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Perceptions of crime among international leisure tourists to Cape Town and the marketing implications for tourist destinations
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Growth in the tourism industry has been a global trend in the past decades. People are adopting a lifestyle of travel, which led South Africa and Cape Town to welcome many visitors as recorded in the background to the study. Amid the high figures of tourist arrivals to South Africa and the City of Cape Town, there has been a continuous rise in the crime rate in the country, including destination Cape Town over the same period. However, if this is to continuously remain unaddressed or unattended, the tourism figures are likely to be affected.
Therefore, the primary research objective was seeking to determine tourist perceptions with regard to crime and its effect on visitors’ decision-making processes and the impact it concurrently has on destination marketing. The study was seeking to establish whether demographic factors have an influence on tourists’ perceptions on general safety and security safety information of the destination.
Furthermore, the study was investigating how tourist perceived Cape Town crime prior (pre-visit), during and post-visiting stages including their willingness to revisit the destination given their experiences. Through conducting the study, it revealed the information sources that were used by tourists before travelling as well as those used during their stay within the destination. Lastly, the study aimed to find out if there are any significant differences between demographic factors and crime related factors.
A post-positivist deductive research approach was used by conducting Individual Depth Interviews (IDIs) and surveys in Cape Town’s tourist attractions. A structured questionnaire was used for the surveys, while some interview schedules were used for IDIs both on the supply and demand side. A sample size of 140 tourists was issued with questionnaires to determine the participants’ perceptions of crime in Cape Town, while 15 additional in-depth interviews were also conducted. This sample size reflected an 8.1% margin of error at 95% level of confidence.
The results of this study also reflected that prior to their visit, the visitors perceived the destination to have a higher crime rate. This resonates with some tourists who witnessed instances of criminal activities in the tourist attraction centres, while others became victims of crime. Importantly, most tourists indicated that they would not be deterred by crime to visit Cape Town as a destination in their future travel plans. Therefore, tourists’ perceptions of crime with regard to their destination appear to have little or no influence on their travelling decisions
Supply chain performance measurement at a selected hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa
Full text linkThesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Performance measurement of supply chain in the healthcare environment has presented with a number of challenges, and studies exist to confirm this. These problems include rising costs, excessive demands, shortage of supply, and escalating level of customer dissatisfaction are the true reflection of supply chain issues faced by the hospitals. This study aims to find out an effective solution to measure supply chain performance within a hospital in Cape Town. The relation among trust, SCM/IT integration, firm’s performance, and knowledge exchange were investigated.
A mixed research method (both qualitative and quantitative) was conducted involving five managers and 80 employees from the hospital. A number of interviews and a close-ended questionnaire were used for data collection. Content analysis was used for qualitative data and the descriptive results were generated through SPSS V25. Hospital and healthcare environment have been used interchangeable in this study.
The research findings showed that trust levels between the hospital and its suppliers has no direct impact on supplier integration, but that its influence is interceded by knowledge exchange. Knowledge exchange plays an important role in influencing supply chain performance in the hospital. IT integration and knowledge exchange have a positive impact on hospital–supplier logistical integration between the hospital and its suppliers. In addition, knowledge sharing in supply chain may subsequently build strong relationships among SCM partners and may automatically influence hospital performance. This study recommended that the hospital should develop an approach that facilitates the dynamics of the hospital in order to manage the buyer-supplier relationship. Further research can be done on factors that contribute to buyer/supplier trust development in the healthcare environment
Teacher Educators’ Instructional Strategies in Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Teach with Digital Technology in the 21st Century
Full text linkThesis (DEd (Educational Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The 21st century is characterised by an influx of information from various sources. This presents the education field with both a challenge and opportunity in the teaching practice. Technology advancements have made it increasingly easy to share and access this information almost instantly. This presents the education field with both a challenge and opportunity in the teaching practice. The challenge is that not all the available information is useful or even meaningful, therefore the 21st century requires that students acquire the 4Cs (communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity) on how to engage with the information and not just receive it. The mandate on educational institutions is therefore to make use of technology-enhanced practices to facilitate acquisition of these skills. The implications are applicable to teacher training institutions includes the equipping of pre-service teachers with higher level thinking skills. 21C teacher educators should be modelling instructional strategies that are relevant to the demands of the modern age, more importantly these strategies should be technology-enhanced. The technology-enhanced instructional strategies should be informed by contemporary teaching and learning theories as well as technology integration frameworks. To this effect, the researcher’s original contribution to the body of knowledge was formulated – the ConTis model as elaborated on further below.
Teaching with technology in teacher preparation programmes in South Africa should respond to the 21C skill requirements. Alarmingly, research in this area has continuously reported that TrEds are falling short in their teaching with technology. There is a consensus on the importance of technology integration, however, TrEds continue to use it merely as a substitution for traditional means of teaching. Contributing to this problem is the continued use of lecture-centred teaching strategies. There is a substantial amount of literature advocating for TrEds to start to adopting student-centred approached as supported by contemporary theories that argue that the best way to learn is to actively engage with knowledge and not be passive recipients. It was on this backdrop that the researcher developed the research question of this study: What do TrEds need to effectively prepare pre-service teachers to teach with technology in the 21C? To better understand and explain this phenomenon the researcher developed a conceptual framework based on teaching and constructivist teaching theory as well as technology integration framework. To investigate this phenomenon, the researcher chose to design the research study following the interpretivist paradigm for its emphasis on social contexts and in-depth understanding of phenomenon of interest. On that, the researcher made use of qualitative data collection tools to – semi-structured interviews; non-participant observations as well as a focus group interviews. The research design used was a single case study as was data collection from TrEds of one teacher education institution in the Western Cape. The data collection was conducted over a period of eight months which allowed the researcher to intensively explore TrEds’ practices. The researcher made use of various sampling methods to ensure that the participants would be able to offer relevant information as they were constantly interacting with the phenomenon under study.
The findings reveal that the majority of the participating TrEds were employing lecture-centred instructional strategies, whereby technology was used to support traditional teaching approaches. The participating TrEds, contrary to their perception on their technology integration skills as reported during interviews; were observed to be using the basic functions of mostly general technology applications. This use resulted in achieving low level teaching outcomes. The institution at which the study was conducted availed technology resources to the TrEds. However, there was a deficit on the relevance, maintenance and capacity of the technology which contributed to TrEds reluctance to integrate technology.
From the findings, the researcher deduced that the failure to integrate technology effectively was due to the lack of a practical and holistic guide on how to teach with technology. The researcher, based on the data analysis and in response to this shortcomings, developed a model which the researcher coined “Constructivist Technology-enhanced Instructional strategies” (ConTIS) model which can be used as a diagnostic model for TrEds to self-assess their technology integration in their practices. The model is also useful to professional development intervention designers as they can use it to identify the gaps in technology integration. The researcher further argues that this be conducted at departments levels as the needs of TrEds may differ across teacher education institutions. The model is also useful as an evaluative model that helps educational technologist and TrEds continuously assess whether their currently adopted technology interventions are yielding the appropriate outcomes as per the teaching and learning theory employed by institution and or faculty. The implications of this study were to both TrEds’ practice as well as institutional policy development. The findings of the study highlighted the importance of institutions and the faculties within them to identify and adopt relevant contemporary teaching strategies as well as frameworks that are conducive to 21C teaching outcomes. The participating TrEds reported that their practice was not necessarily informed by any particular teaching and learning theory or technology integration framework, in fact some of them highlighted that they were not familiar with frameworks such as TPACK and PCK. Therefore, it is vital for institution’s policies to enforce that TrEds practice be based on prevailing teaching with technology developments.
The limitations of the study were that the research study’s design was a single case study and therefore focused on one context which limits the generalisability of the findings as the phenomenon might be experienced differently in a different setting. A longitudinal case study may also be employed in order to conduct an even more in-depth exploration of the phenomenon. It is possible that TrEd practice may have been presented as differently over time and the researcher would have discovered other factors affecting the phenomenon.
The researcher therefore suggests that for further studies, researchers should perhaps conduct a comparative study by investigating how the phenomenon manifests in different contexts. Future studies may also conduct a longitudinal case study to allow for an intensive study of teacher educator practices and perhaps analyse any changes that may occur over time with the introduction of other technology interventions. The researcher also encourages that future studies be conducted to evaluate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed ConTis model
Removal of natural steroid hormones from municipal MBR effluent with UF/NF/RO membranes
Full text linkThesis (Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019In the context of water scarcity, the increasing risks linked with the presence of natural steroid hormones and many emerging anthropogenic micropollutants (MPs) persevering through municipal wastewater treatment works (MWWTWs) are of concern for their endocrine-disrupting activities detected in receiving surface waters. For the last decades, the use of membrane technology has grown considerably in wastewater treatment and has proven to be an effective method for the removal of a wide variety of contaminants from wastewater.
In this study, domestic wastewater treated by a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) at MWWTWs in the City of Cape Town (CoCT), South Africa, was used directly as the influent to a reverse osmosis (RO) pilot-plant for the removal of selected natural steroid hormones; 17β-estradiol (E2) and Testosterone (T) as a potential indirect water recycling application. Three commercially available ultrafiltration/nanofiltration/reverse osmosis (UF/NF/RO) membranes, namely UA60, NF270 and XLE, were selected for this investigation.
Membrane surface modification was investigated to minimize fouling during the MBR-UF/NF/RO treatment processes. To enhance the resistance to flux decline, a thin film composite reverse osmosis membrane was grafted with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) through cross-link with glutaraldehyde (GA). To assess the effect of surface modification on the membrane surface, analyses using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were done. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial solution was used as biofouling to evaluate the influence of the surface modification initiated on antifouling properties of the membrane. A model MBR secondary effluent with a bench-scale NF/RO system was used for these fouling tests. The pure water flux decreased somewhat as a result of the morphological structure and chemical property change due to membrane surface modification. The membrane resistance to fouling was better and the biofouling model used exposed the anti-biofouling capacity of the membrane, although a small decrease of salt rejection was detected. The flux decline and flux recovery ratios improved with an increase in PVA concentration. The sterilization ratio increased from 33.8 to 36.8% and the pure water flux decline, reduced from 46.04 to 25.94 % after modification. The effects of operating conditions on the removal of inorganics by MBR-UF/NF/RO were evaluated. Experimental runs were conducted on a pilot plant in a continuous system, varying the pH, as well as the permeate flux and the percentage recovery in the case of RO membrane. Chemical analysis of different inorganics was conducted to calculate the percentage removal. Results revealed considerable effects of pH control on the removal of the inorganics of interest as well as the carbon oxygen demand (COD).
Adjustment of flux and recovery for the RO membrane was shown to be a factor of consideration for the improvement of inorganics removal in the advanced treatment of domestic secondary effluent. It was shown that the quality of water obtained with the RO membrane could meet quality requirements for reuse application in cooling systems and irrigation among others. The UF and NF reduction of inorganics was shown to be limited to meet the required water standard for some of the reuse applications. The NF membrane was found to produce water suitable for restricted irrigation and cooling systems, while the UF produced permeate that was found appropriate for cooling systems only.
Estrogenicity and androgenicity were assessed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and the recombinant yeast estrogen receptor binding assays (YES). The influent pH and flux did not have an influence on the rejection of E2 and T, which was most likely ruled by adsorption, size exclusion and diffusion simultaneously. Size exclusion was seemingly dominant, especially with NF and RO membranes. T with a smaller partitioning coefficient (log Kow) value was most likely adsorbed on the membranes and then passed through it to give a low rejection with all three membranes. RO and NF membrane processes exhibited excellent removal rates (>95%) for E2 and T. It was revealed that RO showed higher removal percentages when compared with NF and UF. All the E2 effluent samples with the MBR/UF, MBR/NF and MBR/RO, were higher than the lowest trigger value of 0.4ng/L of the test, but less the than USEPA and WHO of 0.7 ng/L as well as less than the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) values for fish (1 ng E2/L).
Consequently, domestic secondary wastewater treated by full-scale MBR followed with a pilot-plant, NF or RO is acceptable for the effective removal of natural hormones (E2 and T). Ultimately, a multi-barrier tactic using MBR followed by RO or NF could prove the most effective in pollutant removal followed with a disinfectant at the end
Sustainable off-grid electricity supply using a LTE communication model for rural towns in South Africa
Full text linkThesis (PhD (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019As far back as 2008 the demand for electricity in South Africa (SA) has exceeded the supply of electricity (Joffe, 2012). Electricity generation in SA is a monopolistic industry driven by Eskom with most of its electricity generated by large coal-fired plants and one nuclear plant. This is in line with most countries where electricity is generated by these large power-generating plants and then transmitted via high voltage transmission systems. This situation in SA however came to a head during 2008 with a power crisis which the majority of South Africans will not easily forget. This crisis shook the South African nation and at the same time made the consumers realise that they can no longer rely on Eskom as a sole supplier of electricity and that they, the consumer will have to invest in ways to alleviate this crisis. The months of blackouts reminded every consumer how important it is to have access to electricity. Since 2008, the electricity provision in SA has seen some changes but in spite of these changes SA’s power system remains under huge strain and will continue to be under strain until Eskom manage to complete and add their latest two large power stations, Medupi and Kusile to their network to deliver the capacity needed to relieve the shortage of supply. Recovering from the effect that the 2008 crisis had on the South African industries and the public as a whole is without doubt the most pressing and immediate challenge for South Africans. As this is to the long term prospects for the economy a secure supply of electricity is essential. This will have to be done at a cost which South Africans can afford if the economy is to sustain better and faster rates of investment and economic growth whilst providing access to electricity for all.
It is therefore absolutely critical that the dependence on Eskom as a sole supplier of electricity should diminish. The South African government and policymakers will, therefore, need to consider measures on how to transform Eskom to allow its current grid to integrate alternate power generation sources such as renewable energy to open up opportunities for independent power producers (IPPs) to compete and stabilise the country’s electricity supply market. In addition to the inputs from the South African government and the policymakers South African industries and potential power generators will have to expand the energy supply mix in SA. This is important if the industry is committed to addressing the challenges of climate change. New players in the energy generation fields will have to be brought in together with new investors, technology and skills.
One of the biggest challenges is to convince the South African government that an energy generation monopoly is no longer sustainable and that an energy generation mix can be perhaps more sustainable, reliable and “cleaner” if the right balance between IPPs and SA’s monopoly energy generator is carefully orchestrated and properly governed. Affordable cost structures will attract investments from IPP’s and have already started doing so. Fin24 (Lameez Omarjee (Fin24), 2019) reported that South Africa’s Energy Minister Jeff Radebe explained; “The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) issues a licence to all IPPs, based on a full disclosure of information required, tariff and tariff escalation. A public participation process also takes pace to scrutinise the tariff before a licence is granted, before Eskom signs purchase power agreements (PPAs), Nersa will issue an approval for Eskom to enter into PPAs and confirm in writing that Eskom will be allowed the full associated cost under the cost recovery mechanism. Radebe further stated that the cost of buying energy from IPPs through purchase power agreements (PPAs) was included as expenditure, before the calculation of Eskom's operating profit” (Appendix A provides more insight).
With the many renewable energy resources being developed, distributed power generation is an alternative way of diversifying the energy mix to satisfy most of the above requirements. The challenge here is how South Africans ensure that distributed power generation as an integrated energy mix between existing generation and new renewable energy generating resources are optimally utilised. In light of the growing global population which is driving an even greater increase in the demand for electricity and governments around the world focusing on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by increasing the utilization of renewable energy sources in the power, chain seems to be the ultimate answer. In addition, these complex challenges are indeed driving the evolution of smart grid (SG) technologies which come with a whole host of new challenges and questions that needs to be answered.
One of the most important challenges and questions to be answered is how effective communication systems will be deployed within smart grids (SGs) that will have highly efficient, fast very reliable and very secure characteristics to transmit and respond to any type of fault conditions which may occur within SG’s. There are many wireless technologies available such as Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) etc. Cognitive radios are intelligent software-defined radios (SDRs) that efficiently utilize the unused regions of the frequency spectrum, to achieve higher data rates. The CRNs however is an unlicensed technology which suffers from lower Quality of Service (QoS) (Ekström, 2009) and high latency problems. LTE and 3GPP releases is a promising licensed technology which addresses issues of QoS and latency, one of the technologies which can address all these issues (Patel et al., 2016). The potential of utilising existing LTE networks could reduce the cost of operation and expansion during the introduction phase of SG deployment in SA. Some work is available in literature to ascertain the viability of LTE as a communication technology for SG applications (Peng Cheng et al., 2011). For the purpose of this thesis, different communication networks will be studied, compared and modelled to determine their suitability for deployment within SG’s for rural areas in South Africa. In this thesis, the work is done mostly on communication technologies that can automate and manage the increased degree of complexity when the present grid system will be replaced by a smart grid. The digital technology that will allow a swift communication between the user and the utility, along with sensing along the transmission lines. The research considered smart metering, different interruptions, power outage and disturbances as a type of call that might originate in smart grids. These calls are handled using cognitive radio networks first and which are replaced by LTE networks due to the problem of license in cognitive radio networks
Nickel ammonium thiosulphate leaching of gold from waste mobile phone printed circuit boards
Full text linkThesis (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Over the years, the quantity of e-waste, primarily waste mobile phone printed circuit boards (PCBs), has increased worldwide, as a result of technological advancements in the fields of electronics, telecommunications and computing. Therefore, to sustain the protection of the environment and human health, sustainable measures should be implemented. Electronic waste (e-waste) is known for its wider variety of base and precious metal content compared to naturally occurring ores. Waste mobile phone PCBs are the most attractive type of e-waste due to their higher and more structured precious metal content. Ammonium thiosulphate leaching is considered as one of the promising alternatives to cyanidation in hydrometallurgy. However, its industrial application is limited due to the high reagent consumption which has a direct impact on its cost-effectiveness.
This research aimed to investigate the ammonium thiosulphate leaching of gold from waste mobile phone PCBs, with an emphasis on the thiosulphate consumption and interference of the extractable copper in the leaching process. The objectives were to study the effect of acid pre-treatment and copper replacement with nickel as the metal oxidant on gold extraction and thiosulphate consumption.
The experiments in this study were all conducted in a batch setup. The PCBs were reduced to less than 3 mm particle size by cutting and crushing. In the acid pre-treatment, sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide concentrations were varied between two levels, namely 2 M and 3 M, to identify the optimum conditions that maximised copper extraction and minimised gold extraction. In the ammonium thiosulphate leaching, PCB pre-treatment and metal oxidant were investigated as categorical factors to establish the optimum conditions that maximised gold extraction and minimised thiosulphate consumption. The PCB pre-treatment was varied between two levels: acid-pretreated PCBs and untreated PCBs. The metal oxidant factor was varied between copper and nickel. The other leaching conditions were fixed, as prescribed in the existing literature.
The mobile phone PCBs used in this study were found to contain 524 g Au/ton-PCB and 461.8 kg Cu/ton-PCB, as determined by aqua regia leaching. Copper thus contributed to more than 40% of the total PCB mass. In the acid pre-treatment, the optimum reagent combination was 2 M H2SO4 and 3 M H2O2 and resulted in 93.72% copper extraction and 8.83% gold loss in 150 minutes at a pulp density of 50 g/L, 25°C and stirring speed of 350 rpm. Furthermore, it was determined, through material balance, that the PCB mass reduction induced by the acid pre-treatment was mostly attributed to the copper extraction, evidence that the other base metals such as iron and aluminium that could have dissolved in the acid pre-treatment stage were in small quantities in the PCBs to impact the overall mass reduction significantly. The acid pre-treatment was a PCB beneficiation process with an increase in the extractable gold content from 524 to 842 g/ton-PCB and a decrease in the copper content from 461.8 to 51.1 kg/ton-PCB. The variation in H2SO4 concentration had more statistical impact on gold extraction, whereas varying H2O2 concentration had a more statistical influence on copper extraction. The analysis of the goodness of fit of the shrinking-core model to the experimental results indicated that the acid pre-treatment was chemically controlled, with moderate control due to the turbulence.
In ammonium thiosulphate leaching, the optimum conditions consisted in using nickel as the oxidant in the thiosulphate leaching of acid-pretreated PCBs at a pulp density of 50g/L, 0.1 M thiosulphate, 0.2 M NH3, 0.03 M Ni2+, pH 10.5, 25°C and stirring speed of 350 rpm. The gold extraction and thiosulphate consumption were found to be 65.41% and 61.03 kg/ton-PCB in 5 hours of leaching time, a significant improvement from the conventional copper-thiosulphate leaching of untreated PCBs which resulted in gold extraction and thiosulphate consumption of 18.61% and 90.9 kg/ton-PCB, respectively. The statistical analysis of experimental results indicated that the variation of the metal oxidant had a higher significance level than the PCB pre-treatment with respect to gold extraction. The assessment of the goodness of fit of the shrinking-core model to the experimental data indicated that the copper-thiosulphate and nickel-thiosulphate leaching processes were both chemically controlled.
To assess the degree of comparison between the copper-thiosulphate and nickel-thiosulphate leaching processes for gold extraction from waste PCBs, a preliminary economics assessment was performed, with emphasis on production costs. Considering a basis of 1 metric ton of processed PCB, replacing copper with nickel as the metal oxidant reduced the raw materials costs from 3,768 USD to 2,868 USD, approaching previously reported cyanidation costs closely. The revenue and gross margin were increased from 8,969 and 5,201 USD in copper-thiosulphate leaching to 16,287 and 13,419 USD in nickel-thiosulphate leaching, respectively. Therefore, the use of ammonium thiosulphate as an environment-friendly alternative lixiviant shows potential by virtue of the improved process economics
Design of asset tracking device with GPRS Interface
Full text linkThesis (Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018.IOT devices have the potential to improve asset lifecycle optimization because of their ability to provide relevant real time data to high level applications. This data with minimal latency can assist asset managers to control the behaviour of assets and asset users to optimize asset lifecycle cost. There are many environments that require asset tracking devices but this design focussed on motor vehicles with auxiliary functions and apparatus. This research work documented the design of an asset tracking device built and tested on a 32.bit microcontroller platform with built-in CAN peripheral. This design resolved handling multiple serial interfaces collating data simultaneously concatenating this data and
transmitting the data via GPRS interface as a single UDP sentence. Apart from interfacing various serial interfaces to the Stm24f4 this design also implemented a Wireless module as well as a multichannel ADC Module. This design was accomplished by researching and implementing software techniques as well
as researching the hardware/firmware in terms of DMA and Nested Vector Interrupt Controller of the STM32 devices. The solution that this design will accomplish is to provide the industry an asset-tracking
device with data capturing functionality capable of delivering the above needs at reasonable data cost. The device designed in this thesis is the client device of asset tracking network. This design was accomplished on a proof of concept basis delivering built hardware in the form of various application modules interfaced to a 32 –bit microcontroller via uart, SPI and CAN
An analysis of vale-management as a panacea for high project execution failure rate in selected Cape Town project firms
No full textThesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019.There is a need to draw a balance between satisfying needs, be they of the customer or the beneficiaries of the project, and that of maximising the utilisation of resources. Value management seeks to merge all aspects of the project process, and to find a balance between satisfaction of the project‟s needs and the stakeholder‟s interests. This technique is meant to improve the reconciliation and value of differing judgements and priorities to improve on the deliverables of the project. Consequently, the principles of defining and adding measurable value focuses on reaching the objectives, and finding solutions to problems before they appear. Therefore, the end results become an innovative way of integrating all operational activities, which enhance pre-emptive, risk aversive management. Value management is considered as a critical aspect in the effective management of project processes to reduce the high project failure rate in the construction industry. Part of the purpose of this study is to bring about awareness and knowledge of the effective use of the value management tool. This empirical research focused on project managers and other project practitioners who are tasked with the execution of project processes. A total of 125 respondents was drawn from the sampling frame. A structured questionnaire was used for the purpose, and collected data was captured and analysed, using the SPSS tool and an Excel spreadsheet. Relationships in the illustrations were interpreted and presented, forming the basis on which findings, conclusion and recommendations were made. A questionnaire has structured closed-ended questions (quantitative) and open-ended questions (qualitative) to complement each other. A mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative) was applied to take advantage of the benefits of these two methods. The qualitative research applied a content analysis of the collected data
Impact of the administrative services offered at a university of technology in South Africa
No full textThesis (MTech (Office Management and Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The higher education system in South Africa has gone through significant restructuring and transformation since the dawn of democracy. One of these changes in the higher education landscape was the establishment of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) which appointed a permanent Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC). The major functions of the HEQC are to ensure quality, audit the quality assurance mechanisms and accredit programmes in higher education. The HEQC is however adamant that responsibility for the programmes and for institutional quality rests primarily with the institution itself. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are therefore under pressure and are facing tough competition to ensure that programmes and services they offer are of the best quality. It is assumed that clients' (students and visitors) first point of contact in a university is the administrative office. In an HEI there are numerous departments offering administrative support, for example, during student registration, academic clearance is performed by the relevant department; financial clearance is performed by the student debtors' department and access to registration is performed at the faculty. Therefore, students are required to deal with all these departments to complete their registration when they access the HEI. With the aim to determine the effects of administrative services offered to stakeholders by the faculty and all departments involved with admissions and registration, this research question was posed: How do administrative services offered to stakeholders within the faculty affect service delivery at a university of technology in the Western Cape, South Africa? The participants included students and administrative staff members involved with student registration. A sample size consisted of 187 students and seven staff members. Data was collected using both qualitative and quantitative means in order to determine the administrative service culture in place as well as the beliefs of the participants. Basically, data was gathered through individual questionnaires, one-on-one interviews and focus-group discussions. R-Statistical Computing was used to analyse quantitative data while the narrative research was utilised to analyse qualitative data. The findings identified that a majority of research participants believe that a considerable improvement in quality of services offered at a university is required. This may be achieved by creating awareness of services offered and proper implementation of policies, as well as improvement of systems in place which may eradicate the level of stakeholder dissatisfaction with service quality
Leadership imperatives for local government service delivery : case of a selected local municipality inthe Eastern Cape, South Africa
No full textThesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The research study explored and assessed leadership imperatives for effective service delivery at a selected local municipality as a single case study in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Studies have been conducted on leadership, there are concerns regarding leadership competencies linked to service delivery. The study explores leadership imperatives as the intended outcome to improve local government service delivery. The study further explores key service delivery issues which confront the leadership at the selected municipality. A qualitative research paradigm guided the study to achieve the objectives of the research. A single case study research method was adopted and open-ended interviews were conducted with the targeted population. The target population of the study comprised the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) manager, ward councillor, traditional leadership and residents. The findings arising from the analysis of the qualitative results could be used to address service delivery challenges confronted by the local government leadership and the communities within this region. The establishment of corrective measures could achieve improved municipal administration and mutual understanding between the municipal leadership and the communities. The recommendations support the selected municipality to achieve effective leadership for service delivery, improve public confidence in the leadership and further contribute towards the discourse in the field of public administration