Thesis (M. Tech. (Food and Beverage management, Dept. of Hospitality, Tourism and Project Management) -- Vaal University of Technology / Background: About 66 percent of South Africans are urbanised. The majority of this population is forced by circumstances to live in informal settlements. Despite the income challenges faced, the market expenditure by these low-income consumers amounts to R129 billion per year. A lack of information exists regarding food product attributes that guide purchasing choice for maize meal. Objective of the study: To identify and describe the food product attributes experienced as most important during purchasing of maize meal by low-income consumers in informal settlements in the Johannesburg-Vaal region. Methods: Phase 1 comprised a quantitative survey in three informal! and one formal settlement (n=502), testing the level of importance perceived for 14 food product attributes. In Phase 2, focus group discussions were conducted to describe and compare the understanding of the food product attributes between groups and with literature. Results: Phase 1 defines income level as the boundary within which low-income consumers perceived the importance of food product attributes. Satiety value and the affordability of food products override sensory attributes as the main decision choice, as usually applicable to higher income groups. Nutrient content was ranked least important. These findings can probably be allocated to the need of low-income consumers to satisfy priorities for survival (satiety value). Phase 2 reported no distinctive differences in the meaning of terms between groups. However, a difference exists in the depth of meaning. The majority of descriptive elements indicated a link to economic attributes. Strong cross-links between attributes were revealed through the findings. No major differences were found in the understanding of food product attributes between the respondents' groups and with existing literature. Two concept elements, the versatility of product use as linked to taste and the ability of sensory qualities to report quality of maize meal as linked to product safety, were revealed by the current study. Key words: Food product attributes, low-income households, staple food, maize meal, informal settlement, purchase choice.

[pt] Este trabalho investiga o problema de consumo do produtor rural de baixa renda a partir das limitações estabelecidas pelo mercado. Considera o conceito de empreendedorismo no trabalho da produção rural, sua aplicação dentro da cadeia produtiva desde a concepção do negócio rural até a venda final. Tem especificamente como objetivos: (i) analisar se o produtor rural de baixa renda é um empreendedor, com base nos conceitos de Prahalad (2005) e nos significados sinalizados pela verificação das práticas empresariais por ele desenvolvidas e (ii) identificar as influências do mercado no consumo domiciliar e consumo para produção rural da família de baixa renda a partir da ótica do marketing rural. Focalizando o município de Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, o estudo recorta as peculiaridades regionais de comportamento, atitude e hábitos de consumo desse mercado a partir de entrevistas com 11 famílias de produtores. Os resultados apontam para oportunidades de mercado, públicas e privadas, para estratégias, tanto da produção rural em áreas de baixa renda como para o setor empresarial e público. Ao mesmo tempo, ressaltam a desigualdade do pequeno produtor dentro da rede de produção rural na qual ele se insere, as barreiras à comercialização e as práticas empresariais ineficientes. Ao final discute as flutuações de consumo decorrentes das irregularidades do fluxo de produção. / [en] Este trabalho investiga o problema de consumo do produtor rural de baixa renda a partir das limitações estabelecidas pelo mercado. Considera o conceito de empreendedorismo no trabalho da produção rural, sua aplicação dentro da cadeia produtiva desde a concepção do negócio rural até a venda final. Tem especificamente como objetivos: (i) analisar se o produtor rural de baixa renda é um empreendedor, com base nos conceitos de Prahalad (2005) e nos significados sinalizados pela verificação das práticas empresariais por ele desenvolvidas e (ii) identificar as influências do mercado no consumo domiciliar e consumo para produção rural da família de baixa renda a partir da ótica do marketing rural. Focalizando o município de Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, o estudo recorta as peculiaridades regionais de comportamento, atitude e hábitos de consumo desse mercado a partir de entrevistas com 11 famílias de produtores. Os resultados apontam para oportunidades de mercado, públicas e privadas, para estratégias, tanto da produção rural em áreas de baixa renda como para o setor empresarial e público. Ao mesmo tempo, ressaltam a desigualdade do pequeno produtor dentro da rede de produção rural na qual ele se insere, as barreiras à comercialização e as práticas empresariais ineficientes. Ao final discute as flutuações de consumo decorrentes das irregularidades do fluxo de produção.

[pt] A renda das famílias brasileiras vem aumentando em função do crescimento do salário mínimo e da aplicação de programas sociais do Governo Federal, tais como Bolsa Família. No entanto estas famílias têm dificuldades para chegar ao final do mês, especialmente as de baixa renda. Algumas causas identificadas pela Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF), realizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) sugerem que a segurança alimentar - o direito de todos ao acesso regular e permanente a alimentos de qualidade e em quantidade suficiente - é menor entre as famílias mais numerosas, com menor rendimento, onde a pessoa de referência é do sexo feminino e naquelas com crianças. Tomando por base a literatura pertinente, esta pesquisa levanta nove hipóteses submetidas a teste com 326 respondentes, todos residentes no estado do Rio de Janeiro. As hipóteses visam identificar os principais motivos que elevam a satisfação com a alimentação nos domicílios de baixa renda. Os resultados sugerem, principalmente, que a satisfação com alimentação aumenta com a renda e reduz com a quantidade de crianças no domicílio. Indicam, ainda, que a previsão da satisfação depende tanto da quantidade quanto da variedade de comida, salientando a variedade de frutas e de doces. Embora não verificada inicialmente, os resultados sugerem que um estudo mais detalhado sobre a localização geográfica dos domicílios pode vir a acrescentar conhecimento aos fatores de satisfação. / [en] The income of the Brazilian families has grown due to the adjustments of the minimum salary and to the application of Federal Government social programs, such as Bolsa Família. However these families still have difficulties to manage their salary to make it last for the whole month. The Research of the Family Budget (POF), conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) suggests that the food security level - the right that everyone has to regular and permanent to quality and quantity foods - is lower in the families larger families, those with lower income, those weather the person that have the power of decision is a female and those with kids. Based in the appropriate literature, this research proposes nine hypotheses that were submitted and tested with 326 respondents, all resident in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The hypotheses try to identify the main motives that higher the satisfaction with food in the low income homes. The results mainly suggest that the satisfaction raises as income also rise and lower with the quantity of kids in the domicile. They still indicate that the forecast of the general satisfaction with food is based on the satisfaction with quantity and variety of food, as well as the variety of fruits and sweets. Although not verified initially, the results suggest that a more detailed study focusing the geographic location of the domiciles can bring more knowledge about the factors of satisfaction.

Magister Artium - MA / Hunger is more than just a feeling, it is the lack of access to safe nutritious food, which in turn may result in anger towards government, low performance, sadness and a limited will to survive. Urban agriculture has been identified as a source of livelihood for many urban residents and could fundamentally change food insecure cities like Cape Town. The Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) is one such place with an enormous amount of potential to assist the City of Cape Town (CCT) to overcome food insecurity challenges. The PHA is the focus of this thesis that aims to determine the impacts that housing and industrial developments in the PHA have had, and might have in the future, on food security in the Greater Cape Town Area (GCTA). The specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) To investigate the urban agricultural distribution of the PHA; (2) to investigate agricultural facilitation, people empowerment and the use of land for agricultural purposes; (3) To determine the level of access to food for people within and around the PHA; and (4) To examine the links between the urban agricultural food sector and food production. Mixed method research was employed, hinging on the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) as the conceptual framework. Snowball sampling was used to select 68 participants who were interviewed. One key finding of the study showed that the PHA had a significant value to the participants, many of whom called the place ‘home’. Another finding is that urban agriculture provides fresh food produce to many local residents. In-depth discussions with officials and farmers, both commercial and small-scale farmers in the PHA, revealed that the PHA is a valuable portion of farmland, and contributes significantly towards food security in and around the PHA. With the use of the SLA as the conceptual framework, the study contributes towards other livelihood outcomes dependant on urban agriculture to improve access, availability and stability of food security within the PHA. Although urban agriculture is a minimal contributor to food security in the PHA, there are other benefits enjoyed by low-income communities such as food aid given by farmers to assist low-income housing communities, educational opportunities to enhance small growers in the PHA, small-scale community garden outreach and employment.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Parental knowledge and experiences regarding autism spectrum disorder have a huge effect on the life of the caregiver. Once a child has been diagnosed and needs treatment, parents/caregivers have to adjust in many ways. The adjustment will vary depending on the needs of the child at that particular point. Caregivers to an autistic child have to acquire comprehensive knowledge regarding autism spectrum disorder. A support system plays a pivotal role in the raising of an autistic child. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, experiences and coping mechanisms of single mothers raising an autistic child in a low-income community in Western Cape Province. A qualitative research approach was employed to gain access to the experiences of single mothers raising an autistic child, and in-depth interviews were conducted with six single mothers from a low-income community. Transcriptions were analysed in accordance with the approach of thematic analysis. Results indicated that participants experience many challenges: lack of knowledge, inexperience, personal challenges, and society’s perceptions of autism were highlighted. Participant’s social support given by family, community and organisations they allowed for coping and resilience to outweigh the challenges. The single mother’s experiences varied however the resilience has allowed them to cope and gain the needed inner strength to embrace the experience each day. Further research is needed to highlight fathers’ experiences and their coping mechanisms in raising an autistic child.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building / The increasing housing backlog in Gauteng has resulted in many challenges, amongst them a need in ensuring that there is a fair and transparent allocation of housing opportunities to communities. The City of Johannesburg is an accredited municipality and administers the housing process within its jurisdiction. The purpose for the accreditation of municipalities was to deal with the backlog and improve on housing delivery. The research examines the allocation process of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses at the City of Johannesburg municipality. The study looked at the South African housing history, policies, and factors affecting the process with a view to highlight methods to improve the process. The qualitative approach to research was adopted in collecting data. Using the techniques of process mapping, data was collected through qualitative interviews and semi-structured questionnaires with key personnel at the municipality to develop a process map of the municipality’s allocation process. Through this process related issues contributing to backlogs and delays, and problems in the administration of the process were identified. Adopting a business process improvement tool could assist in improving the process and addressing the backlog issue. Keywords: Allocations, RDP houses, Processes, Backlogs and Business Process Improvement.

Thesis advisor: Ce Shen / Civic engagement, involving people in public processes to achieve common goals, has received increased attention in the past several decades. This renewed interest was triggered by the seeming decline in civic engagement, particularly in the context of Western societies including the U.S. In addition, its potentially positive effects, such as psychological well-being at the individual level, have recently received much attention. Low-income people in developing countries suffer from double discrimination: first, the lack of opportunities to participate in civic matters due to their low socio-economic status (SES) and second, the lack of civil society culture in developing countries. However, less attention has been paid to civic engagement in the context of developing countries and low-income people, in spite of the importance of civic engagement to them. Given the significance of civic engagement for low-income populations in developing countries, this dissertation intends to fill the gaps left by previous scholarship. The following are specific objectives for the study: 1) Paper 1 aims to investigate the construct validity of an instrument to measure civic engagement among low-income populations in developing countries; 2) Paper 2 aims to examine the associations between country-level political and economic determinants and civic engagement among low-income people in developing countries; and 3) Paper 3 aims to examine the effect of civic engagement on subjective well-being through the mediating effect of sense of agency. Using the cross-national data set, the World Values Survey Wave 6 (2010-2014), this study first found that civic engagement among low-income individuals in low- and middle-income countries is defined in three dimensions: electoral behaviors, membership in civic organizations, and cognitive engagement. This result contributes to measurement development of civic engagement, especially among the low-income individuals in the context of developing countries, who have been neglected in policy-making processes. In Paper 2, I found that civic engagement increases in economically disadvantaged environments (low GNI per capita and high Gini coefficient). This finding may reveal the strength that low-income populations have. Lastly, the results of Paper 3 showed that electoral engagement and membership in civic organizations were directly related to well-being, but cognitive engagement had an indirect effect on well-being through a sense of agency. Also, the result of a non-recursive model showed that engagement in electoral behaviors leads to a sense of well-being, not in the reverse direction. The results from Paper 3 may demonstrate the mechanism by which civic engagement is related to well-being. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Student Number : 0001367T - MA dissertation - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Humanities / This is an exploratory study which seeks to look at barriers to land accessibility for the construction of low-income or affordable housing on former mining lands between Soweto and Johannesburg CBD. Based on the findings, there are various barriers which inhibit and threaten the construction of houses on former mining lands. These barriers, exposed by the findings of this report are radon, mine dust - both of which pose a serious health risk to residents if exposed to it for a long period of time - high prices of land, inadequate funding for housing subsidies and the National Nuclear Regulator’s too strict and uncompromising stance on housing construction on contaminated lands. The conclusion drawn by this report is that the government, owners of former mining land and the National Nuclear Regulator need to co-operate and work together towards finding a common ground in order to enhance the possibility of a total removal of these barriers, so that the previously marginalized citizens can afford to own houses closer to the Central Business District of Johannesburg.

This research project looks at the experiences of a group of pregnant teenagers in a low socio-economic area. Teenage sexuality and pregnancy has been the subject of substantial research in South Africa and the rest of the world as it is a global issue. The challenge that pregnant teenagers face are to manage schooling, pregnancy and mothering rather than dropping out of school. This study was conducted using a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews. The participants consisted of fourteen teenagers ranging from fifteen to eighteen years of age. The teenagers were either pregnant or had delivered their babies. They attended the local high school with the exception of one participant who had dropped out of school. I interviewed one Life Orientation educator from the local high school and one ante natal nursing sister from the local municipal clinic. Teenage pregnancy produced gender inequalities as the female adolescent is unable to attend school whilst recuperating from the birth of the child; the male continues attending school regardless of fathering the child. Culturally it was inappropriate to receive sex education at home so information was gained within the formal setting of Life Orientation classes, peers or social media. Due to varying degrees of familial support, the teenagers were able to return to school after the birth of their babies. The level of family support ranged from taking over full responsibility of the child so the adolescent continued with her former life to the teenager having to care for the child when returning from school and only being able to complete homework tasks once the baby was asleep. Agency was most apparent in the decision of abortion. The teenagers would not be forced into the procedure if it was not the option of their choice despite pressure from boyfriends and family. Teenagers also showed agency in ending relationships with their partners if the partner was dating other girls concurrently. However, they did not use agency in the negotiation of condom use despite stating that they were in equal relationships with their boyfriends. This indicates how structures may constrain agency, specifically structures that are located in gendered inequalities. The teenagers were knowledgeable about the facts of condom use as protection against pregnancy and disease but these facts were not put into practice. Discourses suggest female teenagers’ fear of being rejected by their partner through the insistence of condom use and male domination over the female.

O interesse pelo bem-estar financeiro está crescendo no mundo. A partir da desregulamentação e com o aumento da concorrência no setor financeiro, cidadãos comuns passaram a operar em um mercado complexo de forma a atender as próprias necessidades e às de sua família. Todas essas mudanças ajudaram a aumentar a preocupação sobre até que ponto tais cidadãos estavam preparados para operar nesse cenário. A partir de tal mudanças iniciou-se uma discussão sobre qual deve ser o foco das políticas públicas: concentrar mais no que as pessoas sabem ou no que elas fazem? Somado a esse cenário, vivemos uma mudança na composição da população brasileira e mundial com uma virada histórica prevista para 2050, quando os idosos passarão a ser em maior número do que os jovens graças a fatores como maior expectativa de vida e queda no número de filhos entre as famílias. Nesse contexo, esse trabalho tem por objetivo estudar o bem-estar financeiro do consumidor idoso de baixa renda e o uso de instituições bancárias. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas, sendo a primeira uma revisão da literatura referente aos dois temas principais, bem-estar financeiro e idosos, apoiada por uma revisão sistemática. A segunda parte consiste em uma pesquisa empírica. Por um lado, os resultados da revisão sistemática apontam para o fato de que os trabalhos publicados sobre o tema bem-estar financeiro carecem de conceituação e entre os que conceituam, há diversas abordagens. Além disso, vê-se ainda poucos trabalhos em periódicos de maior relevância, apesar do crescimento na quantidade de artigos nos últimos anos. Já em relação à pesquisa empírica pode-se dizer que, embora os idosos de baixa renda apresentem um conhecimento sobre finanças, esse conhecimento é limitado ao ser comparado com o conceito apontado pelas teorias. Tal fato aumenta a vulnerabilidade dos consumidores, haja vista que o processo de construção do conhecimento é extremamente informal e aspectos relacionados ao bem-estar financeiro como segurança e liberdade de escolha ficam totalmente comprometidos. Como achado apresenta-se os antecedentes do conhecimento financeiro dos consumidores idosos de baixa renda pesquisados e uma esquematização dos sensos observados dentro dos quatro pilares que formam o conceito de bem-estar financeiro. / Interest in financial well-being is growing in the world. As a result of deregulation and increased competition in the financial sector, ordinary citizens began to operate in a complex market in order to meet their own needs and those of their families. All of these changes helped increase concern about the extent to which such citizens were prepared to operate in this scenario. From such changes began a discussion about what should be the focus of public policies: focus more on what people know or what they do. In addition to this scenario, we are experiencing a change in the composition of the Brazilian and world population with a historical turn expected in 2050, when older people will be more numerous than the young, thanks to factors such as a higher life expectancy and a decrease in the number of children among families. In this context, this study aims to study the financial well-being of low-income elderly consumers and the use of banking institutions. The research was carried out in two stages, the first one being a review of the literature on the two main themes, financial wellbeing and the elderly, supported by a systematic review. The second part consists of empirical research. On the one hand, the results of the systematic review point to the fact that the published works on the subject of financial well-being need to be conceptualized and among those who conceptualize, there are several approaches. In addition, there are still few papers in major journals, despite the growth in the number of articles in recent years. Regarding empirical research, it can be said that, although low-income elderly people have a knowledge of finance, this knowledge is limited when compared to the ideal indicated by theories. This fact increases the vulnerability of consumers, given that the process of knowledge construction is extremely informal and aspects related to financial well-being such as security and freedom of choice are totally compromised. We present the antecedents of the financial knowledge of the low-income elderly consumers surveyed and a schematization of the observed senses within the four pillars that form the concept of financial well-being.