University of Zambia Online Research Repository
Not a member yet
8755 research outputs found
Sort by
An assessment of the effects of COVID-19 on employment in Zambia’s tourism industry.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Business Administration in Management Strategy.This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment within Zambia's tourism industry, focusing on the years 2020 to 2022. The study used a quantitative research design in which 120 respondents from different tourism sectors participated. The findings revealed the impact of COVID 19 across the tourism sector, with accommodation (44%), tour packages (13%), and entertainment segments (27%) emerging as particularly vulnerable. The affected job segments included cleaners constituting the largest group at 25%. Following closely were waiters and wait resses at 16%, front office workers at 13%, drivers at 11%, chefs at 9%, and tour guides at 7%. Additionally, a cluster of other roles such as curators, bar attenders, security personnel, and reser vation officers. The study revealed a greater negative impact on hotels and game viewing. Further more, The Chi-Square Tests performed showed a statistically significant association between the perceived negative impact of COVID-19 on employment mostly in hotels and its effect on tourist visits (Pearson Chi-Square = 19.391, df = 8, p = .013). In response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, businesses in the Zambian tourism industry showcased resilience through various strategic initiatives. Notably, digital transformation emerged as a cornerstone strategy, with enterprises leveraging online platforms, virtual tours, and enhanced digital marketing to main tain consumer engagement. Additionally, the study identifies diversification of offerings, collabo rative efforts with other sectors, and cost-cutting measures as adaptive responses that contributed to the sector's survival
Using a data-driven model to predict taxpayers filing false returns: a case of Zambia Revenue Authority.
Get PDFThesis of Masters’ in Computer ScienceTax fraud remains a global issue, with significant economic setbacks for many countries, including Zambia. Traditional methods of tackling this challenge often hinge on labelled datasets, which are scarce due to the slow nature of tax audits and the inherent biases in sample selection. To address this data scarcity and offer a more immediate solution, this study introduces an unsupervised approach utilising K-means clustering alongside anomaly detection techniques. Using an extensive dataset of VAT declarations and associated refund transactions spanning several years, we demonstrate the potential of this method for efficiently identifying potential tax fraud cases. The significance of this paper is twofold: it introduces an innovative approach to a persistent issue and applies it specifically to the context of Zambia. By bypassing the need for exhaustive labelled data, our methodology offers a promising direction for enhancing tax fraud detection capabilities, ensuring a more resilient fiscal landscape for Zambia.
Keywords: K-means clustering, Anomaly detection, VAT, Tax fraud detectio
Analysing the nature of oral and written corrective feedback teachers provide to grade nine pupils in english language in selected secondary schools of Kabwe district of Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Education in Literacy, Language and Applied Linguistics.The purpose of this study was to establish the nature of oral and written corrective feedback that teachers provided to learners of English Language at grade nine level in selected public secondary schools in Kabwe District, Central Province of Zambia. The study objectives were: (i) to establish the nature of oral and written corrective feedback teachers provide in English Language to their grade nine pupils; (ii) to determine the views of grade nine pupils on the usefulness of the oral and written corrective feedback given by their teachers and (iii) to establish teachers’ opinions of their feedback given to the pupils. The study employed a descriptive research design of qualitative research. Purposive sampling techniques were used to come up with a sample size of 80 respondents. Data was gathered through interviews, document analysis, focus group discussions and classroom observations during the teaching and learning process. The data collected was analysed thematically through content analysis where key words and themes were coded and generated. Findings of the study showed teachers of English provided oral and written corrective feedback which ranged from Informal formative oral corrective feedback formal, formative written corrective feedback, and summative assessment of feedback. Learners wished teachers could provide immediate and elaborate feedback that they could leverage upon. In some cases, learners desired space, privacy, confidentiality and security when receiving one-on-one feedback from their teachers of English. Among other issues, teachers bemoaned the limited time allocation to provide quality feedback to their learners. However, findings showed that some teachers had limited exposure to correction codes and they also expressed lack of content knowledge on some topics in English and consequently, remained at a loss when they were expected to give solutions to challenging questions during lessons. The researcher recommended that teacher training institutions to adequately explore further on the component of corrective feedback to learners so that graduate teachers can be well prepared on the provision of feedback to learners. Secondly, teachers of English language in their respective stations to enhance their content knowledge and pedagogical skills in the subject matter by utilizing
researchers and experts during Continuous Professional Development workshops (CPDs)
The effect of COVID-19 on the accounting practice in Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Science in Accounting and Finance.The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most brutal pandemic in human kind history. Its impact has been immense, affecting numerous sectors across the global economy including the Accounting Practice (AP). Consequently, the purpose of the study was to determine the effect of COVID-19 on the AP in Zambia. The collection of data was done through quantitative methods. Questionnaires in 5 point Likert scale were sent electronically to the ZiCA subscribed members
through the ZiCA database, using purposive sampling. The collection of data comprised of 152 Accountants across the country. Data was analyzed through SPSS 26, Pairwise and Spearman’s RHO tests were used. The results indicate a significant relationship on remote inventory valuation both during and before COVID-19, indicating discrepancies on how inventory valuation was conducted, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant relationships between sector and challenges with inventory valuation during COVID-19; sector and evaluation of going concern in relation to COVID 19; sector and disclosure of accounting estimates and liabilities in relation to COVID-19; sector and adoption of cloud accounting, artificial intelligence, data analytics & forecasting and block chain during COVID-19; Job level and conducting of meeting using video conference, zoom, google meet during COVID-19; age and challenges faced for remote working during COVID-19 were tested. Insignificant relationships were tested between sector and inclusion of income tax cuts and subsidies in financial statements, education level and assessment of the Effect of COVID-19 related instability on revenue recognition and allowance for bad debts; sector
and enhancement of accounting technology following COVID-19; job level and increase of cyber security levels following COVID-19. The results concluded that COVID-19 has drastically affected inventory valuation, during the pandemic and how companies disclose and report all financial elements impacted by COVID-19. The study also concludes that COVID-19 has enabled the advancement of accounting technology, in the AP resulting in increase in cyber security levels.
Companies and regulatory bodies should not ignore the impact of COVID-19 to the AP as the effects are long lasting and will continue in the long run post COVID-19
An examination of the impediments to profitability of smallholder dairy farmers in Palabana dairy cooperative.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Business Administration in Finance.Smallholder dairy farming holds critical importance in most developing economies, Zambia included, as it contributes significantly to livelihoods through food security, income, and employment opportunities. The research aimed to identify and examine the factors constraining the profitability of smallholder dairy farm operations in Palabana dairy cooperative. The study used the mixed method approach and the two-stage sampling procedure which included purposive sampling procedure and simple random sampling to collect data by utilizing closed and open-ended questionnaires from 73 smallholder dairy farmers. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression methods. The majority of the smallholder dairy farmers were males (67.1%), possessed tertiary education (79.5%) with vast dairy farming experience of 16 years and above (39.7%), and had an age distribution of 36-50 years skewed towards the middle-aged to elderly (46.6%). Slightly above half of the respondents (56.2%) practiced livestock farming only, and the majority (60.3%) boasted of having attended livestock training. The study revealed that socio-economic factors, production costs and production methods had a significant impact (p = .001) on the profitability of the dairy farming business and they explained 61.2% of the change in dairy farming profitability. Using the Likert scale measurement, the key constraints to dairy farming profitability identified under socio-economic factors (p = .023) included; not enough grazing land, lack of access to credit facilities and nonparticipation in milk price determination. The constraints under production costs (p = .000) were the high cost of feed, the cost of breeding (artificial insemination) and the cost of disease prevention and control. For the items under Production methods (p = .031), the key challenges identified with high ratings included low knowledge of best husbandry
practices and poor breeding methods. Based on the findings of the study, the research strongly recommends that farmers lease nearby farmlands to deal with the shortage of grazing land, Government and financial institutions to come up with various credit packages with reduced interest rates tailored for smallholder dairy farmers, smallholder dairy farmers to form organized unions to enable them bargain for better milk prices, the cooperative to organize targeted training and capacity building programs where demonstration farms will be established to showcase the best husbandry practices and farmers to engage more in mixed farming methods which will enable them grow own fodder thus reduce feed expense
The evaluation of the implementation of the primary literacy programme (PLP) to enhance the reading skills among grade 3 children with hearing impairment in selected schools in Zambia.
No full textThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Literacy and Learning.The goal of this study was to evaluate how well the Primary Literacy Programme (PLP) was working to Improve the reading abilities ofGrade 3 pupils with Hearing Impairment (HI). This is in light of persistently poor reading among pupils with HI- The PLP is aimed at developing reading abilities of pupils In early grades. However, it is unknown how well the programme is working to improve the reading abilities of Grade 3 pupils with HI-
The objectives of the study were: To assess the levels of proficiency In sign language among teachers of Grade 3 learners with HI; To establish the availability of teaching and learning materials to support in the Implementation of the PLP to children with HI in grades 3; To assess the home literacy environment to support the implementation of the PLP to learners with HI and to compare the reading performance of learners with HI to that of non-hearing Impaired learners In order to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the PLP to learners With hearing impairment_
Qualitative data was collected through In-depth interviews With teachers, administrators and parents of children with HI and focus group discussions with teachers. Qualitative data was analysed during the process of data collection. Quantitative data was collected through assessment tests of both HI and non-hearing impaired learners and was analysed using SPSS In order to establish relationships among variables. Descriptive analysis helped to calculate frequencies of variables using the cross tabulation and bivariate correlations. The research Involved 30 learners with HI, 30 non-hearing Impaired learners, 26 teachers of HI learners, 16 administrators and 13 parents. The results revealed that the PLP was poorly implemented and did not support reading skills development of HI children because: teachers were not proficient In sign language; the phonic approach was not suitable to children with HI due to its reliance on the use of sounds; children with HI had low alphabetical knowledge, materials for Instruction and learning, such as teachers' manuals, usual aids, and reading books, magazines and other printed materials were not readily available at school and at home. It was also established that schools did not have digital hearing aids, cochlear Implants and digital communication tools like computers, progectors, and video games to factilitate effective Implementation of the PLP to children with H
Risk factors associated with the outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Chisamba district, Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Science in Tropical Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis.Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a highly contagious and severe infectious disease of cattle that is listed as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). CBPP is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony, which can lead to severe cattle losses. In 2022, two districts in Zambia, Chibombo and Chisamba, recorded outbreaks of CBPP. To halt the spread of CBPP to nearby districts, a mass slaughter exercise was conducted in which livestock farmers lost their cattle. It was thus the objective of this study to determine the risk factors that facilitated the occurrence of the disease in the district of Chisamba and assess the knowledge of cattle farmers on CBPP. Chisamba district is known for having many farms and for its agricultural activities hence the impact of a CBPP outbreak on the economy cannot be ignored. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised a total of 42 questions, divided into three sections namely, demographic information of the participants, cattle management practices on the farms, and knowledge of CBPP of the participants. The questionnaire was administered to 55 participants who comprised both commercial (10) and small-scale (45) livestock farmers in Chisamba district.
Only adults (18 years and above) who owned cattle or farm workers actively involved in cattle management, and had agreed to participate by way of a signed consent, were enrolled in the study. A snowball sampling technique was employed to select the individual participants and purposive
sampling was used to select the farms. Of the 55 farms from which the participants were drawn, only 2 farms had recorded positive cases of CBPP. Eight risk factors were assessed and these were the age of cattle, sex of cattle most affected, herd size, mode of feeding, source of water, cattle trading, access to veterinary services, and housing facility of cattle. In the current study, only trading of cattle (p-value = 0.039: RR = 1.238, 95% CI), was strongly associated with the occurrence of CBPP, suggesting that trade and movement of infected cattle which were mixed with the old healthy herds could have precipitated the CBPP outbreak in the district. Moreover, the low numbers (13.8%) of participants with some knowledge of CBPP and the factors associated with it were worrying. Hence the study recommends that the government, relevant bodies, as well as farmers must strictly check the health status of animals before they can engage in cattle trading. Furthermore, there is a need to regularly engage livestock farmers and educate them about diseases of economic importance such as CBPP. The study will help raise awareness on better cattle trading practices and knowledge of farmers
Population genetics of anopheles funestus and anopheles gambiae (diptera: culicidae) with reference to insecticide resistance on mainland Nchelenge and the neighbouring islands on lake Mweru in Zambia.
No full textThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences (Entomology).Vector control strategies based on available entomological information have not impacted malaria transmission in Nchelenge. Prior studies carried out in the district determined the identity and bionomics of the main malaria vectors as well as their status of insecticide resistance. However, this information was confined to the mainland and inadequately covered malaria vector populations. An understanding of the population attributes of the major vectors in different areas of the district was needed. The overall goal of this study was to generate valuable information on malaria vector population genetics and insecticide resistance for the National Malaria Elimination Programme. The study included two major malaria vector mosquito species in the district, namely, Anopheles (Cellia) funestus s.s. Giles, 1900, and Anopheles (Cellia) gambiae s.s. Giles, 1902. The insecticide classes tested included carbamates, organochlorines, organophosphates, and pyrethroids. A total of 6068 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected indoors from four sites, including islands on Lake Mweru in Nchelenge district, between 2014 and 2016. A representative subsample of the collection was
processed for molecular and ELISA laboratory analyses, and 394 specimens of this subsample had a fragment of their ITS2 DNA sequenced. Vector infectivity was assessed, and insecticide resistance tests were conducted on both wild and F1 mosquitoes. Based on the ITS2 sequences in both vectors, there was diversity within populations with no fixed genetic differences across the collection sites. Anopheles gambiae was more abundant on Kilwa island (71%; n = 178), and An. funestus was on Chisenga island (78%; n = 4275). Anopheles funestus was more abundant during the dry season (76%) and predominated in every collection except one from Kilwa Island. Anopheles gambiae was abundant during the rainy season (65%). Malaria infectivity in Anopheles funestus spanned all sites and seasons. Kilwa Island and Mainland both had 3.7% of An. funestus tested (n = 164) and (n = 82), respectively, infected with P. falciparum sporozoites in the dry season, and 7.1% and 5.9% of An. gambiae tested (n = 84) and (n = 17),
respectively, in the rainy season. Chisenga Island had 3.2% of the tested An. funestus (n = 188) infected with P. falciparum. Insecticide resistance, i.e., mortality less than 98%, was recorded against pyrethroids (mortality, 35–84%) and carbamates (mortality, 38– 96%). No resistance was recorded against organophosphates (mortality, 100%). Anopheles funestus was susceptible to organochlorines (mortality, 100%), in contrast with An. gambiae (mortality, 10%). Resistance intensity to deltamethrin (time to 50% mortality, 2–5 hours) and bendiocarb (time to 50% mortality, 2–7 hours) was very high in An. funestus. All 88 An. gambiae that were tested had the knockdown resistance (kdr west) allele (L1014F), and 14% of them also had the east kdr (L1014S). Insecticide resistance on islands against carbamates could be due to cross-resistance conferred through the widely used pyrethroid-treated bed nets. Vector control should be scaled up and embrace new-generation LLINs with piperonyl butoxide to manage resistance in island vector populations
Evaluation of the stability and suitability of artificial concrete pillars in Longhole open stoping: a case study of al Masane al Kobra mine, Saudi Arabia.
Get PDFThesis of Doctor of Philosophy In Mining EngineeringThis study has demonstrated that artificial concrete pillars can stabilize the active stopes, especially in broader sections of the orebodies intercepted with geotechnical challenges such as high-stress change, spalling, slabbing, sloughing, etc. FLAC3D numerical code was successfully used to simulate the stopes before and after installing artificial concrete pillars. The challenges encountered in long-hole open stoping were briefly highlighted in the statement problem of this study. The structure of the study is also briefly stated in the initial chapter of the thesis. Literature
on stope stability and pillar design theories was also reviewed. The Pillar Strength and Stress theories were also examined as the basis for artificial concrete pillars. The available constitutive models in the FLAC3D suitable for evaluating the stability of stopes and artificial concrete pillars are also discussed, and their shortcomings are noted. It was pointed out that the Hoek-Brown failure criterion was the best for analyzing rock mass properties compared to other available criteria. FLAC3D numerical code has also been described in detail, stating the steps involved in
the numerical simulation, input parameters required, boundary condition, commands for excavation, convergence involved, and interpretation of the results. Two case studies were presented, one of which involved mining a sill pillar and the other mining a crown pillar. Both case studies presented similar geotechnical challenges, such as poor rock mass, increased hydraulic radius, and collided ground support. Scaling and re-supporting were conducted before installing artificial pillars in the two stopes. Artificial concrete pillars were installed in these two stopes. The study has presented the construction of artificial concrete pillars for installation. Materials required for constructing artificial concrete pillars are aggregate
(54.5%), and (27.3%) Cement (18.2%) and reinforcement wires. The water and cement ratio must also be maintained at 0.5 of cement slurry. Cement slurry and aggregate mixing were done by using a front-end loader. The artificial concrete pillars at 28 days of age should bear above 24Mpa as a requirement to be transported underground. This challenges quality control and assurance if the design mixing ratio is not achieved, as the concrete blocks will crumble during transportation or at the packing stage. Loading and unloading of the packs was done using telehandler.
After the concrete packs are installed in the stope, welded wire mesh is also installed around, and afterwards, 75-100 mm thick shotcrete is sprayed. Geotechnical data was collected through underground mapping, laboratory testing, and field measurements. Underground mapping aided in defining the materials to be used in the FLAC3D numerical code. At the construction stage, samples were extracted from the mixed concrete and taken for laboratory testing. Uniaxial compressive strength, density, Young's modulus, internal friction angle, and cohesion were tested on these samples. The material properties were used as input parameters in FLAC3D numerical code to simulate the stability of the stope before and after artificial concrete pillars were installed. The results for zones of displacement magnitude, local force ratio, state by average failure and convergence were
considered in the analysis comparing before and after installing artificial concrete pillars. The results for zones of displacement with artificial concrete pillars installed presented a reduction in both cases by 97% and 99 % in cases 1 and 2, respectively. Zones' local force ratio presented an 85% and 71% reduction in cases 1 and 2, respectively, when installing artificial concrete pillars. Also, the zone convergence results showed a further reduction of 80% in case 1 and 63% in case 2 when artificial concrete pillars were installed. Zone state failures by average also showed a
significant improvement in tensile and shearing in the roof and sidewalls of the two stopes. Field measurements were conducted on the installed convergence pins using a tape extensometer. Both scenarios indicate a substantial 70% reduction in displacements before and after for the crown pillar's roof and a 60% reduction for the sill pillar. Notably, the sidewalls in both cases experienced a significant 10% reduction for the crown pillar and a 5% reduction for the sill pillar. These results underscore the effectiveness of the author's approach, reinforcing the success of the research and enhancing structural stability. The above analysis has revealed that the designed artificial concrete pillars can be effectively used as a support system to prevent roof collapse in active stopes. FLAC3D numerical simulation and field measurements showed the stope's stable condition after installing artificial concrete pillars. Therefore, the designed artificial concrete pillars can be used to meet the needs of safety of mining operations; however, real-time stability monitoring of the concrete pillars must be emphasized at some key positions. The investigation has also revealed that artificial concrete pillars can replace original ore pillars in many mines worldwide; the problem encountered with such is the self-failure mechanism of artificial concrete pillars, which has been puzzling the safety of operations in many mines
Internal stakeholder management in ZESCO distribution projects.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Engineering in Project Management.Stakeholders have influence on both project performance and success. This study investigated internal stakeholder management in ZESCO distribution projects. The main objective of the study was to develop a framework for internal stakeholder management. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine factors influencing stakeholder management on ZESCO distribution projects; establish the degree of influence of
stakeholder engagement on the performance of ZESCO distribution projects; determine the impact of stakeholder mapping on the performance of ZESCO distribution projects; and examine the relationship between stakeholder management and the performance of ZESCO distribution projects. The study employed a mixed method research approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample was drawn from ZESCO employees engaged in distribution projects, and data was gathered through interviews and questionnaires. The findings underscored the critical role of effective stakeholder mapping, engagement and management in the success of ZESCO distribution projects. Addressing internal stakeholders’ concerns and proper engagement positively influences project performance. It was further established that engaging internal stakeholders at various project stages improves project delivery time. The findings also indicated that stakeholder mapping is valuable executing projects within schedule, cost management, environmental considerations, and conflict resolution. It was concluded that stakeholder management has an impact on project performance parameters of cost, time and quality. Comprehensive training programs in project management and awareness campaigns about the project management procedures were recommended. It was established that the internal stakeholder
management framework developed by the study can help improve project performance in ZESCO distribution projects