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Growth opportunities for the domestic new light vehicle market in South Africa
Get PDFThe export-oriented South African automotive industry is in a typical position seeing
that it needs to pursue growth strategies in an ever-evolving global marketplace. The
industry must supply its main automotive export markets with the latest vehicle
technology without losing sight of the domestic and African markets which currently
trail behind international fuel and emissions standards. The study researched and
identified growth opportunities for the domestic new light vehicle market in South
Africa. The South African automotive industry has undergone significant changes in
the past decades because of evolving automotive policies, pressure for a greener
environment, the advancement of alternative energy sources, and other exogenous
factors, such as the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Technological evolution brought the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, the
decline of the internal combustion engine, the quest for cleaner fuels, technological
leaps in the development of electric vehicles, changing consumer buying patterns, and
the use of the digital economy to disrupt the status quo of the automotive industry. The
importance of a vigorous South African automotive industry cannot be
overemphasised because it is the country’s largest manufacturing industry, therefore
a vital contributor to the economy and a major job creator.
The research attempts to identify the different growth opportunities available to the
South African automotive industry to ensure its long-term sustainability. The study
used an embedded mixed methods approach as both quantitative and qualitative
research methods were used. The research paradigms used is a combination of
exploratory and descriptive research as well as pragmatism. The conclusions of the
study established that growth opportunities for the South African automotive industry
do exist in the form of enhancing automotive research and development, encouraging
new vehicle manufacturing opportunities, increasing the localisation of automotive
components, and improving infrastructure to attain the targeted growth objectives. The
recommendations made are that government, in conjunction with the relevant
stakeholders, must take joint responsibility to find innovative solutions to pursue the
stated growth opportunities, while still managing rising costs which are negatively
impacting the growth of the domestic marketDie uitvoergeoriënteerde Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf bevind hom in ’n moeilike
posisie aangesien die industrie groeistrategieë ’n voortdurend wisselende wêreldmark
moet nastreef. Die bedryf moet sy vernaamste motoruitvoermarkte van die nuutste
voertuigtegnologie voorsien sonder om die plaaslike mark en die Afrika-mark, wat tans
sleg by internasionale brandstof- en emissiestandaarde afsteek, uit die oog te verloor.
Die studie het groeigeleenthede vir die plaaslike mark vir nuwe ligte voertuie in Suid Afrika nagevors en geïdentifiseer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf het in die afgelope
dekades aansienlike aanpassing vanweë veranderende motorbeleide, druk vir ’n
groener omgewing, die vooruitgang van alternatiewe energiebronne en ander
eksogene faktore, soos die impak van die koronavirussiekte-2019-pandemie (COVID 19-pandemie), ondergaan. Tegnologiese verandering het die koms van die Vierde
Nywerheidsrevolusie, die uitfasserinf van die binnebrandenjin, die soeke na skoner
brandstof, tegnologiese innovasies in die ontwikkeling van elektriese motors,
veranderende kooppatrone van verbruikers en die gebruik van die digitale ekonomie
wat die status quo van die motorbedryf ontwrig, teweeggebring. Die belangrikheid van
’n lewenskragtige Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf kan nie oorbeklemtoon word nie,
aangesien dit die land se grootste vervaardigingsbedryf is en ’n onmisbare bydrae tot
die ekonomie lewer en ’n groot bron van werkskepping is.
Die doel van die navorsing was om die verskillende groeigeleenthede wat tot die Suid Afrikaanse motorbedryf se beskikking is, te identifiseer om die bedryf se langtermyn volhoubaarheid te verseker. ’n Ingebedde gemengdemetode-benadering is vir die
studie gebruik, waar beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik
is. ’n Kombinasie van verkenningsnavorsing en beskrywende navorsing, sowel as
pragmatisme, is as navorsingsparadigmas gebruik. Die gevolgtrekkings van die studie
was dat die Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf wel groeigeleenthede tot sy beskikking het
indien motorbedryfnavorsing en -ontwikkeling bevorder word, nuwe
voertuigvervaardigingsgeleenthede aangemoedig word, die lokalisasie van
motoronderdele verhoog word en infrastruktuur verbeter word ten einde die gestelde
groeidoelwitte te behaal. Die aanbevelings wat op grond van die studie gemaak is, is
dat die regering, in samewerking met die tersaaklike belanghebbendes, gesamentlik
verantwoordelikheid moet neem om innoverende oplossings te vind ten einde die
gestelde groeidoelwitte te bereik, en terselfdertyd stygende koste wat die groei van die
plaaslike mark negatief beïnvloed, te bestuur.Indasteri ya dikoloi e rekisetsang dinaheng tse kantle ho naha ya Aforika Borwa e
boemong bo tlwaelehileng ka ha e hloka mawa a ho e hodisa mmarakeng o dulang o
fetoha lefatsheng kaofela. Indasteri e tlameha ho fepela mebaraka ya yona e meholo
ya dikoloi tseo e di rekisetsang kantle ho naha, theknoloji ya moraorao ya dikoloi e
sa lebale mebaraka ya lehae le ya Aforika, eo ha jwale katleho ya yona e latelang
dipehelo tsa matjhabeng tsa dibeso le ho ntshetswa ha kgase ya tsona moyeng.
Phuputso e batlisisitse le ho hlwaela mmaraka wa lehae wa dikoloi tse ntjha tse
rwalang thepa le batho ba banyane, menyetla ya kgolo Aforika Borwa. Indasteri ya
dikoloi ya Aforika Borwa e bile le diphetoho tse kgolo mengwahashomeng e fetileng
ka lebaka la maano a ntshetswang pele a amang dikoloi, kgatello ya ho ntlafatsa
mokgwa oo disebediswa di sebediswang ka oona ho fokotsa kameho ya tsona
maphelong a batho le tikolohong, ntshetsopele ya mehlodi e meng ya eneji, le dintho
tse ding tse tswang kantle tse jwalo ka kameho ya sewa sa Lefu la vaerase ya
Corona sa 2019 (COVID-19). Ntshetsopele ya theknoloji e fihlisitse phetoho e kgolo
ya tshebediso ya theknoloji, ho fokotseha ha metjhini e fetolelang eneji e ka hara
ntho e itseng ho ba eneji e e tsamaisang ka ho tjhesa dibeso tsa fosile, ho batla
dibeso tse hlwekileng, dintshetsopele tse kgolo tsa bohlokwa tsa theknoloji tsa ho
hlahiswa ha dikoloi tse tsamayang ka motlakase, ho fetoha ha ditlwaelo tsa bareki
tsa ho reka le tshebediso ya theknoloji e kopanyang batho, dikgwebo, disebediswa
le metjhini ya dijithale le ditselatshebetso tsa yona, ho sitisa boemo bo renang ba
ditaba tse amanang le indasteri ya dikoloi. Bohlokwa ba indasteri e matlafetseng ya
dikoloi Aforika Borwa bo ke ke ba toboketswa le ho feta hobane ke indasteri e kgolo
ka ho fetisisa ya tlhahiso naheng, kahoo e na le seabo sa bohlokwa moruong le
tlhahisong e kgolo ya mesebetsi.
Patlisiso e leka ho hlwaya menyetla e fapaneng ya kgolo e fumanehang indastering
ya dikoloi Aforika Borwa ho netefatsa tshehetso ya yona ya nako e telele. Phuputso
e sebedisitse mekgwa e kopantsweng ka ha ho sebedisitswe mekgwa ya patlisiso e
bokellang le ho hlopholla datha eo e seng ya dipalo le patlisiso e lekanyang maikutlo
a bankakarolo ka ho sebedisa dipalo le dinomoro, ka bobedi. Mekgwa e
sebedisitsweng ya ho etsa dipatlisiso ke e kopantseng patlisiso ya sehlooho se sa
x
hlaloswang hantle kapa se sa batlisisweng haholo le patlisiso ya mokgwa o
hlalosang dintho tse ikgethang tsa sehlooho se batlisiswang mmoho le ho rarolla
bothata ka tsela e loketseng maemo a renang ho na le ho latela mehopolo le melao
e sa fetoheng. Qetelo ya phuputso e fumane hore indasteri ya dikoloi ya Aforika
Borwa e na le menyetla ya kgolo ka ho matlafatsa dipatlisiso le ntshetsopele ya
dikoloi, ho kgothalletsa menyetla ya ho etswa ha dikoloi tse ntjha, ho etsa hore
dikarolo tsa dikoloi di hlahiswe dikhamphaning tsa lehae ka bongata, le ho ntlafatsa
infrastraktjha ho fihlela dipheo tse batlwang tsa kgolo. Ditshisinyo tse entsweng ke
tsa hore mmuso le bathahaselli ba amehang ba tlameha ho jara boikarabelo mmoho
ho fumana ditharollo tse hlahisang mehopolo e metjha tsa ho phehella ho hlahisa
menyetla ya kgolo e boletsweng, ha ho ntse ho laolwa ditheko tse phahameng tse
amang kgolo ya mmaraka wa lehae hampe.D. Phil. (Management Studies)Colleges of Economic and Management Science
The disruptive impact of financial technologies on the financial services industry in South Africa
No full textAbstracts in English, Zulu and TswanaThe financial services industry in South Africa has been experiencing disruptions due to the emergence of financial technologies (fintechs). Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact fintechs have on the financial services industry in South Africa. A mixed methods research design was used with an inductive approach and pragmatism paradigm to accomplish this. Interviews were conducted with eighteen industry experts and seventeen customers, while one hundred and twenty customers completed questionnaires. Qualitative data were analysed using Atlas.ti for thematic analysis, and SPSS was used for quantitative analysis. Structural equation modeling was employed to develop the fintech adoption model. The findings showed that fintechs positively and negatively impact the financial services industry. While they have a negative impact on established financial services providers (incumbents) and regulators, they have a positive impact on consumers. The negative impact includes reduced profits for incumbents, increased competition for incumbents, and regulatory risks. However, fintechs have also brought significant benefits to the industry, such as cost reduction for financial institutions, lower prices for financial products and services for consumers, improved efficiency, personalised products, and services, increased financial inclusion, convenience, and innovation. In response to the negative impact, incumbents have responded to this disruption by collaborating with fintechs, expanding their roles, improving customer experience, and reducing prices of financial products and services. Regulators have also established regulatory frameworks, such as the Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group and National Payment System Framework and Strategy Vision 2025, to address these disruptions. This study has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of fintechs in South Africa. The study also discovered that several factors influence the adoption of fintechs in South Africa, including perceived costs, facilitating conditions, perceived risk, perceived trust, ubiquity, and self-efficacy. The study suggests ways for incumbents to improve competitiveness and customer satisfaction while advocating for regulatory adjustments to accommodate fintechs. This study contributes to the attainment of the sustainable development goal number nine.Imboni yezinsizakalo zezezimali eNingizimu Afrika ike yabhekana nokuphazamiseka ngenxa yokuvela kobuchwepheshe bezezimali (eyaziwa ngokuthi yi-fintechs). Ukuphenya umthelela we-fintechs embonini, lolu cwaningo lusebenzise idizayini yocwaningo lwezindlela ezixubile ngendlela yokufundisa kanye nepragmathizimu pharadimu yepragmatism. Inhlolokhono yenziwe nochwepheshe bemboni abayi-18 namakhasimende ayi-17, futhi amakhasimende ayi-120 agcwalisa imibuzo. Idatha yekhwalithi yahlaziywa kusetshenziswa i-Atlas.ti yokuhlaziywa kwetimu, futhi i-SPSS yasetshenziselwa ukuhlaziya inani. Imodeli yesakhiwo sezibalo yasetshenziswa ukuthuthukisa imodeli yokwamukela i-fintech.
Okutholakele kubonisa ukuthi i-fintechs inomthelela omuhle futhi omubi embonini yezinsizakalo zezezimali. Nakuba benomthelela ongemuhle kubahlinzeki benkonzo yezezimali asebekhulile (abasesikhundleni) kanye nabalawuli, banomthelela omuhle kubathengi. Umthelela ongemuhle uhlanganisa inzuzo encishisiwe yalabo abasezikhundleni, ukwanda kokuncintisana kwabaphethe kanye nezingozi zokulawula. Kodwa-ke, i-fintechs nayo ilethe izinzuzo ezibalulekile embonini, njengokwehliswa kwezindleko zezikhungo zezezimali, amanani aphansi emikhiqizo yezezimali namasevisi kubathengi, ukusebenza kahle okuthuthukisiwe, imikhiqizo eqondene nomuntu siqu kanye nezinsizakalo, ukukhuphuka kokufakwa kwezimali, ukunethezeka nokusungula izinto ezintsha. Ukusabela kumthelela ongemuhle, abasesikhundleni baye basabela kulokhu kuphazamiseka ngokusebenzisana ne-fintechs, ukwandisa izindima zabo, ukuthuthukisa ulwazi lwamakhasimende nokunciphisa amanani emikhiqizo namasevisi ezezimali. Abalawuli baphinde basungula izinhlaka zokulawula, ezifana ne-Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group, Uhlaka Lukazwelonke Lohlelo Lokukhokha kanye Nombono Wecebo Ka-2025, ukuze kubhekwane nalokhu kuphazamiseka.
Lolu cwaningo luveze ukuthi ubhubhane loKhuvethe lusheshise ukwamukelwa kwe-fintechs eNingizimu Afrika. Ucwaningo luphinde lwathola ukuthi izici ezimbalwa zinethonya ekwamukelweni kwe-fintechs eNingizimu Afrika, okuhlanganisa izindleko ezicatshangwayo, izimo ezisizayo, ubungozi obucatshangelwayo, ukwethembeka okucatshangwayo, ukutholakala kwendawo yonke kanye nokusebenza kahle kwakho.Intasitiri ya ditirelo tsa matlotlo mo Aforika Borwa e itemogela dikgoreletsi ka ntlha ya go tlhagelela ga dithekenoloji tsa matlotlo (fintechs). Go batlisisa ka ga tshusumetso ya difintech mo intasitiring, tshekatsheko e e dirisitse mekgwa e e tswakantshitsweng ya popo ya dipatlisiso gammogo le mokgwa o o tlhotlheletsang le wa tekatekano. Dipuisano di tshotswe le baitseanape ba intasitiri ba ba 18 gammogo le bareki ba le 17. Bareki ba le 120 bone ba tladitse dipotsopatlisiso. Atlas.ti e ne ya dirisiwa go sekaseka tshedimosetso ya khwaletheithifi gammogo le tshekatsheko ya tlhogo, mme SPSS e ne ya diriswa go ka sekaseka tshedimosetso ya khwanthitheithifi. Modula wa tekatekano ya popego o dirisitswe go ka bopa modula wa kamogelo ya fintech.
Diphitlhelelo di supa fa difintech di tshusumetsa intasitiri ya ditirelo tsa matlotlo ka ditsela tse di siameng le tse di sa siamang. Le fa di na le ditshusumetso tse di sa siamang mo batlameding ba ba itlhomileng ba ditirelo tsa matlotlo (batshodi) le mo balaoding, di na le tshusumetso e e siameng mo bareking. Tshusumetso e e sa siamang e akaretsa dipoelo tse di fokotsegileng tsa batshodi, kgaisano e e oketsegileng ya batshodi gammogo le botshosetsi jwa bolaodi. Le fa go le jalo, difintech di tlisitse dipoelo mo intasitiring jaaka ditshenyegelo tse di fokotsegileng tsa ditheo tsa matlotlo, ditlhotlhwa tse di kwa tlase tsa dithoto le ditirelo tsa matlotlo tsa bareki, bokgoni jo bo tokafaditsweng, dithoto le ditirelo tse di lebaganeng le beng ba tsone, kakaretso ya matlotlo e e oketsegileng, nolofatso le tlhamosešwa. Ka go leka go ka baakanya tshusumetso e e sa siamang e, batshodi ba tsere tshwetso ya go ka dirisanyammogo le difintech, go atolosa ditiro tsa bone, go tokafatsa maitemogelo a bareki le go ka theosa ditlhotlhwa tsa dithoto le ditirelo tsa matlotlo. Go siamisa dikgoreletsi tse, balaodi le bone ba tlhamile matlhomeso a bolaodi, jaaka Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group, National Payment System Framework le Strategy Vision 2025.
Tshekatsheko e e supile gore leroborobo la COVID-19 le itlhaganedisitse tiriso ya difintech mo Aforika Borwa. Tshekatsheko e e fitlhetse gape le gore dintlha tse di mmalwa di tlhotlheletsa tiriso ya difintech mo Aforika Borwa mme di akaretsa ditshenyegelo tse di bonwang, maemo a a tlhofofatsang, botshosetsi jo bo bonwang, boikanyego jo bo bonwang, tlwaelego le boitshepi.Ph. D. (Business Leadership)Business Managemen
The role of microfinance in urban youth livelihoods in Ethiopia
No full textThe financial sector of Ethiopia is not diversified, and the use of digital financial services is at an infant stage. One of the biggest and growing development challenges facing Ethiopia has been an increasing trend in youth unemployment. This has been driven mainly by rural-urban migration and a lack of livelihoods that have exposed youths to the risks of unsafe migration and involvement in social unrest and political instability. Expanding the access to microfinance to the youth has been recognised by the Government of Ethiopia to be one of the ways of addressing youth unemployment and building their livelihoods. This study assessed the role of microfinance in improving urban youth livelihoods in Ethiopia as this subject has not been systematically examined and there is scant information available. That is why this study was conducted to find empirical evidence.
A systematic approach was followed in assessing the state of existing youth inclusive microfinance related policies, strategies, microfinance products and services, and the role of microfinance in fostering urban youth livelihoods. The study employed a mixed research methodology with cross sectional data involving a structured questionnaire and a face-to-face interview administered to 400 participants who benefited from a regular microfinance programme, 43 key informant interview participants and 15 focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data, while descriptive statistics and inferential techniques including correlation and a multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyse the quantitative data.
The results of this study revealed that microfinance had a significant and positive role in improving youth livelihoods that contributes to the achievement of Agenda 2063 as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The model results revealed that credit performance followed by saving performance are the most important variables that have a significant effect on youth livelihoods. With regards to youth capacity building, the overall result showed an insignificant influence on youth livelihood which highlights existing gaps in building the entrepreneurial and technical skill of the youth.
In terms of gender, the result indicates that males were associated with improved livelihood compared to their female counterparts, which has policy implications. Regarding the loan size, the result shows that the loan size had a positive and significant influence on youth livelihood that a small loan may hinder the youth from setting up viable businesses and realising the expected improvement in their livelihoods. The collateral requirement by Microfinance institutions (MFIs) is the biggest challenge that has restricted the youth from accessing higher loan size to successfully run their businesses. Accessing higher loan size is linked to the type of collateral held by the youth. As a result, financial inclusion was the lowest for those youth in the lower age category (18-24) who predominantly do not have business experience and cannot offer collateral required by MFIs.
Ethiopia has introduced a number of innovative policies, strategies and regulations that promote youth inclusive microfinance which are discussed in detail in this study. However, there are still gaps in the youth inclusive microfinance policy and strategy. These, among others, include a lack of regional focus and gender lens of the financial inclusion strategy and microfinance regulation, following a supply driven approach, the risk of mission drift, unsuccessful implementation of youth revolving fund, weak harmonisation of policies and strategies and evidence based policy making that deters the youth from fully embracing specific interventions that promote inclusive microfinance services.
In addition, despite the positive trend in the growth of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), the study found that MFIs have a long way to go to tap into the huge demand of tailor-made financial services for the youth, including simplifying complex procedural requirements, introducing specific products and incentive schemes for the youth, promoting the use of digital financial services and enhancing the low saving culture. This hinders the youth from running successful business and benefiting from innovative continental business initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). While there are areas of improvement, the overall result shows positive and significant relationships between microfinance and youth livelihoods. The study proposed a comprehensive youth inclusive microfinance framework which could provide guidance in further transforming access to microfinance services for the youth in Ethiopia and generally in Africa.Ph.D. (Development Studies)Development Studie
Measurement of the B s 0 → μμ effective lifetime with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract
This paper reports the first ATLAS measurement of the
B
s
0
→ μμ effective lifetime. The measurement is based on the data collected in 2015–2016, amounting to 26.3 fb−1 of 13 TeV LHC proton-proton collisions. The proper decay-time distribution of 58 ± 13 background-subtracted signal candidates is fit with simulated signal templates parameterised as a function of the
B
s
0
effective lifetime, with statistical uncertainties extracted through a Neyman construction. The resulting effective measurement of the
B
s
0
→ μμ lifetime is
0.99
−
0.07
+
0.42
(stat.) ± 0.17 (syst.) ps and it is found to be consistent with the Standard Model
Nonlinearity, locking, and chaos in anomalous Josephson junctions
No full textThe effects of external electromagnetic radiation on the synchronization of the magnetization precession and Josephson oscillations in the phi-zero junction are investigated. Their manifestation in the magnetization dynamics of the ferromagnetic layer and in the current-voltage characteristics of the junction are shown. Effects of model parameters on nonlinearity, locking and chaos in anomalous Josephson junctions are discussed.Physic
Exploring Grade 10 teachers’ mathematical discourses during Euclidean geometry lessons in Johannesburg East District, South Africa
No full textThe current study sought to investigate the mathematical discourses used by Grade 10 teachers during Euclidean geometry lessons. To explore and understand teachers’ classroom discourses during Euclidean geometry lessons, I researched with four Grade 10 mathematics teachers from Johannesburg East District in Gauteng, South Africa representing multiple cases. I espoused Adler and Ronda’s Mathematical Discourse in Instruction (MDI) framework to investigate and understand the classroom discourses the four teachers used during the lessons on Euclidean geometry.
Within a qualitative research approach, I used semi-structured interviews, unstructured classroom observations, and video-stimulated recall interviews (VSRI) to generate data for the study. I used content analysis in relation to the MDI framework to analyse teachers' discourses and make summative judgments about their teaching of geometry concepts which allowed me to classify and categorise data in order to identify patterns and variances from the three data sources. The components of MDI were used to summarize the recorded lessons and all interviews were transcribed verbatim. The lessons were chunked into series of episodes, and I selected episodes that allowed for a detailed analysis of teachers’ discourses using the component of MDI. I make sense of teachers' MDI and the rationale for the specific discourses they restricted while teaching by analysing the teaching shifts that took place in each chosen episode using the data they supplied via semi-structured interviews and VSRI. The findings demonstrate that the four components of Mathematical Discourse in Instruction influenced each other during teachers’ Euclidean geometry lessons. The teachers did not provide explanatory talk during the lessons, instead they used questions-and-answer discourse to get learners to name and legitimate Euclidean geometry concepts and principles. Learners’ participation in all the observed lessons was limited to providing one-word answers and teachers did not prompt learners to provide justifications for their thinking.M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)Mathematics Educatio
The practical relevance of strategy education: Evidence from the lived experiences of business school alumni
Get PDFThis paper presents the findings from a study on the dynamic and nuanced relationship between strategy theory and
strategy practice in a South African context. Grounded in a strategy-as-practice perspective and based on an abductive
analysis of sixteen semi-structured interviews, the empirical findings deepen our conceptual understanding of how the
relationship between strategy theory and strategy practice is constituted. The findings further reveal how practice environments
influence the effective use of academic knowledge and skills by graduates in the workplace. Primarily, strategy
theory is foundational to effective strategy practice. We theorise that strategy practitioners construct the relevance of
strategy theory through adaptation and bricolage to suit complex and eclectic practice contexts. The study findings confirm
that strategy theory plays a critical role in shaping and guiding strategy practitioners’ praxis. As the ontic sites of knowledge
and skills application, practice contexts are important for testing and validating academic knowledge and skills. In this
relationship, strategy practitioners are the primary actors who transpose knowledge and skills from academe to business.
What they become after completing a qualification is critical.Business Managemen
Playing to which audience? Textual analysis of standalone sustainability reports in the South African mining sector
Get PDFWe explore narrative styles of 50 standalone sustainability reports for the years 2016 to 2019 published by South African mining companies. Our analyses using computer-aided narrative analysis tools reveal that readability is very low, and optimism and commonality are the most prevalent narrative tones. We also investigate whether the intended audience is associated with differences in the readability and narrative tone by comparing reports of companies included (excluded) in the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment (RI) index. We find that the more sophisticated audience of reports by companies included in the RI index is associated with even lower readability. These reports are also less optimistically phrased than those of companies not included in the RI index. We contribute to the theory by demonstrating that RI investors and ESG rating agencies may temper companies’ tendencies to manage impressions in sustainability reports. We also contribute by placing the study in South Africa, an emerging economy.Financial Intelligenc
Photocatalytic Reduction of Cr(VI) and Pb(II) with Biogenically Synthesized Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Using an Extract of the Myriophyllum spicatum Plant
Get PDFThe biogenic synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles was explored using the Myriophyllum spicatum plant through a process involving co-precipitation and was utilized as an effective photocatalyst for the reduction of Cr(VI) and Pb(II) ions in an aqueous solution. The plant-mediated CuO nanoparticles were characterized using microscopic techniques (TEM and SEM), FT-IR, and XRD analyses. The amount of the reduced metal ions was determined by UV–visible and Atomic Absorption (AA) spectrophotometers. The analyses of the functional group present in the leaf extract revealed the type of bioactive molecules that were involved in the formation of copper oxide nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles were used in the photo-enhanced reduction of hexavalent Cr and divalent Pb ions, and the impact of solution pH, initial metal concentrations, and photocatalyst dosage was investigated to establish the optimal performance of the CuO nanoparticles. Results revealed a direct association between the reduction of metal ions and catalyst dosage in both cases. A maximum percentage reduction of 89.2% and 79.1% was achieved for Cr(VI) and Pb(II), respectively, using 3 g of the CuO nanoparticles. This confirms that the CuO nanoparticles exhibited higher efficiency for Cr(VI) reduction as compared to Pb(II) reduction and indicates that CuO nanoparticles are a promising photocatalyst that is capable of reducing these metal ions into less toxic products
Indigenous interventions, sociological understandings of inequalities and Covid-19
No full textThe ways in which Covid-19 exacerbated already existing inequalities across racialised, gendered, and class relationships (within and between countries across the globe) has been expressed in a myriad of forums by, for instance, academics, journalists, NGOs , international organisations, and activists. I start with the links between ‘race’ (or what I prefer to call ‘racialised groupings’ so as not to imply that race is a biological category, but a social construction with social consequences) and ’class’ (as an indication of position occupied in the capitalist economic system). A United Nations (UN) Report in 2020 entitled Racial Discrimination in the Context of the Covid-19 Crisis addresses the question of access to health care and notes that “the Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated long-standing [and racialised] structural inequalities in terms of access to healthcare facilities, goods and services”. The chapter, which consists of my answering questions posed by the editors, explores this starting point and elaborates on its implications for Indigenous sociological understandings, Indigenous methodologies, and transformative educational processes.Adult Basic Education (ABET