Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The prevalence of overweight and obesity escalated over the past 30 years worldwide in adults, children, and adolescents. Estimates are that 26% of the global adult population is either overweight or obese. However, the most alarming fact is the increase in obesity in children and adolescents. In South Africa, the estimated overweight and obesity prevalence in adults is 45% and 20% in children below 6 years of age. The World Heath Organisation acknowledges obesity as an unforgiving, formidable chronic disease, an eminent global epidemic, and the most significant independent risk factor to chronic disease. There are about 30 different diseases associated with obesity of which cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, lifestyle cancers, depression, and diabetes are the most prominent. The current rising obesity trends increase the prevalence of these obesity-associated diseases, as well as a wide range of psychosocial problems. Global expectations are that weight-related chronic disease will develop into the most significant healthcare problem in the 21st century. The overarching trend of globalisation has transformed the global landscape into a more obesogenic environment with resultant changes in behavioural lifestyles of increased caloric consumption and less physical activity at home and at work. However, genetic, social, and cultural determinants enhance weight gain, which contributes largely to current obesity trends. Obesity is a major public healthcare problem in South Africa, with African women and Caucasian men most at risk. However, the competing priorities of unemployment, poverty, and HIV/AIDS place high demands on the South African economy, with resultant neglect of obesity. Obesity has the potential to incur a large impact on the South African economy through the reduction in labour productivity, corporate profitability, and national output, especially in combination with HIV/AIDS. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die insidensie van oorgewig en obesiteit het toegeneem oor die afgelope 30 jaar wereldwyd in volwassenes, tieners, en kinders. Omtrent 26% van die globale populasie is of oorgewig of vetsugtig. Die erns van die huidige situasie is egter die toenemende voorkoms van obesiteit in kinders en tieners. Die voorkoms van oorgewig en obesiteit in Suid-Afrika word geskat op 45% in volwassenes en 20% in kinders jonger as 6 jaar. Die Wereld Gesondheid Organisasie het in 1997 obesiteit geklassifiseer as 'n chroniese siekte en hul kommer uitgespreek oor die feit dat obesiteit epidemiese proporsies bereik het. Obesiteit word ook nou erken as die belangrikste, onafhanklike risiko faktor vir chroniese siekte. Obesiteit word geassosieer met omtrent 30 verskillende siektetoestande waarvan kardiovaskulere siekte, metaboliese sindroom, lewensstyl kankers, depressie, en diabetes die belangrikste is. Stygende obesiteit syfers verhoog ook die voorkoms van hierdie siektes asook verskeie psigososiale probleme. Verwagtings is dat gewig verwante siektes die belangrikste gesondheid probleme sal wees gedurende die 21 ste eeu. Die proses van globalisasie het die wereld landskap verander in 'n omgewing wat meer obesogenies is, wat gelei het tot veranderings in leefstyle in die rigting van 'n hoër inname van kaloriee en minder aktiewe leefstyle. Genetiese, sosiale, en kulturele faktore verhoog ook die vatbaarheid van die individu tot gewig toename en speel 'n groot rol in die huidige obesiteit status. Obesiteit is tans 'n geweldige gesondheidprobleem in Suid-Afrika met Swart vrouens en Blanke mans die populasiegroepe wat die hoogste risiko dra. Die probleem is egter dat die kompeterende prioriteite van werkloosheid, armoede, en MIV/VIGS alreeds hoe eise stel aan die Suid-Afrikaans ekonomie met gevolglike verwaarlosing van obesiteit. Obesiteit het die potensiaal om 'n groot effek uit te oefen op die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie deur middel van 'n verlies in produktiwiteit, verminderde korporatiewe wins, en ekonomiese groei, veral in kombinasie met MIV/VIGS.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The fact that parks and urban green spaces have value is no longer disputed. The literature is awash with evidence attesting to this fact. The City Parks Department of the City of Cape Town is responsible for the provision and maintenance of in excess of six thousand green public open spaces across the Metropolitan area but is currently challenged in terms of ensuring that the service it provides is recognized and that it is adequately resourced from City coffers. This research was undertaken to find a mechanism that the Department can utilize to establish the value of the service it provides within a language that people generally understand and appreciate, the language of money and economics. Using the economic theoretical frameworks and paradigms as context, the key considerations and challenges facing the City Parks Department was considered in terms of competition for adequate land, definitions and the various values which can be attached to public open spaces. Considering the data and information contained in the literature, case studies and established economic valuation approaches and methods, a Valuation Framework was devised for the City Parks Department. The Valuation Framework is meant to be used as a mechanism for establishing the economic value of the public open spaces for which the Department is responsible. It consists of four sections namely a Site Selection Matrix, Site Valuation Components, Valuation Approaches and Methods and a Seven-Step Methodology. The Framework is devised for application at site level but with the understanding that the accumulation of outcomes can be integrated to draw conclusions and inferences about the total economic value which is created directly or indirectly by the Parks Department through its service offering.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies, Johannesburg, July 2017 / This thesis analyses the representation of the nationalisation of mines debate, as a developmental policy discourse, by the South African corporate media. Essentially, the objective is to ascertain the corporate media’s role and influence on ideology-laden developmental policy discourses. Post-apartheid, the South African corporate media has often been accused of bias by various social actors, including South Africa’s governing party – the African National Congress. These accusations have been accompanied by perceptions of the media’s inability and unwillingness to partner with government in its endeavour to implement its developmental agenda. This perceived bias is accentuated when it comes to ideologically laden issues such as nationalisation. Therefore, this research study grapples, inter alia, with questions behind the drivers of these perceptions, the manner in which the media portrays the developmental policy discourse, and the role the media should be playing in the country’s developmental agenda. In its endeavour to respond to some of these questions, the research study thus focuses on the representation of the nationalisation of mines debate by the South African English corporate press in 2011. Given the complex nature of the discourse, the research study utilises both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; triangulation in particular presents this thesis with numerous advantages towards attaining deeper understanding of the representation of the nationalisation discourse. Whereas quantitative content analysis helps identify and count the number of articles and related elements in the articles, qualitative content analysis offers a chance to probe further various elements in the discourse. In-depth semi-structured interviews are also used as a secondary research technique to discover new clues on the discourse. The research study is based on one major assumption – that structural factors such as ownership and control influence the representation of ideological policy discourses such as nationalisation – and is underpinned by four major theoretical frameworks – the critical political economy of communication; Marxist media analysis; social production of news; and decolonial theories. To comprehensively analyse the representation of nationalisation, the research study focuses on content analysis of news articles, looking at various aspects such as the structure of news as well as its headlines, sources and the general representation of the discourse; utilises theories of the critical political economy of the media and other related theories such as the social production of news and Marxist media analysis to perform qualitative content analysis; scrutinises economic factors in line with the assumption of the study that structural factors influence the representation of the discourse by using the Marxist theories to unpack the representation of nationalisation; and utilises Marxist theories in conjunction with decolonial theories. Among the findings of the research study presented in this thesis is that global capitalism, accompanied by factors such as commercialisation and advertising, influences the representation of ideologically laden policymaking discourses. Ownership and transformation of the corporate media also shape the representation. In this discourse there is convergence, and thus it is apparent that the media plays a pivotal role in reproducing dominant ideology which fundamentally maintains capitalism as “an inevitable and immutable” system. Also, the relationship between the state and media relations is a factor in ideological developmental discourses. Indeed, the representation of the nationalisation discourse is essentially a reflection of the corporate media’s posture towards the broader developmental state and its portrayal of ideologically laden policy discourses. / XL2018

Over the past decade, chronic illnesses have increased significantly in developing regions around the world, with implications for health service provision. Research shows that morbidity follows a social gradient in many countries around the world. Though various studies highlight the importance of socioeconomic status as a predictor of a person’s morbidity and mortality experience, there is a dearth of data and literature in the South African context. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the association between socioeconomic status and diabetes and hypertension among participants aged 35 years and older. This was achieved by undertaking the analysis of secondary data from the National Income Dynamic Study. The findings of the study reveal that there is a significant relationship between socioeconomic factors and chronic health outcomes of individuals. People with lower levels of education were more likely to have a chronic illness than those with higher levels of education. However, interestingly the lowest rates of prevalence were found in the unemployed category in South Africa. This draws attention to the need for further research on employment and chronic disease prevalence. An important finding of the study was the relatively higher prevalence of chronic conditions in rural areas and among the Black/African population. This data suggests that changes in lifestyle and behavior in the context of globalization and urbanization may be contributing to changes in the health profile of these communities. Policy makers need to acknowledge that chronic diseases are no longer the preserve of the wealthy with diseases such as diabetes and hypertension evident across all sectors of South African society. By addressing the causes of chronic conditions policies and programs can aim to prevent the emergence of future epidemics. In the long-term, sustainable progress will only be achieved with greater attention directed towards the socioeconomic factors underlying the health profile of the country. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Harvesting and transport accounts for up to 70% of the total production cost of roundwood in South Africa. This invokes an interest to improve harvesting systems through the introduction of improved equipment, road networks and more refined operating techniques. A literature review was conducted which investigated the various harvesting systems and equipment with a focus on ground based extraction, as it accounts for 96% of the timber being extracted annually in South Africa. A review of forest roads in South Africa was also conducted and it was concluded that at present there has been little focus on the upgrading and maintenance of forest road networks. It was concluded that the most significant reduction in transport costs would be achieved by reducing the distances travelled by expensive extended pnmary transport (R5.83 t-1.km-1) and by allowing less expensive secondary terminal transport (R0.4 t-1.km-1) to move further into the plantations. This could only be achieved by investing large amounts of capital into the upgrading of forest roads to a standard suitable to service secondary transport vehicles. A model was developed which was able to determine the tonnage of timber needed to flow over a particular road that will warrant the upgrading cost. The model was applied to two study areas, the first study yielded no results due to the already dense network of B- class roads, possibly excessive. The second study area identified three possible road upgrades to improve the existing transport system. A full costing of the existing and modified transport system was completed and a significant cost saving was shown, not accounting for the road upgrading cost. Capital budgets were used to account for more complex parameters, such as tax and discount rates, previously excluded from the simple model. These were used to determine the economic viability of the upgrades and to evaluate the suitability of the model. The model proved to be successful and confirmed that forest roads can be optimised accompanied by significant cost savings. The model is generic and simple allowing for easy application to a variety of situations and is also flexible to modifications. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite the seriousness of HIV and AIDS affecting productivity at workplaces, little attention is being paid to the special needs of the infected people in the world of work and the ultimate reality this will have on the companies’ financial health. HIV/AIDS retards economic development and business growth. The epidemic influences the workforce and markets in which business operates. Business must play a leading part in the internal response to HIV/AIDS pandemic. This is both an ethical imperative and the key to business success. Most research conducted on the subject mainly concentrated on the effects of HIV and AIDS on productivity, emphasizing absenteeism as the direct cause of low productivity. The costs of HIV and AIDS will be felt beyond the direct effect of the disease. The indirect costs include the following: The increased costs of recruiting and training, given the extra deaths and disabilities expected. The negative effect on staff morale Loss of time as a result of management and labor meetings to discuss the AIDS crisis as it develops, this resulting in loss of turnover and profits. With the rising prevalence of HIV/AIDS, businesses should be increasingly concerned about the impact of the disease on their organizations-concerns that should be well founded. At the broadest level, businesses are dependent on the strength and vitality of the economies in which they operate. HIV/AIDS raises the costs of doing business, reduces productivity and lowers overall demand for goods and services. The research process in this article focused particularly on workplace issues, which are a key dimension of the relationship between corporations and HIV/AIDS. Data collection was by both structured questionnaires and unstructured interviews, interviews with both management and workers’ representatives and structured questionnaires with the general workforce. The questions asked were open-ended: “Is HIV/AIDS a problem for your company now or in the future?” and “If HIV/AIDS impacted on your company’ financial performance would you act and why?” The research group consisted of four companies in different areas of operations: retail, service and manufacturing and the participants were chosen on the basis of certain inclusive criteria: The number of employees employed. Length of service operation. Willingness to share certain financial information. A qualitative method of data analysis was used in the study and is described in detail. The qualitative research method looks at the subjective meanings attached, descriptions, metaphors, symbols and descriptions of specific cases. It was found that despite the differences from one company to the other, the potential impact of HIV/AIDS on companies’ financials went beyond the direct costs of productivity. As the debate over the availability of cheaper generic anti-retroviral drugs rages in the background, business is faced with the dilemma of significant investment to keep their labour force healthy and alive. This has to be weighed up against the high costs involved in rehiring, retraining and re-incentivising their replacements. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ten spyte van tekens dat MIV en VIGS produktiwiteit in die werkplek affekteer, word daar nog baie min te doen aan die behoeftes van die werkers wat deur die epidemie getref word. Verder, word min aandag geskenk aan die potensiële uitwerking van die epidemie op die finansiële gesondheid van maatskappye. MIV/VIGS vertraag ekonomiese ontwikkeling en besigheidsgroei. Die epidemie het ‘n negatiewe impak op die arbeidsmag en die market waarin besigheid plaasvind. Besigheid moet dus die leiding neem in die interne respons op die MIV/VIGS pandemie. Dit is eties belangrik en die sleutel tot die sukses van besigheid. Die meeste navorsing oor die onderwerp het tot dusver gekonsentreer op die effek van MIV en VIGS op produktiwiteit met die klem op afwesigheid as ‘n direkte oorsaak van lae produktiwiteit. Die koste van MIV en VIGS behels egter veel meer as net die direkte gevolge van die siekte. Die indirekte koste sluit die volgende in: Die koste verbonde aan opleiding en die soeke na nuwe personeel weens sterftes en siekte van personeel. Die negatiewe effek op die moraal van personeel. Verlore tyd as gevolg van bestuurs- en arbeidsvergaderings om die VIGS-krisis te bespreek namate dit ontwikkel en winste negatief beïnvloed. Besigheid behoort meer bekommerd te wees oor die toename in MIV/VIGS gevalle en die impak wat dit op organisasies sal hê. MIV/VIGS verhoog die kostes van besigheid doen, verminder produktiwiteit en verlaag die algemene vraag na goedere en dienste. Die navorsingsbenadering in die artikel fokus op daardie werkplek-aangeleenthede wat ‘n sleuteldimensie is van die verhouding tussen organisasies en MIV/VIGS. Data is ingewin deur middel van gestruktureerde vraelyste en ongestruktureerde onderhoude. Onderhoude is met beide bestuurslui en verteenwoordigers van werkers gevoer, en gestruktureerde vrae met die werkers. Die vrae gestel was oop vrae soos “Is MIV/VIGS `n problem vir u onderneming huidiglik of in die toekoms? En “Indien MIV/VIGS ‘n negatiewe impak het op die onderming se prestasie sal jy optree en waarom?” Die navorsingsgroep het bestaan uit vier ondernemings in die kleinhandels-, dienslewerings-, en vervaardigingssektor. Die deelnemers is gekies op die basis van inklusiwiteit met die volgende criteria: Die getal werkers in diens. Hoe lank is onderneming in besigheid? Die bereidwilligheid om inligting te deel. `n Kwalitatiewe metode van data analise is gebruik wat breedvoerig verduidelik en beskryf word. Die navorsingsmetode kyk veral na subjektiewe betekenisse, omskrywings, metafore, simbole en omskrywings van spesifieke gevalle. Navorsing het getoon dat MIV/VIGS ‘n impak het op ondernemings se finansiële omstandighede en produktiwiteit. Terwyl die debat oor goedkoper generiese anti-retrovirale middele aan die gang is, word ondernemings of besighede konfronteer met die keuse tussen beduidende investering om die arbeidsmag gesond en lewendig te hou of die hoë koste van herindiensneming, heropleiding en insentiewe.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Events Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / In recent years, events have shown rapid growth as types of attraction within destinations, with such events creating a favourable image of a host destination, expanding the traditional tourist season, spreading tourist demand more evenly through an area and attracting foreign and domestic visitors (Keyser, 2002:18). As such, events are starting to become an established element and major part of tourism growth and marketing strategies. East London (in the Eastern Cape, South Africa) has hosted a number of successful events (Buffalo City Tourism, 2010) however no known social impact studies related to the community of East London are known to have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to address this gap and to evaluate the social impacts of events tourism on the East London community. The overall research question in this study was, What are the socio-cultural impacts of events tourism on East London? This was a quantitative study that utilised a survey to collect the data. The sampling frame was the community at the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa Triathlon 2010 held in East London. Potential participants were included in the sample through utilising a random sampling method. The research instrument consisted of four sections, namely demographic profiling (age, gender, race, marital status, education and income), overall event impact perceptions, reasons for spectator participation, and the social impact perceptions of the respondents. The event attendees were interviewed. No incentive was offered for participation, and participants were assured of the confidentiality of their responses.

M.A. (Social Work) / Poverty is perceived by various authors to bea challenge in African countries, including South Africa. O’Brien and Mazibuko (1998, p. 140) state that poverty “is characterised by a host of factors, including under-nutrition, unemployment, illiteracy, and unequal and poor access to health, housing, education and decision-making resources”. The above-mentioned authors state that these factors both result from and perpetuate poverty. According to Rogerson (1996), the effects of poverty are seen more among the black communities, and there is more poverty in the informal settlements compared to other residential areas. After 1994, one of the South African government’s key priorities was to eradicate poverty and the focus was on the improvement of the standard of living and quality of life for all South Africans. Various strategies and policies were then introduced in order to alleviate poverty, one of them beingthe introduction of social assistance (Ellis, 2011, pp. 63-72). According to Triegaardt and Patel (2005), social security in the developing countries, including South Africa, is very important for poverty reduction and ensuring a basic minimum standard of living for the people. The above-mentioned authors also emphasise that there is a need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of social assistance as this will help to ascertainif the programme is making any contribution to the lives of the people and to help keep up with the changing environment. This study focused on the contribution of social grants to alleviating poverty in an informal settlement. The research study aimed to assess the beneficiaries’ perspectives on the contribution of social grants to alleviating poverty in an informal settlement. Some of the objectives of the study were to explore the perspectives of social grant beneficiaries in Angelo informal settlement on the role of social grants in their lives and to describe how social grant beneficiaries in Angelo informal settlement understand the impact of social grants on their poverty-stricken conditions. This qualitative study was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Ten individual semistructured interviews were conducted in the Angelo informal settlement using an interview schedule. Themes were used to categorise and analyse data. The findings indicated that social grants play a great role in alleviating poverty in an informal...

D.Litt. et Phil. / If the hypothesis is correct, there will be a reciprocal effect between the military budget and the Gross Domestic Product. The higher the technological level of arms and arms production, the more this reciprocal effect will be interwoven with the process of economic growth. It is measured by input-output figures and the applicable industrial multiplier, calculated from them. Production of high technology arms stimulates growth, the higher the technology, the larger the miltary contribution to the GDP and to economic growth. From the resultant increase in in the GDP, the income of the State by way of taxes will also grow, subject tro a time lag. The increase in State revenue will return to the Treasury part of the State's original expenditure on defence. My study indicates that the applicable multiplier for defence spending is 3.70 and that the multiplier for arms production is above 4. The part of military expenditure returned to the State will therefore be sizable. Military expenditure is often viewed as competing with socially desirable civil expenditure, as a case of opportunity cost. I argue that oppotunity costs do not apply and that the stimulus economy derived from military expenditure via the multiplier, helps funding social projects along with other civil expenditure. The reasoning in this study can be extended to the funds invested in increasing the capital and technology intensity of the defence force, a modern trend which can be economically justified by the part of the investment that will be returned via the GDP. The way to escape the limitations imposed on defence strength by the availabiluity of manpower is exactly this modernisation of its technology. In this way a medium power can increase its relative strength to the leyel of the "strength threshold" at which an independent deterrent can be credibly presented. In these terms a critical value can be defined, expressed as a pecentage of GDP budgeted for defence, above which a country could be considered militarily safe.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of Master of Management Sciences: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The costs of bidding to host mega sporting events such as the Olympics and FIFA World cups are huge. The demand for massive infrastructure to deliver such games is high irrespective of slow economic growth and constrained fiscal budgets. Very few governments are able to properly assess the actual economic value of the investments in infrastructure. The existing infrastructure appraisal and prioritisation methodologies usually take a very narrow view of value. There is scholarly evidence that there is little effort directed towards studies that investigate intangible benefits associated with infrastructural investment in stadia. Much research effort has been invested in the development of methods and models to measure the economic impacts of mega events. While the focus has been, on balance, on financial benefits of hosting mega events, the independent empirical research has found no evidence of economic benefits associated with mega sport events. This study then determined, first the conceptual definition, and the nature of novelty value derived from infrastructural investment. Secondly, an index was constructed to assess the novelty value of infrastructural investment on stadia. The index creation process commenced with the identification of items that define the concept from literature. This was followed by interviews of key informants who are experts and insightful on world cup stadia infrastructural investment. The themes from literature as well as insights from key informants shaped the survey instrument for the second phase of the study. A sample (n =399) was drawn from the study population which is made up of patrons of Moses Mabhida stadium. Factor analysis, a multivariate analytical tool was used to develop a reliable novelty value index (V-ndex). The constructed index has three valid and reliable constructs; spectator experience, novelty continuance and modernity. These three construct define the nonfinancial value, which this study describes as novelty value derived from infrastructural investment. It is therefore recommended that when policy makers seek to assess the value of infrastructural investment on sporting facilities, they incorporate non financial value to the financial value added by investment. / M