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[pt] Este trabalho investiga a formação de atitudes dos clientes do Instituto Beleza Natural, um salão especializado em cabelos crespos. Estuda, particularmente, o desenvolvimento de atitudes positivas em relação aos serviços oferecidos pelo Instituto de Beleza Natural, procurando explicar o sucesso da empresa. Foram realizadas várias entrevistas com clientes do Instituto para identificar temas associados tanto às restrições como aos estímulos associados à utilização dos serviços oferecidos. Os resultados indicam um conjunto significativo de temas relacionados à atitude como: desejo de modificar o cabelo, cabelo não cresce, preconceito na escola, cabelo arrumado ajuda a conseguir um emprego, melhora a autoestima, atrai o olhar dos rapazes etc. Todas as temáticas foram analisadas e associadas às problemáticas de acordo com método sugerido por Guerra (2006). As principais problemáticas, como por exemplo, os sacrifícios financeiros para fazer o tratamento no Beleza Natural, as excluídas do Beleza, as que desprezam o Beleza Natural, são analisadas na perspectiva das implicações gerenciais. Algumas dessas implicações podem ajudar empresas que focam em problemas semelhantes. Podem ajudar também as que buscam atender necessidades de consumo nas camadas de baixa renda. / [en] This work aims to understand how the attitudes of the clients of Instituto de Beleza Natural (a beauty salon that specializes in afro textured hair) have been fostered. It focuses particularly on the development of positive attitudes regarding the services offered by the Instituto Beleza Natural in order to explain the Instituto’s commercial success. It was decided that the best method to adopt for this research was to undertake several in depth interviews with clients of the Instituto. This approach enabled the researcher to identify themes related not only to the stimuli for using the services offered, but also to pin point the restrictions to them. The results show a significant amount of themes related to attitude, such as the wish for a different sort of hair, hair that won’t grow longer, prejudice at school, neat hair helps to find a job, it helps self-esteem, it attracts the boys’ eyes, and so on. All the themes were analyzed and associated to the problems according to the method suggested by Guerra (2006). The main problems (such as financial difficulties to undergo the treatment at the Beleza Natural, the people who were excluded from it and the ones who scorn it ) are analyzed in the perspective of managerial implications. Some of these implications may be of value for other businesses with similar problems. They may also help those that target catering for the needs of low income clients.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The ANC government came to power in 1994 and has had to come to grips with many economic, social and political challenges it inherited from the apartheid regime. A majority of the people were marginalized and subjected to poor standards of living in areas that were inadequately provided for in terms of basic services. One of the biggest challenges the new government is facing is the delivery of services especially housing. Poor policy implementation continues to complicate the existing problems. The study critically examined the extent to which poor policy implementation has affected the provision of housing in Khayelitsha with focus on the respective stakeholders. / South Africa

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS) / For close to a decade, Zimbabwe has experienced a protracted socio-economic crisis. Although it is affecting both rural and urban areas, major forms of formal safety nets by the Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have been confined to rural areas. On the other hand the virtual collapse of the formal food marketing system in urban areas and the high formal unemployment rates have contributed to increased vulnerability of low income urban households to food insecurity. Using qualitative research methods, the study set out to understand livelihoods of low income urban households in Dzivaresekwa. In particular strategies low income households employ to cope with the negative macro-economic environment prevailing in Zimbabwe. / South Africa

Magister Artium - MA / An extensive literature review on child well-being has signified a dearth in relevant South African research on the current topic. It has been established that the interplay of hope, life satisfaction and income level exerts a great impact on the well-being of children. Hence, this study aims to investigate the relationship between hope and life satisfaction among children in low and middle income communities in Cape Town. More specifically, the study aims to ascertain the moderating effect of income level on the relationship between hope and life satisfaction. The 3P Model of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) was used as a theoretical position conceptualising this study. The model categorizes the components of subjective well-being under temporal states of the Past, the Present and the Prospect (future), and therefore proposes that we evaluate our lives across these temporal states. The study used secondary data from the Children’s Worlds: International Survey on Children’s Well Being (2012). Data was collected across all 12 year old participants, within each participating school, by means of purposive sampling, with a total of 1004 participants. The questionnaire administered, incorporated Huebner’s (1991) Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and Snyder’s et al. (1997) Children’s Hope Scale. Data was analysed by means of correlational analysis and results revealed that there is a significant relationship between hope and life satisfaction for both low and middle income communities. The Process Tool for Moderation Analysis revealed that income level moderates the relationship between hope and life satisfaction. Moreover, this relationship appeared to be stronger for the low income group than for the middle income group. Hence, this finding suggests that hope has a more pronounced impact on life satisfaction for the low income group than for the middle income group.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Many poor households in South Africa find themselves living in informal housing and only become proprietors of formal housing via the government subsidy scheme for core low-cost housing, thereby also realizing their constitutional right to housing. The subsidy is however limited and it largely determines materials, and construction methods used. Obtaining a formal low-cost dwelling means that basic services such as electricity, sanitation, water and waste collection, is available to the home owner. Formal low-cost housing settlements are commonly located in poor areas and recipients of the housing subsidy are commonly unemployed or have low-income jobs, and frequently originate from informal settlements where services, albeit limited and often communal, were provided at no cost. This study sought to assess the combined effect of relocating from an informal dwelling to a formal low-cost dwelling and receiving individual house-based basic services of electricity, water, sanitation and waste collection, on environmental- and household health. An ecological study design was used whereby data was collected at "baseline" while households were living in the informal settlement, and again at "2 years relocated" i.e. 2 years after moving in to the formal low-cost dwelling. The study population included all households residing in the Phumlani- and Pelican Park- Zeekoevlei Informal area in the year 2000, who were on the waiting list to receive low-cost core housing units in Phumlani Village and were due to be relocated there. Due to the rapid pace at which construction of new homes occurred not all households could be captured whilst living in the informal settlement, i.e. at "baseline". The actual sample subsequently consisted of 53 households at "baseline", and all, i.e. 124 households at "2 years relocated". Data was collected via a structured interview, whereby one respondent per household was interviewed by a trained fieldworker. Positive health improvements were reported by households in terms of personal and household health. Significant (p<0.05) positive improvements were found for households in formal lowcost housing at "2 years relocated" for exposures to: overcrowded living conditions (PR=1.159, 95%CI=1.153 – 3.328); indoor air pollution due to cooking and heating (PR=2.185, 95%CI=1.655 – 2.885); improper household waste management (PR=7.381, 95%CI=4.313 – 12.633 and inadequate sanitation (PR=0.365, 95%CI=0.255 – 0.523). The incidence of childhood diarrhoea episodes decreased significantly (PR=5.588, 95%CI=1.284 – 24.315) at "2 years relocated". Water access, availability and use also increased significantly (PR=0.212, 95%CI=0.125 – 0.358) 2 years after relocation. Factors that did not improve include levels of employment for which households were found to be worse off, with 16% of households having no person employed at "2 years relocated" as opposed to only 2% at ‘baseline”. Other factors remaining unchanged included incidences of respiratory, skin and eye infections amongst children ≤ 6 years old. Although exposure levels to indoor air pollution decreased for some households, this remained present for others as electricity in combination with bio-mass fuels are still being used for heating and cooking. Environmental health conditions for a variety of factors remained unchanged and there was a reversion back to living conditions and habits of the informal settlement. Littering, dumping of waste within the neighbourhood and a high pest presence, remained unchanged. Subsidised formal housing and associated basic services does have a positive impact on health. However, the amount of free basic services, specifically electricity, provided, in lieu of household energy requirements, does not satisfactorily cover all household needs. Factors such as unemployment and low-incomes hamper the household’s ability to maintain the electricity supply as is needed and for this reason alternatives to reliance on electricity should be included in the design and construction of the low-cost house. The manifestation of poor environmental health conditions indicates that provision of low-cost housing by itself is not sufficient to ensure good environmental health. Therefore hygiene promotion should be included as part of the total beneficiary package.

This research project investigates the requirements or factors that will influence mcommerce adoption in low-income markets. The framework incorporated awareness, availability, convenience, affordability and acceptability as variables for m-commerce adoption in low-income markets. Mobile commerce is the next step in the evolution of networked computing and is the utilisation of mobile communication for financial gain. In South Africa, the fast rate of mobile technology adoption has created an access footprint for mcommerce across the country. Businesses are adopting m-commerce into their business strategies to tap into these new markets. Recently the potential commercial benefit in low-income markets is being explored by business. In South Africa the low-income market has been characterised by the foundation tier of the economic pyramid. Although this market is seen as extremely price sensitive and has little to no disposable income, the collective potential of it is considerable. The research found that certain aspects of the framework were applicable. Awareness, knowledge and acceptability were seen to have the highest association with m-commerce adoption in the low-income market. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of shopping mall developments on consumer behaviour in township areas. Local and international research indicated that shopping mall developments in low-income communities result in several benefits for consumers, such as convenient location; a larger variety of goods offered, lower prices than small retailers in the area and better quality of goods, amongst others. Studies also indicated that the choice of the preferred supermarket/shopping mall is not a rational decision based only on pricing, but on a compromise of satisfying economic, social and psychological needs. A two part mixed methodology, which employed both qualitative and quantitative methods, was adopted. This included semi-structured interviews with retail experts and interview-administered questionnaires with the primary retail shopper in the household. The sample population was Alexandra Township in Gauteng, South Africa. Findings revealed that low-income consumers prefer to shop from the closest shopping mall instead of small retailers/Spaza Shops because of the lower prices and a larger variety of goods offered. However, evidence suggested that consumers prefer to shop at a shopping mall that represents their desired lifestyle, therefore shopping mall developments in township areas, do not fulfil the social and aspirational needs of low-income consumers. For this reason, low-income consumers continue to purchase from malls in urban areas.</pCopyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / unrestricted

A dearth of information was found to guide food product formulation for low-income consumers. The political change in South Africa and neighbouring countries and the accompanying influx to economic centres, resulted in the unprecedented growth of urbanised informal settlements. These communities, accommodating the poorest of the poor and experiencing a high prevalence of nutritional devastation, indicated a merited project opportunity. The purpose of the study was to develop a food product formulation framework for low-income consumers living in urbanised informal settlements in South Africa. The unique contribution of this approach is based on the depiction of the food product attribute (concept) needs perceived as most important by these respondents during purchasing choice of their staple food, maize meal. The study comprised five sub-objectives, executed in three phases. The concepts required by low-income consumers were identified, selected and organised through a baseline survey in an informal settlement (n = 60). Satiety value, affordability, packaging size, value for money and taste were identified, in sequence, as the most important design parameters for the framework. The food industry (n = 17) indicated affordability, nutrient content, taste and product quality as the food product attributes of most importance during food product development, indicating a discrepancy. Phase 2 of this study consisted of two parallel approaches, comprising an extended survey to validate the suggested design parameters in the target market against an established product maize meal) (quantitative approach) and the description of the identified concepts to reveal embedded elements to clarify terminology use (qualitative approach). Three informal (n = 401) and one formal (n = 101) settlement were involved. All groups agreed regarding the need for satiety value, product acceptability, convenience and the influence of household factors. Consumers from the informal settlements identified satiety value and affordability as of highest importance, followed by taste. Appearance, product quality, texture, product safety/ shelf life, brand loyalty and nutrient content were indicated as less important, prioritising concepts linked to survival during severely constrained economic conditions. Consumers living in the urbanised formal settlement, identified taste as the key concept. Focus group discussions revealed no differences in the meaning ascribed to terminology, although perceptions reflected the variance in income level. The identified concept elements revealed the interlinked nature of satiety value and affordability. Differences in the understanding of concepts between these consumers and literature, were revealed. Concepts to consider when developing food products for low-income consumers were identified as satiety value, affordability, taste, product acceptability, convenience/ ease of preparation, household influence, appearance, value for money, product quality, packaging size, texture, product safety/ shelf life, brand loyalty and nutrient content, in the stated sequence. A framework was proposed. However, from a humanitarian point of view, nutrient content cannot be ignored by the food industry. As the key to market success lies in the potential of a product to find solutions relating to its physical nature, as well as in the use and advantages of the product, the results of this research project have great application value. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

The role of RDP housing cannot be underestimated and it plays a big role in South Africa. It assists those who are less fortunate to afford to buy houses. RDP housing delivery is not only expected to put a roof over people's heads but to change their lives in various ways. RDP housing delivery tackles issues related to social and economic enviroment. In terms of policy documents and surveys, research has shown that it is critical to incorporate RDP housing beneficiaries from planning right up to development stage. Public participation and the involvement of beneficiaries from the planning stage onward assists in determining the basic needs of the community that can be addresed through RDP housing development. This study is about the role of RDP housing in revitalising the socio-economic environment with a specific reference to Second Creek, which is under the jurisdiction of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.