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Public sector demand-led growth strategy for small and medium enterprises-validation from selected South African Townships
Get PDFThis study focused on factors that affect the growth of township SMEs in selected townships in South Africa. The intention was to identify approaches to sustainable business growth that can be reinforced by a carefully crafted public sector strategy that is based on government demand. The strategy aims to support job creation and economic growth. Three theoretical underpinnings were discussed to show their natural linkage to township SMEs, namely, behavioural economics, business management principles and public demand. A comparison of BRICS and SADC SMEs to SMEs in South Africa found that SMEs face more or less the same challenges across these regions.
The overall research paradigm adopted for this study was epistemology in pursuit of gaining new knowledge. A mixed research method was used for the study. An interview and a questionnaire were used as the main data collection instruments. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done on the data collected.
The study assessed the evolution of the relevant factors that drive SMEs growth in townships. It concluded that factors that hindered SMEs growth a decade ago are still prevalent. The findings also revealed that there are new additional factors that have worsened the situation, i.e., the COVID-19 lockdown and loadshedding. It is recommended that the factors hindering SMEs growth should be the foundation for developing a public sector demand-led growth strategy for SMEs, while following sound strategy formulation and implementation principles.
The proposed public sector demand-led SMEs growth strategy is adaptable and considers the development of local value chains. The strategy can be implemented in any region, and it takes into account the core pillars of: undertaking the process of designating priority regions; coordinating human resource drivers; clarifying purpose, targets, products and value chains; harnessing government buying power; developing business sustainability approaches; pursuing cooperation and collaboration; instilling community involvement; maintaining databases; and conducting performance monitoring of the strategy.D. Phil. (Business Management)Business Managemen
Biological evaluation of ethnobotanical selected medicinal plants used in the management of male sexual health
Get PDFBackround: Ethnobatanical knowledge is mostly confined among the locals, hence proper enquiry, and documentation of medicinal plants in a specific area can aid the constantly evolving scientific community in protecting different species and developing long-term cure to the menace of various ailments. In many African societies, men still rely on the long cultural history of utilizing medicinal plants to treat and manage their sexual health. There are many lifestyle risks factors (alcoholism, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases and psychological factors) that affect men sexual and reproductive health. The current renewed global interest in traditional medicine and natural products to sustain health dictates the investigation of ethnobotanical important medicinal plants into their efficacy and safety against male sexual disorders such as impotence and erectile dysfunction. The current study aims to investigate the importance of selected ethnobotanical plants used by local men in villages under the Thengwe tribal council and also to determine their biological activities associated with men sexual health.
Methodology: The study was conducted in two phases after obtaining ethical approval from the University of South Africa ethics committee and permission to conduct the study from the Thengwe Tribal Council, Vhembe district in Limpopo province (South Africa). During phase 1, Twenty-one plant species were selected based on their ethnobotanical uses in the treatment and management of sexual health in men. A total of 23 participants (males) of different age groups ranging between 18 to 80 years were identified and selected from various villages to participate in the interviews. Among them, were from ages 18-30 (27%), 31-40 (22%), 41 to 50 (17%), 51 to 60 (16%) and those above 60 years (17%). All the participants gave their assent for the use of their ethnobotanical knowledge, in accordance with the principle of educated prior informed consent. A quantitative matrix method as developed by De Beer & Van Wyk (2011) was used to determine Species Popularity Index (popularity or importance of each species) and the Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index (participant knowledge of plant local use). The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) indices was also utilized to further get insight into the importance of plant species in villages under The Thengwe tribal authority.
During phase 2 of the study, ten medicinal plants were selected for biological activity evaluation based on the availability of plant material, the species popularity and Relative Frequency of Citation indices. Acetone extracts were investigated for their antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity against 15-lipoxygenase, inhibition of nitric oxide production on RAW 264.7 macrophages and antimicrobial activity against both Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Candida albicans. Preliminary phytochemical analysis was also done by determination of total flavonoids and total phenolic content. Cytotoxicity of the extracts was assessed using the XTT reduction assay against Vero monkey kidney cells.
Results: The most popular species according to their species popularity index (SPI) and the relative frequency citation (RFC) were B. mollis (4.52; 0.95), G. livingstonei (4.29; 0.83), R. caffra (4.54; 0.91), S. longepedunculata (4.03; 0.78), S. panduriforme (3.80; 0.78), S. prunioides (4.67; 0.95) and O. tenax (4.42; 0.91). The highest ethnobotanical knowledge index (EKI) value on avarage was found in age group 61 and above (0.81), followed by age group 51-60 (0.74) and 41 – 50 (0.75). High usage of traditional medicine poses considerable risk of loss of biodiversity in the area, and an agent intervention to prioritise plant resources for conservation and sustainable use is required. Diospyros mespiliformis extract was less toxic and showed significant antioxidant (IC50 = 8.34 μg/ml), anti-inflammatory (IC50 = 63 μg/ml) and antigonococcal (MIC= 0.39 mg/ml) activities. Extracts from Garcinia livingstonei and Rhoicissus tridentata also exhibited promising bioactivity. While these three extracts seem to inhibit the production of nitric oxide, the rest of the plant extracts seem to promote its production. Medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra) work by enhancing the effects of nitric oxide in the body to promote better blood flow to the penis, which can help with erectile function. Therefore, maintaining healthy nitric oxide levels is important for preventing erectile dysfunction, and reducing nitric oxide can have the opposite effect.
Conclusion: Medicinal plants have been used for ages and contain chemicals that can assist men to treat, maintain and manage their sexual health. Ethnobotanical studies have revealed many important medicinal plants used traditionally in the treatment and management of men sexual health, but only few of them have been validated scientifically. The current study demonstrated for the first time the importance and potential of the selected medicianal plants used traditionally in the treatment and management of men sexual health. These plants have potential therapeutic effects and can be used as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals to manage men sexual disorders.Ph.D. (Life Sciences)School of Agriculture and Life Science
A Finite-state morphological analyzer for Ge'ez verbs
No full textA morphological analyzer is a valuable and necessary component in many natural language processing applications such as machine translation, automatic dictionaries, spell checking, speech recognition etc. Morphological analyzer is specifically important for Semitic languages with high inflection and productive verbs. Ge’ez is one of the ancient Semitic languages in the world. It is currently the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.
In this study, a finite-state morphological analyzer for the Ge’ez verbs was developed. The morphological analyzer was developed using the freely available finite-state tool Foma. The Ge’ez morphological analyzer was developed to analyze Ge’ez verbs into their root and feature tags. The analyzer also performs the generation of Ge’ez verbs from a given root and feature tags.
The Ge’ez morphological analyzer was tested using manually annotated verbs by Ge’ez experts from the Ethiopic New Testaments Ge’ez Bible (books of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John) and Ge’ez prayer book - ውዳሴ ማርያም -‘wudase maryam’. The output of the Ge’ez morphological analyzer was compared with the manually annotated test data for accuracy. The result showed that the Ge’ez morphological analyzer analyzed the Ge’ez verbs with an accuracy of 97.29% and a precision of 80.24%. All in all, this research work achieved its objective by designing and implementing a Ge’ez verb morphological analyzer that performs both analysis and generation of Ge’ez verbs. The developed Ge’ez morphological analyzer will benefit the Ethiopian Orhodox Tewahido Church, interested Ge’ez language learners and the academic community that conduct researches in Ge’ez language.School of Computin
Observation of four-top-quark production in the multilepton final state with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract
This paper presents the observation of four-top-quark (
t
t
¯
t
t
¯
) production in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 140
fb
-
1
at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected using the ATLAS detector. Events containing two leptons with the same electric charge or at least three leptons (electrons or muons) are selected. Event kinematics are used to separate signal from background through a multivariate discriminant, and dedicated control regions are used to constrain the dominant backgrounds. The observed (expected) significance of the measured
t
t
¯
t
t
¯
signal with respect to the standard model (SM) background-only hypothesis is 6.1 (4.3) standard deviations. The
t
t
¯
t
t
¯
production cross section is measured to be
22
.
5
-
5.5
+
6.6
fb, consistent with the SM prediction of
12.0
±
2.4
fb within 1.8 standard deviations. Data are also used to set limits on the three-top-quark production cross section, being an irreducible background not measured previously, and to constrain the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling and effective field theory operator coefficients that affect
t
t
¯
t
t
¯
production
Search for long-lived, massive particles in events with displaced vertices and multiple jets in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract
A search for long-lived particles decaying into hadrons is presented. The analysis uses 139 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at
s
= 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC using events that contain multiple energetic jets and a displaced vertex. The search employs dedicated reconstruction techniques that significantly increase the sensitivity to long-lived particles decaying in the ATLAS inner detector. Background estimates for Standard Model processes and instrumental effects are extracted from data. The observed event yields are compatible with those expected from background processes. The results are used to set limits at 95% confidence level on model-independent cross sections for processes beyond the Standard Model, and on scenarios with pair-production of supersymmetric particles with long-lived electroweakinos that decay via a small R-parity-violating coupling. The pair-production of electroweakinos with masses below 1.5 TeV is excluded for mean proper lifetimes in the range from 0.03 ns to 1 ns. When produced in the decay of
m
g
~
= 2.4 TeV gluinos, electroweakinos with
m
χ
~
1
0
= 1.5 TeV are excluded with lifetimes in the range of 0.02 ns to 4 ns
The effects of acute energy drink consumption on the cardiovascular system of university students
No full textIntroduction: Among the changes in dietary behaviour in South Africa is the increased consumption of energy drinks (EDs), shown to affect the cardiovascular system (CVS) due to high caffeine and bioactive compound concentrations. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a concern, especially in black cohorts with a reported high prevalence of hypertension, as increased consumption highlights the adverse effects of EDs on the CVS. Aim: This study’s aim was to determine the effects of acute ED exposure on the CVS of generally healthy, black, male university students. Methodology: A randomised, controlled, cross-over study was conducted on 26 male students aged between 18-29 years. A Monster® carbonated ED (intervention) and a diluted fruit juice concentrate with carbonated water (placebo) were administered to participants in a single-blinded manner on two non-consecutive days. Heart rate (HR; bpm) and blood pressure (BP; mmHg) were measured twice on the left arm of participants using an automated BP monitor. Measurements were recorded at 0-; 10-; 30-; 60-; 90-; and 120-minutes. Questionnaires were used to obtain demographical data and assess ED and caffeine usage. Results: Self-reported consumption frequency for caffeinated beverages was predominantly ≥14 servings/week (50%). The reported purpose for caffeine consumption was attributed to mainly academic purposes (61.5%). The preferred caffeinated beverage was EDs (77%). For ED consumption relative to baseline, systolic and diastolic BP were higher from 30-minutes (p<0,001 and p=0,015, respectively), HR was reduced at 10-minutes (p=0,015), while pulse pressure and MAP were increased from 30-minutes (p=0,043 and p<0,001). Following placebo consumption, blood pressure remained stable relative to baseline with BP reaching maximum values at 120-minutes. Although overall HR dropped below baseline in both groups over the study period, HR increased much later in the placebo group compared to the ED group, reaching its lowest point at 90-minutes, which in contrast, was the peak time point for ED consumption. For ED consumption relative to the placebo, BP was higher at all time points from baseline (p<0,001), while HR showed a significant increase at 90-minutes (p<0,001). Pulse pressure and MAP were higher for ED consumption, with significance observed at 90-minutes (p<0,001) for pulse pressure, and at all time points for MAP. The study found that drink type had a significant effect on BP (p<0,001) and a partial significance on HR (p=0,052). The interaction between drink type and time points had a significant effect on systolic BP
v
(p<0,001) and MAP (p<0,001) and a partial significance on diastolic BP (p=0,057). Conclusion: EDs significantly increased BP over a period of 2-hours relative to the placebo. These observations can be attributed to the sympathomimetic actions of the bioactive contents of EDs, especially as a result of the synergy between caffeine and taurine. Heart rate decreased slower in the ED group versus the placebo group which presented more stability. These changes can be attributed to caffeine’s stimulatory effects as well as its half-life in an adult body.Inleiding: Die verhoogde inname van energiedrankies (ED’s) maak deel uit van Suid Afrikaners se dieet. Daar is bevind dat ED’s vanweë hulle hoë kaffeïeninhoud en
bioaktiewe verbinding konsentrasies die kardiovaskulêre stelsel (KVS) affekteer.
Kardiovaskulêre siektes is veral onder swart mense rede tot kommer gesien die
nadele wat die verhoogde inname van ED’s vir die KVS inhou. Oogmerk: Die oogmerk
van hierdie studie was om vas te stel watter uitwerking ’n akute inname van ED’s op
die KVS van gesonde swart manlike universiteitstudente het. Metodologie: Altesame
26 manlike studente tussen 18 en 29 jaar het aan hierdie ewekansige, beheerde
oorkruisstudie deelgeneem. ’n Monster®-ED (ingryping) en ’n vrugtesapkonsentraat
verdun met sodawater (plasebo) is op twee nieopeenvolgende dae volgens die
enkelblindmetode aan deelnemers toegedien. Hulle hartklop (HK; bpm) en bloeddruk
(BD; mmHg) is twee keer met ’n geoutomatiseerde sfigmomanometer aan die
linkerarm gemeet. Meterlesings is na 0; 10; 30; 60; 90 en 120 minute aangeteken.
Deelnemers se demografiese data en inname van ED’s en kaffeïen is met behulp van
vraelyste bepaal. Bevindings: Die self-gerapporteerde innamefrekwensie van
kaffeïendrankies was oorwegend ≥14 porsies/week (50%). Volgens die deelnemers
het ’n hoë kaffeïeninname hulle beter laat studeer (61,5%). ED’s was hulle
gunstelingkaffeïendrankie (77%). Vir die inname van ED met betrekking tot die
aanvangsmeting was die sistoliese en diastoliese BD ná 30 minute hoër (p<0,001 en
p=0,015 onderskeidelik), HK ná 10 minute stadiger (p=0,015), terwyl polsdruk en
gemiddelde arteriële druk (GAD) ná 30 minute hoër (p=0,043 en p<0,001). Vir ED inname met betrekking tot die plasebo was BD op alle metingstye hoër as die
aanvangsmeting (p<0,001) en was HK ná 90 minute beduidend hoër (p<0,001).
Polsdruk en GAD was hoër ná ED-inname. Beduidendheid is veral vir polsdruk ná 90
minute (p<0,001) en vir GAD op alle metingstye waargeneem. Die studie het bevind
dat die soort drankie ’n beduidende effek op BD (p<0,001) en ’n gedeeltelike
beduidende effek op HK gehad het (p=0,052). Die wisselwerking tussen die soort
drankie en die metingstye het ’n beduidende effek op sistoliese BD (p<0,001) en GAD
(p<0,001), maar ’n gedeeltelike beduidendheid op diastoliese BD (p=0,057) gehad.
Gevolgtrekking: ED’s het BD met betrekking tot die plasebo oor ’n tydperk van twee
uur beduidend laat styg. Ofskoon HK gedaal het, was waardes vir ED hoër met
betrekking tot die plasebo. Hierdie waarnemings kan toegeskryf word aan die
vasostimulant en simpatomimetiese werking van die bioaktiewe inhoud van ED’s as
gevolg van veral die sinergie tussen kaffeïen en tourien.Intshayelelo: Phakathi kweenguqu ezenzekileyo eMzantsi Afrika kwindlela yokutya
kukunyuka kokusetyenziswa kweziselo ezinika amandla (iziselo ezinika
Amandla,EDs), eziboniswa zichaphazela inkqubo yemithambo yentliziyo (CVS)
ngenxa ye-khafini (caffeine) eninzi kunye nomxube oyingqumbululu wezinto
ezisebenzayo (bioactive). Isifo semithambo yentliziyo (CVD) yinkxalabo, ngakumbi
kumaqela abantu abamnyama, njengoko ukwanda kokusetyenziswa kuveza
imiphumo emibi yeziselo ezinika amandla (ED) kwimithambo yentliziyo (CVS).
Injongo: Injongo yolu phononongo yayikukuveza imiphumo yeziselo ezinika amandla
eziyingozi kwinkqubo yemithambo yentliziyo (CVS) kubafundi abangamadoda
abantsundu baseyunivesithi abasempilweni ngokubanzi.Indlela. yokwenza:
Uphononongo olulawulwe ngokungakhethiyo olunqamlezileyo lwenziwe kubathathi nxaxheba abaneminyaka ephakathi kwe-18 kunye ne-29. I-Monster® isiselo esinika
Amandla esinekharbon (carbonated ED) (ungenelelo) kunye nengqumbululu yencindi
engxengiweyo kunye namanzi anekharbon (i-placebo) inikezelwe kubathathi nxaxheba ngendlela eyodwa kwiintsuku ezimbini ezingalandelelaniyo. Isantya
sokubetha kwentliziyo (HR; bpm) kunye noxinzelelo lwegazi (BP; mmHg) zilinganiswe
kabini kwingalo yasekhohlo yabathathi-nxaxheba kusetyenziswa isixhobo
esizihambelayo i-sphygmomanometer. Imilinganiselo yarekhodwa kwi-0; 10; 30; 60;
90 kunye 120 yemizuzu. Imibuzo yayisetyenziselwa ukufumana idatha yabantu
bendawo ethile ngokwamanani neemeko zabo kunye nokuhlola i-ED (iziselo ezinika
Amandla) kunye nokusetyenziswa kwe-khafini (caffeine). Iziphumo: Izihlandlo
zokusetyenziswa njalo kweziselo ezinekharbon ubukhulu becala zazine ≥14
ngokokuphaka / ngeveki (50%). Ukusetyenziswa kwekhafini kwabalelwa kwiinjongo
zemfundo (61.5%). Esona siselo sikhethwayo esinekhafini yayiyisiselo esinika
amandla i-EDs (77%). Ukusetyenziswa kwesiselo esinika amandla (ED)
ngokuthelekswa nesiseko, uxinzelelo lwegazi xa intliziyo iqala ukumpompa igazi
(systolic BP) kunye noxinzelelo lwegazi xa intliziyo iyeka ukumpompa igazi (diastolic
BP) zaziphezulu ukusuka kwimizuzu engama-30 (p<0,001 kunye ne-p=0,015,
ngokulandelanayo), i-santya sokubetha kwentliziyo (HR) yehla kwimizuzu eli-10
(p=0,015), ngelixa uxinzelelo lokubetha kwentliziyo kunye ne-MAP zonyuka ukusuka
kwimizuzu engama-30 (p=0,043 kunye ne p<0,001).
ix
Ukusetyenziswa kwe-ED ngokuthelekiswa nento efaniswa neyeza kodwa elingelilo
esetyenziselwa ekukholiseni nje (placebo), unxinzelelo lwegazi (BP) lwaluphezulu
kuzo zonke indawo ukusuka kwisiseko (p<0,001), ngelixa isantya sokubetha
kwentliziyo (HR) kubonise ukunyuka okukhulu kwimizuzu engama-90 (p<0,001).
Uxinzelelo lokubetha kwentliziyo (Pulse) kunye ne-MAP zaziphezulu ekusebenziseni
iziselo ezinika amandla (ED), zabonakala kakhulu kwimizuzu engama-90 (p<0,001)
yoxinzelelo lokubetha kwentliziyo(pulse), kwaye kuzo zonke iindawo ze-MAP.
Uphononongo lufumanise ukuba uhlobo lwesiselo lunento oluyenzayo ebonakalayo
kuxinzelelo lwegazi (BP) (p<0,001) kwaye lwabonisa okuyinxalenye kwisantya
sokubetha kwentliziyo (HR) (p=0,052). Ukusebenzisana phakathi kohlobo lwesiselo
kunye neendawo zexesha kunefuthe olubonakalayo kuxinzelelo lwegazi xa intliziyo
liqala ukumpompa igazi (systolic) (p<0,001) kunye ne-MAP (p<0,001), kunye
nokuyinxalenye kuxinzelelo lwegazi xa iyekile ukumpompa igazi (diastolic) (p=0,057).
Isiphelo: I-EDs (Iziselo ezinika Amandla) zinyuse kakhulu unxinzelelo lwegazi (BP)
kwixesha elimalunga neyure ezi-2 kuthelekiswa nento efaniswa neyeza kodwa
elingelilo esetyenziselwa ekukholiseni nje (placebo). Nangona isantya sokubetha
kwentlinziyo (HR) sisehla, amaxabiso ayephezulu kwiziselo ezinika amandla (ED)
ngokumalunga nento efaniswa neyeza kodwa elingelilo esetyenziselwa ekukholiseni
nje (placebo). Olu qwalaselo lunokuthi lubalelwe kwizenzo zesivuseleli i-vaso kunye
nechiza ukuvelisa iziphumo zokusebenza kophawu lwenkqubo yemithambo-luvo
enovelwano ngokukhuthaza ukuvuselela imizwa yovelwano. yomthamo we-bioactive
kwiziselo ezinika Amandla (EDs), ngakumbi ngenxa yokuhambelana phakathi kwe khafini (caffeine) kunye nezinto ezimuncu ezisetyenziselwa ukunika amandla
kwiziselo i-taurineM. Sc. (Life Sciences)Life and Consumer Science
Green logistics in a South African retailer : a case study
No full textAbstracts in English and AfrikaansThe negative environmental effects being caused by logistical operational activities have raised concern about the needs of the future generations. Retailers are among those organisations whose operational activities are causing environmental damage. To find solutions towards minimising negative environmental impacts, green logistics concept under the umbrella term green supply chain management (GSCM) was developed. Green logistics developed to be a topic of interest across the globe. Green logistics implementation is now at an advanced stage in developed countries such as the United States compared to countries in Africa. In developing nations such as South Africa, GL is still minimal but quite noticeable compared to the rest of the African countries.
Retailers, among other organisations, are facing immense pressure to minimise environmental damage and implement processes that promote environmental protection. This study explored the implementation of GL practices in a large retail organisation of South Africa. The study followed a qualitative research design and implemented semi-structured interviews to collect the data. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The evidence from the study showed that there has been ongoing emphasis and implementation of GL in the retail industry of South Africa. The study concluded that retailers need to invest more in the adoption of technology to enhance the implementation of GL.Die negatiewe omgewingseffekte wat deur logistiese operasionele aktiwiteite veroorsaak word, het kommer laat ontstaan oor die behoeftes van die toekomstige generasies. Kleinhandelaars is van die organisasies wie se operasionele aktiwiteite omgewingskade aanrig. Om oplossings vir die minimalisering van die omgewingsimpak te vind, is die konsep groen logistiek (GL) onder die oorkoepelende term groen voorsieningskettingbestuur ontwikkel. Groen logistiek het in ʼn onderwerp van belangstelling oor die wêreld ontwikkel. Die implementering van groen logistiek is reeds in ʼn gevorderde stadium in ontwikkelde lande soos die Verenigde State, vergeleke met lande in Afrika. In ontwikkelende lande soos Suid-Afrika, is groen logistiek steeds minimaal, maar tog merkwaardig vergeleke met die res van die Afrika-lande.
Benewens ander organisasies, staar kleinhandelaars groot druk in die gesig om omgewingskade te minimaliseer en prosesse te implementeer wat omgewingsbeskerming bevorder. Hierdie studie het die implementering van GL-praktyke in ʼn groot kleinhandelsorganisasie in Suid-Afrika ondersoek. Die studie het ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp gevolg, en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om data te versamel. ʼn Tematiese analise is gebruik om die data te analiseer. Die uitslae van die studie het getoon dat daar voortdurende klem op en implementering van GL in die kleinhandelbedryf in Suid-Afrika is. Die studie het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat kleinhandelaars meer moet belê in die aanvaarding van tegnologie om die implementering van GL te verbeter.M. Com. (Logistics)Applied Managemen
The conceptualisation, development and validation of a South African organisational leadership scale
No full textThis study conceptualised and developed a South African leadership scale by
exploring the nature of organisational leadership. Emic organisational leadership
behaviours were identified and defined, theoretically and practically, through a mixedmethod
study. A structured literature review of bibliographic databases of African
leadership literature published from 1960 to 2019 explored how organisational
leadership manifested itself in Africa. Categorisation for the structured review was
tabulated through coding tables and answered several questions relating to leadership
in Africa. Of the 515 reviewed articles, 133 were retained as part of this study.
An exploratory sequential design was chosen as the appropriate procedure for the
study. First, qualitative exploration of organisational leadership behaviours was
conducted by collecting participant data using Northcutt and McCoy’s (2004)
Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) methodology. IQA participants induced meaning,
and defined, refined, and investigated the relationship of influence between
organisational leadership categories. The IQA participants discovered eight leadership
affinities: Leadership Culture, Engaging Communication, Support, Delivering Strategy,
Emotional Awareness of Leader, Team Dynamics, Vision, Leadership Style, and
Characteristics. They were presented in a System Influence Diagram as a visual
representation of organisational leadership.
A 32-item organisational leadership instrument and scale with good psychometric
properties was developed and administered to a sample of 5305 public and private
sector employees. Various statistical tests were performed during the quantitative
phase to ensure appropriate scale development. Initial CFA tests (AVE and HTMT
analysis) revealed that the OL scale is a one-construct model, suggesting difficulty in
separating the nuances of organisational leadership in the South African context using
this measuring instrument.
Several EFA tests were performed, and 21 items from the initial 32 were retained. A
three-step invariance analysis (configural, metric & scalar) suggested that another two
items be dropped off, leaving a one-factor 19-item scale. Various CFA tests (t-tests and ANOVA) established convergent and discriminant validity using correlations and
testing for common method bias. Quantitative hypotheses were verified during the
statistical phase and exposed insights into organisational leadership.
The statistical results revealed the inability of respondents to distinguish meaningfully
between the IQA affinities, which could stem from underlying beliefs about current
organisational leadership practices. This study revealed a uniquely singular emic view
of organisational leadership with nuances. Identifying a one-factor organisational
leadership model implies that respondents perceived task and relationship leadership
behaviours as one category. This study revealed a remarkably unique, emic
perspective on leadership in South African organisations, overflowing with intricate
nuances.
This research has the potential to modernise our understanding of organisational
leadership in South Africa by shedding light on the subtle social and cultural dynamics
that influence leadership practice. This improved understanding can enhance
organisational leadership practices by allowing organisations to modify their
leadership techniques, strategies, and development programmes. This research
contributes empirically and practically to the South African field of organisational
leadership. This includes developing and validating an emic measurement instrument
that may prove useful in future organisational leadership research and as a practical
aid for South African organisations seeking to assess and develop their leadership.
Overall, this research's contributions are extensive and profound, with implications for
academia and organisations.DBLGraduate School of Business Leadershi
Remittance inflows and exchange rate in Kenya: An empirical investigation
No full textThis study investigated the impact of remittances on the nominal exchange rate in Kenya, using annual time series data from 1980 to 2020. The study was motivated by the need to find out how remittances affect the exchange rate in Kenya on the back of an increase in remittance inflows in low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya. This is important as Kenya continues to build a stable macroeconomic environment that supports economic growth and other milestones specified in the Sustainable Development Goals. Using the autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration, the study found a positive relationship between remittances and the nominal exchange rate in both the short and long run. This implies that an increase in remittance inflows in Kenya leads to a depreciation of the currency. The study, therefore, concludes that remittance inflows in Kenya are not associated with the Dutch-disease phenomenon.Economic
Open data accessibility mechanisms for tourism development in South Africa
Get PDFAcross the world, governments and local authorities are releasing open data with the conviction that the action of publishing open data may result in a new untapped asset that can promote positive social change and economic gains. In South Africa, data produced by public entities in large quantities using public funds remains inaccessible even though the data can be anonymised and made available for use and reuse for scientific and socioeconomic purposes. Moreover, an evidence-based understanding of what supports the access and use of open data in the South African tourism sector is lacking. In response to this problem this research study was guided by the main research question: What are the causal mechanisms that influence open data digital platforms in the South African tourism sector?
This exploratory qualitative case study research serves as one of the few, if any, studies that attempt to contribute to advancing knowledge on open data access and use in the tourism sector. Critical realism (CR) is used as the guiding philosophy and methodology. The study adopted affordance theory as a lens for gaining a non-deterministic view of the action possibilities and constraints between actor–artefact interactions for identifying mechanisms. Gauteng province, as an economic hub with the largest internet penetration of 85.2% in South Africa, was selected as the application context for this study. Data collection was conducted using semi-structured interviews with a total of 25 participants from both the public (municipalities) and private (mobile app development start-up companies) sectors as potential open data providers and users, respectively. For phase one of the analysis, Atlas.ti software was used for thematic analysis. In phase two of the analysis, a stepwise framework for critical realist data analysis was engaged to analyse qualitative data in this study. A limitation of the study was the small number of mobile application development companies (start-ups) with travel and tourism related mobile applications with South African content on the public domain Google Play Store, as well as the geographical limitation in relation to municipalities within the Gauteng province context.
Based on the analyses and an examination of the interplay between human, social and technical elements that produce contingent observed events such as the development of open data driven digital platforms in the South African tourism sector, potential causal mechanisms are proposed as the theoretical contribution of this study. The practical contribution is an improved understanding of open data components and structures in terms of causal powers that can be leveraged by both public and private sector open data practitioners to drive sustainable tourism development.M. Sc. (Computing)School of Computin