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A framework for eco-efficiency and financial performance in food and beverage companies listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. Com. (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2024The manufacturing sector is generally seen as the greatest polluter, and as a result, there
is a growing concern about environmental problems caused by their manufacturing
processes. In spite of the global call for industries to engage in eco-efficient practices due
to the sector being rated the greatest contributor to environmental pollution,
manufacturing companies continue to emit carbon, consume water, energy, and available
natural resources excessively, causing a serious peril to the globe. Given that
manufacturing industries can benefit financially from eco-efficiency practices, this study
therefore examined the relationship between eco-efficiency and financial performance of
selected JSE listed food and beverage manufacturing companies. The study employed
the multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) to analyse secondary data from annual
integrated reports and the ordinary least square (OLS) method to analyse quantitative
primary data from CFOs and EOs of the 14 food and beverage manufacturing companies
listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa for 10 years (2012-
2021). MLRA results showed a positive yet insignificant relationship between energy
conservation and financial performance variables and a positive yet insignificant
relationship between water conservation and financial performance variables. In addition,
OLS results showed a positive yet insignificant relationship between waste reduction and
financial performance variables. The study recommends future research on a broader
industrial study. The study further recommends future research on the effect of ecoefficiency variables on other corporate financial and non-financial success indicators. In
addition, future researchers can extend the panel years to a period more than 10 years
to check if the investments in eco-efficiency might significantly affect financial
performance. Lastly, the researcher recommends that the survey be extended to the
executive members and the company managers and that other analysis methods be used
as an extension to the analysis used in this study.New Generation of Academics
Programme (nGAP
Artificial intelligence to support public hospitals' records management in Tshwane Municipality Gauteng Province, South Africa
Get PDFIn recent years, there has been an outcry by the South African citizens over government’s poor service delivery which includes service delivery in hospitals. One of the main causes of poor service delivery in hospitals has been indicated by different sources as being poor records management which usually leads to long waiting period in queues by patients before they can get medical attention. This study investigated the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support public hospitals’ records management in Tshwane Municipality Gauteng Province, South Africa. The study was guided by the following objectives: To establish how records are managed in Tshwane public hospitals; to determine records management functions that could be executed using AI; to determine the perceptions of records officials and nurses in Tshwane public; to identify the skills necessary for adopting AI technology in Tshwane public hospital and lastly to propose adoption of AI technology to support records management in public hospitals of Tshwane Municipality. The Technology Acceptance Model and Records Continuum Model theoretically underpinned this study. A quantitative research approach which is guided by the positivism research paradigm was adopted in this study. Simple random sampling was used to sample a population of 297 consisting of records officials and nurses only, from Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Kalafong Tertiary Hospital which resulted in a sample size of 168 respondents after being calculated using the Raosoft sample size calculator. The collected data was analysed using a computer-assisted statistical software of IBM-SPSS called Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 for Windows. The study found that the current state of records in both hospitals was not satisfactory, leading to unacceptable long waiting periods by patients. The findings of the study revealed that AI could have a positive impact in improving these records management challenges. Further findings in the study indicated that AI for records management can improve the hospitals’ service delivery. Recommendations made in the current study was that the hospitals must consider the current workflow and challenges faced by patients seeking medical attention due to long waiting period caused by poor management of records and implement a system that will mitigate the current problem faced by public hospitals in Tshwane Municipality with regards to the management of records. Further recommendations were that different institutions who manage large volume of records, consider the implementation of AI technology to overcome records management challenges and poor service delivery. The implementation of AI for managing records in hospitals could assist the Department of Health in improving their hospitals’ service delivery, including long waiting period by patients and the management of records in public hospitals
The effect of economic growth, inflation rate and interest rate on national savings in South Africa
Get PDFThesis (M. Com. (Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2024Comprehending how macroeconomic variables affect national savings in South Africa is
the primary aim of this study. The real rate of GDP growth, the rate of inflation, and the
real interest rate are the macroeconomic variables employed in the study for the years
1980 through 2022. The variables taken into consideration in this study proved to be I(0)
and I(1), according to the unit root test. To establish whether variables were cointegrated,
the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound test was used. Using the ARDL
technique, the relationship between the long-term and short-term equilibrium was
estimated. The standard Granger causality test was used to determine causality, and then
the impulse response function (IRF) and variance decomposition were employed to
forecast the macroeconomic variables. Cointegration test results demonstrated that the
GDP growth rate, interest rate, inflation rate, and gross domestic savings had a stable
long-term equilibrium relationship. The ARDL long-term results demonstrated that the
gross domestic savings were significantly impacted negatively by the inflation. The real
interest rate and GDP growth were not found to have a significant impact on gross
domestic savings. In the short-term gross domestic savings were found to be significantly
positively impacted by GDP growth, inflation rate, and the real interest rate. Further, the
error correction term displayed that the model's speed of convergence to equilibrium was
21.19%. The diagnostic tests did not reject the null hypothesis and no causal relationship
was found between gross domestic savings and explanatory variables. Lastly, the results
from employing the impulse response function and variance decomposition to the
variables showed that the inflation rate has the strongest influence on gross domestic
savings over the long and short terms, followed by the real interest rate and GDP growth
rate
Investigation of non-genetic factors affecting haematological traits in dorper sheep
Get PDFThesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2024Haematological parameters may be affected by several internal and external factors making their interpretation more challenging. Non-genetic factors are known to have an influence on haematological parameters of sheep, therefore it is important to investigate the influence of non-genetic factors on haematological parameters, which could be useful in determining health, physiological changes, metabolic status, as well as disease diagnosis and prognosis. This study was aimed at establishing the effect of non-genetic factors such as sex, age, physiological status, and body condition score on haematological parameters of Dorper sheep at the University of Limpopo Experimental farm, South Africa. A total of thirty (n = 30) sheep (19 females and 11 males) were used as experimental animals. The blood samples were collected from each sheep via jugular venipuncture using 5 ml syringes and 21-gauge needles. The samples were analysed at Ampath Laboratories in Pretoria, South Africa, using Sysmex analyser (XE-2100). The haematological parameters including red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), haemoglobin count (Hb), Normoblast count (NB), Platelet count (Plt), Haematocrit (Hct), Eosinophil count (Eos), monocyte count(Mn), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), neutrophil count (NEU), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute monocyte count (AMC), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), Lymphocyte count (LYM), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), basophils (BASO) and absolute eosinophil count (AEC) were analysed. Non-genetic factors collected were body condition score (1 to 5 scale), physiological status (pregnant and non-pregnant), age (1 to 6 years) and sex (male and female). Pearson’s correlation was used to determine the relationship between haematological parameters. General Linear Model procedure (GLM) was used to determine the effect of sex, age, body condition score and physiological parameters on haematological parameters. Correlation results indicated that RBC was positively high correlated (p 0.05) with MCHC, RWD, NEU, ANC, AMC, BASO, ABC, and Plt. The results showed that sex had an influence (p 0.05) on all the studied haematological parameters. The results suggest that sex and physiological status influenced haematological parameters of Dorper sheep. It was concluded that sex and physiological status should be considered when examining the health, nutritional, metabolic status to improve the productivity and management practiced of Dorper sheep.National Research Foundation (NRF
South African indigenous languages in teaching and learning : policies and the threat of cultural genocide
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal Issue 3, Volume 8, 2024 Special IssueSouth Africa is a multilingual country with 10 indigenous, English, and Sign Language as official languages. Before 1994, only English and Afrikaans were used as languages of learning and teaching (LOLTs) at all educational levels. Indigenous African languages were only used as LOLTs to Grade 3. 1994 led to new expectations regarding the use and development of indigenous languages as LOLTs. Government seemingly intends to eventually make English the only LOLT at school and higher education levels. Concerns have surfaced regarding the possible ‘murder’ of indigenous languages and the violation of people’s human rights through language policy implementation. An education law and policy lens was mostly used to examine issues. I wrote the article as a critical analysis of extant literature and used Skutnabb-Kangas and Phillipson’s (1994) concept of linguicism as the theoretical basis of my examination of data. It led to my conclusion that the emergence of English as the juggernaut language in education could probably lead to the revival of colonization, the assimilation (or ‘destruction’) of indigenous languages, and ‘cultural genocide’ called multilingualism. McIlwraith’s (2014) letter of advice to language and development leaders after a 2013 international language conference in South Africa and cited in the conclusion of the article still provides a fitting conclusion resonating with the content of the article
Translanguaging as a decolonial pedagogic strategy for South African universities
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal Issue 3, Volume 8, 2024 Special IssueThis article explores the persistent challenges posed by colonial pedagogies in South African universities, with a specific focus on the University of Cape Town (UCT). The imposition of colonial languages such as English and Afrikaans in South African universities has perpetuated a linguistic hierarchy wherein these two languages dominate, sidelining the indigenous African languages. Despite democratic changes in 1994, the continued dominance of the two colonial languages in teaching and learning reinforces a coloniality of language, knowledge, and power. In response to this, the article advocates for translanguaging as a decolonial pedagogy to disrupt existing power dynamics and promote linguistic inclusivity and justice in teaching and learning. The concept of translanguaging is introduced, and its potential as a transformative pedagogy for leveraging multilingual competence among students is explored. The article contends that translanguaging introduces a decolonial framework for learning and teaching for multilingual and multicultural students. An example from the University of Cape Town (UCT) is provided to demonstrate how translanguaging pedagogy can serve as a decolonial pedagogic strategy in the classroom. Methodologically, the study employed linguistic ethnography techniques to gather data. The data analysis illustrates the strategies employed by multilingual students to challenge and navigate the dominance of English academic language through the practice of translanguaging
Student perceptions of multilingual learning and teaching in two faculties at a South African university
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal Issue 3, Volume 8, 2024 Special IssueLanguage can create multifaceted and complex dilemmas for higher education stakeholders, as language remains a gateway to epistemological access. This is especially true in a multilingual country like South Africa, where the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) at universities is typically English. Nevertheless, many South African universities have adopted multilingual language policies. The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) implemented its current language policy in 2015. In this article, the authors share findings from a cross-faculty multilingualism research project, focusing on the perceptions and insights registered students had of the Wits Language Policy. The aim is to inform and support continuing policy implementation strategies that are appropriate and aligned to students’ learning needs and preferences. Data was collected from registered students in the Faculties of Science and Commerce, Law and Management, using a questionnaire. The findings suggest that not all students know of the institution’s Language Policy or what the official Wits LoLTs are. There also appears to be a preference for English as the language of teaching in formal, lecturer-led spaces, and more openness to multilingualism in less formal, peer-to-peer learning interactions. The authors conclude by briefly discussing the implications of these findings for learning and teaching, before addressing limitations and outlining plans for further research
Thinking in my home language and writing in a second language : towards decolonizing business writing
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal Issue 3, Volume 8, 2024 Special IssueNavigating the practice of thinking and writing in two separate languages is a reality in South African Higher Education. This reality manifests when isiZulu first language (L1) university students studying through a medium of English (L2) write business correspondence tasks in English, the dominant language in the business world. These tasks necessitate good business writing skills, including the use of speech acts and politeness strategies. However, currently, business communication disregards the diversity of cross-cultural communication. Research indicates that second language students think in their L1 when engaged in L2 writing. This paper interrogates the students’ use of negative politeness strategies in English request business letters and explores how African politeness strategies need not be regarded as negative transfer in intercultural business communication. Through random sampling, we quantitatively analysed English business letters written by first-year tertiary isiZulu L1/English L2 students (n=40). The findings reveal the use of negative politeness and impoliteness strategies in the request letters. This paper argues that the transference of politeness strategies from isiZulu to English need not be categorised as negative pragmatic transfer. However, their recognition promotes the decolonization of corporate communication in the South African context and embraces cultural and linguistic diversity in professional English interactions
The summarisation of the Introduction to Linguistics (ZULL1514) module of the University of the Free State (UFS) for better understanding : a contribution to students’ learning
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal Issue 3, Volume 8, 2024 Special IssueSiddharthan's (2014) theory of text simplification posits that a complex language can be reduced to a simpler form through the process known as summarisation. This study explores the application of summarisation theory in the Introduction to Linguistics module of ZULL1514 at the University of the Free State (UFS). Many students perceive this ZULL1514 module as more challenging than the module called Introduction to Oral Literature (ZULT1524) with many learners attributing this difficulty to the module's scientific focus on language structure as compared to the cultural and historical perspective of oral literature. This research study uses a qualitative approach with aims of analysing the role of morphology, orthography, and semantics in the content of ZULL1514. Data is extracted from the module's course pack because the module is designed for isiZulu speakers. However, it should be stated that the ZULL1514 is also also attended by students whose mother tongue is in other languages. This study seeks to address the challenges faced by students due to the module's scientific orientatio
Opportunities for Grade 11 students to learn Euclidean geometry in some South African schools
Get PDFJournal article published in African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning Journal
Issue 2, Volume 8, 2024This research paper investigated the opportunities for Grade 11 students to learn Euclidean geometry in some South African schools. The study aimed to examine the Euclidean geometry curriculum covered in these schools and the instructional time used in teaching this content. The research was conducted within a single education district in the Gauteng province and involved six secondary schools. Data collection relied on teaching and learning materials. Results revealed that the depth of content coverage varied across schools, with two schools notably lacking in comprehensive instruction. Furthermore, concerning instructional time, three schools fell short of the recommended duration for teaching the content. These findings suggest that students may not have received adequate learning opportunities on the topic. The paper discussed the implications of these findings and proposed recommendations for addressing the observed shortcomings