List of Titles

Integrating sustainability into strategic decision making in the South African automotive sector

Authors: Makaudi, Tuelo Ivan
Date: 2024-10-11
Subjects: Uncatalogued
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/461874 , vital:76247
Description: Sustainability has become a major topic for businesses, policy makers, government, and researchers. With the growing awareness of climate change, environmental and social problems, attention has turned to how businesses impact the environment, society, and economy. Sustainability, therefore, requires the integration of environmental and social issues into strategic decision making. Many organizations consider sustainability as an important issue for the business. However, some companies are struggling to combine business success and the success of other stakeholders, particularly those representing the interests of the environment and society. The purpose of this case study is to explore how sustainability is integrated into strategic decision making within some companies in the South African automotive industry. This study followed a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten senior managers in the automotive sector in South Africa. The study used an inductive thematic analysis approach to analyse the data, and five main themes were generated: (1) Business profitability, (2) Organization culture, (3) Rationality, (4) Compliance, and (5) Corporate social responsibility (CSR). The findings of the study indicated that strategic decisions made considered business profitability first and foremost above environment and society. There is evidence that businesses engage in some sustainability activities, but this was related to the business objective to be profitable and to meet compliance requirements. The findings of the study also indicated that a rational decision-making approach was used predominantly, compared to intuitive and political approaches. This was due to the cautious approach of maintaining profit-making as a primary business objective. In terms of recommendations, this study recommends that automotive companies in South Africa integrate sustainability considerations into organizational/or business strategy to enable the industry to create shared value for the environment, society and economy. Integrating sustainability into business strategy will align business practices with sustainability goals and therefore allowing the automotive industry to have a positive impact in the society and environment which in turn will lead to improved financial performance. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2024
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Date Issued: 2024-10-11

Platform food delivery: a study on the labour process and emotional labour experienced by gig workers in the Eastern Cape food delivery sector

- Mutshewa, Taboka Botsang

Authors: Mutshewa, Taboka Botsang
Date: 2024-10-11
Subjects: Uncatalogued
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466221 , vital:76708
Description: As central to the gig economy, digital platforms are transforming the character of the modern economy. South Africa has seen the increased use of technology and the integration of technological changes into the labour market and labour process, including via digital platforms. The gig economy has entered a range of economic sectors in South Africa and elsewhere, including the service sector. Examples of digital platforms in this specific sector include Uber and Bolt for transportation, Sweep South for domestic help, and Mr D Food for food delivery. Undoubtedly, by inhibiting and sanctioning movements globally and locally, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the expansion of the gig economy in the service sector, as it restricted walk-in customers. The digital platform mediates the relationship between service sector workers and their clients and between workers and the companies operating the platforms. In this way, these technological platforms act as an ‘extra hand’ by, for example, hiring delivery workers in the first instance and then facilitating the delivery of products to customers. This thesis examines the food delivery sector in the gig economy in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The digital platforms in the food sector allow consumers to place food orders at a restaurant of choice and deliver them to their doorstep in less than an hour, ensuring convenience, reliability and efficiency for restaurants and customers. However, understanding the gig economy involves identifying and unpacking the experiences and perspectives of the gig workers. In doing so, this thesis examines food delivery workers labouring for two different companies (Uber East and Mr D Foods) in two sites (Makhanda and Gqeberha). The main aim is to analyse how the digital platforms restructure the labour process in the gig economy and the emotional labour enacted by the delivery workers. The thesis draws upon labour process and emotional labour theory to pursue this primary aim. Research findings highlight a high level of precariousness and stress amongst food delivery workers as they work under algorithmic systems of labour control marked by surveillance and are constantly required to perform emotionally to maximise income. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
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Date Issued: 2024-10-11

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Corporate failure and ethical resources: a case study of Steinhoff and Carillion

- Mthombeni, Seyijeni Koos

Authors: Mthombeni, Seyijeni Koos
Date: 2023-10-13
Subjects: Corporate governance , Business ethics , Steinhoff International (Firm) Corrupt practices , Carillion (Firm) Corrupt practices , Business failures , Accounting fraud
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419165 , vital:71621
Description: This study aimed to investigate the impact of disregarding ethical resources on company performance, with a particular focus on Carillion and Steinhoff as case studies. A pragmatist research philosophy was employed using a mixed methods approach, utilizing deductive inferencing to produce archival research. Data was collected from annual financial statements and existing literature on Steinhoff and Carillion's corporate failures. Both content analysis and statistical analysis were employed to analyse the data. The study found that both Carillion and Steinhoff were at the top of their respective industries when they began to underperform due to poor governance. On the part of Carillion, much of its failure can be attributed to aggressive bidding, while for Steinhoff, its failure was due to unscrupulous accounting practices. Corruption and fraud at the top echelon of each of these respective companies began to trickle down to the bottom of the hierarchy. Additionally, Steinhoff used a two-tier board system that promotes information asymmetry between a management board and a supervisory board. This gave Steinhoff’s management board leverage to manipulate company reports and hide information from the supervisory board. Steinhoff equally violated the board’s independence by making former management executives part of the supervisory board, who could potentially be lenient to the management board due to past relationships. This was further exacerbated by the CEO duality, which contributed to Steinhoff’s lack of board independence. Furthermore, Steinhoff’s board was reported to have served as board members for a long time, eventually leading them to create a group culture that negatively affected its board’s independence. Different from Steinhoff, which lacked board independence and board diversity, at face value, Carillion appeared to have a predominantly independent board with diverse experience and external commitments. However, Carillion also lacked board independence in a different way, as some of its board members were previously employed by KPMG. KPMG was also the external auditor of Carillion. This created a scenario where Carillion and KPMG were conniving, which may have affected the objectivity of the external audits on financial performance. Further to this, the CEO held outsized power over the board, which could have also resulted in a lack of independence. This, in turn, facilitated corrupt behaviour within the organisation, which may have contributed to its corporate failure. iv The findings of the study highlight the following three conclusions: i) profits that are premised on reckless, irregular, and fraudulent business and accounting practices are not sustainable; ii) governance structures that do not adhere to sound corporate governance principles result in impaired board independence and negatively affect firm performance; and iii) companies that reach the pinnacle of their success through unethical conduct are ultimately short-lived. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2023
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Date Issued: 2023-10-13

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Evaluating liberal and hybrid approaches to peacebuilding : the case of Sierra Leone

- Sitole, Sivuyile

Authors: Sitole, Sivuyile
Date: 2023-10-13
Subjects: Peace-building Sierra Leone , Sierra Leone Politics and government 1961- , Nation-building , Postwar reconstruction Sierra Leone
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425278 , vital:72225
Description: This thesis explores liberal and hybrid approaches to peacebuilding and their decisiveness in building sustainable peace in Sierra Leone. Contemporary peacebuilding interventions have been dominated by liberal peacebuilding, also known as liberal state-building. Post-conflict states have been transforming to replicate liberal states due to assumptions of liberal states being more peaceful and less likely to fall into conflict again than non-liberal states. There is growing criticism regarding the effectiveness of this approach as its initiatives have not always translated to sustainable peace. This failure is attributed to its minimal inclusion or exclusion of local actors in the peacebuilding process as well as its application of standardised approaches in complex contexts. In response to these shortfalls, international peacebuilding scholars propose an alternative approach that would combine the liberal and the local to produce a hybrid peace, which is inclusive and context-specific. This thesis tests the decisiveness of these approaches by examining the successful peacebuilding process in Sierra Leone. It then concludes that the peacebuilding interventions of Sierra Leone demonstrate how liberal peacebuilding initiatives have little or limited success when conducted without the inclusion of local actors. However, when local actors are included in the peace-building process to make meaningful contributions (hybrid peacebuilding), peacebuilding initiatives can have a much larger impact on society. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies, 2023
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Date Issued: 2023-10-13

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Singing madness: three performative analyses of the “mad scene” from Lucia di Lammermoor

- Le Kay, Jo-Nette

Authors: Le Kay, Jo-Nette
Date: 2023-10-13
Subjects: Mental illness in music , Bel canto , Donizetti, Gaetano, 1797-1848. Lucia di Lammermoor. Dolce suono , Coloratura soprano , Embellishment (Vocal music) , Performativity
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425377 , vital:72234
Description: This study describes three internationally recognised sopranos and their presentations of character psychology on stage, during their performances of the famous “mad scene” from Gaetano Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor. These sopranos are Joan Sutherland, Mariella Devia, and Lisette Oropesa. I use Margaret Kartomi’s (2014) model of performativity to interpret the “madness” depicted by the three selected sopranos, as based on my interpretations of commercially released audio-visual recordings of their performances in the role of Lucia. Through analysing these performances with the help of Kartomi’s performativity model (which focuses on persona, emotion-and intersubjectivity, and reception), my research determines – with speculative interpretation, and within the reasonable limits of standard psychiatric frameworks – which mental illnesses the sopranos can be understood to have portrayed in their interpretations of the role of Lucia. The study’s goal is not to make an accurate mental health diagnosis of someone’s portrayal of a fictional character. (Considering the fact that one cannot make accurate mental health diagnoses for people who do not exist.) Rather, my focus is to discover which dramatic and possibly musical characteristics are utilised to perform this fictional character and give expressive content to her “madness”. The concept of “madness” and its psychological characterisation during performance thus becomes the framework from which to interpret and understand vocal and acting techniques related to opera in general and to bel canto more specifically. My research findings are that the three performers use facial expressions, different aspects of using the voice through bel canto singing, and body movements as a way of expression. Bel canto characteristics include coloratura embellishments, fioritura, melismas, messa di voce, squillo and chiaroscuro. The sopranos also show musical and dramatic elements in how they respond to the flute or glass harmonica during the ‘Mad Scene’ – which counts as the personae expressed by the performers. These personae are further applied in the emotional and intersubjectivity and the reception aspects of Kartomi’s performativity model. In the emotional and intersubjectivity aspect, the chorus and other characters singing on stage are read as emphasising the reaction of society on the mentally dysfunctional behaviour enacted by the sopranos. In the reception aspect, reviewers are used to filling in for audience members. I read their reactions as contributing factors in forming an understanding of the interpretations of the “mad scene” performed by the three sopranos. My reading of the three interpretations of the “mad scene” goes further by subjectively interpreting how these sopranos approximate different states of mental collapse. These readings include approximations of psychosis such as mania, dissociative personality disorder, and paranoid schizophrenic behaviour. Always, though, these mental health behaviours are identified as approximations to better understand vocal and acting techniques. , Thesis (MMus) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2023
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Date Issued: 2023-10-13

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Antimalarial activity of quinoline thiosemicarbazones: synthesis and antiplasmodial evaluation

- Nqeno, Lukhanyiso Khanyisile

Authors: Nqeno, Lukhanyiso Khanyisile
Date: 2022-04-06
Subjects: Antimalarials , Quinoline , Thiosemicarbazones , Malaria Chemotherapy , Plasmodium falciparum , Malaria Africa, Sub-Saharan , Iron chelates Therapeutic use
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/291292 , vital:56841
Description: Africa is one of the regions that is most affected by malaria, as 90% of all malaria deaths occur in sub-saharan Africa. Malaria is a life threatening disease responsible for an estimated 800000 deaths each year, the majority of these deaths occurred in children under the age of five. The disease is a mosquito-borne, and it is transmitted to humans by the female Anopheles mosquito. The parasite responsible for this disease belong to the Plasmodium genus with Plasmodium falciparum causing the most severe cases of the disease in humans. The most widely available anti-malarials were designed to specifically target the pathogenic blood stage in humans, however, in order to completely eradicate malaria there is a need for the development of medicines that not only target the pathogenic blood stage of the parasite but also block parasite transmission and eliminate asymptomatic and cryptic hepatic forms of the parasite. Iron chelators have recently gained importance as potent antimalarials, to cause infection nearly all protozoa obtain growth essential iron from their hosts. Iron is required for the development of the parasite. Deprivation of utilizable iron by chelation is a proficient approach to arrest parasite growth and associated infection. Thiosemicarbazones are known iron chelating agents by bonding through the sulfur and azomethine nitrogen atoms. This study is aimed at the identification of thiosemicarbazone based derivatives as possible antimalarial agents. Due to their iron chelation abilities there has been increasing interest in the investigation of thiosemicarbazones as possible antimalarials. During the course of this project, several thiosemicarbazone derivatives were synthesized and their structure confirmed using routine analytical techniques (NMR, FTIR, and HRMS). The synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro against the chloroquine sensitive strain (3D7) of P. falciparum for antimarial activity. The compounds were also evaluated agsinst Hela cells for overt cytotoxicity. The compounds generally showed poor antimalarial activity. One compound (LKN11) was identified to possess intrinsic and moderate antimalarial activity of 6.6 μM. The compounds were generally not cytotoxic against Hela cell at concentrations of up to 20 μM, with only compound LKN10 showing modest cytotoxic activity of 9.5 μM. This research went on to identify two thiosemicarbazone based derivatives which had a significant effect on HeLa and pLDH cells. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2022
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Date Issued: 2022-04-06

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The use of the cochineal insect, Dactylopius tomentosus Lamarck, as a biological control agent for the invasive alien thistle cholla, Cylindropuntia pallida (Rose) F.M. Knuth in South Africa

- Zozo, Ekhona

Authors: Zozo, Ekhona
Date: 2022-04-06
Subjects: Cochineal insect , Thistles Biological control South Africa , Alien plants South Africa , Invasive plants South Africa , Cactus South Africa , Biological assay
Language: English
Type: Master's thesis , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/233823 , vital:50131
Description: Cylindropuntia pallida (Rose) F.M. Knuth (Cactaceae) is an invasive alien plant in South Africa indigenous in the southern U.S.A. and Mexico. Large infestations of this species can be found in the Kalahari and arid Karoo regions of South Africa, which is also present in Namibia. Because it is a very spiny cactus, dense infestations have a negative impact on agriculture and natural ecosystems. This cactus has become naturalised to the extent that eradication is impossible and the negative impacts are steadily increasing due to its increasing distribution and density. The cochineal insect, Dactylopius tomentosus Lamarck (Dactylopiidae), is native in Mexico and parts of North America, such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in the U.S.A. This cochineal species is highly specialized and associated only with Cylindropuntia species, a group of cacti that are primarily restricted to the same areas. It has been introduced into Australia and South Africa as a biological control agent to control various invasive alien Cylindropuntia species. This cochineal species has several biotypes specific to certain Cylindropuntia species hosts. A biotype is a clade that cannot be differentiated morphologically from others but has different host ranges and impacts depending on the host plant species. Included amongst biotypes that have been released in South Africa are D. tomentosus ‘imbricata’ and D. tomentosus ‘cholla’ for the biological control of Cylindropuntia imbricata (Haw.) F.M. Knuth (Cactaceae) and Cylindropuntia fulgida (Engelmann) F.M. Knuth var. mamillata (Schott ex Engelmann) Backeb. (Cactaceae), respectively. These biotypes have resulted in both host plants being under substantial control in South Africa. The first part of this thesis evaluated which of the two D. tomentosus biotypes already in use in South Africa could be an effective biological control agent for C. pallida. This was done by assessing the fitness of the cochineals on the three cactus species and assessing the impact that each of the cochineals has on each of the target weed species. Should these biotypes prove ineffective, there is a third biotype, namely D. tomentosus ‘californica var. parkerii’, which researchers in Australia have worked on and have found to be suitably host-specific for release in Australia and suitably damaging to C. pallida in that country. Therefore, this new biotype could be released in South Africa if it is required. Sexually compatible biological control agents, especially those closely related and occurring in close spatial proximity to one another, may interbreed and the impacts of this hybridisation are difficult to predict. It is important to understand the outcomes of the hybridisation of cochineal because it can affect the impact of the biological control agents and thus the control of the target weed. The second part of this thesis investigated the impacts of the hybridisation of the two cochineal biotypes by assessing the damage the agents would have on the target weed, and on C. imbricata and C. fulgida var. mamillata, in the presence of one or both cochineal biotypes. The ‘cholla’ biotype performed better on C. pallida than the ‘imbricata’ biotype, but neither biotype could control C. pallida to an extent similar to the control they provide for their respective target weeds, C. imbricata and C. fulgida var. mamillata. Both the ‘cholla’ biotype and hybrids of the two biotypes of cochineal were effective at killing C. pallida when both C. imbricata and C. fulgida var. mamillata were also present. This suggests that the ‘cholla’ or hybrids may be effective at controlling C. pallida when either C. imbricata or C. fulgida var. mamillata are also present in the field due to the high population density of cochineal that results under these circumstances. There are, however, many C. pallida infestations in South Africa where the plant is problematic and is isolated from other Cylindropuntia species, and these populations are unlikely to be controlled by the ‘cholla’ biotype or the hybrids. Neither of the cochineal biotypes that are used for biological control in South Africa are suitably damaging to C. pallida to warrant their use as biological control agents for this species. Dactylopius tomentosus ‘californica var. parkerii’ is therefore recommended for release based on its host-specificity and impact to C. pallida in Australia. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology, 2022
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Date Issued: 2022-04-06

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Determinants of foreign direct investments into the Southern African Development Community Region: the case of financial sector development, institutional quality and financial openness.

- Makalima, Sisonke

Authors: Makalima, Sisonke
Date: 2022-03
Subjects: Investments, Foreign (International law)
Language: English
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21948 , vital:51856
Description: The SADC region is a 15-member states grouping. Countries in the region have experienced low growth coupled with high levels of poverty and inequality. Attracting FDI to the region has been top priority. However, much is still to be realised. The study employed the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) technique for the period 1980 to 2019. Empirical results show that financial sector development and financial openness are important determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. The results also showed that institutional quality is also a very important variable in determining the inflow of FDI, even though its effect is conditional on financial sector development and financial openness. These results imply that countries with good institutional framework, as well as a developed financial sector and are financially open tend to attract more capital inflows in the form of FDI, thereby creating adequate conditions to boost private sector and investment abroad. Countries in the SADC region should therefore pursue policies which are aimed at improving the institutional framework, the level of financial sector development and further enhance the openness of their financial openness. , Thesis (MCom) (Economics) -- University of Fort Hare, 2022
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Date Issued: 2022-03

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Student protests in South African universities with specific reference to Rhodes University (1970-1994)

- Gillam, Katherine Elaine

Authors: Gillam, Katherine Elaine
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Student movements South Africa Makhanda History , Students Political activity South Africa Makhanda , College students, Black Political activity South Africa Makhanda , Rhodes Must Fall , FeesMustFall , South Africa Politics and government 1994- , Democratic transition
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178457 , vital:42941
Description: This thesis is about student protest at Rhodes University from 1970- 1994 It examines how student protests mirrored broader political and economic contexts in this period. Further this thesis also investigates the changes in student protest over the years. As democracy drew closer, student protests at Rhodes became less apparent. This thesis consults numerous sources which include books, articles, archives and extensive interviews. A significant aspect of this work is that the research on the Black Students Movement at Rhodes University has not been explored in detail, particularly in scholarly works. This thesis therefore contributes to the historiography of black student politics at a historically white university. It also explores the period of democratic transition in South Africa, where secondary issues such as gender and access came to the forefront of student protests. As democracy drew closer, student protests became infrequent on campus due to the changes anticipated under the newly elected democratic government. Despite sparse protests, black students remained sceptical of the democratic transition. The thesis uncovers that many issues were left unresolved which later resurfaced under the 2015 and 2016 #RhodesMustFall, #FeesMustFall and #RUReferenceList protests. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, History, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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An evaluation of intercultural communication challenges and their impacts on academic performance of the University of Fort Hare students

- Mgogo, Quatro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3041-9753

Authors: Mgogo, Quatro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3041-9753
Date: 2015-07
Subjects: Intercultural communication--South Africa , Academic achievement , Communication--South Africa
Language: English
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25151 , vital:63982
Description: This study aims to evaluate intercultural communication challenges and their impact on the academic performance of University of Fort Hare students. Intercultural communication has been an issue ever since nations started to link together, particularly in trading and job market. However, people have been looking at ways of fitting in and being able to meet halfway with regards to accommodating one another’s culture during the process of intercultural communication. Many scholars have given explicit definitions on intercultural communication, but some are not deep enough to make it clearer and more understandable. Scholars like Pinto (2000) define intercultural communication as communication between individuals or groups from distinctive cultures. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
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Date Issued: 2015-07

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