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Research Publications (Management Sciences)

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

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Author: search.filters.author.Dorasamy, Nirmala

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    An investigation of factors and challenges influencing non-compliance with procurement guidelines within the KZN Department of Health
    (2022-10-27) Mkhize, Sithembile Gadiosa; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Anwana, Emem
    Despite the reforms and employment of Supply Chain Management (SCM) as a strategic tool, South Africa is still facing enormous challenges in its procurement practices. The country is hugely affected by a critical situation of non-compliance with the legislative frameworks governing public procurement and contract administration, which conveys significant costs to the government and the community as taxpayers. Particularly, the Head office supply chain management directorate and hospitals within eThekwini District in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province have been experiencing enormous problems aligned to non-compliance with the public procurement and contract management guidelines. This paper examines the factors influencing non-compliance with procurement practices within the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health. Mixed methods facilitated the process of data collection and analysis by combining both qualitative and quantitative techniques to identify factors and challenges influencing non-compliance with procurement guidelines within the KZN Department of Health, as well as to identify incurring irregular expenditure on procurement and contract management following non-compliance with procurement guidelines. This study revealed that the unavailability of SCM staffing norms, shortage of staff, lack of supervision, shortage of skills, unavailability of modern technology, negligence, etc., are among the major factors causing non-compliance with public procurement and contract management guidelines. This paper resolves to recommend to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Health that public procurement and contract management policies and guidelines need to be complemented by human resources, appropriate skills, updated technologies, implementation of consequences management, and the best practice of monitoring and evaluation.
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    Political leadership, corruption, and the crisis of governance in Africa : a discourse
    (Adonis and Abbey Publishers, 2021-03-15) Fagbadebo, Omololu; Dorasamy, Nirmala
    Corruption is a common word often identified by scholars as a major barrier to growth and development. Every society condemns corrupt practices and often holds the leadership responsible. Across the globe, there are anti-corruption advocacy mechanisms aimed at promoting ethical leadership in government. The African Union, for instance, has adopted a series of continental anti-corruption protocols to assist member states curb the rising tide of corruption and its consequences on human security. Using a qualitative method of data collection and analysis, this paper interrogates the leadership-corruption nexus in relation to the prevailing crisis of governance in Africa. It argues that the nature of political leadership in Africa engenders the proclivity towards abuse of power. We find that entrenched vested interests of the political elite have promoted corruption and abuse of power as the instruments of governance, and has reduced requisite statutory institutional oversight structures, to ineffective mechanisms. While the crisis of governance dominates society with the attendant consequences, the political elite lives in opulence. The paper submits, therefore, that the crisis of governance occasioned by mismanagement of public resources by political leadership will continue to fester if citizens continue to support unethical practices by the political leaders.
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    Judicial review as an accountability mechanism in South Africa : a discourse on the Nkandla case
    (Durban University of Technology, 2022) Fagbadebo, Omololu; Dorasamy, Nirmala
    Separation of powers among the three branches of government, in most Constitutional democracies, is a design to avert the tyranny of a personalized rule. With specific roles, in relationships characterized by separated but shared powers, each branch of government is a watchdog against the other in case of any abuse. In the South African governing system, the Constitution guarantees functional power relationships among the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary branches of the government. Nevertheless, the dominant party system, in practice, has weakened the legislative oversight and accountability powers to tame the excesses of the executive, contrary to the intendments of the drafters of the Constitution. Judicial review of the various legislative and executive actions, however, has created precedents that seek to reassert legislative capacity to hold the executive accountable. At one time or the other, the judiciary had indicted the legislature and the executive of dereliction of duties. Using primary and secondary data from judicial pronouncements, constitutional provisions, and other public documents, with extant literature, respectively, this paper reviewed the environment that prompted the activist posture of the South African judiciary. An entrenched culture of party loyalty and the incapacity of the legislature to enforce accountability have bolstered the need for assertive judicial review in ensuring accountability. The failure of the legislature to exercise its oversight power has provided the platform for the judiciary to rise as a formidable accountability instrument. Judicial independence, guaranteed by The Constitution, would continue to sustain the tenets of South African representative democracy.
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    Disaster management in India : need for an integrated approach
    (Disaster Advances, 2022-07-22) Sriram, Divi; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Vipul, Nakum
    It is now widely known that the hazards can be natural, but most disasters are ‘human-made’. The failure to properly implement developmental policies and practices with due consideration to disaster risk management is the leading cause of turning a hazard into a disaster.25 This, in return, negatively affects sustainable development which ultimately affects the weakest and the poorest sections of society. Disaster impacts have been felt on a wide range of sectors and sections of the population. They are curbing progress made toward achieving the Sendai Framework targets, and SDGs. Climate and human-induced disaster events have exposed several underlying facets of risks' systemic and cascading nature. There is an urgent need to identify, analyse and better understand the multihazard, systemic and cascading nature of the disaster and climate risks, their inter-linkages, and interplay. A holistic understanding of risk is crucial for furthering the priorities of action laid under the Sendai Framework and the envisioned SDGs and ensuring a better, greener, resilient and sustainable society. We have tried to study the disaster management frameworks, plans and policies of 10 countries including India to understand the institutional mechanisms and integration of critical aspects of dual/multi disaster scenarios. When the traditional disasters hit the community following the COVID-19 pandemic, the need arises to have an integrated model that can assisting in the preparation and response to the dual situation simultaneously. Efforts are made to put the experiences into a framework for an integrated approach preparing for dual/multi-disaster scenarios.
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    The impact of substance abuse in South Africa : a case of informal settlement communities
    (2020-07-20) Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle; Dorasamy, Nirmala
    Substance abuse is a major challenge for many young people globally. South Africa has been reported as a country that is experiencing high levels of alcohol abuse. The focus of this paper is to articulate the contributing factors to substance abuse in South Africa. This paper is presenting the results of the study that was conducted in the informal settlement areas. Conclusions made in this paper about substance abuse in South Africaare based on the findings of substance abuse in the informal community. This study found that the high consumption and abuse of alcohol in South Africaare found amongst young people. The factors such as unemployment, lack of effective mentorship, lack of family values, poor parenting guidance, and loss of hope contributed. This study applied a desktop research methodology, the secondary data was analyzed and unpacked to address the objectives of the study. The main objective of this study was to investigate the causes and the reasons why young people are abusing alcohol. The investigation focused on the excessive and abnormal use of alcohol by young people.
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    Leadership challenges in the South African local government system
    (Innovare Academics Sciences Pvt. Ltd, 2020-07-16) Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Fagbadebo, Omololu M.
    Local governments in South Africa have experienced leadership challenges in the democratic South Africa. Poor leadership ethics have badly contributed in the leadership challenges in the South African local government system. The objective of the study was to identify the factors that contribute in the poor leadership ethics in local government and the consequences of bad behavior by local government leadership and employees. Mixed research methodology was applied in the study. Primary data was collected through selfadministered questionnaires that were personally administered by the researchers to 10 portfolio managers, 333 Employees and interviewed 9 executive managers.The study found that the poor systems to fight against corruption and unethical activities compromise public service delivery and paint all public sector officials as corrupt people. The idea of getting into government institutions for the purposes of self-benefit is dominant amongst many people who are in government institutions.
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    Ethical leadership and the challenge of service delivery in South Africa : a discourse
    (The Mattingley Publishing Co, 2020-06-12) Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Fagbadebo, Omololu
    Ethical leadership challenges in South Africa led to corruption in various government departments. Corruption is the results of poor ethics in leadership which results in poor public service delivery. In this paper we argued that in order to end corruption in South Africa government, the issue of leadership ethics must first be prioritized. The objective of this study was to identify factors that contribute to poor public service delivery and to examine the correlation between bad leadership and poor public service delivery. The results of the study have proven that there is a link between leadership and service delivery. Poor public service delivery in South Africa is caused by poor leadership ethics in government leaders. Therefore, the combination of poor leadership and poor public service delivery affect the daily lives of people in South Africa.
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    An analysis of the judicial review of the impeachment procedures in Anambra, Oyo, and Plateau in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic
    (Romanian Cultural Foundation, 2020-06-11) Fagbadebo, Omololu M.; Dorasamy, Nirmala
    Background: The Nigeria’s presidentialism recognises the interdependence of the three branches of government: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, in a system of separated but shared powers. In furtherance of its oversight role, the Constitution grants the legislature the power, through a prescribed procedure, to remove the heads of the executive guilty of gross misconduct while in office. However, some state legislatures removed their governors in violation of the constitutional requirements. This prompted judicial intervention in interpreting the actions of the legislatures vis a vis the constitutional provisions. This paper reviews the intervention of the judiciary in the cases of impeachment of the governors of Anambra, Oyo and plateau States, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative study with primary and secondary data generated from court judgments, public and archival materials, key informants’ interviews and extant literature. Result: Upon judicial review of the three cases, the judiciary declared the legislative process that led to the removal of the governors unconstitutional and ordered their restoration. However, the decisions of the courts were based on the violation of the constitutional procedures rather than on the merits of the allegations of gross misconduct. The Constitution ousts the jurisdiction of the courts to inquire into the allegations of gross misconduct. The paper discovered that while the judicial review gave reprieve to the governors, the pronouncements were indication that the legislature could rebound and exercise their power according to the set rules. Conclusion: The paper concluded that the breach of the constitutional procedure by the legislature was an indication that the lawmakers were not originally interested in the effective exercise of the oversight power of impeachment to advance accountability. The lawmakers were motivated by the pursuit of self-interest rather than desire for the public good. The indictment of the legislature by the outcomes of judicial review was an indication that the members of the legislature were not independent minded as envisaged by the constitution to make decisions in the interest of the public.
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    Transforming the European migrant crisis into rural developmental opportunities : the case of Latvia
    (David Publishing Company, 2019-09-28) Bakre, Olayemi Rahman; Dorasamy, Nirmala
    The European migrant crisis has been accentuated as the most momentous challenge that the European Union has faced since its establishment in 1993. The magnitude of this migration crisis is been amplified by political instability in the Middle East, wars, limited economic opportunities, and climate change. Migration analysts have viewed this “polycrisis” from an optimistic and pessimist perspective. The paper however pursues that of optimism and explores how the integration of skilled political migrants can be integrated into shrinking Latvian communities with an agendum to transforming the economically stagnated rural communities into viable rural spaces. The researcher interviewed 91 immigrants from nine countries to gain an insight into perception of political migrants amongst other variables. Furthermore, inductive and deductive approaches were used in synthesizing pertinent information from official records and reports on the above subject matter. A core emphasis of the paper was that the shrinking population of Latvia will adversely impede its future economic development. Hence, the paper advocates a systematic integration of skilled political migrants into the Latvian rural economy as an agendum to accelerating rural development.