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The Influence Of Firm And Owner Characteristics On Access To Microfinance And The Growth Of Retail Smmes In Mangaung Metropolitan Area
Get PDFDissertationThe study examines the influence of business owner demographics (gender, age, educational level and experience) and firm characteristics (firm‟s age, size and location) on access to microfinance and SMMEs growth particularly retail businesses in the Mangaung Metropolitan area of the Free State in South Africa. The existence of several contradicting studies as to which entrepreneur demographics and business characteristics determine SMMEs‟ access to microfinance gave rise to this study. For instance, some studies only take cognisance of personal demographic variables such as gender, age and educational level as the most important determinants of access to microfinance. Other studies, however, put more emphasis on firm characteristics such as age, size and location as variables that positively influence a business‟ access to microfinance.
Moreover, despite the contribution of small businesses to the South African economy, empirical evidence showed that majority of retail businesses fold up their operations after three years of existence. Consequently, researchers and scholars have identified access to affordable microfinance as a vehicle that can be used to aid the survival and growth of small businesses. However, several studies conducted to examine the impact of microfinance on the growth of SMMEs have produced mixed results. While some studies affirmed that access to funding positively affected the growth of small businesses, other researchers concluded that microfinance does not have any significant impact on the growth of SMMEs. This study, therefore, was conducted to determine the actual impact of microfinance on the growth retail businesses.
The study drew on a quantitative approach and a survey was conducted on 200 retail businesses operating in Mangaung Metropolitan Area. A total of 143 respondents successfully completed the structured questionnaire, representing a response rate of 71.5%. Descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and inferential statistics such as correlation analysis were employed in the data analysis. The findings suggest that business owner demographics such as age and educational level of the business owner positively and significantly influence access to finance. The study also revealed that the age and size of a firm positively and significantly influences access to microfinance. In terms of firm growth, evidence from the study demonstrated that microfinance was positively related to business growth in sales, customer base, profit and the number of employees. The study recommended several interventions to improve SMMEs access to microfinance and growth, namely the formalisation of retail businesses, funding parity for start-ups, and creation of awareness of microfinance services by microfinance institutions (MFIs) and encouragement of young entrepreneurs to engage in retail business
Isoniazid preventive therapy for tuberculosis occurrence in HIV-positive patients in Lesotho
Get PDFPublished ThesisTuberculosis (TB) remains a main public health problem, particularly in people living with
HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This persistent problem may be an indication
of underlying problems in national health policies, and their implementation in SSA. The
Southern African country of Lesotho, with one of the highest TB incidences in the world,
is facing a catastrophic syndemic of HIV and tuberculosis (TB). The effectiveness of
isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), which has the potential to reduce the incidence of TB
in PLHIV, has not been adequately evaluated since its introduction in 2011. This study
evaluated the uptake of IPT, its effectiveness and the associated factors in Lesotho, with
the aim of establishing the necessary policy changes required to prevent the occurrence
of TB in PLHIV.
To determine the effectiveness of IPT and the factors underpinning the implementation of
this intervention in Lesotho, a quantitative evaluation as well as a qualitative study of the
implementation of IPT was used. The study was therefore based on a triangulation of
quantitative and qualitative research methods in two phases.
The qualitative phase of the study identified health system challenges affecting the
implementation of IPT, based on a cross-sectional qualitative analysis of interview
responses of healthcare workers and stakeholders of the TB/HIV programmes, which
included the Ministry of Health officials and support partners, purposively selected for their
roles in IPT implementation in Lesotho. The rationale of this study phase was based on
the premise that the rate of initiation of IPT and its effectiveness is largely dependent on
the quality of implementation of the IPT programme. The qualitative study phase revealed that seven factors in the health system were
affecting the implementation of IPT in the country, namely poorly decentralised HIV
services; inefficient monitoring and evaluation systems; ineffective service delivery;
interrupted supply chains; an undertrained and inadequate health workforce; insufficient
health system financing; and inefficient health information systems. The implementation
of IPT was therefore a complex task which needed certain sectors of the health system to
change. The most important lesson from this is that key health interventions need a ‘health
system approach’ for success.
The quantitative phase of the study was a quasi-experimental review of HIV-positive
medical records randomly selected from eight health institutions in six districts of Lesotho.
This study phase selected two patient groups, one enrolled into antiretroviral therapy
(ART) before (2004-2010 cohort), and the other one after the launch of IPT (2011-2016
cohort), to establish the rate of initiation of IPT and its effectiveness in preventing the
occurrence of TB in the country. IPT uptake and its effectiveness were evaluated using
an analytical model based on Cox’s proportional hazards regression analysis, an
approach often used to determine the relative risk of contracting a disease and the
associated factors.
The quantitative study phase included 2 955 randomly selected records that met the
inclusion criteria set for the study. Overall, 68.8% of the 2 955 patients had received IPT
over a course of six years (2011-2016), which translated to a sluggish IPT uptake rate of
20.6 per 100 person-years over the six-year period. Notably, only 135 (6.6%) patients
defaulted IPT, which is a small proportion. Comparatively, the 2011-2016 cohort had a
significantly (p=0.000) higher rate of IPT initiation (27.0 per 100 person-years) than the 2004-2010 cohort, (15.8 per 100 person-years), implying that patients newly enrolled into
ART had a higher rate of IPT initiation. Findings indicated that the most significant
predictors for initiation of IPT were age group, district category and duration of ART.
Furthermore, based on odds ratios (OR), patients in the sparsely populated districts
(OR=1.6) and males (OR=2.1) had significantly (p<0.05) higher odds of defaulting IPT,
compared to those in the densely populated districts and females, respectively. Whereas
higher defaults in the sparsely populated districts were associated with long distance from
hospitals and the mountainous terrain associated with these districts, higher rates of
defaulting by males were most likely due to migrant work in South Africa.
The TB incidence rate reduced from 2.3 per 100 person-years in 7 985 person-years in
the 2004-2010 cohort, to 1.6 per 100 person-years in 4 223 person-years in the 2011-
2016 cohort, implying that the IPT intervention had considerably reduced the occurrence
of TB. However, the use of IPT was not without adverse effects. By proportion, the most
common side effects to IPT were skin rash (37.2%), peripheral neuropathy (25.4%) and
liver toxicity (9.4%). In addition, out of 246 patients who had developed TB and were
discovered during a follow-up, 15.9% of the patients developed TB after exposure to IPT.
Further findings indicated that prescribing IPT within one year of ART commencement,
which reduced TB incidences to only 1.3 incidences per 100 person-years, was the most
effective intervention for preventing the occurrence of TB, compared to other
commencement timing of IPT intervention. Other TB incidences per 100 person-years by
timing of IPT were as follows – IPT before ART (1.7), IPT after ART (1.8), no IPT (2.6),
and IPT 3-5 years after ART initiation (2.3). Gender, baseline WHO clinical stage, district
category and time to IPT relative to ART commencement emerged as significant
predictors of TB occurrence. Notably, increasing commencement time for IPT by one six-month interval increased the risk of contracting TB by between 6% and 59%, depending
on the cohort, with the 2011-2016 cohort having a higher risk compared to the 2004-2010
cohort.
The findings of this study indicate that the implementation of IPT in Lesotho has notable
challenges. Clearly, there is a need to improve the rate of IPT initiation in the patient
groups with the most sluggish rate of IPT uptake, and to improve retention of some patient
groups with poor adherence to IPT. The findings of this study also indicate that delayed
IPT commencement after ART initiation significantly affects the effectiveness of IPT.
Furthermore, the study reveals that IPT is a complex health intervention, and its
implementation therefore needs a health sector-wide or ‘health systems’ approach
Determination of the fatigue properties of Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts built by a direct metal laser sintering system with standard process parameters followed by post-processing treatments
Get PDFThesis (Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2019Design of hard tissue medical prostheses is typically based on the mechanical properties of the materials used. However, apart from non-loadbearing implants, medical prostheses in use are exposed to various forms of dynamic loading. Therefore, to eventually deliver qualified medical prostheses produced through additive manufacturing (AM), it is necessary to develop a data bank on both their static and dynamic properties. This is done here with reference to the fatigue properties of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) of Ti6Al4V (ELI) parts, produced at the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) of Central University of Technology, Free State. The effect of flaws inherent in DMLS-produced specimens and their microstructure on the mechanical properties for as-built and high-temperature annealed specimens is investigated here.
From literature, orthotropy in DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens, with reference to the three mutually orthogonal DMLS build directions, has been reported. It was attributed to the presence and orientation of the DMLS process-related pores within DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to their loading axis, the presence and direction of the residual stresses within the DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to their loading axis, and the direction of the prior beta () grains of DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens to the loading axis. These are all factors of growth of the layers of the DMLS process in relation to the three mutually orthogonal DMLS build directions. Therefore, in this project the first step was the non-destructive testing of DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens for the presence or lack of orthotropy. It was done by the ultrasonic testing of rectangular bars of as-built Ti6Al4V (ELI) of dimensions 60 x 11 x 11 mm built to align with X-, Y- and Z-axes of the DMLS machine, where Z is the build direction and X is the direction of movement of the recoater blade. From the data obtained, the tested DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens showed to be both homogeneous and isotropic.
The high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of as-built and high-temperature annealed (HTA) DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) machined and polished specimens built to align with the three mutually orthogonal machine axes were investigated. This was carried out by cycling the specimens under load control, in a tension–tension fatigue testing machine. From the data collected, semi-log graphs of maximum stress (S) against life (N) of the specimens produced along the respective three build directions were plotted, and the displayed endurance limits compared. The as-built specimens aligned with the Y- and Z-axes showed the same endurance limit of 485 MPa and it was slightly higher than the 450 MPa endurance limit of the specimens aligned with the X-axis. Whereas the HTA specimens aligned with the X- and Y-axes showed the same endurance limit of 450 MPa, the specimens aligned with the Z-axis showed a slightly higher endurance limit of 486 MPa. Optical and scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surfaces were used to compare and analyse the crack initiation and propagation characteristics of the specimens. These showed that the dominating crack initiators were DMLS process-related pores. The HTA DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI) specimens were micro-CT scanned in an attempt to relate the pores in the specimens with their fatigue properties. The micro-CT pore information from suspected crack initiation pores on the surfaces of eventually fractured specimens was used to calculate stress intensity factors, which correlated well with the decreasing cycles to failure of the fatigue test specimens for all three build directions. Three representative specimens were analysed and the “killer pore” identified in each micro-CT scan and fractographs, all which were proximal to the surface of the specimen
Evaluation Of Pharmacological Properties Of Traditional Medicinal Plants Used For The Treatment Of Cancer By South African And Lesotho Communities
Get PDFDissertationThe aim of this study was to assess Asparagus laricinus, Senecio asperulus and Gunnera perpensa which are used to treat cancer as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antimutagenicity agents. Medicinal plants extracts were prepared through maceration with methanol, water, Dichloromethane (DCM), methanol: dichloromethane and hexane as solvents. Secondary metabolites were assessed qualitatively, while antibacterial activities were determined using the disk diffusion assay, and the 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was used to evaluate antioxidant activity. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage in vitro model was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of these three plants, with resveratrol used as a positive control. All extracts were tested in vitro for growth inhibitory effects against human prostate cancer (PC3), human breast cancer (MCF-7) and the non-cancerous African green monkey kidney (Vero) cell lines using the MTT assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed on two extracts (methanol and dichloromethane) with selective anticancer properties to elucidate their mechanism of action. Mutagenic and antimutagenic properties were determined by the Comet assay using hepatic cells, and Vitotox test using Salmonella typhimurium genotoxicity (recN2-4) and cytotoxicity (pr1) strains, with and without S9 metabolic activation. To describe distinctive chemical features of Asparagus laricinus and Senecio asperulus crude extracts, Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis was performed.
Asparagus laricinus inhibited bacterial growth of all selected micro-organisms. However, Staphylococcus species were resistant even at 500 μg/ml. Methanol extracts of Senecio asperulus inhibited microbial growth at the concentration of 50 μg/ml. The dichloromethane extract of Senecio asperulus was active on most bacteria with MICs between 50 μg/ml and 500 μg/ml. Nonetheless, the water and methanol extracts of Gunnera perpensa had no activity against all organisms tested. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of Asparagus laricinus showed good antioxidant activity. Aqueous extracts of Senecio asperulus and Gunnera perpensa showed free radical scavenging activity yielding EC50 values of 100 μg/ml and 25 μg/ml, respectively. The aqueous extracts of Senecio asperulus showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity from 50 to 200 μg/ml, while the methanol extracts were active at 200 μg/ml and with no cytotoxicity. Asparagus laricinus showed weak anti-inflammatory activity when compared with resveratrol. No anti-inflammatory activity was observed from all Gunnera perpensa, suggesting that this species may be using other mechanisms for anti-inflammatory activity.
Asparagus laricinus methanol and Senecio asperulus dichloromethane extracts exhibited cytotoxicity activity against breast cancer cells with IC50 values of 97.6 μg/mL and 69.15 μg/mL, respectively. Gunnera perpensa DCM extract also showed cytotoxicity on prostate and breast cancer cells, with less activity on Vero cells. Cell cycle analysis suggested that Asparagus laricinus methanol extract induced cell death selectively through apoptosis observed from Annexin V-FITC and PI stain. Cell cycle analysis also showed that Senecio asperulus DC. dichloromethane extracts induced breast cancer cells death through cell arrest at the synthesis phase and G2 phase. Senecio asperulus dichloromethane extracts further showed cytotoxicity activity against prostate cancer cells with IC50 values of 69.25 μg/mL due to cell arrest at the G2 and early mitotic (G2/M) phase. The results obtained from the Vitotox test for Asparagus laricinus, Senecio asperulus, and Gunnera perpensa correlated well with results obtained from NRU and Comet assays. All the tested extracts had no toxicity and genotoxicity in vitro, except the dichloromethane extracts from Senecio asperulus and Gunnera perpensa which were found to be cytotoxic but not genotoxic after S9 metabolic activation. None of the tested extracts had antigenotoxic properties.
Gunnera perpensa extracts showed more polyphenols than Asparagus laricinus and Senecio asperulus. The LCMS results of these plant extracts showed the presence of twelve known compounds such as Luteolin 7-O-rutinoside, and Rutin, and twenty-eight unknown compounds from Asparagus laricinus. Senecio asperulus had nineteen unknown compounds and two known compounds; chlorogenic acid isomer, and dicaffeoyl quinic acid. Deductions made from the anticancer analysis propose that the methanol extract of Asparagus laricinus is a suitable aspirant for future breast cancer chemotherapeutic drug, due to its selective cytotoxicity on cancer cells and not on non-cancerous cells. Furthermore, the anticancer activities of Asparagus laricinus, Senecio asperulus and Gunnera perpensa observed were not from the protection against genotoxicity as none of these plants had genotoxic properties. Moreover, the negative genotoxicity highlighted the safe use of Asparagus laricinus, Senecio asperulus and Gunnera perpensa as medicinal plants. Results from this study were encouraging; especially for Asparagus laricinus as a potential anti-breast cancer agent, despite the need for clinical studies to confirm the pharmacological activities of these plants and toxicological effects in vivo
Hydro Aeropower For Sustainable Electricity Cost Reduction In South African Farming Applications
Get PDFPublished ArticleThis paper develops a model which can be used to minimize the electricity cost of South African farms
through the usage of a wind pump with pico hydro generator and a borehole in pumped hydro storage
configuration referred to as ‘‘hydro aeropower’’. This model will optimally schedule the generation
power flow from the pico turbine given the demand, the state of water level in the reservoir as well
as the electricity pricing period. This model can be implemented to control the power flow in small
farming activities where boreholes and windmill are available. Therefore, a 2kW hydro aeropower
using groundwater in a farming environment and operating under the Time of Use in South Africa is
used to evaluate the possible cost reduction linked to the electricity usage achievable compared to the
grid.
Therefore, the problem can be seen as a minimization of the cost of energy purchased from the
main electricity supplier, and the maximization of the energy used by the load directly supplied by the
hydro aeropower in a dynamic pricing environment. Afterwards, the techno-economic performance of
the proposed system is analysed using Matlab software. The results have revealed that up to 63.62%
can be saved on the cost of energy consumed using the developed setup rather than supplying the
load demand by the grid exclusively
MPC-PID Control of a Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone
Get PDFPublished ArticleOffshore oil production facilities exhibit
nonlinear dynamic characteristics. With the existence of
many flow regulating valves, these dynamics require to be
linearized in order to achieve the performance criteria
necessary for production of hydrocarbons. Consequently,
the dynamic nature of these valves affect their production
performance as regular tuning of process controllers are
required due to changes in reservoir fluid flow and future
constraints. To address this phenomenon, this paper
proposes an MPC-PID control system strategy for offshore
oil production platform. This strategy includes the use of
model predictive controller providing the most economic
and efficient set point for distributed PID controllers in the
respective loops. The model predictive controller employs a
strategy based on the process model to solve the optimal
control problem. The proposed approach is further
developed using a dynamic engineering design tools
available in MATLAB/Simulink and implemented on Gas-
Liquid Cylindrical Cyclone (GLCC) compact separator.
The system is subjected to set point variation and process
disturbances. The results indicate stable controller design
and prove the ability of MPC controller to handle
constraints and reject disturbances while reducing the
energy required and hence overall reduction in production
cost with maximum performance
Additive Manufacturing For Sustainable Custom-Designed Implants
Get PDFPublished ArticleAdditive manufacturing (AM) has proven to be an attractive alternative manufacturing process compared with subtractive manufacturing (SM). Additive manufacturing has many advantages, such as mass customisation, less material wastage, and others listed in this article. However, the additive manufacturing of certified implants does not have the same degree of documentation and standardisation as the subtractive manufacturing process. As part of this research project, the problem statement is: “In offering additive manufacturing as an implant manufacturing solution, the complete process (design, manufacturing, and post-processing) had to be investigated in order to develop a certified manufacturing solution”
Debunking The One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Human Resource Management: A Review of Human Resource Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Firms
Get PDFPublished ArticleOrientation: This article argues that the best practice approach (BPA) to HRM fails to
capture the peculiarities of HR practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The
article instead articulates the view that the different and unique traits inherent in SMEs firms
allows the firms to adopt distinct HR practices, which may not cohere with the prescriptive
one-size-fits-all view which BPA advocates.
Research purpose: The article aims to further the thesis that the long-held BPA approach to
HRM does not always apply to SME firms given their unique characteristics which renders HR
prescriptions applied in large firms invalid in SME firms.
Research approach/design and method: As a theoretical article, a systematic literature review
was conducted to draw findings and conclusions.
Main findings: The article concludes that the eclectic nature of SME HR practices complicates
the extent of generalisability of such practices across organisational settings, thus showing
that HR practices that work in SME firms cannot be applied in large firms with equal success.
Practical/managerial implications: The findings provide a platform to enhance the
understanding surrounding managing human resources in SME firms by revealing the
differences between people management in SME firms as compared to their larger counterparts.
Contribution/value-add: The article is groundbreaking as it has opened new avenues in the
quest to understand the nature and contribution of HRM in SME firms
A theoretical analysis on the impact of relationship marketing practices on customer retention: A case of transformed small grocery retail shops in Mangaung Municipality area in South Africa
Get PDFPublished ArticleGiven the fact that South Africa is one of the global emerging markets, many of the emerging small
businesses are transiting from informal to formal businesses. The importance and contribution of these
ventures in economic growth and job creation cannot be overemphasised especially in times of technical
economic recession. Even tourists are more likely to repeat visit a business on later travels if they are
satisfied with service quality. Small grocery retail shops in Mangaung Municipality area are no exception.
Relationship marketing is considered as a vital option for achieving customer retention and growth among
small businesses, particularly, in the retail industries. However, this paper provides a robust insight into the
transformed small grocery retail shops by theoretically analysing relationship marketing and its effect on
customer retention for business growth. It, therefore, remains concerning in this paper to interrogate
customer retention given relationship marketing practices as well as effective options for these small
grocery retail shops toward warding off counterproductive competition in their business environment.
Options explored seek to assist this sector to build relationships with their customers, ensure their
satisfaction and ultimately retain them for growth, with the focus on transformation. The method adopted
for this study was desk-top literature review as well as observation. Finally, recommendations for improved
practices are provided. It is hoped that although limited in scope, these will help support drives to sustain
business ventures
Gender-Based Dichotomies in Various Psychographic Attributes for Environmentally Friendly Products
Get PDFPublished ArticleOrientation: Environmentally friendly consumption behaviour is one of the topical issues in
contemporary marketing discourse. However, this subject has received considerable research
attention mostly in middle- and high-income markets at the expense of developing world
contexts.
Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore if there is a dichotomy between
gender groups on the following consumer attributes: green attitude, green personality, green
values and green purchasing intention. Producers and retailers of environmentally friendly
products need to understand the profile of their customers if they are to effectively segment
and target them.
Motivation for the study: The study is motivated by a need to understand any potential
differences in customer attributes in green markets. An appreciation of such differences will
supply marketers of environmentally products with critical information which can help them
to design and position their value propositions.
Research design, approach and method: An exploratory and cross-sectional survey design
was used. Data were collected from a total of 284 respondents using a self-administered,
structured questionnaire. The student’s t-test and multiple regression analyses were used for
data analysis.
Main findings: The study unveiled significant gender-based disparities in social altruistic
values, but none in green personality, green attitude and green purchasing intention. Moreover,
it was discovered that green attitude, green values and green personality had different levels
of influence on the green purchasing intention of different gender groups, with a stronger
impact observed among the sample of male respondents. The implication is that marketers of
green products should consider gender-informed disparities in various psychographic
attributes of consumers of environmentally friendly products.
Practical/managerial implications: The findings of this study can assist producers and
marketers of environmentally friendly products to develop value propositions that are
appropriate for young consumers who belong to different gender groups.
Contribution/value-add: Very little research in the Zimbabwean context exists with specific
reference to how gender affects the green attributes of young, college-level consumers. This
article adds value by unravelling some of the factors that influence the green purchasing
intention of college students in Zimbabwe