Thesis (M. Tech.(Tourism and Hospitality Management)) -- Central university of Technology, Free State, 2010 / Globally, tourism is increasingly referred to as the world's biggest industry. As tourism increases so the consumer’s demand for quality in all its related products and services increase. Superior customer service can therefore be viewed as one of the most effective strategies to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The delivery of excellent service is crucial if a tourism destination such as the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area in the Northern Cape, South Africa, is to enhance its visitors’ experience and ensure their extended stay. One of the key constraints to tourism growth that has been identified is the lack of product and service quality. The primary goal of the study therefore was to investigate the perceptions of tourists on the quality of tourism service in the Sol Plaatje Area. Another primary goal was to determine the quality of service by conducting unstructured interviews with role-players in the local tourism industry. Secondary objectives were set, namely to determine the service needs of foreign and domestic tourists, and to make recommendations and suggestions to increase service quality in the Sol Plaatje Area. A questionnaire was used as a measuring instrument and distributed to domestic and foreign tourists. Three sampling points were selected to conduct the survey (250 questionnaires), namely the departure hall of Kimberley Airport, the Big Hole and the McGregor Museum. Results indicated that although the majority of tourists (83.4% of domestic and 93.8% of foreign respondents) were generally satisfied with the service they received and would promote the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area as a tourist destination, a large number of respondents (32.1%) rated their satisfaction with service delivery as average to poor. This is an indication that improvement is needed in the delivery of quality service. Unstructured interviews (conducted by the researcher) with 20 major role-players in the local tourism industry indicated that the majority (60%) perceived the service delivery in the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area as average to poor and not exceeding the expectations of tourists. Overall, the results indicated the need for the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area to improve its tourism service delivery in order to exceed tourist expectations and compete with other destinations locally and abroad. The findings of this study contribute valuable information and insights into the quality of service delivery in the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area. It will therefore be beneficial to all tourism stakeholders to provide visitors with the best service experience in the Sol Plaatje Municipal Area.

It is imperative to have quality assurance processes in place in division training to provide quality training to enable members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to provide quality services to communities within their area of jurisdiction. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of and the need for implementation of effective quality assurance processes in education and training in the South African Police Service (SAPS). The concepts quality and quality assurance were explained in the literature review. Questionnaires were completed by the trainers in the South African Police Service (SAPS) at various training centers in the Northern Cape Province. The researcher advocates to promote and enhance quality assurance in education and training programmes in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Therefore, it is recommended that quality assurance programmes be introduced based on total quality management system for continuous improvement which can provide any training programme with a set of “tools” to meet and exceed the present needs and expectations of the adult learners in the South African Police Service (SAPS) context. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / LED is the encouragement of a greater degree of local economic governance as an integral component of the pursuits of local community goals. It is about a systemic approach that manages community governance in such a way to achieve shared community goals and objectives. The intent to promote LED has become an established feature in the Frances Baard district, but certain constraints such as resource and skills constraints, lack of communication and lack of guidance from the other spheres of government, hinder the delivery of LED at Local Government level. LED is immersed in a line function environment that institutionally cannot support or sustain it, unless broader institutional reform takes place to bring the LED Approach into the mainstream of municipal and community decision making in terms of locating LED higher up in the municipal hierarchy. There is confusion between the roles and responsibilities of the Frances Baard District and local municipalities in terms of who should facilitate and guide the economic development in the municipal area. The assessment of these difficulties and confusions in terms of the institutional operations in the Frances Baard Local Government will identify and develop important operational guidelines for the district and local municipalities to overcome these shortcomings that occur within their organisations.

It is imperative to have quality assurance processes in place in division training to provide quality training to enable members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to provide quality services to communities within their area of jurisdiction. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of and the need for implementation of effective quality assurance processes in education and training in the South African Police Service (SAPS). The concepts quality and quality assurance were explained in the literature review. Questionnaires were completed by the trainers in the South African Police Service (SAPS) at various training centers in the Northern Cape Province. The researcher advocates to promote and enhance quality assurance in education and training programmes in the South African Police Service (SAPS). Therefore, it is recommended that quality assurance programmes be introduced based on total quality management system for continuous improvement which can provide any training programme with a set of “tools” to meet and exceed the present needs and expectations of the adult learners in the South African Police Service (SAPS) context. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study examined “problem solving skills in circle geometry concepts in Euclidean Geometry. This study was necessitated by learners’ inability to perform well with regards to Euclidean Geometry in general and Circle Geometry in particular. The use of naturalistic observation case study research (NOCSR) study was employed as the research design for the study. The intervention used for the study was the teaching of circle geometry with Polya problem solving instructional approach coupled with social constructivist instructional approach. A High School in the Northern Cape Province was used for the study. 61 mathematics learners (grade 11) in the school served as participants for the first year of the study, while 45 mathematics learners, also in grade 11, served as participants for the second year of the study. Data was collected for two consecutive years: 2018 and 2019. All learners who served as participants for the study did so willingly without been coerced in any way. Parental consent of all participants were also obtained. The following data were collected for each year of the research intervention: classroom teaching proceedings’ video recordings, photograph of learners class exercises (CE), field notes and the end-of-the- Intervention Test (EIT). Direct interpretations, categorical aggregation and a problem solving rubric were used for the analysis of data. Performance analysis and solution appraisal were also used to analyse some of the collected data. It emerged from the study that the research intervention evoked learners’ desire and interest to learn circle geometry. Also, the research intervention improved the study participants’ performance and problem solving skills in circle geometry concepts. Hence, it is recommended from this study that there is the need for South African schools to adopt the instructional approach for the intervention: Polya problem solving instructional approach coupled with social constructivist instructional approach, for the teaching and learning of Euclidean geometry concepts. / Mathematics Education / M. Sc. (Mathematics Education)

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human resources budgeting at Sishen mine had been done, for as long as the researcher has been employed at the mine, according to history as well as according to the demands of the financial situation. Consequently, human resources shortages have been corrected by external labour which is often more expensive than internal labour. During the annual budgeting period when top management applies pressure to cut costs, the operations budget is easy to defend. With the help of Excel spreadsheets or maintenance management systems, maintenance managers can present strong arguments for not cutting the operations budget. Budget deficits are then easily corrected by means of negative adjustments to the human resources budget. This research will explore the issue of whether a tool exists to calculate the human resources budget scientifically. A target was set to develop a tool or model for human resources budgeting or to investigate whether such a tool does not already exist. A literature survey was done to determine world best practices regarding the calculation of human resources budgeting. The literature studied guided the researcher to a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) and it was found that Sishen already has one of the best (SAP) in place. Sishen even has a process (Routine Work Management or RWM) in place which helps to get all maintenance information into SAP to make the necessary information available for effective maintenance. It was further found that SAP, which has been used by the mine for several years, can already provide the human resources requirements for any future period. The RWM process which helps to get information in and out of SAP has been in use for some time already. Unfortunately the process was poorly executed and the information is not reliable. This statement is supported by the internal (Kirstein, 2006) and external (Aurea, 2006) audits done at the mine during 2006. The external audit was done by Aurco (2006). The author concluded that Sishen has a tool but not a strategy to utilise RWM successfully. One of the reasons why RWM was poorly executed was the fact that there is a lack of support from the people in the workplace. These individuals claim that they were not consulted when RWM was introduced at the mine and as a result they did not buy in. A proper change management process was not followed and the employees suspected that RWM was implemented to play policeman or to measure how much spare time they have and reduce the workforce accordingly, as in the case of the Prometheus project. Consequently they admit to manipulating RWM's measured outcomes, ignoring it or deliberately undermining it. They added that RWM is easy to manipulate and perceived it as a farce by many of the participants, A decision was taken to use the Kotter change management process to run a project to get RWM to the required level. Kotter's eight steps for successful large-scale change can be utilised with great success to achieve the required changes. After a brainstorming session and from the recommendations of the two audits a list of ideas was compiled. These ideas should help to get RWM to a level where human resources requirements can be drawn from SAP for any period in the future. Although the research was aimed at getting human resources budgeting from SAP, it will also have other advantages. The ratio between planned and unplanned maintenance will be better because RWM will ensure better maintenance / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mannekragbegroting op Sishen-myn is, vir solank die navorser deel is van die myn, gedoen volgens die behoeftes van die verlede asook volgens wat deur die finansiele situasie toegelaat is. Gevolglik het dit dikwels gebeur dat die tekorte aan mannekrag aangevul is met huurarbeid wat dikwels duurder is as eie mannekrag. Tydens die begrotingsrondte kan die geld wat aangevra word vir die instandhouding van die toerusting goed beveg word omdat die instandhoudingspersoneel waterdigte argumente kan aanvoer oor hoe die begroting bereken is. Begrotingstekorte word gevolglik maklik reggestel met negatiewe aanpassings op die mannekragbegroting. Hierdie studie gaan die bestaan ondersoek van 'n gereedskapstuk of model om die mannekragbegroting wetenskaplik te kan bereken. Daar is 'n doelwit gestel om 'n model te ontwikkel vir mannekragberekening of om vas te stel of daar nie reeds iets bestaan nie. 'n Literatuurstudie is gedoen om vas te stel wat wereldwye beste standaarde ten opsigte van mannekragberekening is. Dit het die navorser gelei na gerekenariseerde instandhoudingsbestuurstelsels (CMMS) en daar is bevind dat Sishen reeds een van die beste stelsels gebruik (SAP). Sishen het selfs 'n proses ("Routine Work Management" of RWM) om alle instandhoudingsinligting in SAP te kry sodat die regte inligting weer beskikbaar kan wees vir effektiewe instandhouding. Daar is verder bevind dat SAP, wat reeds vir verskeie jare in gebruik is, enige tydperk in die toekoms se mannekragbehoeftes kan bepaal. Die RWM-proses wat moet help om inligting in en uit SAP te kry, is ook reeds geruime tyd in gebruik, maar ten spyte daarvan word die proses afgewater en is die inligting nie betroubaar nie. Hierdie stelling is bewys deur middel van twee ouditte wat in 2006 op RWM gedoen is. Die een audit was 'n interne audit terwyl die ander deur die maatskappy Aurea gedoen is. Die afleiding kon dus gemaak word dat daar wel 'n gereedskapstuk is, maar dat geen strategie bestaan om dit effektief te gebruik nie. Een van die redes waarom RWM as 'n afgewaterde proses beskryf kan word, is 'n gebrek aan ondersteuning deur die mense in die werksplek. Die mense beweer dat hulle nie geken is ten tye van die bekendstelling van RWM nie en hulle het dus nie ingekoop nie. Die afleiding is gemaak dat daar nie goeie veranderingsbestuur toegepas is toe RWM aan die myn bekendgestel is nie. Die werknemers het vermoed dat RWM ingestel is om hulle te polisieer of te bepaal hoeveel vrye tyd hulle het en die werksmag dienooreenkomstig af te skaal, soos in die geval van die Prometheusprojek. Gevolglik het hulle erken dat hulle die RWM se uitkomste gemanipuleer het, dit geignoreer het, of doelbewus ondermyn het. Hulle het bygevoeg dat RWM maklik gemanipuleer kan word en dat baie dit as 'n klug beskou. Daar is besluit om die Kotter-model te gebruik om 'n projek te loods om RWM op die vereiste standaard te kry. Dit word as die geskikste model beskou om die nodige veranderingsbestuur toe te pas. 'n Lys van idees is opgestel na aanleiding van 'n dinkskrumsessie met die werknemers asook van voorstelle wat in die twee ouditverslae gemaak is. Herdie idees moet RWM in plek kry sodat mannekragbehoeftes vir enige tydperk in die toekoms vanuit SAP verkry kan word. Alhoewel die navorsing daarop gemik was om mannekragbegroting vanuit SAP te bekom, hou dit ook 'n ander voordeel in, naamlik 'n beter verhouding van beplande tot onbeplande instandhouding omdat goeie RWM-prosedures beter instandhouding en gevolglik beter beskikbaarheid gaan verseker.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This mini-study project examines the strategic position of the Douglas Wine Cellar in context with the dynamics in the wine industry. For success in the future it suggests that producers, manufactures and marketing strategies will have to focus on doing the same things differently as well as doing different things, with the emphasis on improving productivity, increasing quality focus and generating value-added products aimed at meeting market requirements. The greater focus on productivity in agriculture should include wider use of effective farming practices, more effective use of capital equipment, more effective implementation of Research & Development results, product differentiation and brand building as well as the development of distribution channels with the ability to deliver these products in a cost effective and timely manner. There is no single "Superhighway". Routes are complex and discontinuous with an ever increasing pace of change. Today we live and work in a technology rich society. Rapid advancements in all industries are occurring daily. To survive and prosper, Douglas Wine Cellar must commit to a continual processof advancement and improvement of strategies to fulfill the vision of GWKLtd. THE VISION OF GWK IS TO BE A SUSTAINABLE AGRI-BUSINESS OF EXCELLENCE / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werkstuk is onderneem ten einde die strategiese posisie van Douglas Wynkelder in die konteks van die wynindustrie dinamika te ondersoek. Sukses in die toekoms hang daarvan af of produsente, vervaardigers en bemarkingstrategië daarop fokus om dieselfde dinge verskillend te doen sowel as om nuwe stelsels te implementeer, met die klem op produktiwiteit, verhoogde kwaliteit en die generering van waardetoegevoegde produkte wat aan die markbehoeftesvoldoen. Die groter fokus op produktiwiteit in die landbou behoort die algemene verbruik van effektiewe boerderypraktyke, effektiewe kapitaalspandering, effektiewe implementering van navorsings- & ontwikkelingsresultate, produkdifferensiasie en handelsmerk-uitbouing in te sluit, asook die ontwikkeling van distribusiekanale met die vermoë om produkte koste effektief en tydig aan die mark te lewer. Daar bestaan geen enkele "super hoofweg" nie. Roetes is kompleks en nie volhoubaar nie, met ewigdurende veranderings. Vandag lewe en werk ons in 'n tegnologies-ontwikkelde samelewing. Vinnige vooruitgang in alle industrië is aan die orde van die dag. Om te oorleef en welvaart te skep moet Douglas Wynkelder die pad betree van voortdurende vordering en verbetering van strategië, om sodoende aan die visie van GWK Bpk te voldoen. DIE VISIE VAN GWK IS OM IN VOLHOUBARE LANDBOUBESIGHEID VAN UITNEMENDHEID TE WEES

Thesis (PhD (Education))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / During the past twelve years of democracy health care services in South Africa have been influenced by political, social and economic change. As a result of the transformation of health care services and the change of political policy, the focus on primary health care increased. During the early stages of the transformation of health care services stakeholders realized that in order to provide an extensive health care service specialized training is required. Various educational institutions provided formal and informal programmes in order to meet the new challenges of the nursing profession. Although minimum requirements of the content and clinical practice have been established by the nursing council, the mode of presentation, costs, duration and type of qualification awarded to clinical nursing practitioners differed substantially. Uniformity in terms of programme content was lacking, neither were any scientifically founded attempts made to establish whether these programmes fulfilled the needs of the student in the rural community. Although a variety of training programmes exist the number of trained clinical nursing practitioners is still inadequate. In addition training is focused on the urban community. The objective of the research was to determine the opinion of the rural nurse on clinical nursing education, and to develop a training framework based on their input which would meet their needs. This research was conducted from an explanatory-descriptive paradigm. The case study was used as research design. A literature study on the development of primary health care both internationally and nationally was done. The literature study revealed the development of training programmes for clinical nurses. Chapter three of the literature study is dedicated to the theoretical aspects of the design of a student centered training framework for the adult student. A student centered training framework has created from data gathered via questionnaires completed by clinical nurses and semi-structured interviews with semi-qualified nurses. Semistructured interviews have also been conducted with the supervisors of nurses working in clinics and community health centres in the Northern Cape. The conclusion that respondents showed a positive attitude towards training in clinical nursing was encouraging. The majority of respondents indicated that they would welcome an additional qualification which will improve their knowledge and would result in better patient care. The respondents highlighted staff shortages, financial constraints and family responsibility as the main obstacles towards these qualifications. During the research it became clear that no formal training is currently available in Kimberley. This is as a result of the absence of mentors. Although the respondents have limited access to computers they indicated that they would prefer computer supported training in conjunction with physical contact sessions. The research indicated that no formal policy on the training of clinical nurses exists in the rural Northern Cape. In the absence of a training framework the research further contributed towards the development of a student centered training framework for clinical nurses in rural Northern Cape. The research succeeded in highlighting the necessity for formal policy on the training of clinical nurses in rural Northern Cape.

This dissertation engages in a longitudinal study of the method of grassroots comics (Packalen & Sharma, 2007) amongst the Khwe people in the community of Platfontein, which is situated outside of Kimberley, South Africa. The study is largely informed by contemporary shifts in development theory, particularly that of participatory communication, which values individuals who live in the community as active participants in the research process. The use of grassroots comics (Packalen & Sharma, 2007) is largely based on theoretical concepts surfacing in current literature regarding the field development communication, which is somewhat critical of older, more dominant theories of development. Instead of applying a predetermined, uniform model of communication to multiple different settings in which varying development issues exist, this study is driven by the active involvement of community stakeholders throughout every stage of the research process. This includes the identification of community issues, the utilization of grassroots comics in the context of adapting and communicating about those issues on a community-wide scale, and the overall analysis of the process once research has been carried out. This particular study focuses on general health issues and how these might affect the Khwe community from a development perspective. However, what is of central importance is how the comics created by certain stakeholders in the community might serve as a means of promoting participatory communication amongst the local population, for the sake of alleviating certain health issues prevalent in the community itself. The practical nature of grassroots comics as a forum for health communication is what is of particular interest in this study. Purposive sampling techniques are employed in order to identify key participants and informants in the research process, to present a case-specific analysis of grassroots comics in use, and for purposes of limiting this study. Data collection methods applied to the research setting and research findings are conducted using various qualitative research techniques including participant observation, interviews, discussions and a participatory grassroots comics workshop. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2014. / The site of Canteen Kopje in Barkly West, South Africa, has provided the archaeological record with an invaluable collection of Earlier Stone Age artefacts. An alluvial deposit approximately 1km from the modern Vaal River, the site contains an abundance of artefacts. A 2007 – 2009 excavation in Pit 6 has provided an assemblage of over 15,000 artefacts that has been dated by cosmogenic nuclide burial method. Three distinct assemblages show technological changes through time of the earlier Acheulean industrial complex. The youngest industry, the Prepared Core Technology Assemblage, is dated to 1.2 ± .07 Ma and contains Victoria West prepared core technology. Beneath it is the Organised Core Assemblage which is void of Victoria West prepared core technology but contains cores that demonstrate more organised knapping techniques in the form of asymmetrical control. This assemblage is dated to 1.51 ±0.8 Ma. Finally, the underlying Basal Early Acheulean Assembage lacks both prepared cores and organised cores and is >1.51 Ma in age. The abundance of large angular clasts of andesite in the area made multiple knapping strategies effective for the manufacture of large flakes. A technological sequence in the knapping strategies has emerged in this excavation, from simple cores to organised cores and finally prepared cores. The older technologies clearly display the roots of prepared core technology in the asymmetrical control of the organised knapping methods. The overall success of the knapping strategies prior to the appearance of the Victoria West industry in the Canteen Kopje archaeological record creates questions as to why more complex strategies might have been implemented over time. Analysis of the assemblages from the Pit 6 excavation fails to provide a clear technological explanation within the empirical data as to why this change occurs. This research therefore argues that the Victoria West prepared core knapping strategy is a localized stone age culturally motivated knapping tradition.