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Faculty of Management Sciences

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/13

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Author: search.filters.author.Mason, Roger

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    Challenges during installation and maintenance of water delivery infrastructure : a citizen perspective
    (Beykent University, 2023-10-30) Mokgobu, Matlou Lesley; Mason, Roger; Dobbelstein, Thomas
    The installation and maintenance of water infrastructure in South African cities poses a challenge to communities, municipalities, and installation contractors, who face problems such as inadequate access to homes, traffic jams, inadequately barricaded trenches, leaking water pipes, water supply cut offs, vandalism, and theft of water. The research problem, therefore, involves an inadequate understanding of what drives these problems and how to mitigate them through better management. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges of managing water infrastructure as perceived by the citizens of a South African municipality. The study was a descriptive and cross-sectional survey, with data collected, via a literature derived, emailed questionnaire, from a self-selected non probability sample of 402 City of Tshwane residents. Analysis, via SPSS Version 27, used descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that both the municipality and the contractors contributed to the challenges experienced by citizens, with maintenance challenges being more serious than installation challenges. Municipal and political challenges were the main drivers, with political ownership of construction companies and political interference being the biggest problems. The findings contributed to a better understanding of the challenges inhibiting effective installation and maintenance of water infrastructure, and are important to the municipality, and the community at large, because they contribute to a better understanding of service delivery from the citizens’ perspectives.
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    Creating enthusiasm about farmers’ markets in a post pandemic world : a South African-German comparison
    (Institut za inovacije, 2021-09-22) Dobbelstein, Thomas; Corbishley, Karen; Mason, Roger; Hair, Joe; Kropka, Zoran; Vlasic, Goran
    Before the pandemic farmers’ markets were fashionable places for shopping, entertainment, and socializing, and in many cases are no longer sources of cheaper or more convenient shopping. With the growth of the craft and the organic food movements, such products are often marketed through farmers’ markets. Entertainment (e.g., music) is also often provided. In South Africa and Germany, they were either closed or could take place only very limited during the pandemic. Why farmers’ markets were so popular may be due to a variety of reasons such as shopping, entertainment, and socializing. This research identifies what attracted customers to farmers’ markets before the pandemic and what creates satisfaction for the customer. The results help to re-vitalize farmers markets after the pandemic. A quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional study is used, based on a sample of 1141 respondents from an online-accessed panel of consumers. It is also a comparative study between a developed nation (Germany) and a developing nation (South Africa). The research culminated in a Kano model for farmers’ markets in each of the countries. There was considerable similarity in the ‘delight’ and ‘performance’ factors in the two countries, but only South Africa has ‘basic’ factors (two), while Germany had none. The study thus contributes to knowledge about consumer behavior and attitudes towards farmers’ markets and adds to the literature on the use of the Kano model, especially in South Africa