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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

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    An assessment of the contribution of corporate social responsibility practices on sustainable community development in the Zimbabwe mining sector : a case study of Zimplats
    (2023) Muhwava, Christopher; Rampersad, Renitha
    The goal of this study was to determine how Zimplats' corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices contribute to sustainable development (SD) in the Mhondoro Ngezi district. The study further aimed to assess Zimplats’ CSR policies with regards to sustainable development. This study used a sample of 384 people from the Mhondoro Ngezi district, and a qualitative and quantitative data collection approach was used to attain these goals. The study sample included members of the Mhondoro Ngezi community with CSR knowledge and employees of Zimplats. The study reviewed literature and theories within Zimbabwe, South Africa and internationally that were essential to CSR and sustainable development (SD). The research assessed the impact of CSR practices on sustainable development of communities within the Zimplats’ operational environment. The study therefore sought to establish the sustainability of CSR as an instrument of addressing the challenges being faced by communities adjacent to the company operations. A correlation test aided in the analysis of the data findings so that relevant conclusions could be drawn. The results revealed that Zimplats’ CSR initiatives improved livelihood of the Mhondoro Ngezi community in a sustainable way. Community participation and ownership in development initiatives was discovered to be critical to their long-term viability and there is a link between sustainability and community involvement in development projects. The study also found that Zimplats’ CSR practices contribute to job creation, capacity building and improved standards of living. The study recommended that Zimplats should prioritize stakeholder engagement and participation and ownership of developmental projects as a way of ensuring that their CSR projects are sustainable.
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    A framework for the facilitation of community-based tourism in natural environments : a case of the Save Valley in Zimbabwe
    (2019) Maruta, Albert Tavavarigwa; Hlengwa, Dumsile Cynthia
    In Zimbabwe, because of the lack of a clear facilitation framework, very little effort has been made in recent years by tourism authorities in the country to make community-based tourism (CBT) part of the national tourism growth agenda. Yet globally, within the general tourism sector CBT is becoming increasingly relevant in LEDCs because it fosters poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation. Underpinned by the participation and power redistribution theory (Arnstein, 1969) this study aimed at developing a framework of collaboration and participation of all stakeholders for facilitating CBT in Save Valley as a strategy to reduce poverty in local communities while also promoting sustainable wildlife conservation. The study adopted mixed methods as a distinct research approach, which combines both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The research adopted a two-phase sequential exploratory research design, which involved the collection and analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews followed by the collection and analysis of quantitative data from questionnaire-based surveys. The research results showed greater preference for vegetable outgrowing by female household heads who, incidentally, were less educated and poorly resourced than male household heads who had a wider variety of preferences such as handicrafts and cultural performances, wildlife conservation, and accommodation SMMEs such homestays, lodges or bed and breakfast were the preferred CBT ventures. There was gender consensus in the composition of CBOs and duties. Critical challenges for prospective local CBT entrepreneurs according to education levels of participants included lack of economic variables such as market, capital or technology, and managerial and other requisite skills, human-animal conflict, and land invasions by peasants. The research results also demonstrated that through the poly-centric CBT facilitation framework, advanced as original contribution, CBOs in collaboration with powerful and highly resourced external facilitators would encourage the local community residents of Save Valley to gain legitimate bargaining power during decision making because the CBO would act as an organised power base in the community. The study recommends that outreach programmes that have long been contemplated as a way of transmitting tourism benefits from SVC to local community residents should be transformed into CBT projects to bring about community participation in tourism by adopting the polycentric CBT framework developed as original contribution of this study. This may be the only sure strategy for achieving the twin objectives of community participation and beneficiation while promoting wildlife conservation in Save Valley in Zimbabwe.
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    Evaluating private game reserves' contribution to community development : a case-study of Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
    (2020-04) Stuma, Phelokazi; Giampiccoli, Andrea; Jugmohan, Sean
    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.
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    Spirituality as a guiding paradigm in community engagement in a rural context in India
    (2019-11) Rowkith, Shannal; Bhagwan, Raisuyah
    Introduction The current position of tribal communities in India is one of oppression and marginalization. Many initiatives are afoot to redress this situation, however the civic authorities face numerous challenges and obstacles influenced by historical, economic and other sociocultural elements. In this context, community engagement can be seen as a distinctive pedagogical tool, that fosters the development of partnerships between social work academic departments and communities, in order to improve the psycho-social well-being of individuals and families and to address socio-economically related problems in communities. Although initiatives in community engagement in India, are urgently required, have been slow to emerge, when compared to developed countries. Compounding this delay is the shortage of specific literature on community engagement. This study is preemptively important, as it highlights how social work departments use engagement successfully among tribals in India, as a crucial pillar to support learning and drive engagement. The study was set in Maharashtra, India and was part of a National Research Foundation study which explored community engagement in the international context. Given that this is a best practice project being implemented by the University of Mumbai, a collaboration was formed with the late Dr Chandrakant Puri, from the Social Work Department to pursue this study in a rural area outside Mumbai, India. Purpose of the study The purpose of this study was to explore how community engagement could facilitate a deeper understanding of Indian tribes and the related impact on community based learning. The structure of tribal communities, core values and processes that guide them and the interaction between the university and the community, were explored to this end. All the relevant gathered data was incorporated into developing a model to guide community engagement with tribal communities in India. Methodology A qualitative research approach was utilized in order to generate valuable data from the interaction with tribals and academics. The two samples in the study comprised of six social work academics, and twenty three students from the Department of Social Work. Semi structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data with academics and students respectively. Data was obtained from the site at which students conducted their village, being a small rural village on the outskirts of Mumbai in the district of Maharashtra. Data was collected until saturation to extract the most relevant information. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the collected data. This found associations and themes within the collated transcripts in detail. These themes and sub themes were derived from the data in entirety. This was accordingly representative of the gathered data. Findings It was found that the theoretical preparation of the institution, when juxtaposed with the specific context and challenges faced by a particular community, is of immense benefit to developing a relevant and useful curriculum to be used to engage with tribals. A summary of the challenges experienced by the community under study, was the lack of resources in the form of healthcare and sanitation, poor infrastructure, psycho-social issues, disparity of cultural sensitivity, migration for employment, and other socio-political concerns. The preparedness of the university for engagement with the community was enhanced by clearly defining and structuring the roles of social work academics. This was then used to determine the format of student preparation for interaction within the community by understanding the engagement context, displaying empathy and sensitizing students towards issues, and promoting equality, social justice and inclusion. From the data gathered, certain tools such as participatory rural appraisal and community mapping and profiling were used as pathways to further prepare students for engagement. Students were immersed in the culture and lifestyle of the tribal community, which allowed them to relate on a humanitarian level and this personalized the interaction allowing for richer experiences. Consequently, authentic university-community partnerships were established which reinforced the benefits of such collaboration. Conclusion Service learning was undertaken as a fieldwork component by the students of the Department of Social Work at The University of Mumbai. The study uncovered important information regarding tribal communities, the challenges they face, and the related preparedness of the institution for interaction. It captures the essence and value of community engagement in social work, given the extreme scarcity of such programmes in India. Ultimately, the importance and significance of establishing a model to guide tribal community engagement is emphasised in the interaction and impressions experienced by both the university and the tribals, who have interacted concurrently for their respective mutual benefit.
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    Exploring capacity development programmes for socio-economic transformation in South Africa : a case study of the South African petroleum industry
    (2021-12) Kikasu, Tanzala Eustache; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
    Capacity development programmes in the workplace, whether in the public or private sectors, play a strategic role through increasing the ability of people, organisations, and societies to cope with or adapt to challenging and adverse circumstances that affect the organisations or systems that societies depend upon. Capacity development programmes are an approach that addresses, in a continuous manner, specific issues at institutional/organisational, socio-economic, environmental, and infrastructural levels, with the aim of improving the delivery of adequate services; boosting organisational competitive advantages; improving productivity; and meeting sustainable development goals. In the workplace, capacity development is a significant socio-economic resource and a foremost key factor that can guarantee the development of employees’ skills, abilities, talents, performance, and value, as well as enabling organisational perspectives for improved innovation, efficiency, and sustainable growth. This study examined capacity development programmes as a tactical approach, suitable for tackling and bridging the gaps of technical skills shortages, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African society and petroleum industry respectively. The vision and mission statements of capacity development programmes are to continually equip, build and develop positive, creative, and innovative human capital capacity with functional, technical, and behavioural capacities to convey organisational and societal change through supporting people knowledge, skills, talents, capacities or abilities improvement and development in various spheres of socio-economic activities. The focus of this study was to describe the role that capacity development programmes could play in the petroleum industry for socio-economic transformation in South Africa, through the case study of the South African petroleum industry. It also examined the critical factors affecting the best practice of policies, programmes and strategic plans that support structures of human capital capacity development in the workplace and the challenges obstructing the effective best practice of capacity development programmes on job-related skills development of employees in the South i African petroleum industry. Therefore, the triangulation methods assisted the researcher with using more than one approach as sources of data collection and analysis process and by approaching data with various theories or perspectives in mind to extend the possibilities of bridging the gaps of technical skills shortage, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African petroleum industry. This method was useful in producing knowledge from diverse viewpoints upon matters that were discussed in this study. The triangulation methods facilitated the researcher in terms of gathering and converging quantitative and qualitative data from petroleum companies that are members of the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA). Therefore, the quantitative survey combined with qualitative in-depth interviews provided a better understanding of the information obtained. In this study, the PESTIE framework was applied in line with the aim and objectives defined for this research. However, only the political, economic, and social variables were examined to identify the challenges and effects of capacity development programmes in the process of developing technical skills, controlling/minimising skills waste and developing positive human capital capacity in the South African petroleum industry. Accordingly, findings indicated that (87.6%) challenges affecting the petroleum industry development and socio-economic transformation in South Africa are mostly caused by the lack of policies, programmes, and strategic plans best practice to bridging the gaps of technical skills shortages, skills waste, and the deficit of positive human capital capacity in the workplace. In addition, respondents (77.6%) affirmed that policies improvement and best practice could be a vital key in promoting scarce skills development in the South African petroleum industry. Furthermore, respondents (78.6%) agreed that awareness campaigns about capacity development programmes best practice in the South African petroleum industry could fuel the engine of technical, functional, and behavioural capacities development, and put in place a locomotive of organisational improved competitive advantages (innovation, productivity, and performance improvement) and socio-economic transformation. Moreover, respondents (73.7%) agreed that an improved/developed model of capacity development programmes in the workplace could be a sine qua non condition for scarce skills (technical skills) development and retention in the South African petroleum industry. Therefore, the CDP-PUSH-Effects model that comprises the Big Push and Push-Pull strategies associated with reactive, proactive, and active approaches was suggested as an indispensable tool, useful in tackling the critical matters of technical skills shortages, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African petroleum industry and society. Accordingly, more awareness, resources and efforts from role-key players (policy-makers, decision-makers and stakeholders) would be required towards supporting the scarce skills development process and strengthening employees’ ability to deliver quality services as well as deal with unpredicted adverse events that could prevent the petroleum industry’s development and socio-economic transformation processes in the country.
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    Community participation and tourism development in KwaZulu-Natal : a case study of the Didima Resort and the Umhlwazini community, Drakensberg
    (2017) Ngxongo, Nduduzo Andrias; Chili, Nsizwazikhona Simon
    This thesis discusses the concept of community participation and tourism development in KwaZulu-Natal using a case study of the Didima Resort and Umhlwazini community in Bergville, Drakensberg. In order to examine the research topic, the thesis scrutinizes the following key concepts: community participation in tourism development; tourism development initiatives for the local community of Umhlwazini; and, the contribution of tourism development towards community enhancement. The research was guided by four research objectives: (1) To investigate the level of understanding and awareness that the Umhlwazini community have regarding tourism development and the importance of community participation; (2) To investigate whether there is active community participation and whether there are tourism development initiatives or practices the resort authority is offering to the local community; (3) To ascertain strategies employed by Didima Resort to encourage maximum participation of communities for development of tourism at Umhlwazini; and, (4) To identify problems that hinder the community's participation in tourism development at Umhlwazini. The outcomes from the interviews indicate that the majority of the Umhlwazini community members are willing and interested in participating in the development of the tourism initiatives happening at Didima Resort and within their community. Currently, the community's participation in tourism development in their area is predominantly at the level of temporary jobs which are occasionally offered to unskilled labour. Work opportunities for skilled workers are non-existent so that not even a single member from the community is part of the Didima Resort management team. Recommendations arising from the study include but are not limited to the following: There must be a vigorous, selfless and mutual cooperation between the following role players; Amangwane Traditional Council, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife (Didima), Ingonyama Trust, Okhahlamba local municipality and the community of Umhlwazini. This association will ensure that the interests of the community are taken into account and that the community is part and parcel of any tourism development projects taking place in the Umhlwazini area. There is an obligation for community enhancement programs such as tourism awareness campaigns and tourism seminars in the Umhlwazini community. Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife (EKZNW) must put more effort into advertising and promoting community products such as bicycle hire and handcraft work. That effort can increase the visibility and sales of such community products. Community problems appear to be more noticeable than benefits. Some of the problems identified are: the lack of jobs from Didima Resort; no improvement in the infrastructure of the community; local artistic talent is not utilised during mega events happening at Didima. The lack of tourism awareness and education was identified as two main causal factors that impede community participation in tourism development, as well as the breakdown of communication between Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife and Umhlwazini leadership (traditional council and contemporary political councillor). According to the outcomes derived from analysis of the data from interviews, this research study concludes that local community members desire to play an active role in the tourism development process of Didima and Umhlwazini. In general, community members want to see decisions about tourism development in their area made co-operatively by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, Okhahlamba municipality and local leaders (Amangwane Traditional Council) in consultation with the local community of Umhlwazini. They also want to be recipients of tourism benefits and want transparency regarding the community levy fund which is meant to support community projects. This research study further concludes that there is great potential for community participation in tourism development initiatives at Umhlwazini community and Didima Resort. There are various tourism opportunities for the community which can be explored including a traditional restaurant and a cultural village which would benefit the community immensely. The community of Umhlwazini needs to be empowered with knowledge, business skills and financial assistance to start business ventures. It is only when the local community benefits financially that their participation in tourism development will become meaningful to them.