Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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Adoption of eco-friendly waste reduction practices in the clothing retail sector in Cape Town
No full textThe fashion and textile industry significantly contributes to environmental degradation through unsustainable manufacturing and waste disposal practices, particularly in South Africa’s retail sector. This study examines the retail merchandise cycles of two prominent clothing retailers based in Cape Town, South Africa to identify stages that generate substantial fashion and textile waste and proposes a model to enhance sustainability within the industry. Adopting a qualitative, interpretive research paradigm, data were collected through purposive sampling and in-depth interviews with key personnel, primarily buyers, within the selected companies. The research involved mapping and analyzing each retail cycle phase to identify excessive waste generation points. The findings revealed that retailers produce considerable amounts of waste (pre- and post-consumer) due to fast fashion practices and insufficient recycling systems. While both companies acknowledged the importance of sustainability, there was a notable lack of concrete policies and limited visibility into supplier processes concerning environmental impact. The study identified specific departments and operations within the retail cycles responsible for significant waste production, highlighting the need for systemic changes. Based on these insights, an improved retail cycle model was developed emphasizing waste reduction through sustainable sourcing, enhanced recycling initiatives, and stricter supplier compliance measures. The proposed model aims to minimize environmental harm by integrating sustainability into all aspects of the retail process
Customer engagement and intention to purchase attitudes of generation Z consumers toward emojis in digital marketing communications
No full textPurpose:
Emojis are quickly becoming a popular new language in social media and marketing. The capability to express emotions and make message understanding easier is one of the primary reasons for using emojis. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust, and involvement on customer engagement due to emojis used in digital marketing communications among Generation Z (Gen Z) in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach:
Following the descriptive research approach, quantitative research was used in this study. A questionnaire (self-administered) was utilized to test the effectiveness of using emojis among 1,000 young consumers. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings:
The findings of the study yielded positive relationships between the variables, namely between trust and involvement; involvement and the perceived ease of use; involvement and perceived usefulness; perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness; trust and customer engagement; perceived usefulness and customer engagement; involvement and customer engagement; customer engagement and intention to purchase; trust and intention to purchase; and perceived usefulness and intention to purchase.
Practical implications:
This study can help organizations in emerging markets use emojis in their digital marketing communications to engage customers and stimulate intention to purchase among young people, especially the Gen Z cohort, who seek organizations and brands that understand and connect with them.
Originality/value:
By investigating the effects of emojis in digital marketing communications, this study contributes to the customer-centric process and the literature on emoji usage while also involving a credible digital language when communicating with members of Gen Z. By extending TAM, the findings of this study contribute to the TAM literature by demonstrating that emoji usage in digital marketing communications positively influences various attitudinal associations among Gen Z consumers
Entrepreneurial social cognition and new venture creation: sociological perspective
No full textEntrepreneurs are under immense pressure to gain a competitive advantage in the global markets, but limited resources and opportunities are making it increasingly difficult. Despite this, there are still sociological and other factors that contribute to risk aversion among entrepreneurs. The study aims to present a global perspective on entrepreneurial social cognition and new venture creation. The study is based on a systematic literature review that identified various obstacles to entrepreneurial success. The study argues that successful entrepreneurship and business innovation are related to social cognition, risk perception, and agency. The results prove that the three mentioned variables are key in the establishment of new entrepreneurial ventures. Furthermore, literature analysis revealed that to foster a thriving knowledge-based economy, it is necessary to create a supportive social environment that encourages entrepreneurial endeavours. It emerged from the analysis of the literature that a rich social context, coupled with social cognition, significantly impacts the perception of entrepreneurial opportunities. The study emphasizes that external social factors such as political, socio-economic, and communal environments play a crucial role in shaping entrepreneurs’ perceptions of new venture creation. The quality of knowledge ingrained in the social context helps to mitigate the perceived risks associated with starting a new venture. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of agency in reducing risk perception and promoting new venture creation. By analysing relevant literature, the article provides a theoretical framework that contextualizes the creation of new ventures in modern knowledge-based economies. The study proposes effective mitigation of the negative schema abstracted from the social-ecological context through knowledge derived from social communities of practice
Spatial configuration of warehouses of different sizes in the City of Cape Town municipality
No full textBackground: Various metropolitan areas have become key centres for logistics activities, leading to a significant increase in the number of warehouses. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the locational patterns of warehouses of different sizes in Africa.
Objectives: To analyse the locational patterns of warehouses of different sizes within the City of Cape Town municipality, South Africa. The analysis focuses on the main factors influencing the placement of warehouses: transport infrastructure, land availability, proximity to customers and land-use zoning.
Method: The study categorised warehouses based on their building footprint sizes, using the classifications of xx-small, x-small, small, medium, x-large and mega. A total of 396 warehouses were categorised accordingly. Proportional symbol mapping was then conducted in ArcGIS 10.1, assigning each warehouse type a specific weighting.
Results: The study found that the areas surrounding the Port of Cape Town predominantly accommodated x-small warehouses. A diverse concentration of warehouses was identified along the railway, near the junctions of regional and national roads and within the areas enclosed by these roads. In addition, warehouses of diverse sizes were primarily situated in the main industrial zones of the municipality.
Conclusion: The City of Cape Town municipality is encouraged to promote the consolidation of particularly large warehouses in strategic locations. These include industrial areas not geographically near the Port of Cape Town but with railway access to the port.
Contribution: The study will contribute towards enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of logistics processes within the City of Cape Town
An economic performance overview of microgrids for Limpopo province rural areas
No full textA review of the economic viability of microgrids has been of high significance, considering the readiness of the global community to advance alternative energy generation resources from fossil fuels. Rural areas have been a critical point of various renewable energy studies due to electrification challenges in most rural areas worldwide. This review is driven by the fact that limited access to electricity affects rural communities' daily economic activities and social empowerment security. This limited access is due to a lack of electrification and generation capacity shortage as electricity demand increases due to population growth. We are conducting this study to explore new ways to bring affordable and dependable electricity to the rural areas of Limpopo province. This paper presents an economic review of implementing population size-dependent microgrids in the province. Four random rural areas with different population sizes have been selected. These areas have almost the same global solar horizontal irradiance and temperatures. The study areas are Ga-Masekwa, Ka-Dzingidzingi, Duthuni, and Mookgopong NU. The Herman-Beta method for peak load estimations and Homer Pro software have been employed to estimate location load profiles and simulate microgrid configurations. The study analyzed different solar power configurations, including solar PV/grid, solar PV/battery, and solar PV/grid/battery, to determine the best microgrid for each area. The results showed that the solar PV/grid configuration is the most cost-effective, with the least net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and high returns of investments. The NPC of study areas sequentially is 284211,4M, 7.3M,and13.2M, respectively, and their levelized cost of energy is 0.124/kWh,0.068/kWh, 0.065/kWh,and0.064/kWh, respectively. This study gives scope to the economic standpoints of other locations with the same population characteristics
Review of risks associated with six sigma deployment in South Africa: a laboratory perspective
No full textThe focus of this scoping review paper was to highlight the risks and opportunities associated with the implementation of the Six Sigma methodology (SSM) in the laboratory industry in South Africa (SA), and thereby theoretically establish guidelines for successful implementation. In this review, a total of 43 studies obtained from the two databases, namely Emerald and Google scholar, dated from 2008 to 2021 were used to systematically answer three research questions. The findings showed that organizational leadership commitment or involvement and support is the main key to unlock factors that negatively affect the successful implementation of the SSM
Crystal structure of 5,7-dihydroxy-2-phenyl-4Hchromen-4-one–N,N-dimethylformamide(1/1), C18H17NO5
No full textSee abstract in the attached PDF
Expanding student access to higher education: examining the strategic processes for enhancing access to higher education from TVET colleges to universities of technology
No full textIn this article, the vexed issue of expanding access to higher education in South Africa is explored by investigating the pathways between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and universities of technology (UoTs). Central to this examination is the Unfurling Post-School Education and Training (UPSET) project, which seeks to formalise these pathways and establish a more inclusive and adaptable higher education system. Drawing on Hall’s (1996) theory of articulation and the concept of relational autonomy, the article highlights the transformative potential of strategic collaborations between TVET colleges and UoTs. Using a qualitative case study conducted at a university of technology in the Western Cape province, South Africa, the article describes the complexities of developing jointly offered higher certificates (HCs) in the post-school sector. It emphasises the strategic role of the UPSET project in revitalising existing practices and cultivating deliberate processes and practices to expand access to vocational education. The article contends that UoTs are ideally positioned to facilitate jointly offered HCs based on their integration of theoretical and practical knowledge and their robust industry affiliations. Furthermore, the article highlights various epistemological approaches to developing HCs in UoTs. It argues for a more integrated higher education system that values both vocational and academic pathways and contributes to social justice and economic empowerment in South Africa
Finite element analysis of a 108‑year‑old unreinforced brick masonry tower following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes
No full textAfter a visual inspection following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, a finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted on a 108-yearold unreinforced brick masonry tower. The focus of study was on the brick masonry clock tower standing at a height of
30.48 m on the Senate Hall (SH) building of Allahabad University in India. This tower, which spans five storeys and features a rectangular cross-sectional shape, exhibits substantial cracks and material degradation across its connections and
binding points. The process involved creating geometric plans and a 3D finite-element model through visual inspection and
implementing ANSYS Workbench. The study utilised the mechanical properties of the aged materials, sourced from various studies encompassing surveys of old monumental structures, codes, and historical records. The clock tower’s behaviour
was assessed through static, modal, and site-specific simulated time history analyses. The static analysis results revealed a
maximum deflection of 3.76 mm at the top and a maximum equivalent (von-Mises) stress of 1.81 MPa at the joint of the firstfloor level. Modal frequencies for the first three modes were determined to understand the tower’s free vibration behaviour.
The time history analyses presented the acceleration, velocity, and displacement response under a peak ground acceleration
(PGA) of 1.29 m/s2
simulated for the site. The dynamic analysis highlighted stress responses in critical locations, exposing
severe cracks and damages across various points
Hardware-in-the-loop simulation and testing of volts per hertz protection scheme for a generator over-excitation system
No full textLarge generators are essential components in a power plant for ensuring the steady production and delivery of electric power for various purposes; thus, the generator protection system significantly impacts power system stability. Consequently, it has recently become necessary to consider upgrading the existing generator protective devices due to increased power demand and ageing infrastructure. This study proposes an approach for system protection during generator over-excitation condition that occurs when the magnetic core of the generator is saturated. When this occurs, stray flux is induced in non-laminated components, resulting in overheating of the generator. The key aspects considered in this study were the over-excitation circumstances that affect generators and their protection mechanisms. This research work developed a logic diagram for volts per hertz protection relay to prevent over-excitation conditions in a generator. The hardware in the loop test bed is implemented to test the volts per hertz protection schemes. The hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test-bed was implemented using real-time digital simulator (RTDS) and SEL 700G IED. Simulation results proved that a SEL700G volt per hertz protection function (24) is reliable for overexcited generators