Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study report concerns service delivery issues at municipal level which have emerged as areas of critical concern as far as they affect consumers of municipal services, interest groups and government as a whole. Background to investigation. The need to investigate the service delivery challenges at municipal level arose out of multiple newspaper reports reflecting on lack of satisfaction from end-users and authorities regarding quality of delivery. Organizations such as South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and South African National Civic Organization have both commissioned assessment of municipal service delivery performances, and the reports drafted thereof were both critical and unimpressive. Based on these reports, the author recognized the need to investigate the reasons for poor service delivery and to test the idea of adopting outsourcing as a complementary mechanism to the delivery of services that are currently being employed. Procedure used. The information gathering for this investigation was done by means of structured interviews with municipal managers and senior officials in the administration. Provinces which were covered in the study include Limpopo, Gauteng, and North West. Although it was desirable to include more provinces in the study, it was however not feasible owing to limited resources available. Related literature was examined to further enhance insight in the subject and also to search for added potential solutions to the service delivery problem. Results of investigation. The findings reveal that primary barriers to quality service delivery are lack of sufficient municipal capacity; shortage of skilled workers; budgetary constraints; lack of effective management systems to ensure that, when a service is sourced from outside, competent service providers are appointed and their performance satisfy and exceed expectation and requirements. The root causes to these service delivery challenges are, among other things, a consequence of economic development which stimulates demand for skilled workers in the private sectors, and limited resources in the coffers of government. To compound the challenges, municipalities are unable to attract, develop and retain the quantities and qualities of skilled workers they need, owing to the uncompetitive pay packages they offer. Literature has revealed that legislature, in the form of Municipal Systems Act, make provision for municipalities to explore service delivery mechanisms in order to supplement internal means (Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000). Conclusion. From the results and findings the following conclusions can be drawn: Owing to the present demand for service delivery and the inability of municipalities to build sufficient internal capacity, alternative mechanisms such as outsourcing, must be explored and employed. In addition, there is, however, a great need for management systems and structures to be established or upgraded to ensure that mileage from external service providers is maximized. Recommendation. Following the results of the investigation and the conclusion made, the following actions can be recommended: • Assess service delivery capabilities and identify gaps. • Establish service needs and requirements that can be sourced externally. • Set up robust management systems and support structures to ensure that outsourcing initiatives are guaranteed to be successful. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studieverslag het betrekking op munisipale diensleweringskwessies - 'n gebied wat sorgwekkende afmetings aanneem in die opsig dat verbruikers van munisipale dienste, belangegroepe en die regering as 'n geheel daardeur geraak word. Agtergrond van die ondersoek. Die behoefte aan 'n ondersoek na die uitdagings ten opsigte van dienslewering op munisipale vlak spruit uit verskeie koerantberigte wat die gebrek aan tevredenheid van eindgebruikers en owerhede aangaande die gehalte van dienslewering reflekteer. Organisasies soos die Suid-Afrikaanse Vereniging vir Plaaslike Regerings (SALGA) en die South African National Civic Organisation het beide die assessering van munisipale diensleweringsprestasies gelas. Die verslae wat hierna opgestel is, was krities en onindrukwekkend. Die outeur het, gebaseer op hierdie verslae, twee behoeftes geeien: die behoefte aan 'n ondersoek na die redes vir die swak diensverskaffing geeien, en die behoefte aan die uitkontraktering, soos wat tans aangewend word, as 'n aanvullende meganisme tot dienslewering. Die prosedure wat gevolg is. Die insameling van inligting vir hierdie ondersoek is gedoen deur gestruktureerde onderhoude met munisipale bestuurders en senior amptenare in die administrasie. Provinsies wat by die ondersoek betrek is, is Limpopo, Gauteng en Noordwes. Alhoewel dit wenslik is om meer provinsies in te sluit, was dit weens beperkte beskikbaarheid van hulpbronne nie uitvoerbaar nie. Verwante literatuur is geraadpleeg om verdere insig in die onderwerp te verkry en ook om bykomende moontlike oplossings te vind vir die probleem van dienslewering. Resultaat van die ondersoek. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat die primere struikelblokke in die pad van gehalte dienslewering die volgende is: gebrek aan munisipale bekwaamheid, tekort aan geskoolde werkers, beperkte begrotings, en 'n gebrek aan effektiewe bestuursisteme wat kan verseker dat, indien 'n diens uitgekontrakteer word, bekwame diensverskaffers aangestel word en dat hulle werksverrigting bevredigend is en verwagtinge en vereistes oortref. Die grondoorsaak vir hierdie uitdagings in dienslewering is o.a. die gevolg van ekonomiese ontwikkeling wat die aanvraag na geskoolde werkers in die privaatsektor stimuleer en hulpbronne in die staatskas beperk. Wat die uitdaging verder vergroot, is dat munisipaliteite, as gevolg van die onkompelerende besoldigingspakkette wal hulle aanbied, nie in staat is om die kwantiteit of kwaliteit geskoolde werkers wat hulle benodig te trek, ontwikkel of te behou nie. Literatuur het aan die lig gebring dat wetgewing, in die vorm van die Wet op Munisipale Rade, voorsiening daarvoor maak dat munisipaliteite diensverskaffingsmeganismes ondersoek ten einde interne vermoens aan te vul. Gevolgtrekking. Die volgende gevolgtrekkings kan afgelei word uit die resultate en bevindinge van die ondersoek: Te wyte aan die huidige aanvraag vir dienslewering en die onvermoe van munisipaliteite om voldoende interne bekwaamheid op te bou moet alternatiewe meganismes soos uitkontraktering ondersoek en aangewend word. Daar is egter ook 'n dringende behoefte dat bestuursisteme gevestig of opgegradeer word ten einde te verseker dat maksimale insette verkry word van eksterne diensverskaffers. Aanbevelings. Die volgende optrede word aanbeveel na aanleiding van die uitkoms van die ondersoek en die gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is: • Assesseer die geskiktheid van dienslewering en identifiseer die leemtes. • Stel vas watter diensbehoeftes en -vereistes suksesvol uitgekontrakteer kan word . • Vestig kragtige bestuur- en ondersteuningsisteme om te verseker dat uitkontrakteringsinisiatiewe gewaarborg is om suksesvol te wees.

<p>This study focused on municipal service delivery campaigns before the advent of the integrated development planning framework. In particular, the focus was on the role played by the Masakhane campaign in improving service delivery and contributing to a better life for the community of the greater Middelburg in Mpumalanga Province. The municipality of the greater Middelburg won several awards in recognition of its achievements in the Masakhane campaign and serves as a model example for other municipalities.</p>

This study investigated the perceptions of administrators of the YMCA and municipal recreation departments in the state of Texas concerning their cooperative relationship in the use of areas and facilities, personnel management, and program planning. A questionnaire was used to obtain their perceptions. Of the 140 questionnaires mailed, ninety-two were returned that were able to be utilized in the study. Their responses were analyzed using the Chi-Square test. The findings revealed a general agreement concerning the lack of cooperation between them. This wat evidenced in that they "never" or "seldom" communicated, consulted with the other, initiated joint sponsorship of programs, or cooperated in the three specified areas of recreational programming.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The focus of the study is on the implementation of public policies through provision of basic services such as water and sanitation in the City of Cape Town. The case study of the research is the informal settlements of Khayelitsha area which falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town. The study identified and analysed the socioeconomic conditions of the people living in the informal settlements of Khayelitsha and the impact of such conditions to their lives. The study emphasizes the role of all spheres of government in the implementation of public policies.The study identified various challenges faced by government in the implementation of public policies, particularly at local government level. Among the challenges is the lack of communication, lack of public participation and lack of capacity. The study emphasizes the importance of intergovernmental relations and cooperate governance in order to achieve the objectives of good governance and effective and efficient service delivery. The study reveals that civil society plays an important role in the implementation of public policies and also holds the government accountable to the people. It is important to indicate that government cannot achieve the goals and objectives of providing clean water and adequate sanitation facilities if communities do not form part of the structures that implement projects and programmes of development in their respective areas.Hence, the study emphasizes the importance of communication and consultation of communities on issues that directly affect them. The study emphasizes the fact that communities need to take control of the resources and infrastructure provided to them in order to avoid unnecessary expenditure of replacing and repairing resources damaged and destroyed by the very same community.

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / Municipal Planning in South Africa has evolved since the dawn of democracy. Before 1994, planning in the local sphere of government was characterised by segregation and disintegration of settlements and plans, respectively. After being welcomed back to the international community, particularly the United Nations, South Africa engaged in a process of reforming local government specifically - planning. As part of local government reforms, Integrated Development Plans (IDP)s were introduced in 2002 as the main tools for integrated planning in local, district and metropolitan municipalities. Integration requires that economic, social and environmental development initiatives are integrated in order to achieve “sustainable development”. During 1992, the United Nations Environmental Programme hosted a Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference developed and agreed upon specific principles of sustainable development which member states were to institutionalise as part of their development agenda and this culminated in the so-called “Agenda 21 Report”. The programme for further implementation of Agenda 21 and the commitments to the principles of sustainable development were re-affirmed at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002. This study assesses the alignment of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality IDP with the principles of sustainable development as outlined in Annex 1 of Agenda 21. A questionnaire was designed and used to conduct semi-structured interviews with ten Planners from the District and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government. The findings indicate that the IDP of the EDM is not aligned with most of the principles of sustainable development that the assessment was based on. / MT2017

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Property Development and Management) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Construction Economics and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / South Africa’s electricity demand, over exceeds its’ supply capability; this in-turn affects a myriad of developmental factors namely: economic growth, business growth prospects, property development, the environment, as well as society as a whole. The traditional (fossil fuel generated) centralized electricity production model, has proven to be insufficient in terms of production capability as well as infrastructure expansion. This has in-turn presented an opportunity for real estate (more specifically listed regional and super-regional retail real estate) to capture a niche gap in the electricity generation market, that of becoming: decentralized renewable electricity generating production plants, that can become self-sufficient and sustainable, while plugging excess electricity back into the national electricity grid; these would in-turn form a network of individual power plants, that can contribute towards the national electricity grid through a smart-grid system, regulated by Nersa and monitored by Eskom. Structured interviews with industry professionals were captured through audio-recordings; the conversations were then author transcribed through pattern emergence as an interpretation tool, analyzed, and the findings documented in this research report. The major findings illustrated that: there were sufficient incentives from the government that promoted electricity generating real estate; feed-in tariffs were being explored within certain municipalities; within the listed property sector, portfolio greenness was becoming more and more important in commercial property development as well as portfolio sustainability; and technological price-parity had been reached within South Africa (meaning that the justification for utilizing the conventional electricity extractive development strategy, rather than the renewable electricity generating strategy, could no-longer be used as an excuse, due to both methods working out to relatively the same costs overall). Key recommendations where that: the self-sufficiency and electricity generation drive should come mainly from tenants, who could then place pressure on the landlords, who would then begin developing in a generation focused way rather than a cost-saving and low cost method; municipalities needed to look at other revenue generating schemes, as an intervention such as this one would see a possible loss of revenue due to a smart-grid system; and developers needed to begin thinking outside of the box, and creating wealth not only in monetary terms, but also in sustainability terms. It was concluded that, as much as this intervention could work in the long-run, it would face a few immediate challenges in the short to medium run, namely: grid connection approval, IPP (Independent power producer) approval, the challenges of shopping mall design with a huge dependence on HVAC / mechanical ventilation which uses tremendous amounts of electricity, as well as the electricity consumption of a regional & super regional retail centre almost being on par with the potential electricity that could be produced. With all that having been mentioned, this intervention would be a five to ten year development strategy that could be worked towards, and would create a new benchmark for listed commercial regional & super-regional retail developments within Gauteng. / MT2018

Addressing the current homeland security challenges requires scholars, practitioners, elected officials, and community partners working in unison to mitigate the hazards confronting first responders. Built on public choice theory, this research addressed a specific component of the emergency preparedness matrix: the most preferred fire service organizational design. The fire department organizational designs in this study included a Florida county, city, and independent special control fire district (ISFCD) that serve residents on a full-time platform. The concurrent embedded methodology used attempted to unearth which organizational design achieves economies of scale based on quarterly emergency service calls: the centralized county model or the decentralized city/ISFCD models. This study was an inquiry into the centralization versus decentralization argument, with emphases on fire service scale economies and inter-local service agreements Using multiple linear regression modeling accompanied by face-to-face interviews with the respective fire chiefs, this research showed that the county and ISFCD achieve scale economies over 44 quarters, fiscal years 2004-2014. Moreover, the interviews uncovered that response times were the driving factor behind instituting voluntary inter-local service agreements between the three fire departments. Other positive benefits from the service agreements include an increase in personnel and scene safety, dispatch center protocol enhancements, multi-company/jurisdictional training, overtime savings on large-scale disaster incidents, and trust building. The implications of this research for the scholarly and practitioner community include a better understanding of the technical and allocative efficiencies within the fire service arena. Melding public choice theory with strands of inter-local service agreement literature provides policymakers and scholars with a template for uncovering the fire service production/provision narrative. Though the centralization-decentralization argument is not solved within the research scope presented, the future narrative as uncovered in the research requires a citizenry inclusion. The future public choice prescriptions regarding fire service consolidation requires not only statistical modeling, but a normative democratic ethos tone incorporating multiple stakeholders with the citizens’ concerns at the forefront. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH / Bibliography: p. 462-466. / This study aims to analyze the effect of the responsibility enjoyed by individuals over the built environment. To understand these effects the study concentrates on the physical state of the property. It is concluded that three claims will affect the physical state of a property: the claim of ownership, the claim of control and the claim of use. These three claims can be enjoyed by one or more individuals at the same time over the same property. A model is developed to explore the relationships between the three claims and the parties involved in sharing them, and it is then used to explain the physical state of a property. For example, given the same circumstances, we may expect a property that is owned, controlled and used by one person to be in a different state than if it is owned by one person, controlled by a second and used by a third. In the first case, responsibility is unified in one person, while in the second, it is dispersed among the three persons. In addition to these two, the developed model recognizes three more patterns of responsibility into which a property may be submitted. These five states of submission of the property are called the "Forms of Submission of Property." The relationship between the individuals sharing the responsibility over a property will affect the state of the property. If the relationships between the responsible parties change, the state of the property will change. The relationship between responsible individuals in the traditional Muslim built environment differs from that of contemporary environments which have changed the physical state of properties. By concentrating on the traditional built environments, this study highlights these differences. It investigates various elements from both traditional and contemporary environments within the different forms of submission. First, the study investigates each form of submission independently, and then it explores the coexistence of the various properties that are in different forms of submission in the traditional built environment. This explains the relationship between the individuals responsible for different properties. From these explorations the conclusion is reached that responsibility in the traditional environments has shifted to outsiders in contemporary environments. In traditional environments the users had more responsibility; in contemporary environments outsiders share the responsibility with the inhabitants through interventions in all claims. The study demonstrates that the structure of the built environment has changed because of the change in the pattern of responsibility. Examples of such changes are: the potential of the physical environment, the conventions of·the society, the social relationships between users and the territorial structure. / by Jamel A. Akbar. / Ph.D.

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / Refer to document

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2001 / Refer to the document