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Exploring alcohol abuse amongst Grade 10 adolescent learners in a Secondary school in Gauteng Province
Get PDFAbstract: In this qualitative study, cases of alcohol abuse amongst Grade 10 adolescent learners in a secondary school in Gauteng Province will be explored and described. The study is grounded on the view that in the context of South African high school learners, alcohol abuse is an intensive pattern of alcohol intake that is often accompanied by recurring problems, such as a serious decrease in school performance, high school dropouts and anti-social behaviour. Its main thrust is that alcohol abuse is becoming an increasing problem in South Africa. Research shows that almost every South African youth would have experimented with drugs, especially beer, dagga and cigarettes, during adolescence. The major cause of concern is that large numbers of these adolescent learners eventually become addicted, posing a threat to their own education, health and safety, while creating difficulties for their families and the society at large. This study sought to explore alcohol abuse among adolescent learners in a secondary school, with the aim of developing possible strategies to address the problem
COVID-19 and the making of a South African democratic developmental state : prospects and pitfalls amid a pandemic
Get PDFAbstract: This article assesses the impact of untraditional security threats on the origin and institutional configuration of existing and prospective developmental states in Africa. It adopts a case study research methodological approach which interrogates the effect of internal and global security threats on the formation of 21st-century African developmental states through the presence of four developmental state features: Development-Oriented Political Leadership; Presence of a Pilot Agency; Private Sector and/or Broad-Based Developmental Coalitions; and Popular Mobilisation through a Developmentalist Ideology. The case studies under review include four existing (Botswana, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Rwanda) and one prospective (South Africa) African developmental states. This article finds that intense ethnic rivalries and domestic development imperatives were sufficient factors triggering the construction of developmental states in Botswana, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. Furthermore, the outbreak of COVID-19 has served as a global threat which precipitated developmental state project in South Africa
Leadership in Public Health Emergency: A Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 Administration in Nigeria and South Africa
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Inequality in South Africa: what does a composite index of well-being reveal?
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Improving the reliability of railway signalling systems
Get PDFAbstract: Rail transport is considered among users as the most efficient and cost-effective mode of transport. The rail sector also provides the world with environmental and social benefits by improving travel efficiency, accessibility, air quality and resilience, and reduces the number of injuries, greenhouse gases and noise pollution. The shift from road to rail means there is increasing demand for rail transportation and with this comes degradation of the rail network, thus compromising its reliability, safety and availability. The safe operation and optimized capacity of railroads is dependent on reliable, available, maintainable and safe use of railway signalling systems. In the past, rail operators have been faced with a challenge of an increasing failure rate in railway signalling systems. These failures not only decrease the capacity of the rail network but also expose the network to more safety related incidents. The deteriorating signalling infrastructure conditions, paired with ageing rolling stock have a direct effect on rail operators’ ability to deliver an efficient, safe and reliable service. A case study of operations and maintenance strategies for a leading heavy haul rail operator in South Africa was reviewed; in order to identify factors that cause reduced reliability in railway signalling systems, to recommend reliable improvement strategies, and, in turn, improve the availability of railway services. Pareto analysis was used to narrow down the dominating 20 percent subsystem failures that result in 80 percent of disruptions; and these were found to be track circuits, points, signals and axle counters. The dominating causes of these failures were ageing, component failures, theft, human error, substandard maintenance and substandard design or manufacturing. Maintenance findings revealed that there was an intervention to maintain these subsystems, however maintenance is often deferred. The survey results revealed that the organization did not have adequate systems in place to identify faults before they occurred and did not employ enough strategies to prevent failures from reoccurring. In accordance with the case study, it is recommended that the organization amends its maintenance approach by adopting a continuous improvement-based regime such iv as reliability centred maintenance and employs continuous stakeholder engagement sessions.M.Phil. (Engineering Management
Implementation of an integrated utilities management system in a complex process plant
Get PDFAbstract: Energy management refers to the efficient and effective use of energy to minimize costs and enhance productivity, with a resultant benefit of cost optimization. The global industrial sector consumes more than 54% of the world’s energy. This is the highest energy demand in comparison to any other end-use sector. The South African outlook is not materially different from the global outlook, with the industrial sector demanding 52% of the country’s total energy; furthermore, South Africa’s energy demand is ranked the highest in the African continent. Although the sector can be categorized according to energy intense and non-energy intense subsectors, the manufacturing sub-sector, within which food and tobacco manufacturing is classified, is considered energy intensive. For many complex plants, energy management and distribution affects a collective of complex systems such as steam generation, large electrical motors, compressed air systems, processing systems and many more. These complex systems involve significant energy efficiency opportunities that require thorough analysis and understanding to determine and implement appropriate energy saving measures. Energy consumption is one of the key contributors to production costs, and the effective and economic use thereof is critical for the manufacturing plant’s success. This study seeks to evaluate the implementation of an integrated energy management system in a complex process plant. The study is centered around two case studies, developed through application of the Pareto principle, more commonly known as the 80/20 rule. This rule informed prioritization and selection of two high impact SOI’s within the complex plant. A clear PDCA methodology was followed, which sought to formulate and test propositions pertinent to observed phenomena within the selected SOI’s. Based on the outcomes of the tests formulated to assess these propositions, conclusions were deduced on whether the propositions were supported or refuted. A total of 8 propositions were developed within the boundaries of the two case studies, and the outcomes of the case studies demonstrated, to a considerable extent, the immense benefits of proactive energy management. Future opportunities have also been identified through this study, and these too represent highly beneficial platforms for continued value creation.M.Phil. (Engineering Management
An assessment of total quality management in the survival of small and medium construction enterprises in Lagos, Nigeria
Get PDFAbstract: The survival and growth of Nigerian small and medium-sized construction firms are essential in employment generation and economic growth of the country regarded as Africa’s best/strongest? economy. The nature of the construction industry in Nigeria has allowed the participation of small to medium-sized contractors; however, they are viewed as being underdeveloped, particularly when compared to their foreign counterparts. Moreover, they have to contend with fundamental challenges such as insufficient technical and administrative expertise, and inadequate finances, material and equipment. Hence, this study assesses total quality management (TQM) in the survival of small and medium construction enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos, Nigeria. The quantitative research technique was used in the collection of data from construction SMEs and other relevant construction project stakeholders in Nigeria. Out of 188 questionnaires sent to the eligible construction SMEs, 164 were returned, representing a response rate of 87%. The data obtained from this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation of factor analysis. The empirical reliabilities tests result revealed values greater than 0.70. Findings from data analysis revealed that the Nigerian Quality Award is the most popular TQM award among Nigerian construction SMEs. In addition, top management commitment, training and education, customer focus, and motivation are the most prominent TQM practices in the Nigerian construction SMEs. Also, the study showed that training and process management, leadership and employees’ involvement, customer focus, and customer relationship are the key determinants for the successful implementation of TQM practices among the many construction SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria. Furthermore, the study revealed that lack of staff education and training, inconsistent support and guidance from top management are ranked the most significant barriers to the effective implementation of TQM practices to organizational growth of Nigerian construction SMEs. Also, the foremost impacts of TQM on construction SMEs growth in Nigeria include effective project progress monitoring, improved organizational performance, and reduction in reworks, among others. Finally, the study identified properly defined scope of work, quality assurance, and effective implementation of TQM project management as the top three ways for TQM practices’ adaptation in Nigerian construction SMEs. The study recommended that top management of the construction SMEs should ensure frequent assessment of TQM in their construction activities and ensure compliance of building standards, the National Building Code of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Quality Award.M.Tech. (Operations Management
Toward a personhood-based theory of right action : investigating the covid-19 pandemic and religious conspiracy theories in Africa
Get PDFAbstract: Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in religious conspiracy theories (henceforth RCTs) in Africa, ranging from outright denial, partial acceptance to spreading misinformation about the Coronavirus. This essay will argue that RCTs pose serious challenges to Covid-19 prevention by encouraging non-compliance to Covid-19 preventive measures and refusal to take Covid-19 vaccination. It will then formulate a personhood-based theory of right action. This new theory will be teased out of Ifeanyi Menkiti's account of the normative conception of personhood and deployed here as a veritable tool for overcoming the challenges posed by RCTs in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa
Strengthening women's empowerment and gender equality in fragile contexts towards peaceful and inclusive societies : a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Get PDFAbstract: This review builds on 3ie's (international initiative for impact evaluation) evidence gap map (EGM) of the impact evaluation and systematic review (SR) evidence base of interventions aiming to promote peaceful and inclusive societies in fragile contexts. The EGM identified a cluster of studies evaluating gender equality‐focused behaviour change communication programmes and raised interest in investigating the evidence base for understanding the role of women more broadly as agents of change in developing peaceful and inclusive societies. Building on the cluster of evidence identified in the EGM, our review will increase generalisability of findings from single studies and focus on interventions across a broad range of geographical locations, settings and populations, types of implementations and outcomes. We will also address (when possible) the identified gaps in literature regarding metaanalysis in conflict‐affected contexts. As such, we propose the following objectives: (1) The primary objective of this review is to identify, assess and synthesise evidence on the effect of gender specific and gender transformative interventions within the context of the four pillars of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women's empowerment and gender equality in Fragile and Conflict Affected States/Situations (FCAS). The SR will facilitate the use of evidence in informing policy and practice decisions within the field of transition aid, particularly as it relates to gender focused programming. (2) Our second objective is to assess how these interventions contribute to inclusive and sustainable peace in conflict affected situations
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