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Recycling Practices In The City Of Mbombela, South Africa
Get PDFDissertationIntroduction: The study focused on determining the factors influencing waste picking in the City of Mbombela municipality, Republic of South Africa. The study objectives were to assess determinants of waste picking, influence of convenience factors in recycling; and to determine the incentives as stimulants of recycling participation.
Methodology: The data were collected from February to March 2019. A participatory method of data collection was used to determine the factors that influence the engagement of participating waste pickers (WPs) in waste picking activities. Available WPs at three landfill sites, Hazyview, Barberton and Tekwane, and who operated in the streets of Hazyview town, Barberton town and Mbombela (Nelspruit) CBD were recruited. Only WPs willing to participate and sign a consent form were included in the study. The respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and their responses were recorded by the principal researcher and a trained, knowledgeable assistant. A sample size of 149.4 (150) WPs was determined by using Yamane’s (1967) formula. This ideal number was not achieved as 146 WPs participated.
Results and discussion: The study found that age and gender were not determinants of waste picking participation, while a high level of education determined sustainable waste picking practices. Poverty, income need and employment are determinants for waste picking. Aluminium recyclables were desirable by most (53.4%) WPs. Unavailability of recyclables, costs of waste picking, health and safety hazards are factors of inconvenience in recycling, while recyclable accessibility, available markets and good prices are factors of convenience. The distance between waste source and deposit point is a convenience or an inconvenience. Moreover, availability, accessibility of recycling facilities and reliable transportation are factors of convenience. Financial incentives motivated the majority of WPs (81.3% LWPs and 9 0.1% SWPs) to recycle.
Conclusion: As waste picking contributes to poverty alleviation and offers alternative employment to WPs, the industry should be formalized or compensated. The study recommends intervention by authorities to eliminate inconveniences while enhancing convenience factors for growing waste picking in the City of Mbombela. Since the majority WPs rely on financial incentives, it is recommended that maintaining and improving financial incentives, public awareness on other recycling incentives is important
The Relationship Between Owner-Managers’ Transformational Leadership Behaviours And Human Resource Strategies Within Small Fast-Food Restaurants In Mangaung Metro Area
Get PDFDissertationManaging employee performance, commitment and involvement deals with among others an organisation's human resource strategy with respect to establishing sustainable competitive advantage. HR strategies, on the other side, may serve as a medium through which the basic elements of transformational leadership, idealised influences, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration, can be made observable in the workplace. In an endeavour to rescue a sinking small fast-food restaurant sector, the present study investigated the relationship between owner-managers’ transformational leadership behaviours and human resource strategies within small fast-food restaurants in Mangaung Metro area. The main objective of this study was to determine the extent to which owner-managers’ transformational leadership behaviours and human resource strategies correlate. Conceptual framework model was developed and latent variables measured using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). It was a descriptive survey in terms of methodology. For data collection, a questionnaire was self-administered to 102 participants via census method of data collection. The results showed that there is a relationship between owner-managers’ transformational leadership behaviours and HR strategies though the relationship is not so stron
Understanding and Interpreting Measures of Central Location, Dispersion and Confidence Intervals in Pandemics The Case of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19)
No full textResearch ArticleUnderstanding the application of statistical methods is an essential component
in the analysis of pandemics. Although the management of emergencies
that stem from such pandemics can be a challenging task, the
effects caused by such emergencies can be mitigated by improved preparedness,
the implementation of preventive measures, timely response
and the implementation of recovery strategies. Statistical methods provide
tools that can access the relative magnitude of pandemics, such as
Covid-19. A key feature of public health management is an understanding
of data and analysis to quantify the extent of such pandemics, and to be
successful in their mandate. The statistics used in the current coronavirus
pandemic involve clinical characteristics of the infected population, and
are reported in the form of means, modes, medians, interquartile ranges
and confidence intervals. These measures form part of descriptive and
inferential statistics, and more specifically measures of central location
and variation, as well as measures of precision. The aim of this article
is to review these measures, which are typically used when reporting a
new epidemic outbreak. First, the difference between descriptive statistics
and inferential statistics is described, after which a thorough theoretical
explanation is given regarding measures of central location and variation,
as well as measures of precision. Straightforward explanations of these
statistical methods may promote understanding among public administrators
and managers about how epidemiological data is being analysed. This increased understanding could assist managers in responding to the
pandemic, its characteristics and descriptive statistics appropriately and
thus enhance their ability to formulate effective strategies
Facilitating Community Participation Through Crowdsourcing In Urban Planning Processes: An Exploratory Study
Get PDFArticleFostering community participation by planners in South African municipalities poses a challenge during planning processes. Different levels of public apathy have been observed, and they continue to undermine the quest of municipalities to provide sustainable neighbourhoods. Also, value conflicts from different urban stakeholders resulting from this apathy can be ameliorated through improved participation of the communities in the planning processes. In bridging this gap, the paper seeks to explore different Crowdsourcing techniques to be employed in Mangaung to enable urban stakeholders’ participation in planning projects. As such, crowdsourcing, as a new web-based business model, is inclusive in the 4th Industrial Revolution and can be used as the best solution for community participation in planning projects. Based on the foregoing, this paper employs a case study research design and a coterie of techniques: semi-structured interviews and document reviews for data elicitation. Interviewees comprise of purposively recruited town planning and other municipal officials involved in planning projects. The emergent data will be analysed thematically. Expectedly, the findings hold immense implications for planning practitioners as well as other professionals and policymakers working within the urban planning and socio-economic development praxes in South African Municipalities
Dominant Epistemology, African Indigenous Languages, Culture And The Discourse On The Decolonisation Of Knowledge Within The (African) University
Get PDFArticleKnowledge is preserved in the language of its producers and developers, and as a carrier of
culture, language is significant because it controls the way people (individually and
collectively) perceive themselves in relation to others in the world. Language is also primarily
responsible for initiating and sustaining creativity. Unfortunately, for European cultural
hegemony language also became a mechanism for launching strategies of domination and
alienation of the African personality and traditional knowledge. Ngugi wa Thiongo (1986)
and Prah (2009) have observed that as part of the plan the processes of subjugation and
domination did not only have to do with the colonised having to inherit alien syntax or
lexicology, but also the ways in which they ultimately perceive self and the world, and how to
relate with Europeans in their assumed superior status. Therefore, this article interrogates
the socio-politics of the dominant epistemology and how it has impacted African indigenous
languages and culture. It supports the case for the discourse regarding the decolonisation of
knowledge within the (South) African university. The article argues for the retrieval and repositioning
of African indigenous languages and culture as part of the decolonisation project
because the interface between indigenous knowledge and other knowledge systems is critical
in generating new insights
Leader Gender And School Management Practices And Processes In South Africa: An Outsider Perspective
Get PDFArticleUsing an etic strategy, the study investigated the practices and processes characterising a typical working day of two high school principals from Bloemfontein in South Africa. Essentially, the research employed a passive observer strategy to document management practices and processes of two principals (male and female) at their schools. Convenience sampling technique was used to identify the two principals. Document content analysis was used to interrogate the data on the observed verbal and nonverbal cues of the participants. Findings suggest that the female high school principal was approachable, kind and warm while her counterpart was fair, firm and direct in his approach. Principals possess skills to effectively manage despite the daily challenges such as managing staff members, learners and parents. The study encourages particularly women to strive for administrative and leadership positions in disadvantaged South African schools and confront the identified challenges with zest
Magnetoelectric Effect in Two-Layer Composites with a Graded Magnetic Phase
Get PDFArticleSamples of a homogeneous (x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2) and multilayer ceramics with a gradient composition
(x = 0.2 → 0.1 → 0 → 0.1 → 0.2) based on solid solutions of (Ni1 − xZnx)Fe2O4 nickel–zinc ferrites have
been manufactured using the thick-film technology. After sintering in a two-step mode, the gradient samples
exhibited a smooth non-uniform distribution of chemical elements (Zn, Ni) over the thickness. The longitudinal
(αE33) and transverse (αE31) magnetoelectric effects in two-layer PZT–nickel ferrite composites have
been studied. In the absence of an external magnetostatic field, the values of magnetoelectric coefficients
were negligible. The maximum value of the longitudinal magnetoelectric coefficient for composites with the
gradient magnetic phase was practically two times higher than value of αE33 for homogeneous structures
Effect of Stress-Relieving Heat Treatment on the High Strain Rate Dynamic Compressive Properties of Additively Manufactured Ti6Al4V (ELI)
Get PDFArticleA study was undertaken on the compressive high strain rate properties and deformation
behaviour of Direct Metal Laser-Sintered (DMLS) Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts in two separate forms: as-built
(AB) and stress relieved (SR). The high strain rate compression tests were carried out using a Split
Hopkinson Pressure Bar test system at ambient temperature. The average plastic strain rates attained
by the system were 400 s1 and 700 s1. Comparative analyses of the performance (flow stresses and
fracture strains) of AB and SR specimens were carried out based on the results obtained at these two
plastic strain rates. Microstructural analyses were performed to study the failure mechanisms of the
deformed specimens and fracture surfaces. Vickers microhardness test values were obtained before
and after high strain rate compression testing. The results obtained in both cases showed the strain
rate sensitivity of the stress-relieved samples to be higher in comparison to those of as-built ones,
at the same value of true strain
A Comprehensive Review On Zinc(Ii) Complexes As Anti-Diabetic Agents: The Advances, Scientific Gaps And Prospects
Get PDFArticleZinc has gained notable attention in the development of potent anti-diabetic agents, due to its role in insulin
storage and secretion, as well as its reported insulin mimetic properties. Consequently, zinc(II) has been complexed
with numerous organic ligands as an adjuvant to develop anti-diabetic agents with improved and/or
broader scope of pharmacological properties. This review focuses on the research advances thus far to identify
the major scientific gaps and prospects. Peer-reviewed published data on the anti-diabetic effects of zinc(II)
complexes were sourced from different scientific search engines, including, but not limited to “PubMed”,
“Google Scholar”, “Scopus” and ScienceDirect to identify potent anti-diabetic zinc(II) complexes. The complexes
were subcategorized according to their precursor ligands. A critical analysis of the outcomes from published
studies shows promising leads, with Zn(II) complexes having a “tri-facet” mode of exerting pharmacological
effects. However, the promising leads have been flawed by some major scientific gaps. While zinc(II) complexes
of synthetic ligands with little or no anti-diabetic pharmacological history remain the most studied (about 72 %),
their toxicity profile was not reported, which raises safety concerns for clinical relevance. The zinc(II) complexes
of plant polyphenols; natural ligands, such as maltol and hinokitiol; and supplements, such as ascorbic acid (a
natural antioxidant), L-threonine and L-carnitine, showed promising insulin mimetic and glycemic control
properties but remain understudied and lack clinical validation, in spite of their minimal safety concerns and
health benefits. A paradigm shift toward probing (including clinical studies) supplements, plant polyphenol and
natural ligands as anti-diabetic zinc(II) complex is, therefore, recommended. Also, promising anti-diabetic Zn(II)
complexes of synthetic ligands should undergo critical toxicity evaluation to address possible safety concerns
An Artefact for Improving the Delivery of Building Energy Retrofit Project in South Africa
Get PDFArticlePurpose – The built environment is well known for carbon emission and its impact especially as it pertains to
existing buildings.This has culminated in an increasing need for a retrofit of such buildings.This study details the
development of an artefact for improving the delivery of energy retrofit projects therein to curb these impacts.
Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized a mixed method research design for data collection. In
achieving this, data was collected in three different phases; (1) a pilot study; (2) a juxtaposition of desktop case
studies, live case studies, focus group discussion forum and an expert survey; and (3) a questionnaire survey for
the validation of the emergent artefact. Accordingly, the quantitative data was analysed using descriptive
statistics, whereas qualitative content analysis was deployed for qualitative data.
Findings – The findings enabled an identification of the elements of a building energy retrofit project (BERP)
such as project initiation, building assessment, detailed energy survey, technical analysis and implementation
plans of energy measures, monitoring and verification. Also, it provided the challenges and enablers associated
with successful BERP. This information was subsequently utilized in the development and validation of an
artefact for delivering successful BERP. Summarily, a set of guidelines comprising of seven stages for
managing successful BERPs were elucidated.
Practical implications – The validated artefact provides an adaptive and innovative route for achieving
sustainability in retrofit trade.
Originality/value – The study conceptualizes an artefact for improving the delivery of BERPs