M.Com. (Business Management) / The Rolling Stock Department (Rohnat) within Spoomet is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all classes of locomotives. One of the biggest problems at maintenance depots of Rolling Stock is to decide which faulty locomotives, withdrawn from service, must get preference for repairs. This problem is compounded at depots where different classes of locomotives are maintained and repaired. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to determine critical factors and to create a decision model that can be used for project management at maintenance depots. This decision model must help maintenance depots of Rohnat to determine in which sequence different types of locomotives must be repaired to the advantage of Rohnat and Spoomet. METHOD OF STUDY The most suitable model that could be used to determine the repair sequence of locomotives was the MADM model. In this study, brain storming sessions and individual discussions were held with different Spoomet entities to determine critical factors that could be used in this model. The principles of the MADM model were explained to all parties concerned, whereby critical ABSTRACT factors affecting this model were discussed. Questionnaires were completed after the iscussions to confmn the critical factors that could be used in the MADMmodel. MADM - DECISION MODEL The MADM model is unique in the sense that financial and non-financial factors can be combined . The non fmancial factors which contribute to corporative success and which are left out in other models are however included in this model. The critical factors are further divided into two groups namely quantitative and qualitative. A conceptual model has been prepared in this study to give a better perspective of the workings and arrangements of weights, values and risks of this model. SUMMARY The most suitable model that could be used to determine the repair sequence of locomotives was the MADM It was possible to determine different critical factors that could be used in this model. Different Rolmat depots could use this model, but with different weights for each critical factor to suit their requirements. Critical factors could be added to or removed from this model to suit changing requirements.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / The aim of a service organisation functioning in the maintenance or repair market is the repair of components and products. Every contract quoted for is unique. Different procedures and processes must be followed before the repair is successfully completed. Due to this fact, the forecasting of costs to be incurred is made most difficult. The proportion of material costs to labour costs is generally low in this industry and if the labour force is permanently employed, the rued costs to variable costs ratio is high. It is thus difficult to obtain accurate costing information before a contract has been completed. Management have to, on a daily basis, make short term operational decisions and the cost information obtained from the company's costing system, is important in the making of these decisions. At present, there is no costing system that takes into account the unique circumstances of an organisation operating within the maintenance environment and at the same time provides enough relevant costing information for the organisation to recover its costs and quote on a competitive basis. Rotek Engineering, a service organisation that undertakes service, repairs and maintenance in the heavy engineering market, is used as a representative model in this research. The literature study undertaken, investigated which costs and costing systems, from an academic point of view, could provide management with the most relevant and accurate costing information in a service organisation. Rotek Engineering was investigated in order to determine to what extent their current costing system meets their costing information needs in terms of short term decision making and quoting. Shortcomings of the current costing system were also investigated. Rotek Engineering's competitors in the maintenance market were also interviewed in order to get some insight into how their costing systems have been adopted in their ongoing struggle to gain market share. As a result of the information obtained from the research and also the literature study, it is recommended that a marginal costing system be implemented in order to provide cost information for short term operational decision making. The recommendation involves a warning that the bookkeeping and productivity problems will not necessarily be solved as a result of the implementation of a marginal costing system. The company must urgently focus attention on solving these problems and also on phasing out the permanent labour force.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Malawi has a narrow export base comprised mainly of tobacco, tea and sugar as the main sources of foreign currency. Cut flowers were identified as one of the export products that could help wean the country's economy off its high dependency on tobacco leaf exports. The decreasing price of tobacco at the auction floors coupled with new anti smoking legislations worldwide has made alternative crops exports critical. The main objective of this research was to ascertain the state of the Malawian cut flower industry by; examining the developmental trajectory followed by the Malawian export cut flower industry over the last ten years; identifying the various factors inhibiting the growth of the Malawian export cut flower industry; recommending appropriate interventions and strategy to support vigorous growth of the sector in future. / South Africa

The South African business environment is challenged by the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst people that constitutes the market place. While all organisations will feel the impact, consumer oriented businesses are directly and more immediately affected. The key driver for growth in the retail-banking sector is the increase in transactional volume underpinned by a growing customer base.The study examined perceptions amongst senior managers in retail-banking business units at the four major banks. A different, but similar, set of questions was posed to professional service providers that had a good knowledge of retail banking. The responses to the questionnaires were analysed to extract the understanding of the extent and nature of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the retail banking market as well as to identify the differences in perceptions with respect to the Home Loans, Credit Card and Asset Finance business units.There was unanimous belief that HIV/AIDS will impact on retail banking. There was a perception that the Home Loan business unit was likely to be most impacted with the Asset Finance business unit being least affected. It was felt that payment defaulting resulting from an increased healthcare cost in households with HIV positive individuals will first affect Credit Cards, then Asset Finance and lastly Home Loans as people are not likely to give up the roof over their heads. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Since the first period of the Kyoto Protocol, there has been a growing concern that the burden of reducing greenhouse gas emissions should not only be borne by developed countries, but developing countries as well. South Africa, as the 18th highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and highest in Africa, has a significant responsibility to reduce its emissions levels. The South African government is currently in the process of implementing a carbon tax for its short term response to climate change and considering the implementation of a carbon market as a medium to long term response to climate change. Both of these market based mechanisms are widely deemed effective in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by economists, however are also known to have negative social and economic implications upon an economy. This study identifies these implications and attempts to provide considerations on how to alleviate the implications through the most appropriate process of revenue recycling. The negative effects of Implementing a carbon tax or carbon market could be severe as and not limited to: a significant decline in GDP, a reduction in the standard of living for certain households, a fall in a country's exports and even an increase in poverty. South Africa's environmental and development policies place a strict precedence on the protection of the poor and the prevention of economic hardship induced by such policies. This places significant importance on the prevention of these externalities from occurring. A primary means of doing so is through the process of revenue recycling, however, certain channels of revenue recycling are by no means helpful, hence the most appropriate channel needs to be identified. The study carried out a multiple case study analysis on Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and Norway, to determine what effects a carbon tax had on their economies and how these effects were mitigated through carbon tax revenue recycling. An additional analysis of the EU ETS was carried out to determine how the EU ETS was implemented and the controversies and concerns that arose during its implementation. The findings of this analysis were then compared to a number of South African economist’s case studies, and the most appropriate method of revenue recycling identified and possible solutions to the EU ETS controversies found. The study concludes that a food subsidy has the potential to provide positive effects on welfare employment and GDP; therefore could be considered to be the most appropriate method of revenue recycling. However, these effects are limited to be experienced only at low levels of a carbon tax, hence, short term in nature. The study therefore provides a further consideration that the use of multiple channels for revenue recycling needs to be explored that could provide stable longer term effects. In addition, in the implementation of a carbon market, the study concludes that government should consider using an auction approach in the initial allocation phase of an ETS and the use of a centralized registry for monitoring and controlling of information and transactions.

From Introduction: Education, in the broadest sense of the term, is as old as man himself, but the attention devoted to it has fluctuated to extremities over time. The "Economics of Education", as a separate study, has suffered the same cyclical life, but has in recent years experienced a prolonged revival of interest, eapecially with regard to the concept of "Human Capital".

From an international perspective the South African flower industry is marginal. When comparing South Africa’s domestic demand to that of 24 countries, South Africa is ranked last with an annual per capita consumption of approximately R3,04 per capita. In contrast Switzerland is ranked number 1 with a per capita consumption of R385,00. In terms of cut flower exports, South Africa is also performing marginally. Out of 20 countries, South Africa performed at number 17. Countries such as Israel – number 1; Chili – number 5; Zimbabwe – number 6; Equador –number 8 and New Zealand – number 9 outperformed South Africa by far. The high demand for South Africa flowers experienced in many international markets provide a sound basis for expanding international trade. Important reasons for this high markets in the Northern Hemisphere and South Africa’s unique floricultural bio-diversity. The competitiveness of Kenya and Zimbabwe in the international arena is also an indication that African countries have the ability and potential to compete in Europe. Compared to it’s infrastructure, the largest and most developed domestic flower industry and a highly developed domestic market with a growth rate of approximately19% per annum over the past 5 years. However, the South African grower face numerous disadvantages such as high import tariffs in to the European Union, less favourable climatic conditions for flower production, higher labour costs, labour unrest, difficulty organizing growers scattered over such a large geographic area, a lack of motivation to export and a good local market, but one with low standards that does not prepare growers to compete overseas. Two major forces will have to be dealt with to fulfill the South African flower industry’s full potential. These are related to the increasing globalization and opening up of markets in the international trade. South African flower producers therefore expect to face increasing competition from producers elsewhere in the world. An example of a force that the South African flower industry have to contend with is the Australian flower industry. The Australian flower industry has made substantial progress in recent years. Competition especially with respect to the marketing of unique indigenous flowers to similar target markets in Europe and Japan are intensifying between those two countries. Australia is also one of South Africa’s fastest growing export markets and South Africa has grown to the second largest importer of flowers to Australia which is a further implication of the significance of the relationship between South Africa and Australia. The competitiveness of the South African flower industry should thus receive attention from policy and industry level to promote the viability in the industry. Policies should focus on leveling playing fields, especially in view of the subsidization and preference trade agreements which often favour competitors, especially countries in Sub-Sahara Africa. Policies should also facilitate the promotion of technology to enable South African producers to compete cost effectively in international markets. At industry level the challenge should focus on the creation of “time, place and form” utility to provide markets with the required product at the required time and place. / Dissertation (MCom (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

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Creativity and innovation are significant for the creation of a knowledge and productive base economy with its associated growth, sustainability and job creation. However it is noticed that students will need to employ the techniques on creativity and innovation in order to prepare themselves sufficiently to become business owners and entrepreneurs in this current global world where government jobs are difficult to come by. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine creative and innovative techniques that will prepare final-year students to become entrepreneurs. A hard copy Word document questionnaire was considered an appropriate measurement method for this study. The targeted population of the study included entrepreneurial experts, business owners, teachers and lecturers of business management/studies in the Sisonke District of Kwazulu Natal Province. Thus, some 100 entrepreneur experts, owners of businesses, teachers and lecturers were identified as part of the sampling frame. A total number of 67 questionnaires were administered out of the 100 targeted– giving a response rate of 67%. The quantitative data were processed using Excel, leading to appropriate descriptive statistical analyses, including frequencies, means, medians and standard deviations. In order to obtain a better understanding of a model that will prepare final year students to become entrepreneurs, problem statements and sub-problems were stated and a t-test was used to establish demographic variables, whilst correlation analysis among skills was conducted regarding the model of creative and innovative techniques. Factor analysis was conducted using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient which confirms that training in the model will prepare students to become entrepreneurs. The results from the empirical study revealed that a model of creative and innovative techniques will prepare students to become entrepreneurs, with a total of 70% of respondents attesting to it. Based on the relevant literature study and the empirical results, recommendations were made in order to support the training needs of students on creativity and innovation techniques. However, the unavailability of an exhaustive entrepreneurial experts database and small number of further education and training colleges in the Sisonke District, did not allow the research to draw on a larger representative sample. Thus, this limitation has impeded in-depth statistical analysis that would have allowed the research to obtain more accurate findings. Further studies could be investigated from lecturers, business owners and experts whether an introduction of a special curriculum on creativity and innovation in further education and training schools may prepare students to become entrepreneurs.