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Government's Intervention on failure of small and medium enterprises in South Africa
No full textDissertation (MGT (Governance and Political Transformation))--University of the Free State, 2020Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a tremendous contribution to worldwide economies. In South Africa, they are considered the lifeblood of the economy as they are expected to address the high unemployment and poverty rates which the country is experiencing. However, it has come to light that SMEs do not grow in South Africa. It is thus critical to study factors which cause failure within the SME sector. This study investigates the factors that cause SME failure, which are divided into two environments, namely the micro- and the macro-environment. The study further investigates the effectiveness of the three strategies that entail the South African small business policy and effectiveness of institutions created by government to assist and support SMEs, i.e. Small Enterprise Development Agency, National Youth Development Agency and Small Enterprise Finance Agency
The application of machine learning for groundwater level prediction in the Steenkoppies compartment of the Gauteng and North West dolomite aquifer, South Africa
No full textGroundwater in the Steenkoppies compartment of the Gauteng and North West dolomite aquifer is extensively used for agriculture practices that can potentially lead to groundwater storage depletion, threatening groundwater sustainability in the compartment. Groundwater models are needed to describe the complex, interdependent relationships occurring in a groundwater system. Groundwater levels represent the response of an aquifer to changes in storage, recharge, discharge and hydrological stresses. Groundwater levels in an aquifer are, therefore, useful to identify limits and unacceptable impacts on an aquifer and to use this information to implement sustainable groundwater management decisions. Conventionally, numerical techniques are used for groundwater modelling. The use of machine learning techniques for groundwater modelling is relatively new in South Africa. Unlike numerical models, machine learning models are data-driven and learn the behaviour of the aquifer system from measured values without needing an understanding of the internal structure and physical processes of an aquifer. In this study, Neural Network Autoregression (NNAR) was applied to obtain groundwater level predictions in the Steenkoppies compartment of the Gauteng and North West Dolomite Aquifer in South Africa. Multiple variables (rainfall, temperature, groundwater usage and spring discharge from the Maloney’s Eye spring) were chosen as input parameters to facilitate groundwater level predictions. The importance of each of these inputs to aid the prediction of groundwater levels was assessed using the mutual information index. The NNAR model was also used to predict groundwater levels under scenarios of change (change in recharge and abstraction). The coefficient of determination, mean squared error, root mean squared error and mean absolute error was used to evaluate the predictions made by the NNAR. The results showed that the NNAR could be used to make groundwater level predictions in 18 boreholes across the Steenkoppies aquifer and that the model can be used to make predictions for scenarios of change. Overall, the NNAR performed well in predicting and simulating groundwater levels in the Steenkoppies aquifer. The transferability of the NNAR to model groundwater levels in different aquifer systems or groundwater levels at different temporal resolutions should be tested to confirm the robustness of the NNAR to predict groundwater levels.Big Data Analytics and Transboundary Water Collaboratio
Educating the always-on generation in an instant(gram) #blendedlearning
No full textThe anticipated Fourth Industrial Revolution and the non-linear sharing of information have afforded tertiary education institutions with opportunities to apply new technology to their pedagogy model. The prominence of social networking sites (SNSs), specifically Instagram, calls for educational institutions to innovate and acknowledge, as well as apply, these SNSs within an innovative blended learning approach. This study aimed to analyse students’ perspectives on the use of Instagram as a blended learning educational and administrative tool in tertiary education. While the use of Facebook as an educational tool is widely researched,
limited studies exist on the use of Instagram in tertiary education. The expectation is therefore set on tertiary education to apply Instagram for effective communication and an enhanced teaching experience. The Instagram account created by the research team as a blended learning tool had more than 270 student followers. Their perceptions of the use of Instagram in tertiary education were evaluated using a questionnaire approach and analysed as continuous data on a five-point Likert scale. By using a one-way t-test, the preferred blended learning approach to be implemented on Instagram was determined. Open-ended questions were asked to obtain a better understanding of what students expect and prefer
from the use of SNSs, specifically Instagram, in tertiary education. While previous research only focused on the possibility of the implementation of Instagram and the use of videos on Instagram, this study indicates how tertiary education can apply the various functions of Instagram within an innovative blended learning approach. The study found that Instagram creates an always-on learner, who thinks about the module outside of lectures. Students perceive it as an effective educational tool in aiding them to understand difficult topics better, as well as an administrative tool
that complements the current administrative systems. The overall perception was concluded to be that Instagram is welcome in tertiary education, with both the lecturer and the student as the driving force.Publisher's versio
Employability skills of branch banking employees at Standard Bank Bloemfontein in the digital banking era
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2020Rapid technological development, changing customer behaviour towards online and electronic banking and an ever-increasing number of new, innovate role players in the financial services industry - such as digital banks and Fintechs - has seen a changing demand for employability skills of bank employees. The continuous growth in the use of technology in banking services has placed banks under pressure to employ staff with the required skills to deal with the technological advancements and simultaneously add value to customer relationships. The primary objective of the study was to identify employability skills of branch banking employees at Standard Bank Bloemfontein. The primary objective was supported by determining the current employability skills gaps of employees and establishing how digital banking influences the employability skills of banking employees. Furthermore, the study investigated which technical and soft skills are required of employees at Standard Bank to establish if they can adapt to the constantly changing technological environment. In order to achieve the research objective, a literature review was conducted which included an overview of employability and theoretical employability models. The literature review also considered an overview of traditional banking, new entrants and emerging trends in banking as well as an in-depth look into digital banking. The research was qualitative in nature and entailed semi-structured interviews with Universal Bankers based at various Standard Bank branches in Bloemfontein. Whilst 28 participants were initially identified via non-probability sampling to be interviewed, data saturation was reached after 14 interviews were concluded. Considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, all interviews were conducted electronically via Microsoft Teams. The foremost findings from the study aligned to the theoretical detail identified in the literature review. Feedback from respondents was categorized into six main themes which largely aligned with the literature review conducted. These findings included the importance of branch banking employees having the necessary technical and digital skills to perform their duties. Furthermore, bankers need to understand and embrace the concept of enhanced customer convenience. There has been a significant shift in customer behaviour and bankers need to understand and adapt to that fact. Further findings were that bankers must be able to coach customers on digital and product alternatives and need to continuously upskill on digital solutions. Lastly the importance of high levels of emotional intelligence was identified which is critical in engaging and adding value to customers that do visit the branch and need to be flexible and able to adapt to frequent change.It was concluded from the study that employability skills gaps are acknowledged and present in the frontline banking staff interviewed. Since there are varying levels of competence and readiness for the rigours the future hold, the following recommendations were made from the study:
- A comprehensive skills audit needs to be undertaken for all bankers in frontline positions to identify the technical and digital skills to be developed.
- Personal Development plans need to be developed for all frontline bankers
- Structured and frequent digital and technical training needs to be provided to all frontline banking staff.
- Emotional intelligence and people skill interventions to be prioritized for staff
- Rotation of roles and functions must be encouraged in branch to increase versatility of bankers and
- Change agents and digital champions need to be introduced in branches.
The study concluded that the branch banking employee of the future requires a different set of employability skills than the branch banking employee of the past. There is a joint responsibility on employees and employers alike to ensure such employability skills are developed and sustained
The manifestation of Fethullah Gulen’s educational philosophy in Horizon Educational Trust schools in South Africa
No full textThis study aimed to explore the manifestation of Fethullah Gülen’s philosophy of education in Horizon Education Trusts schools in South Africa. Gülen is a Turkish born Islamic scholar whose ideas gave rise to a transnational movement in the fields of education, dialogue and outreach. Central to this movement, known as the Hizmet Movement (HM), is the philosophy of hizmet, which means service in Turkish. Inspired by Gülen’s philosophy of education, the HM volunteers have established schools in Turkey and other countries. Under the guidance of the trustees of Horizon Educational Trust (HET) who are equally inspired by Gülen’s philosophy, various schools were established in South Africa. Although not pronounced as HM schools, I worked with the assumption that since HM followers established them, it might be possible to trace manifestations of Gülen’s educational ideas in policy and practice at the HET schools. This research was a qualitative case study informed by an interpretive paradigm. Due to my involvement for a long time in the HM, this study involved the voice of an insider. In general, the HM does not conform to general characteristics of social movements either from the perspective of contemporary Islamic movements or in the western sense of contentious social movements. Although qualitative research from an insider’s perspective has risks, my insider status rendered an appreciation of the HM’s characteristics, a familiarity with the context, ease of access and command of the shared terminology. My status also contributed positively in establishing rapport with and gaining the trust of the research participants. To realise the research aim and to give a systematic and structural expression of Gülen’s philosophy of education, I constructed a theoretical framework consisting of critical themes associated with the philosophy. For document analysis, the schools’ documents were classified into three categories, namely foundational, policy and procedural, and operational documents. Informed by the theoretical framework, the analysis of these documents revealed traces of aspects of Gülen’s educational philosophy, although in an implicit manner and not overtly associated with the philosophy and general practices of the HM schools. Issues such as holistic education, the importance of academic achievement, values and moral education, the promotion of intercultural dialogue, and diverse stakeholder involvement were brought to the fore. The findings from the data generated through semi-structured interviews with twenty-four purposefully selected participants revealed implicit resonance with Gülen’s philosophy of education. However, the findings alluded to school practices that are not aligned with the documents, and also differential interpretations and practices among different HET schools. In drawing on the results of the study, the lack of a well-articulated educational philosophy in the foundational documents was identified as the reason for divergent interpretations and practices. Two broad suggestions were made. Firstly, holistic education should be centred as the philosophical impetus of the schools’ philosophy of education. Central to Gülen’s philosophy of education is his notion of holistic education as subject teaching accompanied by values education. In this sense, holistic education is informed by Gülen’s understanding of the human being as a harmonious composition of mind, body and spirit. This understanding of holistic education feeds into the second suggestion. Thus, secondly, and following from a well-articulated philosophy of education, is the suggestion for the development of a rehberlik (or guidance) policy. The necessity of such a policy is twofold. It can guide the development of a rehberlik programme that infuses universally accepted values with local values, and enable temsil (teaching by example) as a connection between value-free subject teaching and values education. I contend that a clear articulation of the underpinning philosophy of education and a well defined rehberlik policy can support common understanding, coherent practices, good communication, and productive cooperation with the stakeholders in the HET school context.University of the Free Stat
An ecological study of a constructed treatment wetland on a commercial crocodile farm next to the Okavango delta, Botswana
No full textConstructed treatment wetlands (CTWs) are hidden weapons for improving water quality of which we have not yet discovered the full potential. The study area was based on a CTW treating the wastewater of Krokovango – a commercial crocodile farm in the village of Samochima next to the Panhandle of the Okavango River, Botswana. The Krokovango CTW cannot specifically be classified as a true CTW, since it does not fit into any of the existing criteria used. This wetland can rather be referred to as a simplified vertical surface flow wetland with no outflow, which is a unique scenario. The aim of the study was to contribute to our general understanding of constructed wetland functioning and, more importantly, the role that planktonic organisms play within these wetlands to improve water quality. Secondly, the study attempted to highlight the potential of simple wastewater treatment systems to show that more expensive or complex systems are not necessarily the only option to be considered for water quality improvement, especially in developing and arid countries such as Botswana. The study took place during July-August 2017, with a follow-up study during June-July 2018. Results from the Krokovango wetland showed that planktonic community comprised of five taxa with a total of 50 species sampled and identified. These organisms depend on each other for survival by maintaining balanced community structures and ultimately ensuring ecosystems remain as natural as possible. Interactions within the trophic structure of wetlands improve water quality and degrade pollutants. Phytoplankton, for example Anabaena sp. (cyanobacteria) and Nitzschia sp. (diatom), form the base of aquatic food webs as the primary producers. Protozoans, for example Paramecium sp., occupy a wide range of trophic levels. Rotifers, such as Brachionus spp. and Platyias patulus, are primarily omnivorous and commonly feed on dead or decomposing organic material, making wheel animalcules critical role players in organically rich water bodies, like the Krokovango CTW. Cladocerans (e.g. Alona affinis) and copepods (e.g. Thermocyclops neglectus) create a trophic link between primary producers and bigger predators. Examples of species mentioned above were also the most abundant within each taxon collected from the Krokovango wetland. Microorganisms in association with wetland vegetation contributed substantially to nutrient cycling and energy flow Physical water quality parameters were measured, and results indicated that total dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, and pH levels of the Krokovango CTW falls in the range of the Okavango River. The Krokovango CTW has been in operation since 2012 and has become an additional habitat for a variety of bird species. The diversity of microinvertebrates, as well as other invertebrates and bird species recorded and identified, is a valuable indication of the wetland’s success as a constructed treatment facility
Creating sustainable learning environments through effective teachers' personal growth plans: a developmental stragegy
Get PDFThe advent of democracy in the Republic of South Africa in 1994 brought about an important dimension of inclusivity for all stakeholders in the education system. Education became a community responsibility, within which the development of teachers was not left in the hands of the education authorities to conduct the teacher development programme. The paradigm shift created the platform for other stakeholders to come on board to shape the quality of education provided to learners in the learning environment. The actualisation and realisation of this seemed to be a pie in the sky because the professional development of teachers in the township schools was regarded as the sole responsibility of the education authorities, without the involvement of other stakeholders.
This study is grounded in the critical emancipatory research paradigm, which embraces all community members as important partners in the improvement of education. Critical emancipatory research provides the participants with values such as emancipation, social justice and equitable power sharing to be practised. This is in sharp contrast to prior practices in which the input of the other community members was used contribute only indirectly to education, and then only on rare occasions.
The principles of the free attitude interview technique, as advocated by Meulenberg-Buskens, played an important role in setting in motion the engagement of the participants by asking the open-ended question “How can we improve professional teacher development that is sustainable?” The question triggered a communication process between teachers and other community members regarding their development strategy. This question ignited the discussions that sought clarity regarding the nature of the teacher development strategy at the school in focus. The platform served as a springboard from where the previously marginalised community members could speak for themselves to bring to the fore the community aspirations of teaching and learning. The social research aspects of critical emancipatory research and the free attitude interview provided the community stakeholders, who have an interest in promoting teacher development in education, with the opportunity to act as equal partners. They navigated collectively in tapping into the cultural values of the community in order to construct knowledge that is necessary for the development of a teacher strategy.
Critical discourse analysis, as advocated by Van Dijk, was used to analyse the data gathered from the participants. The analysis proved to be beneficial to the study to obtain useful data in the form of spoken words from the participants, which were transcribed verbatim. The critical discourse analysis was approached from three levels, namely the textual, discursive and structural levels, to analyse the data. It was within this data analysis that the study revealed the unequal power sharing between teachers and authorities in the person of subject advisers, which showed that there is no effective teacher strategy at the school in focus. Through the use of critical discourse analysis, the study determined that the community members have tacit knowledge which, if recognised and analysed appropriately, can be of great importance to the development of teachers to carry out their teaching activities efficiently to the learners
Statistical modelling for home loans and regulatory credit risk capital forecast
No full textIn commercial credit institutions, valuation of default is useful for moneylenders such as banks and other companies that make a practice of credit scoring as quantitative research to determine the creditworthiness of an individual or borrower. There are several statistical models that are used in the bank for credit scoring. Logistic and Survival Analysis models are the most-utilised scoring models by lenders, among others. The main intention of this paper is to model and predict the likelihood of non-payment for a mortgage loans in financial institutions. To range these objectives, two statistical approaches, namely Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis, are used to a large dataset of mortgage loans by one of the financial institutions. In this paper, it has been shown that the Survival model is a good method on likelihood of non-payment, in contrast with Logistic Regression. The results of the final modelling for both approaches shows parallel fit in Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) with the Logistic Regression model outperforming the Survival model in both training and testing dataset. In prediction of defaulted and non-defaulted results on mortgage loans, Logistic Regression still has better performance than Survival Analysis in both training and testing datasets. In general, the results show that the Survival Analysis method is competitive with the Logistic Regression method traditionally utilised in the financial institutions. Moreover, by methods for a vast, genuine dataset, time reliance was notable that made accessible more precise credit risk scoring and imperative insight into self-motivated market impacts that can educate and upgrade related decision-making
Modelling subsurface water flow in the unsaturated zone
No full textModelling flow in the unsaturated zone has caught interest recently in many fields of science such as geohydrology; agriculture; and soil physics. Unsaturated zone flow has a significant effect on the quality and quantity of groundwater resources; thus, it is essential to understand it. This thesis aimed to model water flow in the unsaturated zone. There are many studies in literature that aimed at understanding flow in this zone by means of mathematical models. Richards’ equation is commonly used in such studies and its performance has shown great success in reproducing the unsaturated flow system. However, complexities in the unsaturated zone and soil hydraulic properties make Richards’ equation to be highly non-linear which makes it impossible to solve analytically. As a result, it is mostly solved numerically using computer codes to obtain numerical solutions. However, linearized Richards’ equation can be solved analytically and reliable results can be obtained. The methodological approach of this thesis entails application of Brooks & Corey and Mualem non-linear hydraulic conductivity models to Richards’ equation. The resultant models were solved numerically and numerical solutions were obtained. Following that a linearized Richards’ equation was proposed and solved to obtain an exact solution. An exact solution was obtained using Laplace and inverse Laplace transform and Green’s function. For numerical analysis, both models were discretized using Crank-Nicolson and the Laplace Adam-Bashforth numerical approximation methods. The stability analysis was provided for the linear model for both methods. From the stability analysis, it was found that both numerical approximation methods yield stable solutions provided the required conditions are met. For the considered unsaturated flow system, it is concluded that the proposed linear model showed good performance in expressing water flow. Models proposed by Brooks & Corey and Mualem seemed to overestimate hydraulic conductivity resulting in an overestimation of soil moisture. These models were revised and the resultant models were able to yield results that correspond to results obtained using the proposed linear model.National Research Foundation (NRF
Family evaluation for quality traits in sugarcane
No full textFamily evaluation and selection has the potential to increase the selection efficiency, thereby
improving breeding for quality traits at early stages of sugarcane breeding. Data from family
evaluation trials can also be useful for quantifying the performance of parental genotypes that
were used to produce families. The objectives of this study were to compare family to individual
genotype evaluation and determine optimum sample size for estimating sucrose content; to
determine family evaluation breeding parameters and phenotypic correlations for quality traits;
to determine the proportions of families and parents producing significantly higher trait values
compared to the trial mean for the coastal short cycle mini-line breeding programme. Data were
collected from 20 genotypes within each family plot for hand held refractometer Brix %cane
data (surrogate for sucrose content), estimated recoverable crystal (ERC) %cane, polarisation
(Pol) %cane, Brix %cane, Brix dry matter (DM) %cane, purity %, fibre %cane and DM %cane.
Data were analysed using statistical analysis system software (SAS). Both family and individual
genotype variances were significant (P<0.01) suggesting selection for individual genotypes
within selected superior families will increase efficiency of selection. Broad-sense heritability
(H) values ranged from 0.74 to 0.77 for families and from 0.14 to 0.17 for individual genotypes.
Families (7.06 to 12.72%) produced higher predicted selection gains (%Gs) than individual
genotypes (2.42 to 5.47%). The higher H and %Gs indicated superiority of family selection
compared to individual genotype evaluation. Response surface graphs showed four replications
and 10 genotypes produced H values of 0.77 to 0.80 compared to 0.74 to 0.77 with sample size
of 20 genotypes in three replications. Reducing the sample size from 20 to 10 genotypes will
reduce data collection costs. ERC %cane, Pol %cane and fibre %cane had the largest H and
%Gs values, suggesting that family evaluation was effective for these traits. Results showed
strong associations among sucrose related traits (ERC %cane, Pol %cane and Brix %cane) with
correlation coefficient values ranging from 0.80 to 0.99. The significant (P<0.05) negative
correlation between sucrose related traits and fibre %cane (r>0.07) showed a decrease in
sucrose content with an increase in fibre content. Results showed that Brix %cane had a high
H, high %Gs and significant positive correlations with both ERC %cane and Pol %cane,
suggesting that Brix %cane is a suitable trait for family evaluation. Brix %cane can be measured
easily in the field using a hand held refractometer, providing data to quantify within family
variability in early stages of sugarcane breeding. Results showed highly significant family,
female and male variances, highlighting the existence of genetic differences and control among
families. Results showed a lower proportion of families producing significantly higher best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) values compared to the population mean. Results suggested
the need to use breeding values to guide parent selection for breeding programmes.South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI)National Research Foundation (NRF)University of the Free State (UFS