No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2000.

The dissertation examines the coping strategies of women curio sellers of the Durban Beachfront. In order to know the coping strategies employed the study looked at the problems that the curio sellers face. The understanding of the women's coping strategies by the service providers while addressing the needs of the curio sellers was also examined. The Fieldwork was conducted at the Durban Beachfront among a total of 35 women drawn through the accidental and snowball sampling techniques. Findings: Women curio sellers experience problems related to recognition of their work, capitaVcredit, shelter, accommodation, crime and laws that impede their business operations. Though these problems are quite crippling, women are not entirely helpless. They cope. The coping strategies of the curio sellers are both individual and collective. The individual coping strategies are used to deal with immediate problems and the collective strategies are used to tackle problems that women would not resolve as individuals. The collective efforts are transfonnative in that they seek to change women's position. The effectiveness of the coping strategies is demonstrated by the number of women that employ them and the gains made by using the strategies. Through collective coping strategies women have been able to get the authorities to act on the problems they face such as crime, shelter and accommodation. Coping strategies have implications for participation in endeavours to resolve the problems faced by the curio sellers. The service providers are aware of the problems faced by the women and some of the coping strategies that the traders employ. The service providers have made efforts to resolve the problems of the women but these efforts have not been fruitful. Women's coping strategies appear not to have been taken into consideration and their participation has not featured much in the planning and implementation of the programmes aimed at assisting them. For development programmes to be effective and sustainable, women's coping strategies need to be taken into account in the planning and implementation of development programmes. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1997.

In many cases rural crafters have had only limited exposure to the market economy and have little understanding of how it works. If the crafters are unable to market their products, then their efforts in making craft items are being wasted. It was for this reason that this study was undertaken. The study focused on indigenous handcraft (beadwork, basketry and leatherwork) owing to the fact that these kinds of crafts are widely produced in the area of Izinqoleni. The purpose of this study was to investigate the marketing opportunities of indigenous handcrafts, and highlight problems faced by crafters in Izinqoleni. To accomplish this, the study had to describe the productive functioning of individuals and group producers of indigenous handcraft, find out about the kinds of craft items produced, and understand what was required to produce crafts in sufficient quantities and appropriate quality for markets. It also had to identify such suitable markets and describe the market places in relation to access, requirements, and potential for economic returns of crafters, to identify the gaps in the relationships between present production by crafters and marketing requirements, identify the constraints on crafters and markets, and recommend remedial actions that need to be taken. For this study, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and personal observations were employed to obtain information. The target population of this study comprised of the individuals and group crafters, craft traders (formal and informal traders such as art and craft galleries, craft shops, farm stalls, Tourism Information Centre, beach/road side craft sellers) as well as the buyers of indigenous handcrafts (schools and Shembe religious groups). Ten individual crafters, two craft groups, seven informal craft traders, four formal craft traders, two schools and two Shembe groups participated in this study. The findings of this study indicated that, despite the constraints facing the crafters in Izinqoleni; both the individual and group crafters had great potential for producing marketable products, although groups had better opportunities in term of exposure to markets and other requirements than individuals. There was not a big difference between the craft items that were produced by the crafters of Izinqoleni and those that were available at the local craft outlets. The traders, however, did not obtain their goods from local crafters; they depended on the distant crafters for supply of indigenous handcrafts. Therefore, they were very positive in creating strong relationships with the local crafters, provided they conformed to the requirements of these markets. It was therefore recommended that the crafters form cooperatives so that they could become recognized and then be supported in every possible way. The Government policies should consider indigenous handcraft as a major contributor to the economy, and promote indigenous handcraft production and marketing by providing sufficient support and services. / Thesis (M.Sc)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This study explored processes, marketing and management styles employed by stall holders at the roadside markets of Umkhanyakude municipal area. The first aim of the study was to find types of traditional artifacts that are commonly sold at the roadside markets. The second aim was to find out if the members of roadside markets were aware of their target market. The third aim was to uncover the marketing strategies employed and the understanding of their principles by the respondents in relation to the success with their sales. Nine roadside markets were visited out of which only seven were willing to be investigated. From each roadside market 50% of the members present at the time of research formed the sample for this study. Focus group discussions were held with the management committees. These discussions were looking at the management and policy issues followed by roadside markets when employing the marketing principles in their daily operations. The research was conducted by using personal observations of the roadside markets by the researcher, focus group discussions which involved discussions between the researcher and the management structures of the various roadside markets, attending meetings to enable a critical understanding of the level at which the markets operate, and a questionnaire that was administered to the stallholders of the seven markets. The combination of qualitative and quantitative research provided a framework of how the roadside markets operate in promoting and selling their products to customers. A questionnaire translated into Isizulu was used and the results were analyzed using the SSPS model. Findings suggested that the roadside markets have their marketing strategies of which some are basically the marketing mix and some originate from their way of life. The members of the roadside markets have a lesser understanding of the marketing strategy in relation to product development and packaging, costing and pricing, promotion and target market awareness. The management teams of the markets with an understanding of business management knowledge were instrumental in contributing to better performance of the markets. Management committees that had been exposed to capacity building and training showed better skill levels compared to those that had not had the exposure. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.