Magister Economicae - MEcon / There is a general recognition and acceptance that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are important contributors to social and economic development. However, in Africa which hosts many developing economies, SMEs must endure numerous challenges that tend to repress small enterprise development. Formal cluster development programmes have been identified as one progressive way of assisting SMEs to overcome the obstacles. It involves deliberately instituting and supporting small enterprise clusters. Although this idea of formal clustering of firms is relatively new to Africa, cluster development programmes are increasingly taking the form of small business incubation. Business incubation essentially aims to provide a systematic method of rendering business support services to fledgling small businesses to help them continually rise above market challenges and thrive. Some governments in Africa have embraced the notion and are incorporating plans into their local economic development (LED) programmes to enhance small business development through incubation. Countries like South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria have amongst the most conspicuous incubator programmes and cluster experiences on the African continent. This study interrogates the effectiveness of and hence the scope for formal business incubation or rigid clustering programmes in Africa. It assesses examples of both rigid and flexible clusters in a few African countries in order to identify their main differences and to thus establish some critical areas of business clustering needed for useful small and medium enterprise development in Africa. Upon reviewing case study literature, it is observed that formal incubation programmes are likely to be less effective in creating new SMEs compared to the more flexible clusters in Africa. Rigid clusters also tend to rely heavily on state funding, are more subjected to political interference, are prone to expansion capacity constraints, and are unlikely to sustain themselves financially in the long run. The study notes that rigid clustering mainly favours a high-tech environment. Hence, incubation programmes may be more suitable for advanced economies. For low-tech industries, on the other hand, formal business incubation may be inappropriate.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / This research project looked at the role of public libraries in bridging the digital divide which is both a symptom and a cause of social exclusion. Public libraries offer free information services to ordinary citizens by means a wide range of media, including the Internet. But they offer more than just access as their information literacy programmes educate people in the use of the various media. Across the world there are many initiatives employed by public libraries to help bridge the digital divide. The purpose of the case study of one library district was to investigate if and how libraries in Cape Town were taking on this responsibility. The project had two parts: a survey of one district of the city’s libraries and a closer case study of one selected library in the district. The overall findings from both phases of the study were that Public libraries do help to narrow the Digital Divide by providing free internet access to the public. One of the initiatives the Public libraries that were surveyed including Masiphumelele library employed to help narrow the Digital Divide is SmartCape. Not only did Masiphumelele have SmartCape, but it also offered free computer literacy classes to its users.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / From the international literature, as well as from South African initiatives, it is clear that the use of sport and development programmes have a tremendous potential to impact on development. Past efforts in South Africa also shows that sport and development initiatives can make a huge impact on youth development and serve as a vehicle for improved social and economic well-being. This was acknowledged by a recent Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) and Interdisciplinary Centre for Sport and Development (ICESSD) publication called, “The Case for Sport: Socio-economic benefits of Sport and Recreation in the Western Cape”. This was the first such research done at the Provincial Government and a particular research finding showed that inadequate monitoring of youth programmes, including the Mass Participation, Opportunity Access, Development and Growth (MOD) Centres were being done. Against the background of the South African Government’s increased efforts to support sport and development a need has also arisen for the improved performance management of these initiatives. In particular, a need exists for an improved understanding of available indicators for the improved monitoring and evaluation of sport youth development programmes. This research investigation conducted both an assessment of available indicators from a theoretical and comparative point of view as well as undertook a case study approach to investigating the type of indicators needed in future in the case of the MOD Centres in the Western Cape. The research methodology consisted of a qualitative study using a case study approach and by collecting information through a literature review, desktop study of primary and secondary sources, semi-structured interviews as well as focus groups. The study included a psycho-social behavioural survey to develop and test some of the anticipated outcomes and indicators for youth programmes. The research findings show that the MOD Centres have been using a good basic set of mostly output indicators but that international and local experiences show that a generic compendium of outcomes-based indicators can be developed that will provide a basis for the monitoring of sport and development programmes for the youth. These provide for exciting options, including the application of the Olympic values and the possibility of including human capital indicators to assess the impact of sport and development initiatives on the youth. This study provides a systematic overview of the existing indicators in use as well as alternative indicators that have been identified through this study. The research findings include a set of proposed anticipated outcomes and indicators for use in sport and development programmes. Specific recommendations have been made to Government, civil society and the research community in this respect.

Systematic reviews of offenders’ as well as non-offenders’ engagement research revealed inadequate and inconsistent definitions and assessments of engagement and an absence of theory. Furthermore there is no research on facilitators’ engagement in offending behaviour programmes. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed to develop a theory of engagement in group offending behaviour programs that accounts for facilitators’ engagement as well as that of offenders’. Interviews and observations of sessions were used to collect data from 23 program facilitators and 28 offenders (group members). Group members’ engagement was a process of ‘moving on’, represented by a number of conceptual categories including early ambivalence, negotiating the group, and acknowledging and accepting. Facilitators’ engagement was a process of building engagement, by personalizing treatment frameworks using ‘the hook’, a cornerstone of treatment similar to the therapeutic or working alliance. It also involved disarming group members and dealing with initial resistance, and establishing roles and positions in the treatment framework. There were a number of barriers to both group members’ and facilitators’ engagement identified that were rooted in programme and referral factors. The TEGOBP provides four distinct developments in engagement research as well as a number of important implications for research and practice that are discussed.

Background: This paper describes the performance of the Tuberculosis (TB) control programme in the Eastern Cape Province. The aim of the study was to evaluate the tuberculosis treatment outcomes as well as to identify factors that contribute to treatment failures in health districts of the Eastern Cape Province from 2003 to 2005. TB can only be controlled and eventually eliminated in the context of a National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP). Such a program must operate within the general health service of each country. Although considerable progress has been made with TB control efforts in South Africa since 2000, there is still little sign that the epidemic is abating in the Eastern Cape Province. Method: The study was a descriptive study and the methodology employed in this evaluative study took cognizance of the main approaches used globally (World Health Organization and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease) to assess the performance and quality of Tuberculosis Control Programs. 152 336 records from the Electronic TB Register for the period 2003 – 2005 were systematically reviewed and a random sample design of 252 primary health care facilities with probability proportional to size was used to collect information on health system related factors that contribute to treatment failures with emphasis to input, process and output indicators for the TB Control programme including proper implementation of DOTS strategy. Results: Overall TB treatment outcomes in Eastern Cape Province did not reach the national targets for the period 2003 – 2005. A cure rate of 39.7% for new smear positive patients in 2005 was reported. Only Chris Hani district reached a national target of 70% for smear conversion rate in 2005. The successful treatment outcomes were below 85% threshold suggested by the World Health Organization. Cure rates never reached 50% for the three-year study period. Defaulting from treatment remained a challenge for the TB control programme in the Eastern Cape Province. There has been an increasing number of patients with treatment outcome not evaluated in 2005 from 20.1% to 24.7% in new smear positive cases and in re-treatment smear positive cases, this increased from 21.2% to 27.3%. Conclusion: The findings of the study reveal that, despite considerable efforts made by the NTCP, little change was noted in treatment outcomes. Efforts to provide effective TB treatment using DOTS at district and facility level in the province are constrained by failure of most districts to reach a 100% DOTS coverage. Patients are accurately diagnosed, recorded into the register, drug supply is regular and uninterrupted but there has been a slow increase in the proportion of patients cured and there are an increase number of defaulter rates and patients with treatment outcomes which are not evaluated. An improved base of information is needed to assess the TB morbidity impact more accurately. Human resources were among the most important resources, which were found lacking and health system managers have the responsibility and challenge of ensuring that maximum benefit is derived from these to maintain and expand health services. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / Unrestricted

Includes bibliographical references / Over the past decade, antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes have rapidly expanded in resource-limited settings. Access to ART has been accelerated through a public health approach to reduce morbidity and mortality, thereby transforming HIV from a humanitarian crisis to a chronic disease. However, the benefits of ART to patients and communities are dependent on patients being retained in care. This thesis investigates loss to follow-up (LTFU) after ART initiation, in the context of scale-up and limited resources and evaluates models of ART delivery to improve retention. After a brief introduction that offers orientation to the key issues and concepts in the field, Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review discussing the public health concerns related to LTFU in ART programmes, as well as the methodological concerns encountered in studying LTFU. Six results chapters (Chapters 3-8) are presented using complementary cohort data from two collaborative datasets (one from programmes in resource-limited settings and one including only South African cohorts) and from a single ART programme at a community health centre. How to define LTFU is the focus of Chapter 3, demonstrating that definitions can have an appreciable impact on estimates of LTFU. In Chapter 4, temporal factors related to the expansion of ART programmes are investigated, with evidence that the risk of patient LTFU increases with each successive calendar year of ART initiation, and that the rate of programme expansion has a stronger association with the risk of LTFU than absolute programme size. Analyses in Chapter 5 suggest that patients initiating ART at higher CD4 cell counts, above 300 cells/μl, may have an increased risk of LTFU compared to patients initiating ART with lower CD4 cell counts. Taken together, these findings underscore the notion that LTFU is a burgeoning threat to the long-term successes of ART programmes in South Africa and other resource-limited settings. Chapters 6-8 report on the implementation and outcomes from innovative models of ART delivery for stable ART patients. Patient outcomes from (i) a nurse-managed ART service and then (ii) community-based 'Adherence Clubs' highlight that comparable and, in some cases, favourable patient outcomes may be achieved when ART delivery is decentralised. This thesis concludes that LTFU is a significant challenge faced by ART programmes. In the context of ambitious targets and evidence of the potential benefits of ART for individuals and communities, concurrent changes to the health system are necessary to support retention in care. The successes of ART programmes in treating a chronic condition in resource-limited settings can be built upon by expanding community-based ART provision and potentially integrating management of other adulthood illnesses.

Despite government polices and organisational practices intended to redress this imbalance, women in business continue to face what they have faced for many years already: under-representation. More specifically, under-representation in the upper echelons of higher management, under-representation on company boards, under-representation in senior positions within firms. Despite more years in the workforce, more woman systematically entering previously labelled “male” fields, despite more years receiving higher education, women still don’t often find the road to senior positions a road easily travelled.This research seeks to explore one very specific approach to advancing women’s careers—women’s leadership development programmes designed for women identified as potential senior managers, leaders and board members. As a number of these programmes exist, this research sought to explore the programmes’ strengths and weaknesses, to explore ways to improve such programmes to the increased benefit of women in business, and finally, to investigate ways that businesses themselves can support such programmes to the benefit of their female employees: more representation in higher positions.Findings showed that women’s leadership development programmes do in fact provide a safe and supportive environment for nurturing confidence, acquiring new business skills, and learning from the experiences of successful women role models. They are a useful addition to other strategies designed to increase the number of women in senior positions, as factors such as organisational culture and commitment from CEOs also impact on a woman’s career progression. This research proposes a model to organisations that can be used to design and position future women’s development programmes. For maximum benefit, programmes should be strategically positioned, taking into account the environmental context and should help women identify and tap into existing networks and access suitable mentors. Further, elements unique to women must be inherent in the design of these programmes in order to facilitate career advancement, with the goal at hand: equal representation in senior positions / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Given the current economic climate, organisations and their management teams are faced with many decisions. Cost cutting policies, restructuring decisions and downsizing decisions are under consideration before implementation. Furthermore, these decisions and policies may have a negative effect on employees and could sway motivation, loyalty, morale, attitudes and views of employees.This research considers the impact of the reward systems and programmes, monetary and non-monetary rewards, as a means of motivating employees to achieve organisations identified strategic objectives. Many organisations face the dilemma around what the ideal reward programme should be in order to increase employee motivation and at the same time achieve the organisational objectives. The purpose of this research was to discover whether a well-designed reward programme would result in the motivation of employees.A questionnaire was developed using reward categories from the WorldatWork Total Reward Model and the Towers Perrin Total Rewards Effectiveness Blueprint. This was administered to a sample of past and present MBA students from a Johannesburg based business school in order to elicit responses around the aspects of their individual reward preferences and their organisations reward preferences. Data was gathered to understand the preferences between the various monetary and non-monetary reward categories and elements. The sample group of 180 respondents participated through a self-administered on-line survey. Statistical analysis was conducted on the data which involved both descriptive and inferential statistics.The results of the survey indicated that both organisations and employees recommend financial benefits as being the most important reward category. However, there was more of a preference from employees for career development, coaching/mentoring and work life balance than there was from the organisations. Furthermore it is evident from the results that organisations are utilising a combination of both monetary and non-monetary rewards, as a share of the reward package in relation to the varying needs of the labour force. Given the current economic climate, there is a major case for providing more value on non-monetary rewards to motivate employees, given the cost pressures faced by organisations. Although monetary rewards were rated as being the most important, there is an opportunity to combine them with non-monetary rewards and presented to an individual as a reward package.The reward approach can only be maximised by organisations if they understand the needs of employees based on the understanding of employee preferences; the dynamic nature of the work force and the potential impact on external factors. It is recommended that a new reward framework be designed to incorporate the reward preferences and expectations of both the employee and the organisation whilst taking into account the effect of the external environment, the job design and the link between the expectations from the organisation and the individual. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

La contribution de programmes communautaires à l’éducation à la citoyenneté des jeunes au Québec est encore peu documentée. De plus, les jeunes femmes sont souvent négligées dans les études sur la citoyenneté des jeunes et au sein des initiatives d’éducation à la citoyenneté. Basée sur les résultats d’une enquête ethnographique effectuée dans un programme jeunesse féministe non-mixte, cette thèse cherche à contribuer au développement de connaissances sur les apprentissages et l’expérience citoyenne des jeunes en tenant compte de l’importance du croisement du genre et de l’âge. L’analyse démontre que l’approche pédagogique féministe des facilitatrices du programme favorise le développement de savoirs et d’une identité féministes chez les participantes, dans un modèle de citoyenneté orientée vers la justice sociale (Westheimer, 2015). Le programme occupe ainsi un rôle d’éducation à la citoyenneté complémentaire au cadre scolaire, où la critique des discours dominants et des systèmes d’oppression est peu souvent enseignée.

The threat of HIV/AIDS on humanity still remains one of the most challenging issues of our time. In South Africa, labour unions play a significant role in the economy. Their role in the fight against HIV/AIDS is therefore vital in workplace HIV/AIDS programmes. The research objective was to identify the impact that the partnership between business and labour unions is having in these programmes. The role that labour unions play is also assessed.The first phase of the interviews entailed conducting face to face semistructured interviews with fifteen large companies based in Gauteng province employing a minimum of 1000 employees. All the companies were and had to have union representation amongst their staff members. Phase two of the interviews involved interviewing representatives from the three largest labour unions in South Africa. The findings clearly show that labour unions have a role to play in the fight against the pandemic. It is evident that they are to a large extent being successful in their identified roles. The impact of the partnership between labour unions and business has resulted in the objectives of the HIV/AIDS programmes being met. Areas for improvement are also suggested as the battle is yet to be won. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted