The study examines the issue of living conditions in informal settlements, using the case study of Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Cape Town. Affordability, lack of space, job related issues, a relatively small formal housing stock available in many urban centres, and deregulation, in terms of both access to land and finance, forced lower income groups to seek accommodation in informal settlements. Here people are exposed to unhealthy living conditions. The study reveals that living in informal settlements often poses significant health risks. Sanitation, food storage facilities and drinking water quality are often poor, with the result that inhabitants are exposed to a wide range of pathogens and houses may act as breeding grounds for insect vectors. In informal settlements people often live in temporary homes constructed with impermanent, basic materials. These inhabitants frequently have little option but to live on marginal land (flood plains or steep slopes, for example), with the consequence that they are the first to suffer the effects of cyclones and floods. In addition, a combination of overcrowding, the use of open fires and flammable buildings leads to danger from accidental fires, burns and scalding. The post-apartheid South African government has tried a number of housing initiatives to help alleviate the housing problem since 1994 when it came to power. These have included the Botshabelo Accord (1994), the Housing White Paper in 1995, the National Urban and Reconstruction Housing Agency in 1995, the Housing Subsidy Scheme in 1995, the Housing Act No. 107 of 1997 and the Policy on People’s Housing Process (1998). The government set itself a target of delivering one million houses within five years. By all indications the government did not fully comprehend the gravity of the problem in relation to available resources. In 2004, the Department of Housing declared its intention to eradicate informal settlements in South Africa by 2014. This followed the unprecedented housing backlog, proliferation of informal settlements, social exclusion and the inability of municipalities to provide basic infrastructure to urban poor households. However, despite these bold interventions by government, the study demonstrates that the provision of low-cost housing can be viewed as a wicked problem. Wicked problems are described to be “ill-defined, ambiguous, and associated with strong moral, political and professional issues”. The study, therefore, concludes that given the complexities surrounding the provision of low-cost housing in South Africa, the government’s ambitions to resolve housing backlogs by 2014 appear to be a far-fetched dream.

Introduction: Diarrhea remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age especially in low-income countries. In Peru, epidemiological reports about enteropathogens related to acute diarrhea are scarce in rural areas. The aim of this study was to describe the etiology, epidemiology, and clinical characteristics of the principal causes of acute infectious diarrhea in in a northern rural region of Peru. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted from January 2011 to December 2012 to describe the main pathogens causing acute diarrhea using PCR assay. Results: A total of 117 children diagnosed with acute diarrhea were included in the study. A single etiological agent was identified in 41.03% of samples, being rotavirus followed by norovirus and Shigella. Co-infections containing virus and bacteria were found in 22.22% of samples. Vomiting was most commonly found symptoms in 58.97% cases followed by fever (54.70%). Malnutrition was detected in 14.53% of the children. Conclusions: High prevalence of rotavirus, as well as adenovirus and norovirus, was observed in the present study. Shigella was the most common bacteria found in acute diarrhea in the area. The implementation of a better surveillance system is mandatory in order to identify the principal etiologies of gastroenteritis in the rural areas of Peru and to develop of better prevention strategies and reduce diarrhea-associated mortalities.

Cost-focused innovation is perceived as the primary approach that Western companies should adopt when entering emerging markets, as their standard approaches are usually unsuitable for these environments. Although many of the principles of cost-focused innovation are relevant to these markets, companies should be weary of blindly copying previous entrants with regard to how they develop products for these markets. Each industry and product set will need to deal with a different set of factors, especially in developing environments that are constantly evolving. The aim of this research study is to gage the prevalence of a cost-focused innovation approach in developing products for emerging markets. A quantitative approach was used in order to determine if there is statistical evidence that confirms that a cost-focused innovation methodology is prevalent in designing products for low income markets. The mobile phone industry was selected for investigation as handset manufacturers have successfully created mobile phones for both developed and developing markets. The major findings were that cost-focused innovation is not significantly prevalent in developing mobile phones for low income markets. Furthermore, there is evidence that suggests that a combination of innovation approaches may be used to counter the traditional trade-offs between price and functionality in order to create low cost, high value products for both developing and developed markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The challenges that face MNPCs in making healthcare more affordable is a topic that is being increasingly researched. These companies face challenges such as pressure from governments around the world to lower their prices, stagnant growth in developed markets and the failing blockbuster business model. Turning to new markets, such as emerging markets, for growth will necessitate innovations in their business models. The aim of this research was to understand what business models will work in low-income patient markets, specifically in the South African base of the pyramid context. The investigation of four MNPCs through a case study methodology, allowed the exploration of their current business models and ambidexterity level. Two of the four MNPCs exhibited a purely exploitative business model and as such had very little penetration into the BOP segment. One of the four MNPCs demonstrated a few characteristics of ambidexterity, but applied mainly an exploitative model and had limited access to the BOP segment. One of the four companies implemented all of the characteristics of business models that are successful in entering BOP markets as well as a high level of correlation to the characteristics of ambidexterity. The result of this MNPC described was a successful entrance in the BOP segment. The review of the literature and the findings of this research show that MNPCs can adopt profitable business models to enter low-income markets that not only serve consumers at the base of the pyramid but also provide sustained business benefits to the MNPCs. The research study successfully achieved the research objectives and provides insights to stakeholders as to which strategies are effective when entering a low-income patient market and what are the elements that are missing from business models that are not successful. The research also highlighted institutional voids and barriers that are unique to the South African state health care system. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

This research compares partners required to be competitive in the low income market to the partner network of the more traditional upper income market in South Africa. The research examines the non-traditional partnerships engaged by firms which include local communities, government and NGO’s. It further looks at the broader alliances formed by firms competing in the low income market compared to the traditional market and lastly investigates institutional voids and their effect in the respective markets. The research is exploratory in nature and considers the perceptions of managers in eight companies through the use of semi-structured interviews. 14 managers were interviewed across the 6 industries selected. Insights were gained through the use of a semi structured interview guide. The research indicates that non-traditional partnerships do take place in both the low income and traditional markets but for different reasons, with the low income market focusing on these partnerships to access the consumer. It was further apparent from the interviews that those competing in the low income market tend to partner more with other firms operating in the market but in different industries, whilst the traditional market managers tend to partner more with smaller business set up to fulfil the needs of the larger firm. The research further indicates that institutional voids may present an area to develop first mover advantage by locking down successful partnerships before competitors do. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the various forms of brand loyalty, to understand the drivers of brand loyalty and disloyalty, and to determine within which product categories consumers were brand loyal or disloyal at the base of the pyramid (BoP) in South Africa. The study was exploratory, therefore a qualitative research design was adopted where individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with 18 low income consumers in Living Standard Measure (LSM) 2 to 4, residing in urban Gauteng. The findings show that low income consumers are increasingly brand conscious with proven access to media and therefore marketing messages. Primary brand loyalty drivers at the BoP include perceived quality, durability, brand experience, brand trust and affordability, while in their absence consumers are disloyal. Affordability is important to these consumers, but they also value these other aspects of brands, making them discerning and value driven. Consumers are loyal to those brands that are relevant to them at an acceptable price value proposition. Consumers spend more of their money on consumables than durables and branded services. Brand loyalty is minimal across product categories; consumers seek variety and are prone to sales promotions, making them multiple brand users. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The uptake of micro insurance products by low income consumers has been low, especially in the short term insurance industry. Many studies have identified a number of challenges that insurers are faced with when trying to penetrate this market. This study explores this problem from a different angle, where it investigates whether low income consumers already apply risk mitigating strategies to their circumstances, precluding them from purchasing short term micro insurance products. A qualitative design was followed, specifically to understand what the target population understood of insurance and whether they had their own existing methods of how to respond to risk events regarding their assets. 20 interviews were conducted with 10 from two townships namely Thembisa and Alexandra in the Guateng province of South Africa. The research found that risk mitigating behaviour did indeed exist amongst low income consumers; however this behaviour was driven by a prioritisation process. This process was developed considering low income consumers’ dilemmas of having limited resources but needing to mitigate the effect of what they would term as the most significant risk in their household. These risks would differ per household because of the different criteria that households would use to determine what is important, and this will lead to mitigating solutions that these consumers will engage in, thus resulting risk mitigating behaviour. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Hispanic women in Texas show higher cervical cancer incidence rates as compared to all women in the United States. The rate of cervical cancer in the United States has reduced mostly due to regular cervical cancer screening. However, high cervical cancer among Hispanics in Texas may reflect low cervical cancer screening. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the insurance status (independent variable) and cervical cancer screening (dependent variable) among low-income Hispanic women, living in Texas Health Service Regions (HSRs), after controlling for age, marital status, and personal health care provider. The theoretical framework used in this study was the health belief model. Nine hundred and fifteen Hispanic women living in Texas HSRs, ages 21-65 years and who participated in Texas BRFSS 2015-2017, were the sample for this study. Univariate analysis was performed to obtain frequencies and percentages of all covariates. A Chi-square was conducted to determine if there was an association between any of the independent and the dependent variable and binomial logistic regression was used to answer the hypotheses. The findings from this study revealed no relationship with cervical cancer screening and the level of education. However, insurance status and income were statistically significant on receiving a Pap test among low-income Hispanic women in Texas HSRs (p

This dissertation studies the viability of one alternative building system as an option to conventional low-income housing. The need for research in this regard has been expressed by various government committees and commissions of inquiry, as well as by the private sector, to be of vital importance in facing the future housing challenge in southern Africa. The study is largely confined to black housing. The search for a form of shelter which combines traditional black low-technology and innovative Wes tern high-technology in a successful marriage, brings the geodesic dome to light. The conclusion reached is that in economic, technical and cultural terms, the dome compares favourably with conventional low-income housing. The social acceptance of the structure is a topic of research beyond the scope of this study.

This study investigates the effects of postmodern factors on the relationship between maternal distress and children's delinquency. It seeks to understand the factors associated with distress levels of mothers whose children exhibit delinquency in order to potentially decrease the cost associated with mental health problems especially in mothers. Another goal of this study is to contribute to the sociological analysis of mental health problems which seem to be the reserved domain of the discipline of psychology and related subfields. The data came from the third wave of the 3-city study with N = 1835. The ages of the children range from 5 to 18 years old. The analysis of the data using regression analysis suggests children's delinquency significantly affects maternal distress in mothers. The study also indicates postmodernity factors did not moderate the association between maternal distress and children's delinquency. However, postmodern factors have significant, separate, and direct effects on maternal distress. For example, employment and religion have positive influences on maternal distress. The research points toward weakness in the postmodern perspective. It also underlines the importance of a sociological approach to the assessment and treatment of distress problems among mothers with low-income. Agencies working with low-income families should integrate the sociological approach in their intervention programs. Additionally, the study uncovers possible problems with assessment criteria used by these agencies to determine eligibility for assistance among low-income families such as education levels; and consequently calls for further investigation.