List of Titles

Poverty alleviation strategies and their impact on the livelihoods in Gqumahashe Village (Alice, Eastern Cape) South Africa

- Thengela, Ntombizanele

Authors: Thengela, Ntombizanele
Date: 20xx
Subjects: Poverty Alleviation
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSW
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18291 , vital:42249
Description: There are between forty-five to fifty-seven percent (45-57%), South Africans who are engulfed in poverty. In an attempt to identify policy instruments that could help change the status quo, the South African government introduced various strategies to alleviate poverty and some have been seen to be relatively successful. The aim of the study was to identify poverty alleviation strategies in Gqhumahashe village and their impact on the livelihoods of the inhabitants. A qualitative approach and a phenomenological research design were used in conducting this study as these approaches allowed participants to share first-hand experiences regarding the issue under investigation. Purposive sampling method was employed to select participants for the study. Twenty-five participants were selected to participate in this study to share their experience as beneficiaries of these poverty alleviation programmes. The data obtained through in-depth interviews were analysed thematically as well as discussed and supported by the relevant literature. Thematic analysis was used to analyse audiotaped interviews. The findings revealed that there are poverty alleviation strategies in place in Gqhumahashe village. Those strategies include free basic and higher education, school feeding schemes, early childhood development and Kari-Gude literacy programmes for elderly. There are also projects such as the Expanded Public Works Programmes; Community Works Projects and the Municipality Infrastructure Grants. Lastly, Free Health Care Services and Social Welfare Service or Social Grants are strategies that are available in the village to alleviate poverty. The findings also revealed that there is high rate of unemployment in the village. In conclusion, the participants were very happy about the Municipality Infrastructure Grant because it has opened many opportunities for the inhabitants to be employed and it improved the road infrastructure. The recommendation drawn from the study, were that government should create more sustainable jobs for the disadvantaged. Government should also create jobs for the unemployed young graduates. The study recommends that these programmes to alleviate poverty should be extended to other villages across South Afric
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The Factors Influencing the Behavioural Intention of Overweight Adults to Use Wearable Devices for Sustained Health Monitoring

- Ogundele , Oluwaseyi Caleb

Authors: Ogundele , Oluwaseyi Caleb
Date: 20xx
Subjects: Digital media
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13903 , vital:39725
Description: The volume of wearable devices that can be used for sustained health monitoring purposes is continuously growing within the healthcare sector. These devices allow users to track their own activity levels in real time. However, there are factors that may inhibit the behavioural intention to sustain the use of wearable devices for health monitoring in the long term by overweight adults. These factors include privacy concerns, costs of obtaining wearable devices, theft, frequent charging and short battery life of wearable devices and bulkiness of some wearable devices. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the factors influencing the behavioural intention of overweight adults in South Africa to make use of wearable devices for sustained health monitoring. This research made use of the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) as the theoretical foundation of the study. In achieving the aim of this study, a qualitative research approach was used. The purposive sampling technique was selected to identify twenty (20) overweight adults (aged 18-59 years) who are using wearable devices in East London, South Africa. Interviews were conducted with the twenty participants to identify the factors that will influence their behavioural intention to make use of wearable devices to monitor their health. Through thematic analysis, data provided by participants was grouped and summarised into relevant themes to answer the main research question. The study developed a framework that identifies the factors influencing behavioural intention of overweight adults to continue using wearable devices for sustained health monitoring. The factors that were identified include confirmation, perceived usefulness and satisfaction of wearable devices for sustained health monitoring. The realisation of weight loss, monitoring of daily activities and calories through the use of wearable devices was found to positively influence the behavioural intention of the users of wearable devices to continue their usage. However, the major factors that may inhibit the continuous usage of wearable devices for sustained health monitoring are privacy concerns, costs of obtaining wearable devices, theft, frequent charging and short battery life of wearable devices and bulkiness of some wearable devices. Based on the findings, the study recommended the following: (1) the wearable device manufacturers should assure the users of their privacy and confidentiality by providing the needed ii | P a g e interfaces for this purpose; (2) the manufacturers of wearable devices should make the devices less bulky so that they can be more portable; (3) South African government should provide security operatives in isolated areas where people are not feeling secure; (4) the manufacturers of wearable devices make the purchase prices of wearable devices more affordable, especially for low income people; and (5) the manufacturers of wearable devices should improve on battery life and quality of wearable devices so that the devices are more time efficient and require less charging of the devices.
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The impact of exchange rate volatility on manufacturing production : a case study of South Africa

- Dube, Ziphozethu

Authors: Dube, Ziphozethu
Date: 20
Subjects: Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa Manufacturing industries -- South Africa Industrial productivity
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8294 , vital:32193
Description: The study examined the impact of exchange rate volatility on manufacturing production for the period of 1994 - 2015 in South Africa. The study evaluated the literature on exchange rate volatility and manufacturing production which was conducted and resulted into specification of an empirical model. The Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) was employed towards deducing the relationship of exchange rate volatility and manufacturing production. This study made use of monthly data to examine the relationship of exchange rate volatility and manufacturing production. However, the data frequency selected, ensured an adequate number of observations and results revealed that exchange rate volatility has a negative relationship with manufacturing production in the long run, nonetheless considering South Africa as an export economy the results were consistent with Ayinde (2014) who found that this relationship is seen to exist. A positive relationship was noted within the short run period. The unstable business environment in South Africa has been worsened by the political climate and unstable policies that has a ripple effect. Due to this aspect the study recommended the need for stabilizer policies for monetary, fiscal, trade and exchange rate management. The government should properly manage the exchange rate and design suitable policies that will reduce the deviation of the exchange rate thereby encourage production. Exchange rate stability is viewed to be key for export-oriented manufacturing sectors in a macroeconomic environment. The South African economy has felt such heaviness of political unrest and polices that do not result in stability. It would be key for policymakers to be vigilant and implement such measures to get the economy ticking in the right direction.
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