In order to be able to determine the contribution of the tourism sector to the KwaZulu-Natal economy, the study starts by reviewing some economic indicators that show the contribution of different economic sectors to GDP and to the economy in general. Where possible a comparison was made with other provinces and the RSA. These comparisons showed that the KwaZulu-Natal economy still has many problems, such as a relatively low gross geographical product per capita and a high unemployment rate (32,2 per cent). However, it has the potential to be the largest contributor to the GDP of the country despite the political problems that are still prevalent in some areas of the province, and also the fact that it has the largest population compared to other provinces. The manufacturing sector is the highest contributor to GDP and during 1988 to 1994 its average contribution was 30,3 per cent, followed by trade and government sectors with 16 per cent and 13,4 per cent respectively. The study reviewed the economic principles underlying the tourism industry, and also attempted to put the tourism industry into perspective with other economic sectors. This revealed that the tourism industry by its nature falls into the category of service industries and that it is governed by the same economic principles that govern any market namely, demand and supply forces. Most importantly however, is the realisation that this industry has a significant macroeconomic impact, for example, on inflation, employment, balance of payments and economic growth. The study has attempted to elicit the views of those involved in tourism activities and through the use of secondary sources examined the position of the South African tourism industry to that in the world and more importantly the relative position of the KwaZulu-Natal tourism industry. This data showed that there is a steady increase in the tourists inflow from 1985 to 199 5 (from 728 000 to 4.5 million) and also revealed their spending patterns. Based on this data, projections were made for 1998 to 2006, and these projections are in line with most of the economic analysts' speculations that there will be a steady increase of foreign tourist arrivals for the next five to ten years. Thus, the study has taken both a qualitative and a quantitative approach. It was also found that in order for the tourism industry to contribute successfully to the economic growth of the province, it has to be properly developed and managed, which means that there has to be a policy that will guide the actions of all the interest groups, and all the appropriate structures has to be put in place following market development principles. The roles of different institutions, whether government, private sector or non-governmental organisations have to be defined and co-ordinated towards the same goals, that is, to have a tourism industry that is economically viable and that benefits all the communities. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Economics / unrestricted

In the aftermath of the South African election, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2011, the country amongst other things, promised to pursue an African Agenda for Peace and Stability on the continent and in all regions of the world, especially in the Global South. This was coupled with the promise to promote the importance of developing effective partnerships between the United Nations (UN) as well as regional and sub-regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. These became fundamental foreign policy principles of how South Africa would behave in the Security Council. The UN Charter mandates the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Council. Scholars that have analysed the United Nations often argue that the Council’s decision-making process is driven by the interests of the five permanent members who possess veto power. Thus, it is widely believed that, members that have continuous membership and veto power not only affect the passage of resolutions but also prevent certain issues from entering the agenda through the threat of a veto. While veto-wielding member states can use the veto to bargain their positions, non-permanent members of the Council can have limited influence on the agenda due to the unequal distribution of power. The power-politics argument is widely discussed in the literature of the United Nations; however, limited systematic analytical research has been done to understand how countries other than big powers exercise their influence in the UN Security Council, despite lacking the right to veto power. To contribute to the understanding of the power-politics argument, ways in which emerging countries influence the agenda will be identified. This research report analyses whether and how South Africa delivered on the promise to pursue African interests during its tenure in the UNSC in 2011-2012. This study embarks on content analysis of selected South African interventions and reports regarding African issues in the UNSC. / Mini Dissertation (MDIPS)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Political Sciences / MDIPS / Unrestricted

No abstract available. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

Since 2002, the South African poultry industry has experienced outbreaks of Newcastle disease (ND) caused by a newly introduced virus (NDV) strain belonging to lineage 5d/VIId (“goose paramyxovirus” - GPMV). Control of the disease has proved difficult with commercially available vaccines appearing ineffective. In the first of two studies, broilers chicks were vaccinated with VG-GA vaccine (lineage II), then challenged with both GPMV and a “classic” challenge virus (RCV) of lineage 3d/VIII to compare the efficacy of the vaccine against both strains. In the second study, commercial and SPF hens in lay were vaccinated with La Sota vaccine and challenged with GPMV isolate, and immunohistochemistry staining used to determine the distribution pattern of viral antigen in the oviduct of the hens. The second study also compared the efficacy of cloacal and ocular routes of vaccination. The first study did not detect any statistically significant difference in protection offered by the vaccine against the GPMV strain in comparison to the RCV strain. The protection offered by the vaccine against challenge with both viruses was found to be dosedependant with 106.0 EID50 producing a 100% protection and 94.44% and 13.89% for 104.5 EID50 and 103.0 EID50 vaccination doses respectively. Protected birds did not manifest clinical signs, but still had macropathological lesions in some organs at necropsy. The computed protective doses (PD50 and PD90) for the VG-GA vaccine were 103.51 and 104.38 for GPMV and 103.79 and 104.43 for RCV. Results from the second study showed no clear difference in the protection of the oviduct from challenge with GPMV by either the cloacal and ocular routes of vaccination. Vaccinated birds were fully protected (100%) against challenge by La Sota vaccine, but not against infection and replication of the virus, as birds showed varying degrees of macropathology with numerous stained viral antigens in the oviducts demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. The susceptibility and colonisation of the oviduct of laying hens by both the lentogenic La Sota and the virulent NDV isolates was confirmed, with the uterus being more susceptible than magnum and isthmus. Necrosis and apoptosis of cells of the oviduct were not detected but cellular infiltration, gland dilatation and interstitial oedema were observed. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Science))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Production Animal Studies / unrestricted

The role of banks in sustainable development has been growing with prominence internationally. Therefore, research was undertaken to ascertain the approach of South African banking sector in respect of corporate sustainability or sustainable banking. The purpose of this research was to further explore the business case thereof in the SA context and specifically where it pertains to product and market innovation. A qualitative research methodology comprising an exploratory research design was applied, consisting of in-depth interviews and secondary data research of a sample of SA banking organisations. Findings indicated that SA banks primarily view corporate sustainability from an integrated approach. The South African macro-environment and national priorities play an important role in determining corporate sustainability initiatives. Accordingly, risks and opportunities are manifest (as part of a regulated and compliance-driven industry). Considering the national context and unique needs of stakeholders, there was evidence of a relationship between corporate sustainability and product and market innovation. However, not all opportunities from a business case perspective and in product and market types have been exhausted in this space. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The land use policies and development plans that are implemented in a city contribute to whether the city will be sustainable in the future. Therefore, when these policies are being established they should consider the potential impact on development. An analytical tool, such as land use change models, allow decision-makers to see the possible impact that these policies could have on development. Land use change models like UrbanSim make use of the relationship between households, buildings, and employment opportunities to model the decisions that people make on where to live and work. To be able to do this the model needs accurate data. When there is a more accurate location for the employment opportunities in an area, the decisions made by individuals can be better modelled and therefore the projected results are expected to be better. Previous research indicated that the methods that are traditionally used to disaggregate employment data to a lower level in UrbanSim projects are not applicable in the South African context. This is because the traditional methods require a detailed employment dataset for the disaggregation and this detailed employment dataset is not available in South Africa. The aim of this project was to develop a methodology for a metropolitan municipality in South Africa that could be used to disaggregate the employment data that is available at a higher level to a more detailed building level. To achieve this, the methodology consisted of two parts. The first part of the methodology was establishing a method that could be used to prepare a base dataset that is used for disaggregating the employment data. The second part of the methodology was using a multi-objective optimisation approach to allocate the number of employment opportunities within a municipality to building level. The algorithm was developed using the Distributed Evolutionary Algorithm in Python (DEAP) computational framework. DEAP is an open-source evolutionary algorithm framework that is developed in Python and enables users to rapidly create prototypes by allowing them to customise the algorithm to suit their needs The evaluation showed that it is possible to make use of multi-objective optimisation to disaggregate employment data to building level. The results indicate that the employment allocation algorithm was successful in disaggregating employment data from municipal level to building level. All evolutionary algorithms come with some degree of uncertainty as one of the main features of evolutionary algorithms is that they find the most optimal solution, and so there are other solutions available as well. Thus, the results of the algorithm also come with that same level of uncertainty. By enhancing the data used by land use change models, the performance of the overall model is improved. With this improved performance of the model, an improved view of the impact that land use policies could have on development can also be seen. This will allow decision-makers to draw the best possible conclusions and allow them the best possible opportunity to develop policies that will contribute to creating sustainable and lasting urban areas. / Dissertation (MSc (Geoinformatics))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MSc (Geoinformatics) / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The nature of naval member’s job demands is that they experience high levels of stress. Stress is introduced in military training to familiarize sailors with real life stressors. This study is located in piloting and validity theory. It focuses explicitly on validating an existing tool, the Therapeutic Recreation Stress Leisure Appraisal Tool, to measure stress in the South African Navy. This study aimed to pilot and evaluate the validity and reliability of the developed tool in an African context in the South African Navy. A multi-stage procedure of instrument development using the instrument development model will be used, consisting of the following steps: 1) preliminary phase, 2) questionnaire development, 3) pilot testing, and 4) evaluation.

This thesis critiques the representations, and lacunas in representation, of teenage girls’ sexual desires in a selection of young adult (YA) novels written since the turn of the millenium, considering their contributions either to a necessary opening up of a cultural discourse of girls’ desire, or to the prevalent dangerous silencing of such a discourse. It takes as a point of departure the perspective that, to the extent that YA fiction engages with that which is sexy about sex, it is an ideal safe, private space for girls’ exploration of their sexual subjectivities. Through critical analysis informed by interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives, as well as by autoethnographic life writing, the research uncovers a marked tendency for YA fiction to construct girls’ desire as doubly wrong: girls are most commonly represented not only as the wrong gender for desire, but also as having individual particularities that are wrong for desire. Thus South African heroines are constructed as inhabiting the wrong country for desire, their desires inextricably linked to violence. Bisexual heroines are constructed as liking the wrong objects of desire, their desires desexualized, monosexualized, and submerged under essentialist stereotype. And conspicuous-breasted girls who experienced puberty early are constructed as possessing the wrong bodies for desire, representation of them among YA heroines largely an inhospitable absence. The research supports, however, the contention that spaces for the liberation of a genuine discourse of girls’ desire may be found in lesbian-focussed stories that hold themselves apart from the patriarchy of compulsory heterosexuality; and it finds that such spaces may also be carved out by heroines who interrogate their own desires in thoughtful, nuanced ways and, especially, by the exceptional few stories that engage with that which is sexy about sex, and thus open a discourse of desire through the direct evocation of desire itself. / Thesis (DLitt (English))--University of Pretoria, 2019. / English / DLitt (English) / Unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

In the context of automated vehicles, transparency of in-vehicle intelligent agents (IVIAs) is an important contributor to drivers' perception, situation awareness (SA), and driving performance. However, the effects of agent transparency on driver performance when the agent is unreliable have not been fully examined yet. The experiments in this Thesis focused on different aspects of IVIA's transparency, such as interaction modes and information levels, and explored their impact on drivers considering different system reliability. In Experiment 1, a 2 x 2 mixed factorial design was used in this study, with transparency (Push: proactive vs. Pull: on-demand) as a within-subjects variable and reliability (high vs. low) as a between-subjects variable. In a driving simulator, twenty-seven young drivers drove with two types of in-vehicle agents during Level 3 automated driving. Results suggested that participants generally preferred the Push-type agent, as it conveyed a sense of intelligence and competence. The high-reliability agent was associated with higher situation awareness and less workload, compared to the low-reliability agent. Although Experiment 1 explored the effects of transparency by changing the interaction mode and the accuracy of the information, a theoretical framework was not well outlined regarding how much information should be conveyed and how unreliable information influenced drivers. Thus, Experiment 2 further studied the transparency regrading information level, and the impact of reliability on its effect. A 3 x 2 mixed factorial design was used in this study, with transparency (T1, T2, T3) as a between-subject variable and reliability (high vs. low) as a within-subjects variable. Fifty-three participants were recruited. Results suggested that transparency influenced drivers' takeover time, lane keeping, and jerk. The high-reliability agent was associated with the higher perception of system accuracy and response speed, and longer takeover time than the low-reliability agent. Participants in T2 transparency showed higher cognitive trust, lower workload, and higher situation awareness only when system reliability was high. The results of this study may have significant effects on the ongoing creation and advancement of intelligent agent design in automated vehicles. / Master of Science / This thesis explores the effects of system's transparency and reliability of the in-vehicle intelligent agents (IVIAs) on drivers' performance and perception in the context of automated vehicles. Transparency is defined as the amount of information and the way to be shared with the operator about the function of the system. Reliability refers to the accuracy of the agent's statements. The experiments focused on different aspects of IVIA's transparency, such as interaction modes (proactive vs. on-demand) and information composition (small vs. medium vs. large), and how they impact drivers considering different system reliability. In the experiment, participants were required to drive in the driving simulator and follow the voice command from the IVIAs. A theoretical model called Situation Awareness-based Agent Transparency Model was adopted to build the agent's interactive scripts. In Experiment 1, 27 young drivers drove with two types of in-vehicle agents during Level 3 automated driving. Results suggested that participants generally preferred the agent that provided information proactively, and it conveyed a sense of intelligence and competence. Also, when the system's reliability is high, participants were found to have higher situation awareness of the environment and spent less effort on the driving tasks, compared to when the system's reliability is low. Our result also showed that these two factors can jointly influence participants' driving performance when they need to take over control from the automated system. Experiment 2 further studied the transparency regarding the information composition of the agent's voice prompt and the impact of reliability on its effect. A total of 53 participants were recruited, and the results suggested that transparency influenced drivers' takeover time, lane keeping, and jerk. The high-reliability agent was associated with a higher perception of system accuracy and response speed and a longer time to take over when requested than the low-reliability agent. Participants in the medium transparency condition showed higher cognitive trust toward the system, perceived lower workload when driving, and higher situation awareness only when system reliability was high. Overall, this research highlights the importance of transparency in IVIAs for improving drivers' performance, perception, and situation awareness. The results may have significant implications for the design and advancement of intelligent agents in automated vehicles.