Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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The use of cash budgets by small, medium and micro enterprises operating in the fast-moving consumer goods sector of the Cape Metropole
Full text linkThesis (Master of Management Accounting)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa are perceived to be failing partly due to their reluctance to prepare and use cash budgets for managing their cash. The main objective of this research was to determine the extent to which SMMEs in the Cape Metropole prepare and use cash budgets. Specifically, the study aimed to determine whether SMMEs prepare or use cash budgets, the purpose for which these entities use cash budgets, the perceived effectiveness of cash budgets where used, as well as the factors, if any, that inhibit SMMEs from using cash budgets. The research was motivated by lack of empirical studies on the usage of cash budgets by SMMEs operating in South Africa. To collect data, a questionnaire survey method, which is quantitative by nature, was used. The results of the research show that most of the sampled SMMEs used cash budgets. The results also indicate that cash budgets were used mostly for planning of efficient use of cash, evaluating the financial performance of a business, determining the future ability of a business to pay trade payables/other debts as they fall due and for planning an early settlement of payables to take advantage of cash discounts offered. The results further revealed that cash budgets were perceived to be effective by the SMMEs that used them. With regard to the factors, if any, that inhibit SMMEs in the Cape Metropole from using or preparing cash budgets, the results indicated various prohibiting factors. Key among these were, lack of adequate skills for using and preparing cash budgets, erroneous assumptions of cash budgets that can result in wrong decisions, lack of time to prepare and use cash budgets due to shortage of staff, lack of need for cash budgets or the perception that these budgets are inappropriate for certain types of business. This study fills in the gap in research on the use of cash budgets by SMMEs operating in the FMCG sector of the Cape Metropole and in South Africa at large. Although numerous studies have been conducted on the use of cash budgets by similar entities in other countries, only a few studies have been conducted in South Africa on the use of cash budgets by SMMEs. Those that have been conducted in the country have not focused on the use of cash budgets, but have covered the use of budgets in general, without regard for the size of the entities or the sector in which they operate in. Thus, this study fills the gap in knowledge by focusing on the use of cash budgets by SMMEs operating in the Fast Moving Consumers Goods (FMCG) sector. The study identified skills gaps among SMMEs which should be addressed by the Government and policy makers when rolling out training programmes meant to address the development needs of the decision-makers of the SMMEs, an aspect that can contribute to ensuring that these entities survive and even thrive
The cost of credit default in the vehicle finance industry in South Africa
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Cost and Management Accounting))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The risk that borrowers may not fulfil borrowing obligation presents credit owners (lenders) with a default risk management opportunity to maximize risk-adjusted rate of return and maintain minimum exposure to default associated cost. This study investigated respondents' perception of the cost of credit default and examines requirements for default risk management (ORM) in the vehicle finance industry in South Africa. It is noted that with increased level of consumer indebtedness, an unstable economy, and high unemployment, vehicle financing faces a higher probability of default from borrowers. This descriptive investigation utilised both the quantitative and qualitative approaches using the survey method to collect data from 381 purposive, randomly selected respondents who are vehicle finance customers in South Africa; Cape Town specifically. Data collection took place in the Western Cape over a nine months period, utilising personal interview, and emails to administer open-ended questionnaires for credit managers and close-ended questionnaires, for the vehicle finances' customers, as data collection instrument. Responses received were codified and quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25) while qualitative data was analysed using the content analysis of percentage of word similarities. The study found mixed and variable respondents' perception of the cost of credit default. In conclusion, it is perceived that in South Africa the cost of credit would become more costly with credit default. It can be recommended that a default risk management intervention could be applied to mitigate the risk of credit default within the context of unified credit assessment policy of South Africa
Framework to enhance engineering undergraduates entrepreneurial education towards sustainability of employment in South Africa
Full text linkThesis (Master of Construction (Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The study investigates the factors relevant to the enhancement of engineering undergraduates’ entrepreneurial education aimed at sustainability of employment in South Africa. The research utilised a mixed methodological approach, at it involves the use of semi-structured qualitative interviews and closed-ended quantitative questionnaires, both of which were administered to engineering students (chemical engineering, civil engineering, construction management and quantity surveying, electrical, electronic and computer engineering, industrial and system engineering and mechanical engineering) in two selected universities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The quantitative data generated from the questionnaires was analysed using SPSS Version 25 software, while the ‘content analysis’ method was used to analyse the information generated through the qualitative interviews.
Based on the findings obtained in this study, various significant factors that can enhance entrepreneurial interest of undergraduate students are grouped: as perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, personality traits, education and training, entrepreneur’s innovativeness, access to business information services, access to finance, technology, and government policy. However, lack of appropriate technical and life skills, among other factors, contributes to poor ability of graduates to establish their own businesses after graduation. Predictably, findings also indicate that innovativeness enhances entrepreneurship positively. There is a need for an emphasis on innovativeness in educational syllabi in HE schooling. Additionally, access to business information services is an area that requires more attention from the government, since higher education graduates in South Africa are often handicapped by a lack of adequate business support services and poor information technology infrastructure. Lack of access to credit is another common problem for graduates trying to start their own businesses.
In addition, findings revealed that the majority of students had significant entrepreneurial interest and attributes, wanting to start their own business within one year of graduation. The majority of respondents indicated that the course delivery should be practical and be learnt through business activities or application of practical cases instead of learning about business in a strictly theoretical fashion. Furthermore, to strengthen the delivery of the curriculum, it is recommended that the content, teaching approaches, assessment, etc., be better adjusted to the original interest of entrepreneurship education. A tracing system is recommended in order to follow students’ progress over three successive years from their graduation
Impact assessment of high penetration of rooftop PV in municipal electrical networks
Full text linkThesis (MEng (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019There is an increasing global trend of grid connected distributed generation, mainly based on renewable energy sources such as wind and photovoltaic (PV) systems. The proliferation of these intermittent energy sources into the existing networks may subject the network into technical challenges such as voltage rise, equipment over-load, power quality and protection scheme violations. With increased PVDG (mainly rooftop PV) uptake occurring mostly on Low Voltage (LV) feeders, characterised by lack of network visibility and controllability, these technical challenges may be exac-erbated. In the absence of government incentive, current uptake of rooftop PVDG is reliant on customer preference and financial means. Thus make PVDG integration on the network be randomly placed and sized, of which the network distribution operator (NDO) will have no control over. The lack of regulations and interconnection studies conducted on South African networks has resulted in a growing concern amongst util-ities on how the increasing customer-owned rooftop PV systems uptake will impact the existing networks.
This study aims to investigate technical impact high penetration of rooftop PV sys-tem will have on the existing LV networks. The load flow (LF) computation is pivotal in determining power system state when subjected to high penetration of rooftop PV. Monte-Carlo based Probabilistic Load Flow (PLF) was proposed and input variables were modelled using Beta probabilistic distribution function (PDF). The proposed im-pact assessment framework was applied on real LV urban residential network situated in Cape Town, South Africa. Simulations were conducted on DIgSILENT PowerFac-tory and the PDF for input variables (Load demand and PV generation) were derived from historic data. Four scenarios were simulated and system performance parameters were recorded such as; voltage magnitude, voltage unbalance factor and equipment thermal loading.
Simulation results in the test network indicated thermal loading violation as the main limiting factor in urban residential network. PV system topology (either three-phase or single phase) proved to have significant effect on network hosting capacity, were higher PV penetration can be achieved for a three-phase system. Penetration level as low as 12% were recorded, which is significantly lower than the prescribed guidelines in simplified criteria in NRS097-2-3 standard and therefore raises a concern on the relevance of this standard on all types of networks (in urban network in particu-lar). However, penetration level above NRS097-2-3 limits may be achieved depending on feeder characteristics
Quality culture and its role in service delivery at a university of technology
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019.Customer satisfaction is a topic of global interest in higher education and it also forms the backdrop of the research presented in this thesis. This study focuses on the employees (academics and non-academics) in the Faculty of Education at a South African university of technology (UoT) who play a key role in providing the services that their customers receive. The study is underpinned by the understanding that in order for the customer’s experience of service provision to be positive, a healthy relationship between the customer and the service provider is critical.
The organization, in this case a higher education institution, has to have a sense of quality culture in order for the service provider to maintain a good relationship with a customer. Quality culture assessment can help to better understand complex organizational culture and its impact on service delivery. Quality culture assessment also helps to direct the implementation of organizational changes for better service delivery structures. The type of quality culture dominant in an organization may positively or negatively affect service quality, employee performance and motivation. As a result, the service delivery experience of the customer may be influenced. Quality culture affects the way in which employees interact with each other and with their customers. This study therefore, presents an inquiry into quality culture within a higher education context with the aim to evaluate quality culture within the Faculty of Education at a UoT using quality management principles (QMPs) as a framework. This study employed QMPs because of their increased effectiveness in enhancing customer satisfaction and improving customer loyalty. The quality management principles are: customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvements, evidence-based decisions and relationship management (ISO 9001, 2015:Online).
This study used a quantitative research approach and was designed as a survey case study. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire that was disseminated to all the academic and non-academic staff in the Faculty of Education at the UoT. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used as a tool for data analysis. Findings in this study reveal that a safe working environment, communication between employees, communication between management and employees, in addition to good working relationships, may affect service quality in the Faculty of Education at the UoT. This implies that having a healthy working environment in an organization is beneficial for employees in order to perform their duties better and to provide quality services to their customers. In an organization with good quality culture, there is close cooperation between employees which leads to good service quality. If the institution under study is concerned with providing value to customers, it needs to consider improving customer value by formally applying QMPs throughout the organization. QMPs are central to the practice of quality management and service delivery. The findings of this study suggest that quality culture affects service quality in the Faculty of Education at the UoT as some of the quality management principles are lacking.
This study recommends that the Faculty of Education have a closer look at improving communication between employees, communication between management and employees, in addition to encouraging good working relationships as well as an enabling environment that allows employees to work efficiently. It is also recommended that quality culture be on the Faculty of Education’s agenda in order to enhance the service delivery experience of customers. The Faculty of Education should support a quality culture environment by providing appropriate structures such as service delivery structures within their organizations. These structures may be needed in order to facilitate, maintain and show commitment of staff members towards a quality culture environment and service delivery. Furthermore, these structures may contribute to quality culture by introducing new shared values and behavioural norms that might facilitate the long-term success and well-being of the organization. It is also recommended that the institution under study formally apply quality management principles throughout the organization for the purpose of improving customer value, customer experience and meeting customer needs
Perception on limitations of mentorship programme for emerging contractors against its effective implementation in the Western Cape
Full text linkThesis (Master of Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019.This study evaluates both the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) mentorship programme and the emerging contractors’ personal limitations in achieving a successful programme implementation. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the mentorship programme differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (ii) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of contractors with regard to the perception on mentorship programme limitations; (iii) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the contractors’ personal limitations differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (iv) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of emerging contractors with regard to the perception on personal limitations. The study adopted a quantitative research method which was preceded by an exploratory study. The study targeted emerging contractors in the Western Cape. The exploratory study was undertaken at the initial stage of the study to gain more insight in terms of the impact of limited contracting opportunities for emerging contractors on the Western Cape CDP mentorship programme. The data was collected by means of conducting semi-structured interviews to purposely selected emerging contractors, and was subsequently transcribed and analysed using content analysis. With regard to the main study, the questionnaire survey with closed-ended questions was distributed to the population of 16 emerging contractors with CIDB grade 3 and 5. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the main study. The study has uncovered a number of gaps in terms of the implementation processes of CDP mentorship programme. In regard to the mentorship programme limitations: The findings have revealed the use of ineffective recruitment and selection methods, the lack of training projects for contractors to tender, the lack of MOUs between the banks and the Western Cape CDP to ease access to credit, the lack of continuity in terms of mentoring services, the failure to evaluate contractors when they enter the mentorship programme, failure to monitor contractors’ development during mentorship, the failure to evaluate contractors when they exit the mentorship programme. In regard to the emerging contractors’ personal limitations: The findings have discovered the lack of tendering skills among contractors, lack of skills in interpreting construction drawings, the lack of planning for construction projects, the lack of estimation, and the lack of negotiation skills with material and plant suppliers. The research concludes by recommending that the Department of Transport and Public Works should review the entire mentorship programme. This will be achieved by appointing a business development practitioner to re-design and re-structure the entire mentorship programme so that it can be able to attract and select suitable contractors while meeting the governments’ objective of developing and promoting of emerging contractors in the construction industry
Marketing and management framework to create sustainable healthcare sector non-profit organisations in South Africa
Full text linkThesis (DCom (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Poverty gaps and poor living conditions in developing countries have led to an increasing need for social support. Owing to this, there is a growing number of new players in the non-profit organisation (NPO) sector, which has given rise to intense competition for donor funding. More so, the global economic crisis of 2008 resulted in reduction and uncertainty in funding and philanthropic income. The environment in which NPOs operate is no longer favourable especially considering the intense competition for donations. Thus, sustainability has emerged to be a critical issue for these organisations, as they have to sustain a long-term, perpetual need with limited funding. In response to this, many scholars have concluded that adopting marketing strategies, and business-oriented methods and practices, can contribute and enable these organisations to achieve sustainability.
Even though some NPOs have moved towards adopting these strategies, sustainability remains a challenge for them. The reason for this could be that NPOs are not utilising marketing and management strategies as widely as they should be. This prompted the following research question: To what extent do healthcare sector NPOs employ marketing and management strategies in their operations? In order to address this question, a combination of techniques was adopted which included literature review, in-depth interviews, focus groups discussion, and thematic and content analysis.
Some say that the lack of adoption of marketing strategies and business-oriented methods is mainly due to a lack of understanding of the benefits of marketing and the perception that marketing is only for the for-profit sector. This incited the question of what should be the impact of including marketing strategies on growth and sustainability of healthcare sector NPOs in South Africa?
In the literature review, evidence was presented that NPOs are of significant value to any economy they serve, they aid in addressing inequality gaps, and they provide services that cannot be provided by the state to disadvantaged communities and individuals. In light of the value-add NPOs bring, it is imperative for these organisations to operate for the long-term. This could be achieved through the adoption of marketing and business-like approaches as noted in previous studies, however, this is not the case as these organisations are faced with funding challenges and intense competition. This elevated the question: How should the challenges to the current NPOs marketing efforts be addressed?
This study utilised the qualitative method. Qualitative methods were considered the most applicable for this study because they help the researcher to gain deeper insights into the research problem through interactions with the study participants. The study finds that the inability to adopt business-oriented methods in NPOs is owing to a lack of skills and expertise, lack of knowledge of how to approach marketing and the high dependence on donor funding. The respondents concur that the high dependence on donor funding has resulted in a lack of independence on how to utilise the funds. According to the literature, due to a high dependence on donor funding, the design of NPOs’ projects is usually framed to suit donor requirements and within the budget line items that are acceptable to the donor; essentially donors require their funds to be used only for charitable activities they are interested in. This raised a question: What should be the main funding streams for NPOs in the healthcare sector in South Africa?
In response to the literature, research questions and the study findings, a framework was developed which could provide NPOs with the basic understanding of how to adapt marketing and management strategies for sustainability; where the process should start, what it should involve, what are the outcomes thereof and the benefits to NPOs. This then overall answers the question of how marketing and management strategies should be effectively deployed to achieve NPO sustainability
Impact of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) on employment creation and skills development in a South African Metropole municipality
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Local governments issue performance reports every year about the number of people that benefit from the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). There is however, not enough information reported on tracing beneficiaries after exiting the EPWP. Most EPWP beneficiaries leave the programme after their contract has ended just to allow for the minimum cooling-off period, only to re-register to be employed on the same programme again. There is not enough empirical information on whether or not these participants acquire any relevant training from the EPWP that assists them in securing future sustainable employment. Consequently, there is no empirical evidence to state with certainty that the EPWP fulfils its mandate of alleviating poverty, improving employment and upskilling its participants.
The main purpose of this study was to assess the effect that the EPWP has on job creation and upskilling of its beneficiaries in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality (CoCT) with the goal that they may be employable in the labour market with the skills they acquired in the programme.
This study was carried out by collecting empirical data using both qualitative and quantitative methods where a sample size of 87 beneficiaries from all four sectors in the CoCT were requested to complete self-administered questionnaires and partake in cross-sectional interviews. The sectors surveyed were infrastructure, economic, environmental and social.
The data was analysed and findings were summarised. The main research finding was that 44% of the youth were working in the programme although there were age outliers of as old as 66 years. To indicate the CoCT’s commitment to employing targeted groups in the programme, 56% of the participants were women. It was found that the working periods were generally shorter, with only 16% having worked up to 24 months.
The majority of the participants indicated overall satisfaction with the programme and agreed that it brought about both income and poverty relief.
It was concluded that the majority belief was that acquired training helped with future employability. It was however, found that training was strongly correlated to the project duration
Gamification as a tool for developing critical thinking among ICT students at a tertiary institution in South Africa
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The recent generation of students, often referred to as ‘Millennials’, are generally familiar with computer games and therefore learn mostly through virtual experiences from game playing. A high failure rate due to the lack of critical thinking (CT) skills among tertiary students still persists, despite the implementation of CT enhancing programmes and frameworks. The aim of this research was to explore the effect of gamification on the critical thinking skills of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) students. A single pre-and post-quasi-experimental research strategy with a pragmatic perspective research approach was followed. Mixed methods research with self-administered semi-structured questionnaires and interviews was employed. In total, 182 questionnaires distributed to students were analysed pre- and post-intervention, and five (5) interviews were conducted with the relevant lecturers post-intervention. The data were summarised and categorised by applying thematic analysis. All participants volunteered to be part of the study, and they were informed of the confidentiality and anonymity of the research before partaking in the study. From the inductive study results, it was found that CT is already an integral part of the subject content being taught to the students. The experimental learning environment did not result in significant domain-general CT compared to the control environment. Judgement was the only CT skills element showing a significant improvement from pre- to post-results on the respondents’ overall CT. Gamification can be an effectual instrument to enhance CT skills, as it enables the retention of knowledge through play by motivating and stimulating inquisitiveness among students
Employee participation in training and development at a selected municipality in the Western Cape, South Africa
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The study focuses on Human Resource Development through employee training and development practices. This research sheds light on the relationship between employee training practices and employee development, with specific emphasis on employee performance and job satisfaction. The purpose of training and development programmes is to improve employee competence and organisational performance. A number of employees are perceived to be reluctant to attend training and development opportunities and do not want to develop themselves. The objectives of the research were to investigate employee training and development practices followed at a selected municipality in the Western Cape in South Africa and to explore and understand the dimensions of employee training and job satisfaction. It was anticipated that this would give an indication of the various training and development programme types, as well as its benefits, offered to municipal employees of the selected municipality. It also focuses on employees’ expectations and involvement in such types of training programmes. The aim of the study is to analyse the implementation of training and development intervention practices of a selected municipality as well as its impact on the perceptions about employees who do not want to attend training and development interventions organised which, in the long run, will lead to job performance improvement and job satisfaction.
An investment in training activities is returned in the form of retaining more productive and effective employees. Training and development intervention programmes may focus on individual or team performance. It is observed that municipalities following systematic and scientific training and development practices create high job satisfaction levels amongst employees. In contrast, municipalities who do not put training interventions in place to make sure employees are given opportunities to undergo training and development, do not perform well, and usually receive disqualified audit statuses and experience community protests for lack of service delivery. Municipal employees who attend training and development programmes are more committed towards better performance – results show positive outcomes. The development and implementation of training interventions should be based on needs analyses. Information obtained could be useful for the improvement of training and development practices in all departments. Factors affecting the effectiveness of training and development intervention practices in municipalities include lack of support from top management and peers, employees’ individual attitudes, job-related factors and deficiencies in training practices.
In an era where Government struggles to address community’s crisis, public service employees should be managed efficiently and effectively by implementing systematic training and development intervention programmes in order to enhance job performance and understanding of job criteria. This will ensure effective transmission of basic services to communities. There is an urgent need to reshape training and development interventions in order for Government to provide advancement possibilities in Local Government and for departments to be centres of excellence. Government departments should design training policies that resonate with communities’ needs and develop guiding documents that are understandable and implementable. Departments also need to review training budgets and the relevance of training programmes. In addition, the training opportunities provided should be accredited and recognised to afford workers opportunities for growth and promotion as well as to gain a qualification that will give them access to obtaining a formal qualification