Theses and Dissertations
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Item Evaluating the sustainability of agritourism in the wild coast region of South Africa(Taylor and Francis, 2022-12-31) Cheteni, Priviledge 0000-0002-1301-9486; Umejesi, Ikechukwu 0000-0002-7757-0445In recent decades, agritourism has been proposed by various agencies as a strategy for the sustainable development of rural areas and the diversification of the rural economy. The study aimed to examine and identify the role of agritourism in entrepreneurship and sustainability. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 15 business owners and 68 residents from local households on the Wild Coast. Consequently, various facets of agritourism for sustainable rural development were investigated using a qualitative research method. The findings revealed that agritourism in the study area can be enhanced by integrating it with farm entrepreneurship. Furthermore, because many disenfranchised familiesItem Private Financing for Infrastructural Development: A Search for Determinants in Public–Private Partnerships in SSA(Acta Universitatis Danubius, 2021) Chikaza, Zakaria 0000-0003-2263-6459; Simatele, Munacinga 0000-0001-9182-2701Understanding the determinants of Public-Private Partnerships remains a priority for policy makers in sub-Saharan Africa as leveraging on private sector resources and expertise to deliver public infrastructure projects is gaining appeal. However, due to uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding empirical approaches to private sector investments, public-private partnerships determinants in the region are still poorly understood. The study applies Extreme Bounds Analysis and Logit regressions to identify critical determinants of public-private partnerships using unbalanced panel data covering 40 sub-Saharan African countries from 1995 to 2020. Regression results identify five key variables (Regulatory Quality, Population, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investment, and Government Spending) as positive significant determinants of infrastructure investments flows in sub-Saharan Africa. The implications of these results indicate ardent need for sub-Saharan African countries to promote prudent policies around these key drivers to promote private sector investments in the region.Item Government Interventions to Ameliorate COVID-19 Recession: The Case of Small, Micro, and Medium Firm’s Survival in South Africa(World Scientific, 2022-12-07) Zhou, S.; Chimucheka, T. 0000-0003-1445-6351; Ayandibu, A. O; Masuku, M. 0009-0001-6844-2812This paper analyzes the impact of government economic interventions to ameliorate the COVID-19 pandemic on the survival of small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa. We use the Cox Proportional Hazards approach and cross-sectional data from King Cetshwayo District Municipality covering 641 SMMEs. The study finds that tax relief was the most important intervention used to sustain SMMEs during the pandemic. Other interventions, such as cash grants and cheap credit, were also used during the period but had a small impact. Our findings support the interventions used by the South African government in mitigating the negative consequences of the pandemic-induced lockdown on small businesses. However, we also note that the magnitude at which the interventions were made could have been lower than what is optimal. The paper recommends the need to increase and have sustainable targeted expenditure during the difficult times to enhance the resilience of SMMEs to accelerate economic development and growth.Item The intended and unintended consequences of remote working: Narratives from a sample of female public service managers in South Africa(Frontiers, 2022-10-13) Chinyamurindi, Willie Tafadzwa 0000-0002-4139-4224The COVID-19 pandemic has aected the world of work. Stemming from this, new forms of work arrangements are proposed. One such arrangement concerns the use of remote working. Scholars appeal for more empirical inquiry into such work arrangements as an unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study narrows its focus to investigating remote working experiences from the lens of female middle managers operating within the South African public service. A qualitative research approach utilizing narrative inquiry of 23 female middle managers was used. Based on the analyzed data, remote working is illustrated from the participant experience as having intended and unintended consequences. In illustrating these dual consequences is a nexus between opportunities and challenges. Based on the identified intended and unintended consequences as findings, interventions have been proposed that impact not just the experience of being a middle manager in the public service but also strategies in dealing with remote working. At the core are strategies for individuals and organizations. These strategies potentially allow for middle manager contributions to be enhanced while also enhancing organizational outputs while working from home.Item State-Local Government Relations, Governance and Development in Nigeria: A Case Study of Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun State(SAAPAM, 2022-06-01) Badaru, Kazeem A 0000-0002-3372-8220This study investigated the nature of andnexus between state-local government rela-tions, governance as well as development inOgun State, Nigeria. A sample of 213 staffof Abeokuta North Local Government wasselected for the quantitative data using thestratified random sampling techniques, while15 other political stakeholders of AbeokutaNorth LG were interviewed to yield thequalitative data. The quantitative data wasanalysed using the SPSS statistics softwarewhile the qualitative data was analysed the-matically using the NVivo software. Resultsshowed that local government councils andstate government (Mean = 2.62) were in amaster-servant type of relationship, also, apositive correlation was found between thestate-local government relations and grass-roots development (Mean = 3.25) and, thatthese relations positively affected develop-ment (Mean = 2.77) in Abeokuta North LG,in particular, and Ogun State, as a whole.Thus, the study concludes that state-localgovernment relations tend to impinge on gov-ernance and development at the grassrootslevel in Nigeria. It, therefore, recommendsthat the controversies surrounding the posi-tion of the local government in the 1999Constitution (as amended) be resolved with-out any further delay; otherwise, the desirefor much more autonomy and developmentat the grassroots level would continue to bea mirage in Nigeria.Item An evaluation of the impact of municipal executive policy on community development in the O.R. Tambo district and Nyandeni local municipality.(University of Fort Hare, 2010) Ngantweni, Sibulele SamueThe democratic dispensation which existed in South Africa after 1994 demands that municipalities must take full responsibility and accountability for the development of the local communities. In this mini-dissertation, a study is undertaken to evaluate the impact of the municipal executive policy on community development within the municipal policy process of OR Tambo District and Nyandeni Local Municipality. The study assumes that the municipal executive policy of O.R. Tambo District and Nyandeni Local Municipality is failing to impact positively on community development. The main objectives of this study is to: Determine and evaluate the effectiveness of the rendering of community services to the citizens of the O.R. Tambo District Municipality and the Nyandeni Local Municipality; Investigate and evaluate the extent of impact of the existing executive policy on community development in the above cited municipalities; and where necessary, provide recommendations for the improvement of the community development services and applicable municipal legislation. The mandate of a municipality in terms of the constitution is to promote the general welfare of citizens. The promotion of the general welfare entails the total elimination of poverty which is caused by a lack of means to provide for food, clothing, housing and the development of communities in various fields.Item Strategy-Implementation: A critical assessment of the application of integrated risk management in the implementation of Eastern Cape Province Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (ECPGDS),(2012) Tshayingca-Mashiya, Ntsiki (Nontsikelelo) ValenciaStrategy implementation has been recorded as a key challenge in today’s organizations. Soft, hard and mixed factors influence the success of strategy implementation; ranging from the people who communicate or implement the strategy, to the systems or mechanisms in place for co-ordination and control of the strategy. In 2004, the Eastern Cape Province launched the Eastern Cape Growth and Development strategy (ECPGDS), which was to be implemented by Public sector, private sector and non-governmental organisations jointly. Government departments of the Eastern Cape Province were assigned a role of leading the implementation of the ECGPDP. Best Management practices internationally require that when a new strategy is developed, with a resultant programme for implementation, there must be a corresponding risk management policy, together with a risk management strategy that are designed concurrently with that new programme so as to ensure achievement of the new the programme objectives. Eastern Cape Government departments have been struggling in management of risk and are recorded as making slow progress in this regard. The aim of this study is to critically assess the application of Integrated Risk Management in the implementation of the Eastern Cape Growth and Development Strategy (ECPGDS). The following are the study objectives: (a) to identify the extent of application of risk management in the implementation of the ECPGDS; (b) to establish the risk profile of the ECPGDS; (c) to develop a baseline implementation risk matrix for the ECPGDS; (d) to develop a Model of Integrated Risk Management for the ECPGS for use by Government departments in the Eastern Cape Province. A mixed strategy of both qualitative and quantitative approaches was utilized in the study. The study sample comprised of: Clusters of Government and Administration in the Eastern Cape Province; big departments; small departments; and specialists in the area of strategic planning, programme and risk management. The study findings include the follows (a) limited, ad-hoc and unintentional application of integrated risk management in the implementation of the ECPGDS; (b) limited understanding of risk management by the strategic planners in government; (c) limited involvement in ensuring integrated risk management by managers in their departments; (d) limited or no formal training in risk management by most strategic managers; (e) no or limited integration of ECPGDS risk management and strategy between the years 2004 and 2008. General conclusions for the study include the following (a) limited application of integrated risk management in the implementation of the ECPGDS and plan as well as daily management practices (b) limited awareness by Strategic Managers at strategic, tactic levels of risk policy implications; (c) non existence of risk register for ECPGDS and PGDP; (d) non- integration of risk indicators in the monitoring and evaluation framework of Eastern Cape Government departments; (e) no baseline risk profile for the ECPGDS; (f) non existence of structures for discussing lessons learnt in the implementation of the ECPGDS; and (g) no evidence of structures for joint monitoring of the PGDPs risk for all implementing departments. Study recommendations include: (a) a need to adopt an integrated risk management strategy by the Eastern Cape Province;(b) an undertaking of a risk assessment to the objectives of the ECPGDS; (c) a formal training in risk management for the Eastern Cape Government strategic managers; (d) the inclusion of risk management in public management studies; and (e) the adoption of the proposed Conceptual model for risk management framework of the ECPGDS for use by Government departments in the Eastern Cape.