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Stability and rheological properties of oil-in-water emulsions stabilised with protein isolates from brown bambara groundnut
No full textThesis (Master of Engineering (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible liquids which are held together by agents called emulsifiers. Food products such as mayonnaise, salad dressings, creams, sauces and milk are examples of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Due to a high demand of healthy products, food developers are producing products with nutritional benefits. Protein added into food serves as an enhanced nutrient source. Though some food products comprise of protein, it comes mainly from animal sources which can be detrimental to the human body due to their high cholesterol levels. Vegetable proteins from legumes such as soy, lupin, pea, faba bean and lentil have shown to have the potential of being emulsifiers in O/W emulsions. Bambara groundnut (BGN) is a legume with a high protein content and is available in Africa however it is underutilised. It is underutilised since there is insufficient knowledge about its functionality in food emulsions. The potential of BGN flour and starch has been studied in O/W emulsions and illustrated their ability to serve as emulsifiers. Due to insufficient work done on the use of BGN protein as an emulsifier in O/W emulsions, this study aimed to determine its effect on the stability and rheological properties of the O/W emulsions. Protein was extracted using isoelectric precipitation method. O/W emulsions were formulated by homogenising the protein solution with oil at 20 000 rpm for 5 minutes using a D-lab homogeniser. A Zeiss Axio light microscope was used to capture the images of the O/W emulsions. A turbiscan MA 2000 was used to determine the stability of the O/W emulsions over a period of 5 hours. A Discovery Hybrid rheometer was used to perform both rotational and oscillatory tests on the O/W emulsions. Design-expert version 10 was used to determine the different emulsion compositions. A mixture design was used comprising 6 to15% protein content, 33.25 to 39% oil content and 55 to 60% water content and 14 compositions were established. The protein extracted had a yield of 16.6%. The low protein emulsions with 6% protein content were unstable after 2 hours, the medium protein emulsions with 8.14 to 10.50% protein content were stable for 12 hours and the high protein emulsions with 12.53 to 15% protein content were still stable after four weeks except for the emulsion with 12.78% protein content which was still stable after three weeks. The stability and instability phenomena were illustrated using turbiscan backscattering profiles. The low protein emulsions demonstrated phase separation (indicated by a thick vertical portion of the backscattering profile) and coalescence (indicated by a thick horizontal portion of the backscattering profile). The stable emulsions had no variation in the backscattering profile. All emulsions regardless of composition exhibited shear thinning. For the oscillatory rheological tests, the amplitude, frequency, temperature and time sweep tests were conducted. The amplitude tests were conducted to determine the storage and loss modulus and the linear viscoelastic region (LVR) of the emulsions. All emulsions were viscoelastic with the high protein emulsions having higher moduli than the low protein emulsions. All the emulsions had a LVR at lower strains illustrating stability at such conditions. All emulsions had a point where the storage and loss modulus were equal except for some of the low protein emulsions which had no crossing. All emulsions demonstrated weak gel properties. All emulsions were still in their LVR at a strain of 0.2% except for emulsion 3 (6% protein, 36.26% oil, 57.74% water) which was linear at a lower strain. This strain was therefore used to conduct the frequency, temperature and oscillatory time tests. The frequency had an effect on all emulsions. As the frequency increased both the storage and loss modulus increased. A temperature range of 5 to 40°C was used to determine the effect of refrigeration, cold and room temperature on emulsions. The emulsions were more elastic and stable at refrigeration than at cold to room temperature. As all emulsions were tested immediately after homogenisation, the oscillatory time test showed that they had not stabilised completely during the first hour as both the storage and loss modulus increased indicating that energy gained from mixing was still present in emulsions either to enhance bond formation or energy that was dissipated in the system respectively. A correlation was able to be drawn from the different techniques used to describe the quality of the emulsions. Variation in backscattering intensity demonstrated that the low protein emulsions were unstable and from visual observation, they were liquid-like, with the least viscosity. The low protein emulsions had lower moduli than the high protein emulsions. From visual observation, high protein emulsions were thick and rheological information supported this by their viscosity being high. The high protein emulsions had droplet sizes which were more uniform and dispersed than the low protein emulsions. The difference in composition had an effect on both the stability and rheological properties of the O/W emulsions. Therefore, BGN protein from brown seeds had emulsifying and thickening properties and can therefore as serve an emulsifier in food O/W emulsions
Impact of distributed generation on the electric protection system
No full textThesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019This document provides a study of the impact of distributed generation (particularly Solar and wind energy) on the electric protection system. Due to energy poverty, most countries globally have been opened up to use of DG such as wind and solar powered generators, South Africa being one of them. There has been a prediction of the exhaustion of fossil fuels in the past decades, leaving economies with the need to find sustainable energy options. The contribution of fossil fuels to greenhouse gases has also been a global concern. This has increased the use of DG for sustainable energy systems as well as to curb the level of carbon emissions. While DG may increase energy sustainability, they have various impacts on the electric grid. It is uncertain how DG may affect the protection system of the power grid henceforth the thesis analyses the impact of DG on the electric protection. A comprehensive literature review is carried out on distributed generation and electrical protection. DigSilent PowerFactory software is used to simulate a network pre-and post-connection of the DG according to the South African grid code requirements to reflect the power flow and fault levels. Furthermore, the software is used to populate protection devices for the system. The results include a DigSilent network diagram with simulation results, fault levels pre-and post-connection of the distributed generators and protection coordination of the Distance and Overcurrent Relays
A solar crop dryer for rural areas
No full textThesis (Master of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019In most rural areas, food waste is a problem experienced by farmers during the post-harvest period. The main reason for the losses is the degradation of foods during the postharvest period due to high moisture content and poor initial moisture control in these foods. Farm drying methods often compound this problem by contaminating the produce with foreign matter. The losses have a huge impact on farmers, agricultural industry, consumers and on the global economy in general. With famine and frequent droughts due to inadequate rainfall, preserving the available food reserves plays an important role. With the high solar potential levels of South Africa and the rest of the continent, this research assumes the problem of how post-harvest food and moisture content can be addressed if suitable solar dryers are availed to the region. Open sun drying is the main traditional method used for drying crops and fruits in Africa. Its disadvantages include contamination (exposure to dust), infestation (exposure to animals and insects) and exposure to rain due to no enclosures in the system. In effect, moisture control is difficult. This project, therefore, describes a design, construct, test and cost approach to tackling the problem at a rural farm level. The basic assumption is rural farmers desire to reduce postharvest losses hence need to adopt affordable low cost, low technology methods in controllably drying their produce. It was decided that enclosed solar crop drying was feasible due to the high solar radiation levels during harvest times. Therefore, two different dryers designs with 1.5m2 and 2m2 glazing area were designed, constructed, tested and direct costs estimated. Key design variables were identified whilst different fruit and vegetable products were tested against a control open-air drying system with solar radiation, temperatures and moisture losses monitored. In addition, a modification of the dryer to give a simple automatic indication of readiness of particular foods is given. This characteristic distinguishes it from other designs attempted elsewhere. Both designs reduced drying times to less than one day at the beginning of Cape Town's winter season while open-air drying was problematic, lasting up to one week. The direct cost of each dryer was under ZAR2000. After tests, it was therefore concluded that the designs are feasible and are now ready for redevelopment for commercial purposes
A whole brain paradigm for the training of multimedia practitioners
No full textThesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019This study explores the notion of whole-brain engagement in the curriculum and instructional approaches for the training of multimedia practitioners. There is tension within the instruction of Multimedia Technology in that learners appear to prefer working somewhere specific within the range of the technical-aesthetic design continuum. This is important since MMTECH (Multimedia Technology), as an academic discipline, and certainly multimedia practice draws mainly from Aesthetic Design, Audio and Video Technology and the Programming aspect of Information Technology. MMTECH students within the current curriculum dispensation migrate to either being more Designorientated or more IT/Technology-orientated on the whole; only a relatively small number of students become truly specialist MMTECH graduates that can function in a whole-brained way. Multimedia is a hybrid and adhocratic discipline which incorporates both information technology and aesthetic design aspects. It is this duality of cognitive engagement which characterises the whole-brain engagement in the training of multimedia practitioners. Multimedia is a discipline in its own right but because it relies on a blending of skillsets that, traditionally, have resided in earlier, more mature disciplines, like Computer Science, Design and the Arts, the interpretation of this by various people, and indeed, institutions offering qualifications in this is, varied. At CPUT, for example, Multimedia as an offering, agglomerates aspects of aesthetic, visual and artistic design with software programming, video and audio technology to be presented via an electronic platform. The projects, too, further emphasise the hybridised nature of the programme in that all major projects are integrated across the four subject offerings. The aim of this research is, thus, to understand how it is that our learners have this perceived preference. The significance of the study was that this better informs our understanding of what these preferences are so that it better informs an instructional approach to improve wholebrain engagement in the academic programme to inform multimedia practice. Within the context of the interpretivist paradigm, the methodological approach was subjective and qualitative and the approach that was followed included: Structured and semi-structured Interviews (face-to-face) and formalised literature analysis (documentation - institutional and other documents were used). The data analysis followed a qualitative approach. The study revealed that Multimedia as a discipline is interpreted and presented with significant variance in focus across the twenty three institutions that were scrutinized. It also revealed that that within the current programme, there appears to be a more aesthetic/design focus and preference by students but that this could be as a result of the technology aspects of the programme not being adequately supported. This suggests that our programme offering requires redesigning if we are to present a more holistic approach to the curriculum
A big data framework to improve government service delivery in South Africa
No full textThesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Governments across the globe, including South Africa, have a duty and obligation to offer effective and efficient services to the citizens. Due to government shortcomings, South Africa has experienced an increase in service delivery protests due to lack of adequate delivery services to the citizens. However, the emergence of ICT has provided a vehicle for government to improve on their efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. One of the prominent technology concepts that has grabbed the attention and interest from academic, private and public sectors is big data. The government of South Africa is also interested in exploring the concept of big data based on the premise that it presents benefits that improves service delivery. The aim of the study was to gain better understanding of the factors that can influence the use of big data in a government enterprise. Based on the understanding of the factors, a conceptual framework is developed, purposely to guide the use of big data in order to improve service delivery to the citizens of South Africa. In achieving this aim, the Case Study approach was employed, and a government department was selected for the study. The qualitative methods and interpretivist approach were followed. The semi-structured interview technique and document analysis were used in the collection of data. A sociotechnical theory, structuration was used to underpin the study. This means that the theory was used as a lens to guide data analysis. These methods, approaches and techniques were considered most appropriate in gaining a deeper understanding of how a government department stores, manages, and uses big data for service delivery. In the analysis, the duality of structure from the perspective of structuration theory was employed to focus on the roles, responsibilities and actions of agents, and how rules were applied in the use of big data for service delivery. From the analysis, it was found there are five main factors that critically influence the use of big data for service delivery, namely: Organisational Requirements, Readiness Assessment, Continuous Assessment, Compatibility, and Big data as a service. Based on these factors, a framework, Big Data Framework for Serviced Delivery (BDFS) was developed. The framework, BDFS can be used to guide the application of big data for service delivery in government departments
A unified architecture framework for healthcare mobile systems to improve big data usefulness in a government environment
No full textThesis (DPhil (Informatics))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Governments of many countries, including Namibia, build public hospitals to provide healthcare services to its community members. In the process, various types (such as text, image, and video) of data are generated from patients and the facilities. Over the years, the data grow to a point where some of the health facilities struggle to manage it. This includes the use of different techniques and tools, such as mobile systems to store and access data. What makes the situation even more challenging is the lack of flexibility and integration among information systems, such as mobile systems and healthcare big data. The challenges cause difficulties in attempts to access the big data for the purposes of healthcare services delivery. Thus, the study aimed to propose a solution that can be used by the healthcare facility in Namibia, to ease access to patients' big data. Based on the research aim, the following research questions were developed: (1) What are the factors that influence the use of mobile systems in accessing healthcare big data for service delivery in the Namibian environment? and (2) What are the factors that can be used to guide and enable integration between health mobile systems and healthcare big data for improved healthcare service delivery? To achieve the study's aim, a qualitative research strategy was followed. A case study design was employed by using two cases, namely the Ministry of Health (MoH), and Healthbridge Public Hospital (HPH) in Namibia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentation. The semi-structured interview was considered the main data collection technique. The hermeneutic method was applied in the analysis of the qualitative data, which was guided by the duality of structure from the perspective of Structuration Theory (ST). There were findings from the analysis of data from both organisations used in the study: MoH - communicative tools, network of people, policies compliance, technology Monopolistic, governance, data management system, and lack of interactive systems − and HPH - mobile systems ease of use, systems user training, online consultation, medical history traceability, access to external facilities, and practitioner's collaboration. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was employed as a lens to help make more sense of the findings. This was primarily to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence how healthcare big data is accessed, used and managed in the Namibian environment, and how the factors impact the interaction and integration between health mobile systems and healthcare big data towards improving service delivery.Based on the empirical evidence, the findings from the two cases:(1) Ministry of Health which include communicative tools, network of people, policies compliance, technology monopolistic, governance, data management system, and lack of interactive systems, and (2) Healthbridge Public Hospital (HPH), which include mobile systems ease of use, system user training, online consultation, medical history traceability, access to external facilities, practitioner's collaboration, systems decentralisation, and technology infrastructure flexibility were found to be important in the use of health mobile systems. In the end, a Unified Architecture Framework (UAF) was developed. The UAF is therefore proposed as a solution to improve the use of mobile systems in gathering, storing, accessing, and managing patients' big data in Namibian health facilities. The UAF provides governance and standards that guide the selection, development, and implementation of Information systems/Information Technologies solutions for healthcare purposes. This is primarily to improve efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare service delivery in the country. The contributions of this study come from theoretical, practical, and methodological perspectives. The study is intended to benefit academics, IT specialists, and healthcare practitioners as follows: To the academics: the study adds to the existing literature. In literature, much has been researched and written on big data. However, research on big data in the area of healthcare, especially in developing countries, have been lagging. The study also brings forth a new perspective from the application of two different theories, Structuration Theory and Technology Acceptance Model. The complimentary use of theories is always a challenge especially their order of use. IT specialists and Healthcare practitioners: this study will contribute to enterprise architecting as there are only a few studies related to architecture in the healthcare domain. The findings will also enable policy developers and decision makers to understand how mobile systems can be integrated and used as a tool for data management in healthcare. Moreover, management will benefit from the study's findings in terms of the factors that contribute to, or impact, system adoption and resistance. Based on that, management will be in a better position to assess both technical and non-technical factors before implementing information systems and supporting technologies as solutions
Bioaccumulation of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) used for Diabetes mellitus Management and in Diabetic Serum of a South African Population
Full text linkThesis (DPhil (Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are anthropogenic chemicals. For more than half a century, these long-chain compounds have been used in a wide range of industrial applications, such as the manufacturing of consumer products, ranging from grease-proof food packing to aqueous fire-fighting foams and to stain repellents such as Teflon®. Subsequently, these ubiquitous contaminants which are environmentally persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulative, have been a focus of public concern worldwide. Hence, due to public health apprehensions and environmental risks posed by PFASs, their manufacturers and various environmental agencies decided on restricting their use, and whereby the use of these chemicals could not be stopped, their replacement by other alternative chemicals was suggested. Therefore, per- or polyfluorinated carbon chains, e.g. perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), which has been regarded as one of the most important short-chain PFASs and less harmful to the environment at large. However, a systematic review from the current work reveals that physicochemical properties of short-chain PFASs are not different from their predecessors thus suggesting that short-chain PFASs are as harmful as their homologues. Similarly, the literature reviewed demonstrated how novel technologies have also been proven to be incapable of removing these substances, including to short-chain PFASs, from various environmental matrices. Moreover, plant species have extensively been susceptible to PFASs, and various other POPs accumulation. However, the mechanisms that led to their uptake and storage by plants stayed unknown until proteins belonging to the family of major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) and ater named as Aquaporins (AQPs) were discovered. Hence, the present work has reported that there are diverse AQPs in plants than in mammals, with specific functions, even though first reports on these proteins suggested that their significant impact was water for transportation only. To date, it is well known that plant AQPs possess subclasses or isoforms. Some of these include SoPIP2;1 and AtTIP2;1, prevalent in Spinacia oleracea and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. We report that these two isoforms have individual pore diameters or sizes: SoPIP2;1 (2.1 Å) and AtTIP2;1 (3 Å), which might play a role in the selectivity process of molecules which pass through the water transportation channels of the concerned plants. This ultimately suggested SoPIP2;1 pore diameter serving as a pathway of smaller molecules, while AtTIP2;1 pore diameter would serve as a conduit for both smaller and larger compounds. As such, the pore diameters of these two isoforms made them potential conduits of PFASs whose carbon–fluorine bond typical size is 1.35 Å, much smaller than that of AtTIP2;1_2.1 Å and PIP2s, i.e. SoPIP2;1_3 Å, thus substantiating the uptake and ultimate storage of PFASs by plant species. Subsequently, the uptake and storage of PFASs and other POPs by plants have been proven to lead to unprecedented environmental and human risks. As plants with the potential to heal or manage certain ailments, such as Diabetes mellitus (DM), when exposed to PFASs, it was necessary to substantiate such a phenomenon.
This current study further determined the propensity of PFASs, such as PFOA, PFOS and PFBS, to accumulate in a plant commonly used in the management of DM, namely the African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.). The study was important as this plant is used in diabetes management in the Western Cape, South Africa, thus implying the plant being a pathway through which humans might be exposed to PFASs and its precursors. Accordingly, the target analytes of the study, PFOA, PFOS and PFBS, were identified and quantified in samples collected from the said plant, i.e. Tagetes erecta L., in contaminated river water used to irrigate the studied plant, as well as diabetic serum samples from patients likely to use the plant. The analysis was done using a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (Shimadzu LCMS-8030, Canby, OR, USA). The MS operational conditions were sourced with an MS interface electrospray ionisation in negative ion mode. A multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode of analysis was used to quantify the targeted PFASs in samples. Hence MRM transition for PFOA, PFOS and PFBS being of 413.00 > 368.95 (acquisition time: 8.6 min), 499.00 80.10 (6.8 min), respectively. A Luna® Omega Polar C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 3.0 µm, Phenomenex, Aschaffenburg, Germany), with 40 °C in temperature, assisted in the separation of the analytes. The mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3 L/min was made of 20 mM ammonium acetate and MeOH (100%). The process followed (for solid samples, i.e. plants) (n = 8) was: 1) sample drying, 2) milling, 3) screening, 4) digestion, 5) sonication, 6) filtration, 7) Solid phase extraction (SPE), 8) analyte elution and 9) analysis; for water samples (n = 20) the process was: 1) filtration, 2) SPE, 3) analyte elution and 4) analysis; while for serum samples (n = 179) the process was: 1) sample uptake, 2) buffers, 3) Mix, 4) centrifuge, 5) Dissolve, 6) filtration, 7) SPE, 8) conditioning, 9) elution, 10) reconstitute, 11) analysis.
PFOA, PFOS and PFBS were observed in all the plant samples and were found in concentrations of up to 94.83 ng/g, 5.03 ng/g, and 1.44 ng/g, for PFOA, PFOS and PFBS, respectively. Similarly, PFOA, PFOS and PFBS were identified in all the river water samples and were found in concentrations ranging between 1.15 to 107.82, 1.24 to 20.75 and ND to 0.06 ng/L for PFOA, PFBS and PFOS, respectively, for regime A (winter/wet season) and <LOQ to 4.35, 1.89 to 5.29, and <LOQ to 0.06 ng/L for PFOA, PFBS and PFOS, respectively, for regime B (summer/dry season). As the river water analysed in the current study showed concentration levels of PFOA, PFOS and PFBS in comparison to the studied plant (i.e.Tagetes erecta L.), the prevalence of these substances in river water samples which was used to irrigate the studied plant suggests that contaminated water sourced for plant irrigation purposes such as in impoverished communities in South Africa, will ultimately result in the irrigated plant’s contamination. Hence, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) in the present study has indicated the African marigold’s affinity to PFAS accumulation. The BCF for PFOA, PFOS and PFBS was in the range 0.48 to 2.52, 4.00 to 167.67 and 0.05 to 0.31, respectively. Thus, the studied plant, i.e. Tagetes erecta L., demonstrated a high bioaccumulation potential for PFOS.
Furthermore, PFOA, PFOS and PFBS were detected in all the serum samples (n = 179) of individuals suffering from DM, who are likely to use Tagetes erecta L. in order to determine whether there is a direct correlation between PFOA, PFOS, PFBS with known cases of DM. The patients are from a Bellville South population, in Cape Town, South Africa, who are of mixed-ancestry origin with the second highest prevalence of diabetes in South Africa. PFOA, PFOS and PFBS concentrations of up to 4.74, 0.77 and 1.27 ng/L were detected in males, respectively; and 10.73, 1.06 and 1.77 ng/L in females, respectively; with PFBS being the second most abundant PFAS in the sera, after PFOA; albeit, no significant association was found between the investigated PFASs and DM, but a significant correlation trend was detected between PFOA and individual anthropometric and biochemical measurements
Business strategy and organizational sustainability of selected enterprises in Libreville, Gabon
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of insufficient business planning and good management of SMEs in Gabon have on SMEs’ to survive and grow. Thus, the study examined the relationship between business strategies and SMEs’ organisational sustainability in Libreville (Gabon).The study was a descriptive one which made use of positivist philosophy and adopted quantitative approach. As such a questionnaire which was designed from themes extracted from literature survey was used to gather data from a sample of 30 SMEs. The findings indicated that the lack of business strategy encountered in SMEs in Libreville lead partly to the failure or setbacks of the operation of the organisations. Most common reasons of the failure of SMEs were related to the absence of business plan, the lack of leadership, and lack of appropriate management system. The recommendations are to improve the SMEs in terms of good leadership, importance of business plan, management control system; strategic business management, organisation and employees performance. It further revealed that for the purpose of organisational sustainability, business strategies are regarded as critical aspects to consider for avoiding non-conformances while running businesses. The significance of the study is the framework to identify and optimise business strategies in order to promote successfully SMEs. The study shows the interest of owners of SMEs to set up appropriate business strategies
Impact of information technology on knowledge management at a selected university of technology
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Information and communication technology (ICT) is an enormous financial investment and its typical intended result is a subsequent positive effect on knowledge management and individual work performance which thus benefit the organisation through strategic competitive advantage. ICT plays a significant role in implementing and supporting knowledge management (KM). However, there are barriers hampering KM due to ineffective use of ICT such as poor knowledge coordination and transfer and unreliability of systems. The main aim of this research was to determine how ICT impacts on KM within higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Based on the primary research objective, the secondary research objectives were to explore the benefits of ICT in HEIs, find out what the barriers to implementing ICT in HEIs are and explore the key functions of knowledge management at HEIs. The outcome of this study was the proposing of general guidelines for ICT use in order to positively propel knowledge management for competitive advantage of HEIs. The methodology utilised in this study is a case study with a mixed qualitative and quantitative method. Data was collected through questionnaires, site observations and interviews from staff members (n=111) at a selected University in the Western Cape, South Africa. The questionnaire was used for quantitative data, and analysed and interpreted using SPSS software, whereas site observations and interviews were used for qualitative data and analysed through content analysis.
The findings indicate that ICT users have varied levels of competencies when it comes to ICT use. It highlights the challenge for the university management to improve the ICT skills of staff members so that they may expand their ability to comfortably manoeuvre through the ICT system and maximise its benefits, and ultimately, to be more productive for the university. The findings further reveal that there is a need to establish general guidelines for ICT use in order to positively propel KM for competitive advantage of HEIs. Based on the research findings, this study recommends that the university take a comparative approach and examine the gaps in ICT use within the institution. Moreover, it will also be interesting to find out the experiences and views of stakeholders in ICT use at other HEIs such as students, management and teaching staff. This will generate valuable information that can shed more light on the opportunities and challenges of ICT use in KM in HEIs
The impact of a customised management development programme on a selected organisation
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019This study assessed the impact of a customised management development programme on the senior staff in the Cape Town branch of a logistics organisation. The study analysed the staff’s development and determined the challenges that the senior staff and middle managers were facing after the organisation had gone through a number of management changes. The organisation was committed to creating a learning culture. Thus, the organisation had embarked on a clear strategic direction to enhance the leadership skills of the mid-level managers in the business. From an impact and cost-effectiveness point of view, the focus was on the middle management to start creating a learning culture in the organisation.
To gather data, this qualitative study used a questionnaire with open-ended questions sent to the middle managers of the logistics organisation. This gave the researcher the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and to ask for clarification. The sample size used was 30 middle managers.
The study found that the customisation of the management development programme aimed at the middle managers played a pivotal role in retaining staff and in increasing the performance of both the employees and the organisation. The findings showed the employees felt they could relate to operational goals and efficiencies much better after the focused intervention. The employees realised that they are an esteemed resource of the organisation, and that the success or failure of the organisation relies on the performance of the management staff of the organisation. Furthermore, in order to get employees to perform optimally and to improve their performance, they required the right tools, equipment and working environment