. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual research design was implemented, with the study underpinned by the Resilience Ecological Stress Model. Third and fourth-year nursing students were recruited by purposive sampling, following which data was collected online by means of eleven individual semi-structured interviews conducted and recorded on the Microsoft (MS) Teams platform. Data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of reflexive thematic analysis, generating codes and themes. The following themes were identified: participants’ perceptions of their challenges while studying nursing, participants’ understanding and experience of resilience, and participants’ views on the unique requirements of the degree in nursing. Findings indicated that nursing students perceive resilience as a beneficial attribute in mitigating the stress and anxiety evoked by their diverse challenges. Recommendations for nursing education were formulated based on the theoretical framework constructs and the findings of the study. , Thesis (MCur) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Care & Medicinal Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Blatti, Jenny
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Nursing students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychology , Nursing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Nursing schools -- Faculty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69805 , vital:78036
- Description: Undergraduate nursing students worldwide experience stress and anxiety due to the demands of nursing education, which include challenges related to academic workloads and the clinical environment. This, in turn, may impede programme completion and continuation in nursing careers. Resilience is recognised as an effective attribute for nursing students in adapting to stressors and has been found to have a beneficial impact on learning experiences, academic performance, and professional practice. Despite numerous research studies conducted on resilience in the health professions, there remains little empirical work that has explored undergraduate nursing students' understanding and experience of their resilience. The purpose of this study was thus to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of their resilience at a nursing education institution in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and to compile recommendations for a resilience training programme in undergraduate nursing education. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual research design was implemented, with the study underpinned by the Resilience Ecological Stress Model. Third and fourth-year nursing students were recruited by purposive sampling, following which data was collected online by means of eleven individual semi-structured interviews conducted and recorded on the Microsoft (MS) Teams platform. Data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of reflexive thematic analysis, generating codes and themes. The following themes were identified: participants’ perceptions of their challenges while studying nursing, participants’ understanding and experience of resilience, and participants’ views on the unique requirements of the degree in nursing. Findings indicated that nursing students perceive resilience as a beneficial attribute in mitigating the stress and anxiety evoked by their diverse challenges. Recommendations for nursing education were formulated based on the theoretical framework constructs and the findings of the study. , Thesis (MCur) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Care & Medicinal Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring the factors that influence productivity at the Ford Motor company engine plant in Gqeberha
- Authors: Reed, Ferdi
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Ford Motor Company of South Africa , Industrial productivity , Automobile industry and trade -- Capital productivity -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69936 , vital:78244
- Description: This study examines productivity at the Ford Motor Company Engine Plant in Gqeberha, focusing on workplace challenges, employee morale, training programs, job flexibility, and leadership styles. The primary objective is to identify factors influencing productivity within this context, and the study aims to provide insights into improving employee engagement and operational efficiency. Conceptually, the research is underpinned by three main theories: the Theory of Constraints, Herzberg’s Two-Factor and Transformational Leadership. Together, these theories provided a comprehensive lens for analysing and addressing productivity dynamics at the Ford Motor Company Engine Plant in Gqeberha. The study utilised a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews as the data collection instrument. The qualitative data were analysed to find recurring themes about the perceptions of productivity at the plant. These results helped to provide a more nuanced understanding of how workers perceive the factors that determine productivity. The research findings highlighted several key factors impacting productivity. Effective leadership, especially transformational leadership, was shown to significantly enhance productivity by fostering a motivated and engaged workforce. Employee morale emerged as another crucial factor, with motivated and satisfied employees demonstrating higher productivity levels. A supportive work environment, along with opportunities for recognition and growth, was essential in maintaining high morale. Interviews with employees highlighted the critical role of effective leadership, particularly transformational leadership, in fostering a motivated and efficient workforce. Leaders who actively engage with their teams and provide clear guidance were found to enhance productivity significantly. Employee morale emerged as another crucial factor, with motivated and satisfied employees demonstrating higher productivity levels. The research underscored the importance of a supportive work environment, recognition, and growth opportunities in boosting employee morale. Training and development programs were also pivotal, with comprehensive training enhancing employee confidence and competence, leading to improved performance.Job flexibility, including flexible working hours and remote work options, was linked to better work-life balance, reduced burnout, and increased job satisfaction. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring the factors that influence productivity at the Ford Motor company engine plant in Gqeberha
- Authors: Reed, Ferdi
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Ford Motor Company of South Africa , Industrial productivity , Automobile industry and trade -- Capital productivity -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69936 , vital:78244
- Description: This study examines productivity at the Ford Motor Company Engine Plant in Gqeberha, focusing on workplace challenges, employee morale, training programs, job flexibility, and leadership styles. The primary objective is to identify factors influencing productivity within this context, and the study aims to provide insights into improving employee engagement and operational efficiency. Conceptually, the research is underpinned by three main theories: the Theory of Constraints, Herzberg’s Two-Factor and Transformational Leadership. Together, these theories provided a comprehensive lens for analysing and addressing productivity dynamics at the Ford Motor Company Engine Plant in Gqeberha. The study utilised a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews as the data collection instrument. The qualitative data were analysed to find recurring themes about the perceptions of productivity at the plant. These results helped to provide a more nuanced understanding of how workers perceive the factors that determine productivity. The research findings highlighted several key factors impacting productivity. Effective leadership, especially transformational leadership, was shown to significantly enhance productivity by fostering a motivated and engaged workforce. Employee morale emerged as another crucial factor, with motivated and satisfied employees demonstrating higher productivity levels. A supportive work environment, along with opportunities for recognition and growth, was essential in maintaining high morale. Interviews with employees highlighted the critical role of effective leadership, particularly transformational leadership, in fostering a motivated and efficient workforce. Leaders who actively engage with their teams and provide clear guidance were found to enhance productivity significantly. Employee morale emerged as another crucial factor, with motivated and satisfied employees demonstrating higher productivity levels. The research underscored the importance of a supportive work environment, recognition, and growth opportunities in boosting employee morale. Training and development programs were also pivotal, with comprehensive training enhancing employee confidence and competence, leading to improved performance.Job flexibility, including flexible working hours and remote work options, was linked to better work-life balance, reduced burnout, and increased job satisfaction. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Exploring the nature of the parent-child relationship and well- being of adolescents in families with a current history of maternal mental illness in a semi-urban area in East London, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Phakane, Siphokazi
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Parent and child , Adolescent psychology , Mental illness
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69838 , vital:78039
- Description: Parent mental illness can detrimentally impact family functioning, thereby leading to increased conflicts, reduced adaptability, limited cohesion, and disorganised everyday planning (Smith, 2018). However, the specific effects of maternal mental illness on the relationship between mothers and adolescents, as well as on adolescent social and psychological development, remain unclear (Jones & Brown, 2020). This study aimed to explore and describe the nature of the parent-child relationship and the well-being of adolescents in families with a current history of maternal mental illness. Drawing from Bowlby's Ethological Theory of Attachment (1969) and from Ainsworth’s Attachment Theory (1970), qualitative research methods were employed to delve into these dynamics. The participants encompassed mothers aged between 30 to 60 with a current history of mental illness and adolescents aged between 15 to 18 residing with a mother with a current history of mental illness, and who is in remission. The study was conducted in a semi-urban area in East London, which is characterised by high unemployment rates, low education levels, and social stressors impacting mental health and family dynamics (Clark et al., 2019). Data collection involved face-to-face interviews, as well as utilising non-probability purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework was utilised for data interpretation, thus ensuring the adherence to the research ethics and to the trustworthiness standards as outlined by Lincoln and Guba (1985). The findings revealed both challenges and strengths in these families. The adolescents expressed concerns about the lack of parental support, coerced autonomy, and communication barriers. However, they also reported positive experiences of companionship and nurturing from their mothers. Emotional regulation difficulties and socio-economic challenges were prevalent, thus highlighting the need for tailored targeted support interventions to address the complex issues that are faced by the adolescents in the families which are affected by maternal mental illness. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the nuanced , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Phakane, Siphokazi
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Parent and child , Adolescent psychology , Mental illness
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69838 , vital:78039
- Description: Parent mental illness can detrimentally impact family functioning, thereby leading to increased conflicts, reduced adaptability, limited cohesion, and disorganised everyday planning (Smith, 2018). However, the specific effects of maternal mental illness on the relationship between mothers and adolescents, as well as on adolescent social and psychological development, remain unclear (Jones & Brown, 2020). This study aimed to explore and describe the nature of the parent-child relationship and the well-being of adolescents in families with a current history of maternal mental illness. Drawing from Bowlby's Ethological Theory of Attachment (1969) and from Ainsworth’s Attachment Theory (1970), qualitative research methods were employed to delve into these dynamics. The participants encompassed mothers aged between 30 to 60 with a current history of mental illness and adolescents aged between 15 to 18 residing with a mother with a current history of mental illness, and who is in remission. The study was conducted in a semi-urban area in East London, which is characterised by high unemployment rates, low education levels, and social stressors impacting mental health and family dynamics (Clark et al., 2019). Data collection involved face-to-face interviews, as well as utilising non-probability purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework was utilised for data interpretation, thus ensuring the adherence to the research ethics and to the trustworthiness standards as outlined by Lincoln and Guba (1985). The findings revealed both challenges and strengths in these families. The adolescents expressed concerns about the lack of parental support, coerced autonomy, and communication barriers. However, they also reported positive experiences of companionship and nurturing from their mothers. Emotional regulation difficulties and socio-economic challenges were prevalent, thus highlighting the need for tailored targeted support interventions to address the complex issues that are faced by the adolescents in the families which are affected by maternal mental illness. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the nuanced , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Extending psychological praxis within South Africa: exploring healers’ perceptions of treatment plurality
- Authors: Yew-Siong, Lauren
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa , Psychology -- Africa , Clinical health psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69771 , vital:78032
- Description: The prevailing psychological praxis in South Africa predominantly follows western paradigms for defining, classifying, and diagnosing health and illness; falling short in encompassing the diverse mental healthcare reality. Scarce resources, inadequate infrastructure, and the interplay of religio-cultural beliefs intersect, shaping how psychological disturbances are perceived and how treatment is sought- especially for patients who do not ascribe to one treatment modality, or one paradigm. Therefore, this study explored ideas and notions surrounding treatment plurality held by healers (that being psychologists, psychiatrists, and traditional healers), within the South African context. The research utilised a qualitative exploratory-descriptive research methodology with a phenomenological research design. The researcher then employed purposive and snowball sampling to recruit participants. Thereafter, the researcher conducted online semi-structured interviews, and applied Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis to analyse the data. The following themes were then unpacked: 1) Healers’ perceptions of treatment plurality; 2) The need for collaboration between various disciplines; 3) Education as a key factor in pluralism; 4) Healer ethics and malpractice; 5) The lack of governmental funding and resources. The results suggest the need for a pluralistic mental healthcare approach in South Africa, bridging western and traditional practices. Yet, challenges stemming from inadequate governmental funding, resources, policies, and ethical guidelines hinder its development and implementation. Therefore, it would take more than one set of guidelines to implement pluralistic treatment within South African mental healthcare. For this purpose, the researcher decided to create a blueprint for various developments that is needed to make a pluralistic approach a reality in South Africa. These findings encouraged the researcher to develop: 1) Guidelines for the Provision of Collaborative Care in Mental Healthcare Services; 2) Guidelines for South African governmental policy that foster pluralism and collaborative care in the mental healthcare system; 3) A pluralistic medical aid scheme; 4) A module blueprint that could potentially be included in a professional master’s programme, as well as the inclusion of a theory the researcher has developed, named the Pluralism-oriented Mental Healthcare Theory. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Yew-Siong, Lauren
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Traditional medicine -- South Africa , Psychology -- Africa , Clinical health psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69771 , vital:78032
- Description: The prevailing psychological praxis in South Africa predominantly follows western paradigms for defining, classifying, and diagnosing health and illness; falling short in encompassing the diverse mental healthcare reality. Scarce resources, inadequate infrastructure, and the interplay of religio-cultural beliefs intersect, shaping how psychological disturbances are perceived and how treatment is sought- especially for patients who do not ascribe to one treatment modality, or one paradigm. Therefore, this study explored ideas and notions surrounding treatment plurality held by healers (that being psychologists, psychiatrists, and traditional healers), within the South African context. The research utilised a qualitative exploratory-descriptive research methodology with a phenomenological research design. The researcher then employed purposive and snowball sampling to recruit participants. Thereafter, the researcher conducted online semi-structured interviews, and applied Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis to analyse the data. The following themes were then unpacked: 1) Healers’ perceptions of treatment plurality; 2) The need for collaboration between various disciplines; 3) Education as a key factor in pluralism; 4) Healer ethics and malpractice; 5) The lack of governmental funding and resources. The results suggest the need for a pluralistic mental healthcare approach in South Africa, bridging western and traditional practices. Yet, challenges stemming from inadequate governmental funding, resources, policies, and ethical guidelines hinder its development and implementation. Therefore, it would take more than one set of guidelines to implement pluralistic treatment within South African mental healthcare. For this purpose, the researcher decided to create a blueprint for various developments that is needed to make a pluralistic approach a reality in South Africa. These findings encouraged the researcher to develop: 1) Guidelines for the Provision of Collaborative Care in Mental Healthcare Services; 2) Guidelines for South African governmental policy that foster pluralism and collaborative care in the mental healthcare system; 3) A pluralistic medical aid scheme; 4) A module blueprint that could potentially be included in a professional master’s programme, as well as the inclusion of a theory the researcher has developed, named the Pluralism-oriented Mental Healthcare Theory. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural & Lifestyle Sciences, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Moyo, Arnold
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Consumer behavior -- Zimbabwe , Consumer satisfaction -- Zimbabwe , Consumers' preferences -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70067 , vital:78289
- Description: The consumption of traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe is low and declining. This trend persists despite their nutritional, economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits. Increasing the consumer demand for traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe requires empirically based marketing interventions, which, in turn, rely on a holistic understanding of the factors affecting traditional small grain food consumption in the country. However, consumer-focused research that aims to stimulate consumer purchase intentions is both sparse and fragmented. This study addresses this sparsity and fragmentation of research by exploring multiple factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. The overarching purpose of the study was to enhance the understanding of context-specific factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. Pursuant to this aim, four objectives were developed. These are: (i) to identify relevant personal, environmental and food-related factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods; (ii) to examine the extent to which identified factors affect consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe; (iii) to propose an integrated model to guide marketing practitioners and retailers on how to design marketing interventions that stimulate consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods; and (iv) to recommend marketing strategies that retailers and traditional food marketers could implement to promote consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. Informed by the stated objectives, the study embraced a positivist paradigm and descriptive design. The hypothesised framework of the study was premised on integrating the Food Preference and Consumption Model, the Consumer Behaviour Model with respect to food and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Primary data were collected through a survey of 386 respondents selected from Zimbabwe's 10 provinces using quota sampling at the provincial level based on each province's contribution to the national population of 15,178,957. Convenience sampling was used within each province. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS v.26 for covariance-based structural equation modelling and SmartPLS 4 for partial least squares-based structural equation modelling, which was a double-quantitative complementary triangulation approach and was a novel methodology in consumer behaviour studies relating to traditional foods. Ten context-relevant factors affecting consumer purchase intentions were identified, seven of which had a significant influence on purchase intentions. Analysed data led to the development, testing and validation of two novel, explanatory, predictive and context-specific models for consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe (the lower-order component and higher-order component Traditional Small Grain Food Preference models). The study contributes a new measurement instrument and model to consumer behaviour literature, particularly in Africa where related research is sparce. The study makes an additional theoretical contribution by utilising a double quantitative complementary triangulation method of data analysis. Results of the study enables marketers to optimise their resource allocation by prioritising the most influential determinants of consumer purchase intentions. Results on significant demographic differences in purchase intentions demonstrated the need for a more targeted, segmentation-driven approach to marketing strategy formulation by tailoring the marketing mix, communication message and channels and positioning strategies, to the unique needs and preferences of distinct consumer segments. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Moyo, Arnold
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: Consumer behavior -- Zimbabwe , Consumer satisfaction -- Zimbabwe , Consumers' preferences -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/70067 , vital:78289
- Description: The consumption of traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe is low and declining. This trend persists despite their nutritional, economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits. Increasing the consumer demand for traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe requires empirically based marketing interventions, which, in turn, rely on a holistic understanding of the factors affecting traditional small grain food consumption in the country. However, consumer-focused research that aims to stimulate consumer purchase intentions is both sparse and fragmented. This study addresses this sparsity and fragmentation of research by exploring multiple factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. The overarching purpose of the study was to enhance the understanding of context-specific factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. Pursuant to this aim, four objectives were developed. These are: (i) to identify relevant personal, environmental and food-related factors affecting consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods; (ii) to examine the extent to which identified factors affect consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe; (iii) to propose an integrated model to guide marketing practitioners and retailers on how to design marketing interventions that stimulate consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods; and (iv) to recommend marketing strategies that retailers and traditional food marketers could implement to promote consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe. Informed by the stated objectives, the study embraced a positivist paradigm and descriptive design. The hypothesised framework of the study was premised on integrating the Food Preference and Consumption Model, the Consumer Behaviour Model with respect to food and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Primary data were collected through a survey of 386 respondents selected from Zimbabwe's 10 provinces using quota sampling at the provincial level based on each province's contribution to the national population of 15,178,957. Convenience sampling was used within each province. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS v.26 for covariance-based structural equation modelling and SmartPLS 4 for partial least squares-based structural equation modelling, which was a double-quantitative complementary triangulation approach and was a novel methodology in consumer behaviour studies relating to traditional foods. Ten context-relevant factors affecting consumer purchase intentions were identified, seven of which had a significant influence on purchase intentions. Analysed data led to the development, testing and validation of two novel, explanatory, predictive and context-specific models for consumer purchase intentions towards traditional small grain foods in Zimbabwe (the lower-order component and higher-order component Traditional Small Grain Food Preference models). The study contributes a new measurement instrument and model to consumer behaviour literature, particularly in Africa where related research is sparce. The study makes an additional theoretical contribution by utilising a double quantitative complementary triangulation method of data analysis. Results of the study enables marketers to optimise their resource allocation by prioritising the most influential determinants of consumer purchase intentions. Results on significant demographic differences in purchase intentions demonstrated the need for a more targeted, segmentation-driven approach to marketing strategy formulation by tailoring the marketing mix, communication message and channels and positioning strategies, to the unique needs and preferences of distinct consumer segments. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
Factors affecting the selection of customs brokerage service providers in the automotive manufacturing industry of South Africa
- Authors: Taai, Eric
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: International trade , Foreign trade regulation -- South Africa , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69902 , vital:78171
- Description: Any firm participating in the import and export of goods needs to be aware of the customs and tax implications of these activities. Few firms have internal staff who are qualified in this area; thus, they tend to outsource this function to external Customs Brokerage Service providers who can submit customs declarations on behalf of traders to Customs for their imported or exported goods. The main aim of this study was to identify how firms choose their preferred Customs Brokerage Service since these external service providers play a critical role in the efficient and effective functioning of firms relying on imports and exports as part of their logistics value chain. The study sought to identify which key factors influenced the selection of a customs broker. The main research question was: What are the factors that should be considered when selecting a customs brokerage service provider in the South African automotive manufacturing industry? Forty-one respondents participated in this study. This research study undertook positivistic research using quantitative methods of analysis based on the statistical examination of quantitative research data. The quantitative processes of this research study are comprehensively explored in Chapter 3. The main results of this study statistically identified the following independent factors influencing Customs Broker selection: Cost of Service, Relationship Orientation, Technological System, Key Performance Indicators, and Size, as each factor exhibits a significantly positive effect on Customs Broker selection. This study has surveyed, identified, and established these factors that the South African automotive manufacturers should consider when selecting a customs broker service provider. The number of customs experts, consultants, and specialists was firmly confirmed as an important aspect to consider under the factor Size of a Customs Broker. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12
- Authors: Taai, Eric
- Date: 2024-12
- Subjects: International trade , Foreign trade regulation -- South Africa , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/69902 , vital:78171
- Description: Any firm participating in the import and export of goods needs to be aware of the customs and tax implications of these activities. Few firms have internal staff who are qualified in this area; thus, they tend to outsource this function to external Customs Brokerage Service providers who can submit customs declarations on behalf of traders to Customs for their imported or exported goods. The main aim of this study was to identify how firms choose their preferred Customs Brokerage Service since these external service providers play a critical role in the efficient and effective functioning of firms relying on imports and exports as part of their logistics value chain. The study sought to identify which key factors influenced the selection of a customs broker. The main research question was: What are the factors that should be considered when selecting a customs brokerage service provider in the South African automotive manufacturing industry? Forty-one respondents participated in this study. This research study undertook positivistic research using quantitative methods of analysis based on the statistical examination of quantitative research data. The quantitative processes of this research study are comprehensively explored in Chapter 3. The main results of this study statistically identified the following independent factors influencing Customs Broker selection: Cost of Service, Relationship Orientation, Technological System, Key Performance Indicators, and Size, as each factor exhibits a significantly positive effect on Customs Broker selection. This study has surveyed, identified, and established these factors that the South African automotive manufacturers should consider when selecting a customs broker service provider. The number of customs experts, consultants, and specialists was firmly confirmed as an important aspect to consider under the factor Size of a Customs Broker. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-12