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Financing tools, firm life cycle and growth of small, medium and micro enterprises in selected sub-Sahara African economies
Get PDFFinance is of paramount importance for small, medium and micro enterprises’ (SMMEs) growth, without which many firms fail to move along their growth continuum. Against this background, the study sought to examine the growth effects of financing tools across the different phases of SMMEs' life cycle in Sub Sahara Africa (SSA) economies for the period spanning from 2003 to 2019. Firstly, due to the inherent heterogeneity nature of the SMMEs' financing landscapes across the world, the study starts by identifying the commonly used financing tools in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. These were found to be internal finance, bank debt, trade credit, non-bank finance and informal finance, with internal finance being the most prevalent financing tool. The second aspect of the study was to examine the growth effects of the identified financing tools on SMMEs' performance in Sub Sahara Africa. In achieving this objective, several panel estimation techniques were employed, which are the feasible generalised least squares (FGLS), cross-sectional dependence (SCC), random effects model (REM) and pooled ordinary least squares (POLS). The empirical results show that internal finance or savings, bank financing, trade credit, non-bank financing and informal financing are positive and statistically significant in explaining SMMEs growth in the region, with stronger evidence for a positive relationship between external finance (trade credit and bank finance) on SMMEs growth in Sub-Saharan African region. The third objective of the study was to investigate the growth effects of SMMEs’ financing tools across different phases of the firm life cycle. The same panel techniques as used in achieving the previous objective were utilized again. The empirical findings show that the growth effects of SMME financing tools evolve as SMMEs move along their growth continuum, and only bank finance proved to be a fundamental variable for SMMEs growth throughout the different phases of firm growth. Finally, motivated by SMMEs’ high dependence on internal finance or savings, the study explored the saving practices of SMMEs in Sub Saharan Africa using thematic analysis. The study findings show that SMMEs in Sub Sahara African economies systematically save through formal and informal financial systems. These findings are contrary to conventional wisdom, which suggests that SMMEs are a financial basket case. Basing on the study findings, policies aimed at reducing or lessening the burden of accessing finance are important to stimulate the growth of SMMEs. Most importantly, there is a need for lenders and sponsors to understand the firm life cycle-financing tool nexus to ensure SMMEs growth. Moreover, SMMEs in Sub Sahara African economies need to cultivate a spirit of thrift to minimize firm attrition rate, thereby promoting SMMEs' growth in the region.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 202
Alcohol use among women attending antenatal care in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape
Get PDFAlcohol use during pregnancy is known to cause neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). High prevalence of FASD has been observed in certain parts South Africa, but many areas of the country remain unstudied, and factors contributing to drinking among pregnant women are poorly understood. This study surveyed 1099 women attending antenatal care at public primary healthcare facilities in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Area in the Eastern Cape. Data was collected using the Alcohol Use Identification Test, a 10-item self-report measure of drinking behaviour in isiXhosa, English, and Afrikaans. Factors associated with alcohol use, risky drinking, binge drinking, and hazardous/harmful drinking were identified using logistic regression. A minority of the sample reported alcohol use (64%). Among those reporting alcohol use, most reported occasional binge drinking (63%) and met criteria for risky drinking (59%) and hazardous/harmful drinking (52%). Living with a regular drinker was significantly associated with alcohol use (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.51 – 2.58), risky drinking (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.49 – 2.76), binge drinking (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.64 – 2.97), and hazardous/harmful drinking (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.41 – 2.99). However, women who were married/cohabiting were less likely to report alcohol use (OR .71, 95% CI .53 - .95). Experiencing intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy was associated with alcohol use (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.38 – 4.27) and hazardous/harmful drinking (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.32 – 5.22). In this study, women who identified as Coloured were more likely to report alcohol use than Women who identified as African (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.4 – 5.36). These findings simultaneously provide evidence of problematic drinking among pregnant women in a previously understudied area and show that external factors affect women’s drinking behaviour during pregnancy. Interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of FASD should consider alcohol use by pregnant women in the context of their lived experiences.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 202
A novel o/w microemulsion fixed dose combination of efavirenz, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate: development and characterisation
No full textThesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 202
Photodynamic therapy characteristics of phthalocyanines in the presence of boron doped detonation nanodiamonds
Get PDFThe synthesis, photophysicochemical and photodynamic therapy (PDT) activities of benzothiazole substituted zinc phthalocyanine (Pc): 1 (asymmetrically substituted and composed of no charges), 2 (asymmetrically substituted and composed of three positive charges), and 3 (symmetrically substituted and composed of four positive charges), are presented. The triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yields were highest for complex 2 showing the importance of asymmetry and charge. The complexes are covalently and non-covalently linked to B doped detonation nanodiamonds (B@DNDs) to yield nanohybrids (B@DNDs-1, B@DNDs-2, B@DNDs-3). The presence of B@DNDs, asymmetry and positive charge resulted in improved PDT with the lowest cell viability being observed for B@DNDs-2 at 5%. The cell viability ranged from 5% to 7% for the nanohybrids compared to 19–26% for Pcs alone
Early maladaptive schemas among re-offenders in Gqeberha 102
Get PDFhigh crime rate in South Africa showed an increase in 2018 with recidivism being the highest contributing factor. The increase in recidivism rates is a result of many factors, including the ineffectiveness of rehabilitation programmes. In an attempt to combat the increase in recidivism, its causes have been examined from a number of perspectives, especially social factors. However, very few studies have focussed on psychological factors when studying crime in South Africa. International studies have found personality factors to be a contributing factor towards recidivism. Concordantly, international studies have also established a correlation between early maladaptive schemas, a core component of personality, and crime. This study aimed to explore early maladaptive schemas among reoffenders in Gqeberha, South Africa. The objective of the study was to establish the prevalence of EMS in a sample of repeat offenders from the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO) in Gqeberha. The study used a quantitative methodology and a sample size of 14 participants was utilised. Convenience sampling was utilised to identify reoffenders. The data was collected by administering a short demographical questionnaire and the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlations were utilised to analyse the data.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 202
'ORPHEIOI HYMNOI' The generic contexts of the Orphic Hymns
Get PDFUncertainty surrounds the circumstances of Orphic Hymns’ composition and their intended use. Their author has substituted their own identity for that of the mythological poet and there is no certain reference to the extant collection in any ancient source. They are, in this sense, decontextualised. This study aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the hymns’ composition, and the original function they might have served, through an analysis of their poetic and generic contexts. Following a detailed survey of scholarship on the hymns, I reflect first on the collection as a unified text, the constitutive parts of the individual hymns and the methods they employ for addressing, describing and praying to the gods. I then study a select group of stylistic features that the hymns prominently display: their use of phonic effects, including etymological figures, of antithesis and symmetrical patterning, and their extensive repetition of poetic formulae. In each case I discuss the deployment and significance of these poetic elements within the collection and consider the intertextual parallels suggested by their recurrence in Greek literary texts of all periods. This analysis reveals the hymns’ engagement with an overlapping set of poetic traditions, including, most prominently, cultic hymns and oracles, gnomic poetry, the theological discourses of the Presocratic philosophers and, in particular, Orphic poetry in its many forms. It suggests moreover that the hymns engage deeply with the oral strategies of the earliest Greek poets, underscoring the conclusion reached by several recent scholars, that the extant collection is essentially performative and was intended to be recited and heard. I argue that the Orphic Hymns were not a unique text in their employment of the stylistic features studied here, but drew extensively upon earlier hymns composed in Orpheus’ name. I further consider, in the light of this argument, the bearing this study has on the unresolved questions of the hymns’ composition, whether by a single author or many, and the aims of the poet(s) who composed them.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literature Studies, 202
Composition Portfolio
Get PDFExtract from Introduction: “In the cover bands I worked with, I used to do what all my colleagues in these bands were doing to learn and remember repertoire; transcribe “by ear” and then rehearse with the whole band. Later, when I joined “909” [a cover band named after the “909” model of drum-box developed and built by the Japanese company, Roland] I learned to extend that skill by notating my transcriptions and then playing from these self-made keyboard parts. All the instrumentalists in that band likewise played from their own notated transcriptions and, from that time onward it became rarer for me to do any kind of performance work without a set of self-made parts to read from or refer to. I had thus reverted to performing from musical notation. Even later, when I became involved almost exclusively in improvisational music performance, I never quite abandoned the notion of having notated keyboard or piano parts to hand, as a reference or guide. Since about 1990, I have led a life that has increasingly left pop music behind and instead embraced working with improvising musicians; those who wish to explore South African folk idioms in their compositional and performance output, as well as others who have a deep love of jazz music. At the same time, I have re-entered the realm of classical music and music-making; often through writing arrangements of my own music, which would incorporate classically trained players, as well as in response to commissions to compose [for particular musicians or groups of musicians] fully notated pieces of music – such as the works in this PhD portfolio. Yet, there are many circumstantial factors that feed into my composing, and exert an influence on my creativity. A major step in this particular direction came during 2002 when composer, Michael Blake, asked me to contribute to The Bow Project. This commission brought me into close contact with the [then intact and very active] Sontonga Quartet. Several further requests for, and commissions of, new works followed on from there. Two such works constitute the major portion of the portfolio to which these reflexive commentaries refer.”Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 202
Language Learning Anxiety: a bometric investigation of stress and language learning using wearable devices
Get PDFAs Sapolsky (2015) notes, stress research has long been characterised by definitional debates that gave rise to a lack of agreement between theorists. An example of this definitional confusion can be seen in the area of Language Learning Anxiety, where there appears to be confusion in the literature over terms such as anxiety and stress. This study investigated the link between stress and language learning using wearable devices measuring heart rate variance, as a means of establishing the feasibility of using this new technology in stress research. The results indicate that the contextualised longitudinal data delivered by wearable devices mitigates against the current dominant paradigm in Language Learning Anxiety, which postulates a straight-line negative correlation between stress and learning. Instead, the inverted U stress relationship proposed by theorists such as Hebb (1955) seem to be a better fit for the data. The nature of the contextualised data generated in this study allowed for comparisons between participants’ stress readings in academic contexts, such as language and non-language classes, and their free time. The findings suggest that certain long-held assumptions about heightened stress in academic contexts may not hold true. While the findings of this study did not reach the levels of statistical significance, they constitute proof of concept that the type of contextualised data delivered by wearable devices may allow for a new type of stress research that incorporates contextualising longitudinal perspectives on participants’ stress levels. In this study the inclusion of contextualising data led to fundamentally different conclusions about the relationship between stress and language learning. The same may be true of many areas of stress research. The findings presented in this study have broader paradigm-altering implications not only for educational policy, but also for stress research in general. Perhaps equally important was that the type of data delivered by wearable devices was qualitatively different from that normally associated with quantitative studies. This presented challenges in data analysis in this study, but also opens intriguing possibilities regarding a means of reconciling the qualitative and quantitative split in research modalities. The use of wearable devices is not without issues, and some of the issues, ranging from practical considerations to ethical conundrums, are presented for the reader’s consideration and to inform future researchers regarding potential pitfalls.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 202
Protection of the environment from pollution emanating from offshore oil installations
Get PDFThe desperate need for South Africa to develop its oil industry is driven by the goal of improving the social and economic situation in the State. This goal has sparked an interest in expanding the exploration and exploitation of oil within the marine environment to the extent of venturing into uncharted deeper waters.1 This interest has been met with a constant reminder of the Deepwater Horizon explosion as one of the many events that stirred up concerns within the global community on the possibility of an oil spill causing pollution within the marine environment. Also, that explosion and its effects have demonstrated the need for the global community to closely monitor and effectively regulate environmental matters, including the exploration and exploitation of oil and the prevention of oil pollution.2 Therefore, the recent discovery of additional oil deposits in South Africa has confirmed the need to revisit the current legal system regulating the impact on the marine environment including the exploration and exploitation of oil.3 An oil spill causing pollution amongst other pollutants is a significant contributor to loss and damage to the marine environment and its habitat. In developing States like South Africa, an oil spill causing pollution can present challenges due to the scarcity of resources, technology, and knowledge to prepare, prevent and combat the spreading of the pollutant. As it stands, in the event of an oil spill, States must rely on international cooperation and expertise to ensure that the impact does not cause irreversible harm and degradation to the marine environment. South Africa within the global community gives effect to international law by adopting domestic laws that regulate the exploration and exploitation of oil to protect the environment from oil spills causing oil pollution within the marine environment. In addition, the liability caused by oil spills plays a vital role in the need to rehabilitate the marine environment and compensate the aggrieved parties.Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Law, Department of Public law , 202
Using night time data as a measure of gross domestic product in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textOver the last decade, a bold move has been made by researchers to shift focus on improving and establishing accurate and reliable measures of economic activity across the globe. With an everchanging global economic landscape, unreliable GDP statistics and the lack thereof have held a nascent impact on formulating appropriate stabilization policies. This, in turn, have affected the affairs of nations, especially low income and developing ones. In an attempt to find alternative ways to measure economic activity, night time lights data have emerged in numerous empirical studies as a novel way of attempting to measure economic growth and development. Various studies have found this to be useful for countries that do not have statistical capabilities such as poor nations, while other studies have put forward arguments in favour of a possible non-linear relationship between GDP and night time lights data. Against this background, this study implores night time lights data extensively to establish whether it can serve as a possible measure of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa between 1992 and 2012. Based on the results obtained from testing for a positive correlation between GDP and night time lights data in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study further aim to use night time lights data as a measure of GDP in the regressions against proxies of well-being, urbanization, and environmental degradation. The significance of the study relates to the fact that the estimation accuracy of GDP is positively influenced by spatial and radiation resolution of night time lights data. In addition, by taking a country-specific approach using more advanced econometric estimation techniques, this study improves on the empirical literature pertaining to African countries. All facets of pooled ordinary least squares (POLS), the pooled mean group estimators, as well as the wavelet coherence estimation techniques were the three approaches used to investigated correlations between night time lights data and economic activity. Overall findings indicate little evidence that night time lights data derived from the DMSP-OLS archive can serve as a strong measure of GDP in regressions across the Sub-Saharan African region. Recommendations and avenues for future research are outlined at the end of the study.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economics Science, School of Applied Accounting, 202