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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Community development--South Africa

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Stakeholder management of community engagement: an evaluation of higher education institutions in eThekwini Municipality
    (2022) Luthuli, Pumla Glendale Paulette; Govender, Ivan Gunass
    Universities are a prominent part of the South African economic landscape, as such the influence Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have on communities cannot be undermined. In this sense, Community Engagement (CE) should be a priority for HEIs. For this to be carried out, effective stakeholder management strategies and programmes should be in place within HEIs strategic plans. However, it seems as if the HEIs are inadequately engaging in CE programs and community development is still generally unsuccessful since HEIs are often isolated from their host communities. This minimal interaction among stakeholders of the HEI has significantly undermined the possibility of addressing some of the societal issues which HEIs have the capacity to address. By utilizing the term stakeholder, the interaction of HEIs with the various role players should be elevated to a professional standard. This not only has implications on the communities and other role players, however it plays a role in the success of the HEI as well. This research area has not been given much attention in the South African context. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of CE stakeholders’ management among HEIs in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The quantitative research approach was chosen for this study because of how it allows the research to determine the extent or degree of a problem and offers solutions based on predictions. This study used the survey method, which is classified within the positivist research strategy. The population targeted by this study were stakeholders of the HEIs within the eThekwini Municipality. These entities are considered representatives as they are the core stakeholders at the HEIs within the area of study. The sample size of this study is 80 respondents, we chose 20 participants per institution based on the number of departments that had a community engagement role within each institution. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information from the target population of this study. The data collected for this study was analysed descriptively and displayed in the form of graphs using bar graphs, pie charts and tables with the help of SPSS program and a report was written. The study revealed that the CE programs initiated by HEI and the relationship between HEI and key role players are severely insufficient and inefficient at producing successful results. The study additionally revealed that tangible results are required from CE in order for participation to be prevalent among students of HEIs. The challenges of CE is lack of policy knowledge and ineffective strategy. There are also collaborative issues that cause each party to act in opposition. The main recommendation is that the HEIs and community should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of CE policy before embarking on a collaborative relationship.
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    Community engagement and volunteerism : preparing DUT students as volunteers for a Child and Youth Care Centre in Durban
    (2019) Doorsamy, Kristena; Maistry, Savathrie; Lortan, Darren Brendan; Grobbelaar, Hendrina Helena
    The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a training programme to prepare Durban University of Technology (DUT) students as volunteers to work in a partnership relationship with a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) in Durban. Community Engagement (CE) was introduced as a function of higher education, to enable universities to contribute to the reconstruction of South Africa post-apartheid. As one of the many forms of CE in South African higher education institutions (HEIs), volunteerism has the potential to contribute to transformation and social justice in South Africa. Research and literature on the practices of CE, generally, is limited in the South African context and even more so for volunteerism as a form of CE. The majority of adopted literature is from the Global North, which does not always fit the South African context. This study asked the following research question: what kind of training and preparation do students of a University of Technology (UoT) need prior to volunteering in a community-university partnership project? In order to answer this question, an exploratory and developmental design, qualitative methodology and participatory approach were adopted for this study. The researcher, UoT academic staff and students and the CYCC staff worked together to plan, develop and implement the student volunteer training programme. On completion of the training programme, the students implemented a volunteer task in the form of a holiday programme, which was jointly planned and developed by the student volunteers and staff of the CYCC. The study comprised the following three phases: Phase One: orientation; Phase Two: planning and implementation; and Phase Three: monitoring and evaluation, in order to show the benefits of implementing the participatory approach towards partnership development between a UoT and Child and Youth Care Centre. The orientation phase, included the recruitment and orientation of the participants and highlighted the principles of a community-university partnership (CUP) formed between the UoT and the CYCC. Data collection through focus group interviews in Phase One revealed that participants had ambiguous knowledge about the concepts and theories relevant to CE, volunteerism and CUP. The training programme consequently covered concepts and theories related to CE and volunteerism. Participants’ recommendations for the training programme contributed richly to the study. Phase Two focused on the participatory planning of the volunteer training programme and implementation of the volunteer task. The content for the training programme was derived from literature reviewed and participants input generated in the first phase. Students then completed a three-week training programme. On completion, students conducted the volunteer task, which was a holiday programme with the children at the CYCC. Phase Three monitored and evaluated the prototype of the volunteer training programme in order to provide suggestions for a comprehensive volunteer training programme. Only the student volunteers participated in this phase. The findings showed that the students’ knowledge and skills regarding aspects of CE, volunteerism and CUP increased in both critical and variable ways. Additionally, self-awareness and development of students were also evident and areas of improvement were identified for inclusion in future volunteer training programmes. The findings of this study also affirm the need for in-depth training to facilitate processes that encourage experiential learning and critical thinking prior to students engaging or interacting with communities.
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    An evaluation into Nambiti Private Game Reserve as a tourism contributor towards socio-economic sustainable development of local communities
    (2022) Dladla, Simphiwe Sandile Justice; Chili, Nsizwazikhona Simon
    This study focuses on the contribution of the Nambiti Private Game Reserve as a tourism attraction towards improving the welfare of the local community of Cremin through a socio-economic sustainable development. The primary focus of tourism growth is to make the most of socio-economic gain amongst the neighboring communities. This is however not always the case as most rural communities adjacent to private game reserve, national parks and heritage sites are among the least developed communities in the Republic South Africa. it is, therefore, necessary for this study to examine and evaluate whether rural communities residing near private game reserves, heritage sites and national parks are benefiting socially and economically. The purpose of this study is to determine if Nambiti Private Game Reserve has an important responsibility in social and economic sustainable development of Cremin community. For purpose of this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods of research are applied in a form of a case study approach. The benefits of using a qualitative approach involve that of collecting more in-depth information from respondents which enables the researcher to examine respondent’s experience in detail through research tools such as the semi-structured interviews, whereas quantitative research generates statistics using large-scale survey research using tools such as questionnaires with closed-ended questions. The study was undertaken to examine the contribution of the Nambiti Private Game Reserve towards ensuring that the welfare of the Cremin community is improved socially and economically. This study was conducted in the Cremin region which had a total number of 21 households as of 2006 which than grew to 58 households with a population of 174 in 2016 (STASSA, 2011). The Cremin region falls under the uThukela District in Klipriver and is 25 kilometers from Ladysmith, Kwazulu-Natal. This study plays a key role in the exposition of the contribution of the Nambiti Private Game Reserve to emancipate the community while at the same time it reveals challenges that are faced by all the concerned stakeholders especially the Nambiti Private Game Reserve authorities to achieve the principles of sustainable development of the local community of Cremin.
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    South African comprehensive universities' community engagement : $b towards establishment of a best practice framework for community engagement
    (2021-02) Mkuzo, Luleka; Govender, Ivan Gunass
    In this study, the researcher interrogated the core fundamental purpose of community engagement (CE) in an attempt to understand the role of higher education institutions in communities. Community engagement as a phenomenon is viewed with much ambiguity, having a very broad and open interpretation and being seen as both positive and negative by others. There is no governing document that mandates how institutions should develop, implement and monitor community engagement. Consequently, each institution has developed their own guiding documents as per their purpose, mission and context. In South Africa, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) focused on community engagement in higher education because it recognized the need for academic reconstruction. Community engagement was seen as a potentially powerful instrument that could be used in the transformation agenda in higher education. To date, this view has not changed. The challenge is to shift the academic perspective from the traditional notion of viewing university community engagement as charity to begin to see it as that of pedagogy. In working with five comprehensive universities and a total of fifty participants ranging from Community Engagement Directors, Managers, Project Leaders, students and community members, the study’s aim was to understand how community engagement is defined with regard to restraints, exclusions and inclusions. The study explores the nature of its definition; its purpose and challenges; utilizing a transformative approach proposes a framework that can be used as a guide to community engagement. The study revealed the need for both universities and communities to break their tangible and intangible boundaries to allow community engagement to be conducted in an effective manner using ubuntu, deep democracy and a scholarship approach that can bring about change and add value for both universities and communities. The study also revealed that the ambiguous contextual nature of community engagement makes it difficult for academics and community members to understand what it is, hence making it open for various universities to develop and implement it according to their own mission and vision. The study therefore recommends that community engagement be approached with a framework of Ubuntu, deep democracy and scholarship. Furthermore, there should be a clear funding model for community engagement or engaged scholarship, along with a monitoring and evaluation framework that measures the community engagement impact.
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    The relationship between event spend, social cohesion and economic development
    (2017) Gumede, Musa; Msweli, Pumela
    The study addressed four questions using secondary annual time series data: (1) How is event spend related to economic development? (2) How are the physical attributes of the region (natural capital) related to economic development?(3) How is social cohesion related to economic development? (4) How does human capital influence economic development? The study period starts in 1994 and ends in 2016, accordingly 100 data points were pulled from the time series. Error Correction Model and Ordinary Least Squares were used as analytical tools to test the regression model developed for the study. Economic development is the dependent variable and is represented by tourism employment data sourced from Statistics South Africa. The independent variables are event spend represented by expenditure figures for culture, sports and recreation published by Statistics SA; human capital was measured using gross educational ratio for secondary education accessed from the World Bank database; natural capital was measured using the gross domestic product attained from Statistics South Africa; and social cohesion was measured using social expenditure data acquired from the South African Reserve Bank. The theoretical framework that underpins the study is the geography political theory as espoused by different authors including Collier (2007) and Kollosov (2001). On the basis of this theoretical framework the study seeks to look at the effect of event spend, natural capital, human capital and social cohesion on economic development. The findings of the study show that there is no relationship between economic development, event spend and human capital. However a relationship was established between natural capital and social cohesion. The results of the study will inform policymakers in the allocation of budgets towards major events. It will also contribute to the equitable distribution of resources to promote social cohesion in communities.
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    An investigation into organisational leadership for the development of community arts centres
    (2017) Zulu, Lungani Innocent; Chetty, Gopalkrishna
    Modern human resource management practices have the potential to ensure successful businesses and organisations. This is more so where the most significant resource in the organisation are people. This study seeks to examine the leadership and managerial style that ideally could be useful in promoting and developing sustainable businesses with the focus of the study being in community arts centres. This study may be able to contribute to identifying and/or developing future entrepreneurs who may have an interest in opening their own community arts centres and businesses. The results of successful art centres may result in a proliferation of such centres and ultimately offering alternative careers and the opportunities for growth and development for the young South African. This may result in the creation and development of a more robust creative art and drama industry. While it is acknowledged that various other resources are critical for a business to develop including finance, the focus on the management of people forms the basis of this research. The Department of Arts and Culture has identified cultural industries as one of the drivers of economic growth and job creation. Early indications are that the cultural industries are already making a significant contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The Department of Trade and Industry estimates that the craft sector alone contributes about R2-billion (about 200 million Euros) or 0.14% to South Africa’s GDP annually (Department of Arts and Culture 2013). Community art centres could be the seeds for the growth of the cultural industry. The study included 101 participants, made up of eight (8) centre managers, 69 administrative staff members and 24 centre users. The key findings in this study covered the identification of the leadership, managerial qualities and attributes needed by owners and employees to successfully run/manage a business such as community art centre; to determine whether there is leadership development taking place as a strategic intent so that the next level of managers can head up these centres as well as encouraging some staff to pursue the entrepreneurial route and finally examining human resource principle, processes and practices that are useful when leading and managing a successful community arts centres.