Research Publications (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/217

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Challenges of reintegrating self-demobilised child soldiers in North Kivu Province: prospects for accountability and reconciliation via Restorative Justice Peacemaking circles
(Springer Verlag, 2015-04-09) Kiyala, Kimbuku Jean Chrysostome
Social reintegration of self-demobilised child combatants can be seriously imperilled by the lack of accountability for human rights violations allegedly carried out during their soldiering life and the failure to pursue reconciliation with their respective communities. This paper examines the circumstances leading young soldiers to voluntarily exit armed groups and militias and the extent to which resettling in the community can be facilitated by restorative justice mechanisms. The findings suggest a large support by war-affected communities for restorative justice peacemaking circles as potential accountability and reconciliation measures to help reintegrate self-demobilised soldiers into society. These results were obtained from interviews, focus group discussions and descriptive statistics in which 1447 respondents participated. These included young ex-soldiers, students, educators, government official, members on NGOs, traditional leaders and councils, Security Services, and the Police. The inquiry was conducted between 3 May and 17 December 2014 in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Change management in the higher education landscape: a case of the transition process at a South African University
(Virtus Interpress, 2016) Govender, Vaneshree; Rampersad, Renitha
The South African Higher Education system in the post-apartheid period had to respond to the various discriminatory practices that existed during the apartheid era. This entailed responding to inequalities in the education system at various levels. With respect to Higher Education there was an imperative to serve society that was based on the principles of equality, equity and inclusivity. One such response was to merge higher education institutions such as ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal to form the Durban Institute of Technology now referred to as the Durban University of Technology (DUT). This paper is concerned with the process of change in the Higher Education context and examines a South African case study. The study was conducted within a quantitative paradigm and the sample population was 400 administrative and academic staff from across the seven campuses. In order to satisfy the research objectives of the study, a self-administered location based survey was distributed and data was analyzed using SPSS. The study revealed that living and coping with change in the work environment is a fact of life for organisations and individuals. The success of any change programme depends on the organisation’s ability to communicate effectively with its employees; therefore internal communication plays a pivotal role in any change programme.
The choice of public universities in a restructured and transforming Higher Education landscape : a student perspective
(Business Perspectives, 2016) Penceliah, Soobramoney; Konyana, Samkele Vuyokazi Mizpha; Maharaj, Mandusha
The central tenet of the new Constitution of South Africa is to create equal and socially just economic order. This resulted in the higher education sector being restructured through incorporations and mergers. The limited financial resources, forces universities to evaluate and review their marketing strategies in order to attract suitably prepared and qualified students. The universities have not fully explored the role played by choice factors in influencing the students’ decision of enrolling at a particular university. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that may influence students in their choice of selecting a public university in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region, South Africa. An empirical study was conducted amongst first year students at two public universities in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region, Pretoria. The study design was quantitative in nature, using a descriptive technique, cross sectional and collected data through the application of a non-probability sampling being utilized to obtain data from a sample of 216 respondents. The results of this study suggest that South African education landscape has evolved towards a market-orientated system in which Higher Education Institutions operate as businesses with marketing challenges. The results provide HEIs a guide to identify the key factors that influence students in the selection of a university in a developing country. University management should take cognizance of the gaps and position the university as an institution of first choice in South Africa.
Corruption and the challenge of accountability in the post-colonial African states : a discourse
(Adonis and Abbey Publishers, 2019-04-15) Fagbadebo, Omololu; Mtshali, Khondlo
Scholars and commentators have described the African state in different forms and versions based on their assessments, rightly or wrongly, of the development‟s strides. Reports by international and local developmental agencies often present gloomy descriptions of a continent suffering from the resource curse. The scorecards of most of the African leaders seem to confirm the assertions of failures in the midst of abundant resources. The corruption pandemic in Africa has rendered the societies as the exporter of potential human resources needed for developments and innovation to the countries of the West. While the continent‟s deplorable social and economic situations worsened, the leadership cadres exploit their power to widen the inequality gaps through unethical conduct. This paper interrogates the leadership-accountability nexus in some countries in Africa with a view to understanding the nature of the pervasiveness of governance crisis. The paper argues that African leaders are more of political predators than freedom fighters against the legacies of colonialism. Rather than explore the state‟s power to promote the public interest, African leaders are more concerned with their personal welfare, exploiting the vulnerability of the citizens. Cases of leadership corruption and malfeasances are swept away thereby engendering the unprecedented culture of leadership deficiency with impunity. This paper submits that the crisis of governance in Africa could be dealt with only if the citizens are liberated from the grip of leadership insensitivity and the rhetoric of colonialism.
Decolonising South African agriculture : bringing dignity back to small-scale farming
(Durban University of Technology, 2022) Davis, Jason Stratton
Decolonisation should include not only political independence, but also the return of factors of production to the formerly colonised people so that they can use them to participate meaningfully in the economy, facilitating their economic emancipation from former colonial rulers. This not only involves putting the factors of production back into the hands of the colonised but also empowering them to generate wealth. Hence, the re-balancing of the agricultural landscape to actively include small-scale agriculture is part of the decolonisation process. Returning viability and dignity to small-scale farming entails reconnecting people to the land. Therefore, African investments in agriculture need to be focused on small-scale farming so that income inequality and poverty can be alleviated. The paper proposes that the promotion of small-scale agriculture change achieves both the objectives of reversing the impact of colonialism and restoring dignity to Black farming, as well as providing quality employment within local communities. The paper does not suggest that every farm must be small-scale, but that every small-scale farm be given an equal opportunity to produce and contribute to the economy as these farms can provide business opportunities for marginalised groups, namely the youth and women. Hence, the question remains - Where does one acquire the resources and expertise to kick-start the recalibrating of agricultural production on a small-scale? The answer lies in a mixture of finance and business skills from firms through Corporate Social Investment that creates partnerships, both public and private, that sow the seeds of small-scale success.
Dividing the spoils? Mining and tourism in South Africa
(MCSER Publishing, 2014-01) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, Oliver
This article looks at the mining and tourism sectors through the prisms of a society still attempting to redress the evils of the apartheid past. In so doing, it provides a typology of the dominant characteristics active in both sectors to upack the structural factors which oppress the precariats in these sectors. Precariats are the employees in a precarious situation in these sectors trying to eke out a living under extermely difficult working conditions. From the analysis, the common denominator in the two sectors is the low ‘slavery’ wages. The poor has not benefited materially from economic growth such that unemployment, poverty and inequality still remain as the country’s major challenges. The Black Economic Empowerment policy has been found wanting in empowering previously disadvantaged groups due partly to the co-option of black elites by white capital resulting in the maintenance of the pre-1994 concentration patterns. This article advocates a paradigm shift towards a system in which redistributive justice should be instituted, including a balanced distribution of power/control, resources, knowledge, capacities and benefits in these sectors for the benefit of all.
Dividing the spoils? mining and tourism in South Africa
(MCSER Publishing, 2014-01) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, Oliver
This article looks at the mining and tourism sectors through the prisms of a society still attempting to redress the evils of the apartheid past. In so doing, it provides a typology of the dominant characteristics active in both sectors to upack the structural factors which oppress the precariats in these sectors. Precariats are the employees in a precarious situation in these sectors trying to eke out a living under extermely difficult working conditions. From the analysis, the common denominator in the two sectors is the low ‘slavery’ wages. The poor has not benefited materially from economic growth such that unemployment, poverty and inequality still remain as the country’s major challenges. The Black Economic Empowerment policy has been found wanting in empowering previously disadvantaged groups due partly to the co-option of black elites by white capital resulting in the maintenance of the pre-1994 concentration patterns. This article advocates a paradigm shift towards a system in which redistributive justice should be instituted, including a balanced distribution of power/control, resources, knowledge, capacities and benefits in these sectors for the benefit of all.
Economic inequality as a source of interpersonal violence : evidence from sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa
(SAJEMS, 2015) Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Vermaak, Claire
This article examines whether the close association of income inequality and violence identified for high income countries applies also to sub-Saharan Africa and, in particular, to South Africa. Cross sectional analysis across sub-Saharan countries provided no evidence of such an association. However, using homicide rates and several measures of inequality across South Africa’s 52 districts does provide evidence of a significant positive relationship between homicide rates and expenditure inequality. A one percent increase in inequality is associated with an increase in the homicide rate of 2.3 to 2.5 per cent. This relationship remains significant after controlling for other characteristics of the district.
Ethics, codes of conduct, morals and professionalism as a bulwark against corruption and unethical conduct in the public sector: a case of South Africa
(Virtus Interpress, 2015) Brauns, Melody; Mdlazi, David
This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first democratic elections and later developments. Such an analysis will inevitably overspill to the quality of service delivery and participation. As such there is a need for ethics to be re-examined and investigate how this may be used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the South African government service. Much has been written on ethics and their relevance to the public sector organisations. Indeed they are critical for service delivery for both sectors namely, private and public sectors. This paper will trace the origins and development of ethics and their relationship with other associated terms such as morals, codes of conduct and relate same to the guidelines emanating from the South African Constitution Act (Act 108 of 1996). Once this objective has been achieved the position of ethics to our daily lives from individual and citizenship perspective will be explored. By such investigation it is envisaged to reposition ethics to our working environment as a vehicle that supports and fuels accelerated quality decision-making and service delivery. In that way it will be possible to locate the area of responsibility and accountability in the public sector. One will also examine the power-authority-responsibility triangle relative to ethics, ethical conduct, codes of conduct, and professionalism and indicate how these can be effectively applied to address issues of violation of human right through fundamental deprivation of critical services and products.
Evaluating the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on the socioeconomic status of South African women
(IKENGA International Journal of Institute of African Studies, 2023-03-30) Rena, Ravinder; Mbukanma, Ifeanyi
This research was conducted to evaluate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the socioeconomic status of South African women. There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the unique circumstances and provisional assistance of effective support for women throughout the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath considering the level of impact the virus had on women. To achieve the researchobjective, a literature- based analysis was employed, which provides an in-depth analysis and evaluation of previous literature on the unprecedented nature and trend of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts on the socioeconomic status of women in South Africa. Thus, despite the limited scientific data on the most recent development of the pandemic, the findings revealed that the pandemic has escalated most variables of socioeconomic status of women in South Africa, which include high poverty rates, increased rates of unplanned pregnancy, school drop-out of schoolgirls and child labour among teenage girls, lack of income, decreased financial empowerment, reduced access to conducive healthcare, excessive maternal mortality, and growing food shortages and malnutrition. Thus, as the world continues to search for a reliable vaccine and other preventive measures for the virus, this paper recommended that policymakers and stakeholders around the globe, and most especially in South Africa, should develop coherent and strategic policies that will incorporate and attend to the socioeconomic needs of women.
Evaluating transformation progress of historically disadvantaged South Africans : programme perspective on the downstream petroleum industry
(AOSIS, 2019-07-27) Makiva, Msuthukazi; Ile, Isioma; Fagbadebo, Omololu M.
Background: Since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the South African (SA) government has sought to ensure economic transformation of historically disadvantaged people, using a series of programmes and projects. The petroleum downstream of SA, regulated by the Department of Energy, is among the industries that government uses to maximise transformation. Through a licensing sub-programme, one major condition stipulated prior to awarding licences to operate is the inclusion of historically disadvantaged South Africans in the business plans. Objectives: This article evaluates the extent to which one of the sub-programmes developed to empower historically disadvantaged South Africans (HDSA) in the downstream petroleum industry (petroleum licensing) meets the requirements of the identified relevant evaluation criteria, based on the guidelines of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD). Method: This sub-programme (partial summative evaluation) is critical as it sought to determine its alignment to the tenets of government policy of addressing past inequity by means of economic ownership. The DAC/OECD evaluation criteria were selected to measure the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the sub-programme. The justification for using this model is that it is appropriate to public policy response and management tool, especially for developing countries. Some of these measurements were conducted qualitatively, while some were done quantitatively. Results: Emerging data trends analysed indicate that there is a great deal of efficiency in the delivery of licences to operate in the downstream petroleum sector as these were issued in high volumes. The same cannot be said about the HDSAs' economic empowerment, by means of 'dealer' and 'company' ownership. Conclusion: Research concludes that the lack of critical resources, such as funding, land, infrastructure and critical skills, were the main reasons why the sub-programme is DAC/OECD non-compliant.
The evolving role of business in contributing to social justice in South Africa in terms of legislative measures
(Virtus Interpress, 2016) Reddy, Karunanidhi
Apartheid in South Africa has burdened the nation with high levels of poverty, illiteracy and other forms of social and economic inequ ality. The resultan t challenges included discrimination on grounds of race and gender, which prevented much of the population from fair opportunities for business ownership and management, and securing senior j obs, as well as obtaining access to goods and services. Many businesses were closed to Black people and separate and inferior facilities were provided for them. Further, workplace discrimination was su pported by the law.This article uses a descriptive approach to reveal, particularly in terms of the legislative measures introduced, the social responsibility of business in a transforming society, more especially the transformation of the historically disadv antaged communities.
Exploring the impact of Women Organizations in Peacebuilding in South Sudan; Post Independence Progress
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2023-05-26) Isola, Abidemi Abiola; Okeke-Uzodike, Obianuju Ebele; Akinola, Adeoye Ologuntoye
This book offers a holistic understanding of the convergence between governance, conflict and security in Africa. It adopts a political economy approach and qualitative research method, funded on unstructured interview and case studies, to unravel the governance and security questions in Africa. There are exhaustive studies on conventional threats to security in post-colonial Africa; however, there has been a dearth of rigorous research on other emerging threats to human security, which have the potency to aggravate Africa’s insecurity and underdevelopment. While cases of armed insurrections and civil wars have reduced on the continent, diverse forms of violent conflicts have endangered the security of lives and property. What explains this trend? As well captured in the volume, the shrinking of many African states and the deepening of structural violence engendered new forms of violent conflict—terrorism, xenophobia, students-led violent protests, gender-based violence, youth-led dissent—and the resurgence of old conflicts, as seen in the new waves of coups in the Sahel and West Africa. Several African states continue to demonstrate their incapacity to ensure peace and security within their territorial delineations. A resurgence of conflict generated by water and land impedes the quests for social stability, security and socio-economic sustainability in many parts of Africa. In the case of land, it manifests as both structural violence (a precondition for physical violence) and farm attacks as experienced in South Africa, where a high level of land-related inequality and physical violence persist. Despite the optimism associated with the ‘Africa rising’ conversation, conventional and contemporary threats to peace have stunted its developmental projects. Indeed, there is a strong connection between security and development. While Paul Coulier’s insisted that economic consideration causes and perpetuates conflict, the literature identifies both economic and political variables—particularly the state and the political power system—as the main determinants of conflict. Africa’s shifting nature of conflict necessitates fresh conversation on exploring effective contextual techniques to ensure Africa’s peace and security. Furthermore, the changing character of the security landscape reveals a rising gap between practice and classical thoughts on conflict, security and governance. Thus, the editor of the book, Oye Akinola, received support from the Institute of Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) at the University of Johannesburg, to host an author’s workshop and brainstorm new trends on conflict and security and the imperativeness of proffering sustainable recommendations for policymaking. The authors in this volume attended and made paper presentations at the workshop, between 10 and 11 March 2022, at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria, South Africa.
Exploring the resilience and epistemic access of first-year female students in higher education
(AOSIS, 2022-01-01) Maniram, Rekha
The transition from secondary to tertiary education often presents many first-year female students with anxiety and emotional stress. Subsequently, poorly managing this shift may increase academic risk and compromise their academic success. While a plethora of studies contribute towards the phenomenon of resilience as a positive predictor of the learning experience of female students in higher education, other scholarly findings suggest the key role resilience plays in supporting students to overcome challenges, manage their wellbeing and ultimately acquire epistemic access. Moreover, there is a significantly burgeoning focus on the positive outcomes of the resilience of women in education, However, while many of the studies highlight gender as a noteworthy core construct, to date, little is known about the first-year learning experience (FYE) of female students and how they may negotiate epistemic access through academic resilience. Hence the main aim of this article is to explore what factors enable academic resilience and to what extent such factors influence epistemic access among first-year female students. An exploratory qualitative research approach was used to capture the learning experiences of 20 hospitality accounting first-year female students. Data were collected by conducting both focus group sessions and individual semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study identified four main themes. The findings of this article have implications for promoting gender equality and academic outcomes of first-year female students in understanding the risk factors, as well as encouraging the protective factors that enable their epistemic access. Contribution: The article sheds light on how an intangible construct such as resilience serves as a vehicle for epistemic access, more especially for first-year female students.
The influence of government financial incentive schemes (Gfiss) on small and micro enteprises’ (Smes’) operational performance : case study
(IJIRD, 2016-10) Thusi, Sbonelo Comfort; Zondo, Robert Walter Dumisani
The small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) play a pivotal role in the South African economy through job creation and development. Hence, SMMEs should operate efficiently and run their businesses effectively in order to grow within their respective sectors. One of their challenges is access to different methods of finance in order to improve their operations. As a result, this paper examines the influence of the financial incentive schemes (GFIS) on small and micro enterprises’ (SMEs’) operational performance in the textile and clothing manufacturing sector in the eThekwini District Municipality. Of the 94 SMEs that were identified, 80 participated in the study. The owners of SMEs were the target population. Descriptive and one-sample statistics were used to analyse the three objectives. That is, to examine SME awareness of government financial incentive schemes; to establish SME knowledge of accessing government financial incentive schemes; and to determine the influence of GFIS for SMEs’ operational performance. The results indicate that the majority of SMEs are not aware of GFIS. They are less knowledgeable as to where to access government’s finance assistance. However, those that have accessed the government financial schemes indicate that such schemes help achieve their operational performance objectives for growth. The original value of this paper is its approach in uncovering strengths and weaknesses of government’s financial incentive scheme for SMEs’ operational performance in the eThekwini District Municipality. It provides the initial baseline data upon which to base future work.
An interdisciplinary approach to address environmental issues: effects of knowledge, attitudes, perception and gender differences
(Review of International Geographical Education Online, 2021-11-15) Khan, Samira; Lourens, Melanie; Antriyandarti, Ernoiz; Patra, Bikash; Purohit, Tanushri; Sharma, Sapna
In the research, it has been evaluated that the interdisciplinary approach has led to a rise in the system of education as well as providing holistic training towards the development of society. The rise of AI services has played a significant role in the development of an interdisciplinary approach in Asian countries. However, compared with the European countries, the knowledge, perception, as well as gender differences, have heightened in the Asian countries. The paper has significantly shown the challenges faced in an interdisciplinary approach too where team conflicts and lack of resources have been the main causes respectively. A survey has been conducted with 31 participants. According to survey only 3.2 % of the research participants have agreed that gaining knowledge regarding the environment creates a positive impact on environmental issues. Hence it is able to state that environmental issues in different areas of India, South Africa, and Asia are related to lack of knowledge, attitude, and misperceptions of the people living in these areas. However, it is not associated with gender differences.
Magazines’ representation of women and its influence on identity construction : a South African perspective
(MCSER Publishing, 2014-09) Govender, Nereshnee; Rawjee, Veena P.; Govender, Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy
South Africa is now in its third decade of democracy and is characterised by a social and political dispensation based on the principles of freedom of expression, non-racialism and non-sexism. These values ought to be entrenched in all aspects of our society and likewise, in the media we consume. Media is a powerful tool and through its representation contributes significantly to the definition of the world around us, and thereby also to the definition of ourselves. One such area that the media influence is the way women are represented. The media takes on an interpretative role and teaches us how to ‘make sense’ of the world and therefore consistently privilege some issues and identities while devaluing others. The media landscape in South Africa is large, complex, robust and mature and arguably, ranks among the largest in Africa. Magazines in particular, are modern and are popular cultural forms of representation. They are one of the most influential forces in South African culture today. The aim of this paper is to explore the representation of women in magazines and the extent of how this representation influences gender identity in either empowering or limiting the development of women in society. It employs a qualitative research methodology to examine content of selected articles in South Africa’s two leading weekly magazines namely DRUM and YOU. Content analysis was used to analyse specific categories of text collected from these magazines. Overall findings reveal that stereotypical, dismissive and confining representations of women prevail in magazine media content. Creating and sustaining change must involve challenging this media content to not only increase the type of coverage of women but to extend the range of diversity to include coverage a range of stories about women including achievements and success stories of women.
Magazines’ representation of women and Its influence on identity construction: a South African perspective
(MCSER, 2014) Govender, Nereshnee; Rawjee, Veena P.; Govender, Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy
South Africa is now in its third decade of democracy and is characterised by a social and political dispensation based on the principles of freedom of expression, non-racialism and non-sexism. These values ought to be entrenched in all aspects of our society and likewise, in the media we consume. Media is a powerful tool and through its representation contributes significantly to the definition of the world around us, and thereby also to the definition of ourselves. One such area that the media influence is the way women are represented. The media takes on an interpretative role and teaches us how to ‘make sense’ of the world and therefore consistently privilege some issues and identities while devaluing others. The media landscape in South Africa is large, complex, robust and mature and arguably, ranks among the largest in Africa. Magazines in particular, are modern and are popular cultural forms of representation. They are one of the most influential forces in South African culture today. The aim of this paper is to explore the representation of women in magazines and the extent of how this representation influences gender identity in either empowering or limiting the development of women in society. It employs a qualitative research methodology to examine content of selected articles in South Africa’s two leading weekly magazines namely DRUM and YOU. Content analysis was used to analyse specific categories of text collected from these magazines. Overall findings reveal that stereotypical, dismissive and confining representations of women prevail in magazine media content. Creating and sustaining change must involve challenging this media content to not only increase the type of coverage of women but to extend the range of diversity to include coverage a range of stories about women including achievements and success stories of women.
Monitoring and evaluation capacity development of municipalities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(Kamla-Raj Enterprises, 2016) Govender, Ivan Gunass
The purpose of the study was to assess the monitoring and evaluation capacity development in local municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The research method included the case study and the mixed method approach. The study found that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity development is perceived to positively impact staff motivation, training and placement; allocation of resources; and stakeholder participation. The results of the study are relevant to the National, Provincial and the Municipal Councils in exercising their oversight roles to capacitate municipalities to plan, implement and manage M&E systems to ensure an accountable and responsive local government. This study is significant as it provides a platform for the three spheres of government to address the current M&E capacity development gaps and to collectively develop an evidence-based national M&E capacity development strategy. The paper proposes further detailed research be undertaken for M&E capacity needs analysis in each municipality to ensure the developmental mandates are achieved.
Reforming the Health Sector in South Africa – Post 1994
(Virtus Interpress, 2015) Brauns, Melody; Stanton, Anne
This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development challenges of the post-apartheid era and assesses the approaches employed to bring about economic growth and to address inherited inequalities.