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South African tourism graduates’ perceptions of decent work in the Western Cape tourism industry
No full textThesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.The 2011 National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) adopted the concept of sustainable development towards decent work as a strategic objective of priority in the South African tourism industry (South African National Department of Tourism (SA.NDT), 2011a). The objective operates to address unfavourable aspects associated with work in tourism, and is relevant to tourism graduates as their susceptibility to decent work deficits contributes to a shortage of professionals with industry-related skills in the tourism industry. Over four years have passed since the SA.NDT declared priority interest on the decent work objective in 2011. Yet no noticeable progress has yet been made. This has raised a need to expand the knowledge base on decent work in tourism so as to retain skilled tourism professionals and sustainably develop the industry, as it is a priority sector for the country’s sustainable growth.
The focus of this study was to establish tourism graduates’ perceptions (and experiences) of decent work in the tourism industry, as they are susceptible to decent work deficits and are abandoning the labour sector for which they created expectations and were highly trained. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, a qualitative research approach was adopted using a structured interview guide to collect primary data. The target population was limited to the 135 tourism graduates of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s BTech in Tourism Management programme, who completed their studies between the years 2010 and 2014. Stratified sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used to obtain a representative sample of 40 tourism graduates. Primary data were analysed using Leximancer software.
The key findings of the study reveal the majority of the respondents surveyed to be mainly single females which reflect the population of the local tourism industry, of an average age of 27 years, and earning an average monthly salary of R7 007.35. In relation to historical race categories, Africans were the most noticeable compared to other races. The working career of the majority of these tourism graduates was on average four to five years before exiting the industry to pursue a different career. This was attributed to a predominance of precarious tourism work conditions and inaccessibility of decent work as tourism qualifications are apparently not valued in the tourism labour market. The findings underlined that work in tourism covers present financial needs and does not protect employees against possible future unemployment, illness, or old age. Tourism role players should collaborate to establish decent work focus areas as a step towards addressing unfavourable work conditions in the tourism industry. This should mitigate shortages of skilled tourism human resources. The study suggested eight decent work focus areas for addressing poor working conditions and sustainable development towards decent work in the South African tourism industry
The role of business incubators in facilitating the entrepreneurial skills requirements of small and medium size enterprises in the Cape metropolitan area, South Africa
No full textThesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.In both developed and developing countries, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) create employment opportunities and can therefore improve the standard of living. The South African Government have embarked on a number of initiatives in support of SMEs. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the SEDA Technology Programme (STP) have a number of assistance programmes that are being implemented in support of SMEs. Although there have been many varied studies on business incubators, there is still a need for research to determine the importance of entrepreneurial skills for the development of successful incubators.Business incubators are essentially organisations that assist to increase survival rates of innovative start-up companies and support the entrepreneurial process. Incubators provide resources and services to entrepreneurs, including working space or physical offices, technical expertise, management mentoring, assistance in compiling an effective business plan, shared administrative services, technical support, business networking, advice on intellectual property and sources of financing, markets as well as strict admission and exit rules, which are designed to ensure that the incubator concentrates its efforts in helping innovative and fast-growth business start-ups that are likely to have a significant impact on the local economy. This therefore reduces the start-up capital and overhead costs, and allows the entrepreneur to focus on his/her core business whilst receiving operational support and hand-held coaching. The incubator concept supports the clients’ development journey to ensure business sustainability and growth.The main objective of the study is to determine the role that business incubators play in filling entrepreneurial-skills requirements for SMEs in the Cape metropolitan District. The population of this study comprised all the business incubators on the data base of one of the organisations that promotes SME development strategies and programmes in the Cape Metropolitan Area (CAM). All of the five business incubators that were registered on the database of a local organisation, known as Traction, during the course of the investigation, were deemed suitable for the study and therefore comprised the sample, which promotes SMEs’ development. The study utilises a mixed approach of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data. From a quantitative point of view, questionnaires are utilised, while face-to-face interviews is used as a qualitative method. A maximum of seventy questionnaires is administered to incubated SMEs, 28 questionnaires were returned and all qualified for data analysis. This amounts to a 40% response rate. To complement the survey questionnaire, five face-to-face interviews were conducted with business incubators. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was utilised to analyse the quantitative data, whereas qualitative data was analysed by means of content analysis and the results for both methods were presented in the format of figures, tables and charts
Disinfection by-products and their biological influence on radicle development, biomass accumulation, nutrient concentration, oxidative response and lipid composition of two tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars
No full textThesis (DTech (Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.Trihalomethanes are disinfection byproducts of chlorinated waters, and there is a growing interest to understand plant responses to organohalogens. This study investigates the effects of increasing trihalomethane dose on the physiology of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and determines whether the extent of physiological impacts of trihalomethane exposure on seedling radicle length, biomass accumulation, concentration levels of 12 key nutrients, oxidative stress, fatty acids and α-tocopherol content in membrane lipids of tomato correlated with either the number of bromine or chlorine atoms in the trihalomethane molecules. The 2 x 4 x 5 factorial experiment was laid out in CRD with four replications. Two cultivars of tomato were exposed to 4 levels of trihalomethanes (bromodichloromethane, bromoform, chloroform and dibromochloromethane) and 5 levels of concentration (0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 mg.L-1) in a green house. The decrease in seedling biomass and the inhibition of radicle growth increased with increasing trihalomethane concentrations in a dose dependent manner. Also, both these parameters decreased in response to an increase in the number of bromine atoms in the trihalomethane molecule. However, in growing plants the decrease in concentration levels of seven essential nutrients namely nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) & boron (B) correlated to an increase in the number of chlorine atoms. Increase in trihalomethane dose also induced a decrease in all the above mentioned nutrients with the addition of manganese (Mn), although the decrease in P and S were not significant at P ≤ 0.05. The increase in trihalomethane dose induced an increase in oxidative stress parameters such as the total phenolic content, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and lipid peroxidation. The increase in the above parameters correlated to an increase in the number of chlorine atoms, however, no such correlations were observed in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, general lipid peroxidation, α-tocopherol content and totalsoluble proteins. In plant membrane lipids, increase in the saturated fat hexadecanoic acid was observed in both tomato cultivars that correlated to the degree of chlorination in the trihalomethane molecule. The increase in α-linolenic acid stress signaling correlated with an increase in the degree of chlorination in only one tomato cultivar suggesting variable tolerance between cultivars to chemical action. Membrane lipids adjustments in tomato plants exposed to increasing trihalomethane dose were based on two factors; first the adjustments of membrane fluidity with the increase in plant sterols and fatty acids content and secondly, the increase in lipophyllic antioxidants such as phenols, quinones and α-tocopherol content. The phenolic lipophyllic antioxidant was tentatively identified to be 2,2’-methylenebis [6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methyl] phenol. In conclusion, the magnitude of plant responses to trihalomethanes is more dependent on the halogenation number of the molecule and less on its concentration
Vitamin B12 and folate enrichment of kefir by Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Streptococcus thermophilus strains
No full textThesis (MTech (Food Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.In South Africa malnutrition exists due to inadequate dietary intake of micronutrients which is one of the major causes of vitamin deficiencies leading to disease. The treatment of malnutrition over the past years has been a considerable burden on the South African economy. Therefore, food fortification is one of the current strategies used to minimize malnutrition by increasing the nutritional value of staple foods.
Commercial dairy products and pharmaceutical nutritional products (food supplements) in South Africa have been developed and produced for affluent consumers. Hence the need to develop an affordable fortified dairy product for the majority of South Africans prompted this study aimed at using a “naturally” fortified kefir beverage with vitamin B12 and folate to increase B-vitamins levels.
Since Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Streptococcus thermophilus are known to be good producers of vitamin B12 and folate, respectively, and propionibacteria has the ability to grow symbiotically in the presence of lactic acid bacteria, the inclusion of these organisms with the kefir grains was an achievable objective. In order to conduct the analysis of vitamin B12 and folate in the samples, sample extraction and HPLC assay techniques were developed. The extraction of vitamin B12 and folate were achieved by using KCN extraction buffer and the trienzymatic method, respectively. The samples were also subjected to purification and concentration using solid phase extraction for optimum results. All standards and samples were flushed with nitrogen gas and stored for a maximum of 2 weeks at –20°C to prevent B-vitamin deterioration. The HPLC assembly for the vitamin B12 analysis included a Luna C18 column and a diode array detector (DAD) for the detection and quantification. For the folate analysis it included a Zorbax SB-C18 and Luna C18 columns in tandem and the fluorescence detector (FLD) was used for the detection and quantification of THF, 5-CH3-THF and 5-CHO-THF, while the DAD was used for PGA and pteroyltri-γ-L-glutamic acid concentration in the samples
Community perceptions of the impacts and benefits of a service learning project for small, medium and micro enterprises in a department of tourism management at a university of technology
No full textThesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.Community engagement in universities of technology is evolving to become a game-changer in addressing the economic challenges of the country (Erasmus, 2005:4). Service learning (SL) as a form of community engagement is promoted in higher education, as a learning paradigm. Conway, Amel and Gerwien (2009:238) encourage enquiry into the benefits of this pedagogy and the partnerships involved, as faculties curriculate and adopt the service learning model into current programmes (Lazarus, Erasmus, Hendricks, Nduna & Slamat, 2008:60-61). The SL project of the Tourism Management Department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is distinctive in design from the generic social-change focussed projects within Universities of Technology (UoTs). Its outcomes are based on the development of business plans for small and medium enterprises for implementation. The assessment of this interactive learning process was essential to determine whether it yielded any positive change in the participants. Thus the aim of the study is to determine the success or otherwise of the service learning project, so as to ensure that the small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) community and students benefit from the Tourism Management project. The study sample included nine small and medium tourism entrepreneurs (SMTEs) and 178 third year tourism management students. From the sample two SMTEs participated in one-on-one interviews and six students participated in a focus-group interview. Action research was undertaken for this study, and census sampling was adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data from project participants. The ATLAS.ti 7 data analysis programme was employed to process the qualitative data, and SPSS 22.0 software was utilised to develop frequency tables from the quantitative data. All data was triangulated to obtain conclusions. Fifty-two percent (52%) of student participants learnt leadership skills, with 64% indicating essential benefits on business skills. Company visions were shared throughout the collaborative process, and 76% of SMTE responses, directed to the students’ solutions, being highly innovative for their businesses; and these were implemented to improve business processes. The findings of the study attested to the SL model improving reciprocal learning, and having positive benefits for all partners involved. In continuing the essential dialogue on implementation of SL in higher education, sustainable partnerships in SL projects are essential to ensure continued positive results. The majority of participants responded positively to a willingness to participate in a similar project, which is a positive indicator of the benefits of the project. Implications for future studies point towards a need for continued monitoring of growth performance in the participating small and medium enterprises
The role of technology in the teaching, training and learning of hospitality students
No full textThesis (MTech (Tourism))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.This study investigated the role of ICT in the teaching, training and learning of hospitality students at The International Hotel School (IHS), and was conducted in the form of a case study based on the teaching, training and learning techniques used at the three campuses of The International Hotel School (IHS) in South Africa, and involved purposive and stratified random sampling. It was conducted over an 18 month period, using survey questionnaires, focus group discussions, and interviews. The researcher had, over a considerable period while in the classroom, observed a trend by students to increasingly use the internet to source information while studying, rather than spending time in a classroom being taught the required information. Based on observations of how students chose to learn, the researcher also deduced that there needed to be a shift from traditional face to face teaching and learning in a classroom environment, in order to accommodate the changing learning needs of students. The aim of the research was thus to define the role of ICT within hospitality studies at the IHS and gauge the impact of teaching, training and learning on the current hospitality curriculum, as well as the long- term initiatives within the hospitality field. A sub-objective was to enhance the learning process of students by making use of ICT to assist the learning process and make the learning material more interactive. This would assist both the student and the lecturer. The findings, based on the responses from students and academic staff at the Cape Town Campus of the IHS, and the interviews and focus group discussions with all IHS staff suggest the recognition for a move to the use of ICT’s in the formal educational process at the IHS. The results of the study lead to the recommendations for a change towards the role of ICT in the teaching and learning process
The aerodynamic design and development of an urban concept vehicle through CFD analysis
No full textThesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.This work presents the computational
uid dynamics (CFD) analysis of a light road
vehicle. Simulations are conducted using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with
the wall adapting local eddy (WALE) turbulence model. Simulations include and compare
the use of a rolling road, rotating wheels, adaptive re nement as well as showing
comparison with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver and the Spalart-
Allmaras (SA) turbulence model. The lift coe cient of the vehicle for the most part
was seen to show a much greater di erence and inconsistencies when compared to drag
from the comparisons of solvers, turbulence models, re nement and the e ect of rolling
road. Determining the drag of a road vehicle can be easily achieved and veri ed using
multiple solvers and methods, however, the lift coe cient and its validation require a
greater understanding of the vehicle
ow eld as well as the solvers, turbulence models
and re nement levels capable of correctly simulating the turbulent regions around a
vehicle. Using the presented method, it was found that the optimisation of vehicle
aerodynamics can easily be done alongside the design evolution from initial low-drag
shapes to the nal detail design, ensuring aerodynamic characteristics are controlled
with aesthetic change
DNA methylation : a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus
No full textThesis (MTech (Biomedical Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.The early detection of individuals who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) would decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. DNA methylation, the most widely studied epigenetic mechanism, offers unique opportunities in this regard. Aberrant DNA methylation is associated with disease pathogenesis and is observed during the asymptomatic stage of disease. DNA methylation has therefore attracted increasing attention as a potential biomarker for identifying individuals who have an increased risk of developing T2DM. The identification of high risk biomarkers for T2DM could facilitate risk stratification and lifestyle interventions, which could ultimately lead to better ways to prevent, manage and control the T2DM epidemic that is rampant worldwide. The aim of the study was to investigate global DNA methylation as a potential risk factor for T2DM by studying the association between the global DNA methylation levels and hyperglycaemic states. A cross-sectional, quantitative study design, involving 564 individuals of mixed ancestry descent, residing in Bellville South, South Africa was used. Participants were classified as normal, pre-diabetic (impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)) or diabetic (screen detected diabetic and known diabetics) according to WHO criteria of 1998. DNA was extracted from whole blood using the salt extraction method. The percentage global DNA methylation was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The association between global DNA methylation and hyperglycaemia, as well as other biochemical markers of T2DM was tested in a robust linear regression analysis adjusted for age, gender and smoking
Beyond knowledge to understanding: a Goethean perspective on design education as living process
No full textThesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.This study explores appropriate responses to some of the challenges inherent to life today, and
how a holistic design education can bring about a new reality. The approach to design learning
advocated here acknowledges the present reality of fragmentation and reductionism as the fundamental
and pervasive mode of understanding our world and ourselves, and seeks to develop
instead a design approach grounded in inclusion, context and connectedness.
Under the primary concept of profound engagement with self, culture and environment, I developed
a complementary design education model exploring the role of designer as mediator between
culture and nature. This model proposes future design knowing situated in environmental,
social and self-awareness so as to offer a vital interface between ecology, public and the personal. Three themes emerged during the research that helped me to approach and engage with complexity
during particular experiences of teaching and learning. These themes are: Wild, representing
quality; Conversation, representing experience; and Transformation, representing consciousness.
With these themes in mind I entered into the untamed territory of my research seeking the
dynamic connections and interrelationships of living processes in education.
The Ensembles or modules constituting this model evolved from the work of Rudolf Steiner’s
concepts of higher perception: Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition, made clear through following
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s phenomenological method. Goethe’s phenomenological method – “delicate empiricism” – is essentially a participatory, perceptive practice with which
to harness qualitative ways of knowing. The methodology supports students to cross the divide
between abstraction and holistic relational modes of knowing that are context-sensitive.
The research study reconsiders the current worldview and determines ways in which to develop
relational awareness through deliberate learning experiences. These ways imply re-focusing existing
awareness with personal qualities and active participation. The Ensembles open up new ways
of perceiving emergent process rooted in integrated, flexible and evolutionary processes.
Students’ learning experiences are traced as they develop their capacity for interconnected decision
making modelled on living processes. This in turn helps develop the model further, so that
in the future designers may embrace ways of thinking and doing design that are more flexible,
mobile, delicate and sustainable. The radical humanist perspective and qualitative methods used in the study advance the pedagogical
approach embedded in human engagement and interaction, and encompass logic, intellect,
creativity, imagination and philosophical reflection. Thus the critical shift, from perceiving the
world as abstract and as “something out there” to a deeper inner knowing and understanding, is
embedded in the education model as an opus of Ensembles reflecting a pedagogy of lived experience,
grounded in embodied creative practice
Woodstock small business development initiatives : an impact study
No full textThesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.This research study explored perceptions which small business owners and managers have of the impact that initiatives, aimed at revitalisation, have on small business development. The Woodstock Salt-River Revitalisation Framework (WSRRF, 2002) served to guide these initiatives in order to achieve their various objectives, which included, inter alia, the development of small business. Often, official initiatives cannot adequately meet the needs of all stakeholders. The benefits that are derived from these initiatives may differ amongst stakeholders owing to their varying expectations and perceptions.
The main research problem that was identified relates to reasons why the impact of this framework initiative is currently not appropriately understood and, as a result, not effectively and efficiently implemented. Hence, this research study evaluates the extent to which the Revitalisation Framework has affected the development of small businesses within the study area