1,720,969 research outputs found
The contribution of tourism to local community development : the case of Shakaland Zulu Cultural Village
Full text linkSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Technology: Tourism and Hospitality, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017.The past decades indicate enormous interest in tourism as a tool for regional economic development. However, it is not always clear if tourism creates a significant contribution to local destination communities, as, in most cases, benefits from tourism emerge slowly and usually accrue to certain groups within the community. This study is driven by the researcher’s desire in determining tourism’s contribution to local community development, and to seek ways in which the local indigenous community can enhance their standard of living through tourism. Hence, increased understanding of tourism’s contribution to community development is necessary to establish strategies to ensure that employees and community receive equal benefits from tourism. Therefore, the study sought to investigate ‘the contribution of tourism to local community development, using Shakaland Zulu Cultural Village (SZCV) as a case. A qualitative and quantitative approach was employed. However, more emphasis was placed on the qualitative approach. The study sample compromised of 84 purposely selected employees of SZCV. The data collected were coded and organised according to the interview questions and were analysed and interpreted according to five analytic categories that were based on the objectives of the study.
The findings of the study indicated that: SZCV contributes to local community development; and SZCV has different tourism employment categories that improve the community’s livelihoods in Eshowe, including cultural dancers, cultural chief, traditional herbalist, sangoma, arts and craft workers, chefs, receptionist, reservationist, spaza shop retailer, food and beverage manager, front office manager, maintenance manager as well as cultural manager. The study further revealed that a few respondents received training for their positions; and that the majority of employees are involved in the decision-making process within the SZCV; however, this involvement was not at a strategic level. Furthermore, the study recomended that local community development in Eshowe needs to be improved especially through the diversification of the cultural village. This is attainable by forming a partnership with other tourism business in close proximity to the SZCV that attract a high volume of tourist, to increase the possible benefits to communities that are residing along SZCV.
Black economic empowerment and local economic development in the accommodation sector : the case of Clarens, in the Free State Province
Full text linkSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Technology: Hospitality and Tourism, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017.In South Africa, the tourism industry has been identified as one of the key drivers for economic development and transformation of the country. Although South Africa joined the world tourism stage since democracy, the country still contends with issues linked to apartheid, such as poverty, inequality and transformation. More specific and related to this study is the transformation of the tourism industry. In this regard, an overwhelming majority of tourism enterprises are still under the ownership of the White minority. With the post-apartheid transition, the national government recognized that the unequal ownership structure within the tourism sector (as with most of the other economic sectors) needed to be addressed through a programme of transformation. Hence, the transformation programme introduced to counter the current dominance of the economic sector was called Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), followed by Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE); the programme aimed at redressing inequalities that were linked to the legacy of apartheid.
The study employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather in-depth information from respondents, based on their accommodation establishment. The data collected from the responses were analysed using Microsoft Excel.
This study revealed that the accommodation sector is struggling to keep up with the 2014 transformation target of thirty percent. Incidentally, transformation as noted by the National Department of Tourism, within the industry currently stands at less than 3 percent and will struggle to meet the amended target of thirty percent in respect of the transformation targets set for 2017. Although the government has introduced many initiatives to promote Black participation within the accommodation sector, transformation has remained stagnant and Black ownership of accommodation establishments is almost non-existent.
The study results have found that there are no Black business that operate within the CBD of Clarens and that businesses that operate in Clarens even though wholly White-owned, are indeed compliant with the Tourism BEE charter in spite of the results noting that no transformation has taken place. This is due to the issue of automatic compliance afforded to businesses based on their annual turnover.
The role of SMMEs in promoting local economic development : a case study of the Matatiele Local Municipality
Full text linkMini dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Business Administration (MBA), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.South Africa continues to have issues with unemployment, poverty, inequality and slow economic
growth. As the economy shifted to skills-based employment, one province significantly affected
is the Eastern Cape, which faces slow economic growth. The government of this province made
the decision to implement a national strategy to reduce unemployment and boost growth and
development through small and medium and micro sized businesses (SMMEs).
The Matatiele Local Municipality, located within this province, was selected as the study area.
Small medium and micro enterprises and municipal stakeholders operating within the Matatiele
Local Municipality were interviewed for this study. The methodology used to conduct this study
was qualitative, in-depth interviews to gather data. Twelve participants made up the sample, which
was drawn from the Matatiele Local municipality, SMMEs and Community members. The
Endogenous Growth Theory, which maintains that internal rather than external forces
predominantly affect economic growth, was used in this study.
The study recommends that the municipality work in collaboration with the SMMEs and locals to
revive business confidence. This advice could be carried out by making sure that all information
pertaining to SMMEs is conveyed clearly and on time in order to prevent misunderstandings. The
municipality also needs to ensure that the support it provides to SMMEs is enough to be
sustainable. It is evident from the feedback from local business owners that the municipality needs
to increase the budget for Local Economic Development (LED) in order to make sure that SMMEs
reap the most benefits.
The effectiveness of the supply chain management system at a selected community education & training college in KwaZulu-Natal
No full textMini dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.The current Community Education and Training Colleges (CETCs) have evolved from the old Adult Education and Training (AET) system where all supply chain management processes were centralised nationally in Pretoria. The decentralisation of supply chain processes to CETs in 2019 meant that the CETCs were expected to carry out all the supply chain management functions. The devolving of the supply chain management (SCM) function to the CET colleges meant that a selected community education and training college (CETC) has a mandate of servicing all the community learning centres (CLCs) and satellite learning centres (SLCs) falling within their jurisdiction. This study embarked on an exploration of how a selected CETC has responded to the transition of inheriting SCM functions. This was done by: firstly attempting to establish how human and physical resources impact on SCM in a selected CETC; secondly the identification of possible prevalent SCM risks; thirdly identifying performance measures to supply chain practices; and fourthly establishing what supply chain risk mitigation strategies affected SCM practices. Against this backdrop, the study made recommendations on all four objectives in the process, also suggesting the possible risk mitigation that could be applied to the possible challenges that this study endeavoured to unmask or reveal. In order to collect data that would enable the study to draw these findings on the effectiveness of SCM in a selected CETC, a quantitative method was adopted. The study sourced data from a population size of 118 respondents comprising all management officials at the central office of the selected CETC and all CLC managers and satellite supervisors on the PERSAL system of the selected CETC. The study applied the STATA 17 software package to present the statistical data analysis of the data collected. Consequently, graphs and tables were used in the study to interpret data which corroborated the findings of the study on the effectiveness of SCM systems in a selected CETC, espoused in the objectives of the study.
Evaluating private game reserves' contribution to community development : a case-study of Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s in Management Sciences in Tourism and Hospitality, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2020.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application of the community
development-model adopted by Kwandwe Private Game Reserve (KPGR), in
the Eastern Cape, towards sustainable development of communities near the
location of the game reserve. Community development is one of the important
areas that the government of South Africa is targeting to reduce poverty and
inequalities. Many initiatives have been proposed through local authorities to
enhance local economic development. KPGR provides work opportunities for
the local people to enable them to earn household income. The study draws
from a mixed method approach wherein elements of quantitative and
qualitative techniques were used to obtain relevant information from 300
respondents. These include employees of KPGR, the management of KPGR,
Ubunye Foundation and the community members of Branderstone and
Kransdrift. Findings of the study revealed that many factors adversely affect
KPGR from exercising some of its corporate social responsibility. These
include limited interaction of KPGR with the surrounding community, low
literacy among community members and inadequate infrastructure. These
factors adversely affect the community developmental model in the
Branderstone and Kransdrift communities. To mitigate these concerns, the
study advocates a thoughtful and strategic involvement of the surroundings,
harnessing the potential of local communities and investing in infrastructural
projects which are crucial for community development.
Pre-conditions, challenges and opportunities for community-based tourism in Mpondoland in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
No full textThesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.Research indicates that community-based tourism (CBT) has economic relevance and is often viewed as an alternative source of income for rural communities that are endowed with rich cultural and natural tourism resources, yet the success of CBT projects is negligible. This research was designed to explore the importance of considering pre-conditions for CBT before proceeding with the actual implementation of the project with a sample of CBT project members directly involved in CBT. Ignoring this fundamental step often led to failure of CBT projects.
The research sought to establish whether the CBT projects in Mpondoland were either faced with challenges or presented with opportunities and to propose a CBT Pre-condition Management and Evaluation Model (PEM). The participants were selected because of their relevant knowledge and experience in relation to the case. All seventeen members who were operating a CBT business at the time of the study in the village of Noqhekwane and all five members from the village of Ndengane were approached to participate in the study. This study employed a mixed-methods approach for data collection, more specifically, the qualitative approach was used to gather more in-depth information from respondents, based on their CBT project in the context of their specific socio-economic status, their local environment, education levels, management and background of their project, and infrastructures of the area. Interpretive analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data using thematic categories from the analysis as sub-headings. Other data collected from the responses was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
An investigation into the gaps between tourism education provision and industry need in KwaZulu-Natal
Full text linkSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology, (Tourism Management) in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2009.There is a growing demand for professionally educated and trained staff in the
tourism sector. However, current literature reveals a significant disparity between the
tourism education provided by institutions and the skills required by the industry. A
major challenge facing tourism education institutions is the identification of industry
needs and requirements and the involvement of industry in curriculum design. The
aim of this research is to examine the education, skills and training required of
tourism employees and whether the provisions of higher education tourism courses
are adequately meeting industry needs. Identifying this „gap‟ will assist in improving
the development of tourism education programmes to meet the needs of industry. The
research examines the relevance of the tourisms qualification from three stakeholders‟
perspectives, namely, managers from the tourism sector, tourism graduate employees,
and tourism academics. Surveys, in the form of structured questionnaires, were used
to obtain information from the three groups.
The overall findings of the study revealed that gaps do exist in the tourism curriculum
according to the perceptions of stakeholder groups that participated in this study. The
recommendations are that closer collaboration is required between academics,
managers from the industry when designing tourism curriculum and also to sustain the
relevance of the curriculum to meet the needs of industry.
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