Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary purpose of this study is to explore the social media habits of South African previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs and the way in which the activity of online social networking through social networking sites (SNS) results in the outcome of building social capital for a business venture. At the heart of addressing the research topic is the concept of selfefficacy, which is explored as a key component of human motivation and behaviour. The study explores how self-efficacy beliefs are developed with regard to social media usage and their potential to influence positive outcomes for a business. Based on the research topic, the study which is empirical in nature, has applied a qualitative research design in order to interpret rather than measure self-efficacy behaviours related to social media usage. A purposive non-probability sampling procedure has been adopted to select twelve previously disadvantaged South African entrepreneurs for the study. Semi-structured interviews provide for an interactive and insightful data collection process. As a qualitative study, attention is given to guidelines which establish reliability and validity. Key findings from the study support and refine established Internet selfefficacy research (Eastin & LaRose, 2000) based on Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986). Based on the established relationships between various constructs and self-efficacy beliefs, the results of the study have been interpreted positively. The findings of the study contribute to the current digital divide debate, and point to a narrowing of the access and participation gap. According to the sample, social media has become embedded in their daily lives for both social and business purposes, and is contributing towards building social capital. This study provides scope to further explore social media as a new opportunity for previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs in South Africa.

Social media has become one of the defining features of the technological advances known as Web 2.0. As social media has increased in popularity, so businesses are expected to participate. Social media platforms enable businesses to widely broadcast a message as well as interact directly with individual customers. Customers are also able to interact directly with one another and share information and reviews about products and services offered. This suits the tourism industry particularly well. Internationally, research has shown that individuals use social media and other online tools to research potential holiday destinations. In addition social media is used during travel to share snapshots and commentary as well as after travel, through reviews and recommendations on platforms such as TripAdvisor. However, few studies have investigated how tourism destinations use social media to attract new clients and retain existing clients. Very little research has been done on tourism and social media in South Africa despite the importance of this industry to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This study focused on four-star establishments within the photographic wildlife tourism industry in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. An initial survey of social media participation was carried out within the framework set out by Chan and Guillet (2011); this was then followed up with interviews with selected managers. Results showed that, in general, Private Game Reserves (PGRs) had embraced social media as a communication and marketing platform; despite concerns raised about the lack of control over content as well as poor understanding of the influence social media might have on the bottom line. TripAdvisor, Facebook and Twitter were the most commonly used platforms due to management familiarity with the platform and their ease of use. Few lodges utilised blogs or content sites such as YouTube and management cited time commitments associated with this type of platform as a reason for non-participation. However, although most PGRs or lodges had a profile on social media, this did not always mean active participation. Frequently, lodges began updating but gradually stopped after a few months. It was noted however that only one of the lodges interviewed retained an individual whose sole responsibility was social media; generally lodges did not feel that a dedicated person was necessary. This may result in a lack of time available on the part of the individual responsible or simply be a case of not understanding the platform or how to use it effectively. However, none of the PGRs with poor social media participation responded to interview requests and therefore it was not possible to determine the reasons for their poor participation. Among those lodges that actively participated, most succeed in retaining fans and followers through consistent posting of relevant and interesting content as well as customised responses that encouraged fans or followers’ interaction. However, there did not appear to be any evidence of using social media to learn about fans and followers in order to better customise the lodge offerings. This may not be necessary in this type of industry as PGRs sell a specific product and have a limited ability to customise offerings. In addition, there may be other sources of market information which lodges prefer to use. Special offers, competitions and promotions had limited success on social media. Generally, lodges used social media to promote links to a dedicated competition or promotions page. In conclusion, the managers interviewed felt strongly that social media had made a measureable impact on the tourism industry and was a channel that was here to stay. Further research around the best practice and most effective use will enable PGRs to develop and maintain effective strategies for social media participation.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1938 K42 / Master of Science

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Crowdsourcing is a new phenomenon, giving companies the ability to tap into the wisdom of crowds in order to solve complex problems, often at a fraction of the cost. In this document, the viability of crowdsourcing from the supply side is investigated with a market research questionnaire at the core of the research. Firstly, an overview of the current online crowdsourcing landscape is given with a focus on the big players, followed by a literature study on the motivation of solvers and their associated compensation needs. Because of the nature of crowdsourcing, an assumption is made that knowledge workers will be the biggest contributors in the form of solvers; this presumption is demonstrated by analysing responses to the questionnaire. The following research question is answered: What are the needs and profile of the solvers (supply side) of an internet platform that uses the principle of crowdsourcing to solve complex problems? It also answers the questions of many online crowdsourcing enthusiasts with regards to the typical solver and what their needs are, specifically with regards to compensation structures on these platforms. The typical solver profile was found to be predominantly male between the ages of 19 and 37, with a tertiary education or busy earning a degree of some sort and a strong will to become wealthy through applying this knowledge. These typical solvers have a primary objective to earn money with 100 per cent of the incentive paid to one „winner‟. They will participate more than three times even if they do not „win‟ the challenge and expect to earn more that R1 000 but less than R10 000 per day for this type of work. Certain limitations of the study are also addressed, like the clear self-selection bias and difficulty to generalise the findings to a well-defined group of people, as became evident from analysing questionnaire findings.

Tourism has become a major part of today's society and has been seen as a human privilege. The expansion of tourism makes travel more accessible to more people. Still, people with a disability can face difficulties when traveling for the purpose of tourism. Information becomes important to accomplish accessible tourism for everyone, but the problem in various tourism disciplines occurs with the lack of knowledge about people with disabilities.  Tourism has different disciplines. Transportation is one of the basics of making tourism accessible around the world. Transportation has a major impact on tourism development but also in tourist experiences. If the transportation mode is not accessible, it can be a negative experience for people with a disability and can affect the entire journey and their willingness to attempt further trips. Disability is a broad definition and it is important to understand that different disabilities require different needs and that everyone is individual. This study analyzes how hearing loss affects travelers and the understanding of; (1) What may be needed to assist people with hearing impairments when traveling; (2) How does traveling affect people with hearing impairment when they do not have accessibility? The method is a qualitative method with in-depth interviews because this study wants to understand and reflect participants’ experiences when traveling with a hearing impairment.

The purpose of the study is to highlight and investigate lack of basic services on city tourism in Bamenda from a national and an international stakeholders’ perspective. The study also aims to explore potential solutions and suggest improvements that can make Bamenda more competitive as a tourist destination. Basic services focused on has been insecurity, infrastructure shortage and unskilled personnel on tourism sub industries, electricity outages and unstable internet supply. To understand the scope of, the problem, a qualitative method approach was used whereby thirty-seven persons were interviewed. The respondents were adult males and females between the age range 38- 50 who have years of working experience and academic background that ranged from bachelor’s degree to Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D). The study identified government negligence in providing needed infrastructure and services as some of the biggest setbacks to the smooth functioning of the tourism industry in Bamenda. It was surprisingly realized that Bamenda has a diverse culture capable of attracting many international tourists as well as a very dynamic population. Additionally, it was noted that there is a devastating crisis of identity in the Cameroons that has brought tourism to near zero.

The tourism industry is today the most powerful driver of economic growth and development. Globalization plays a big role in diminishing traveling barriers across the globe, which has led to increased competition between destinations to identify themselves and delineate how they want to be perceived by tourists. In this case, developing a clear destination brand identity is paramount for success. Tourism destinations are complex; they are multidimensional and so are their consumer needs and stakeholders interests. The focal point of this research was on destination branding; it is crucial to have all the stakeholders on board. Consequently, a destination brand has to reflect the authentic identity of the destination hence differentiating it from its competitors. The purpose of the research was to explore stakeholders’ practices in destination branding, their attitude, experiences and expectations of branding Mombasa. The research was based on qualitative method where primary data was gathered through face to face interviews with the tourism stakeholders in Mombasa, and data collected was analysed using content analysis. The key findings include; lack of unity among stakeholders, Mombasa has not been branded, inadequate funds for branding Mombasa, and need for product diversification. The research concludes by suggesting step by step approach for branding the destination.

Trend of Sustainability is applied to city planning and try to achieve the sustainable development of a city and a town that is generous to people, environment and vitalise the economy at the same time. Initiatives for sustainable city planning in Japan is organized by the national Government, so called, FutureCity Initiative. This initiative enables to local city and representative to participate and act for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) within a city and aim sustainable development. Chiyoda city is one of the cities elected as an Eco-Model City’s FutureCity project. One of their approaches is to cooperate with local businesses group in Otemachi, Marunouchi, Yurakucho district (OMY district) to solve the environmental and social issues and contribute for their city to be sustainable. This thesis focuses on this OMY district that support a huge part of Japanese economy and aim to be the world most sustainable urban city to lead a sustainable earth in the future. When business leaders become main actors of sustainable city making, their business and economic knowledge and the interest to sustainability would be combined and influence the definition and understanding of ‘sustainability.’ It is important to acknowledge that the process of meaning making for sustainability, from a business perspective in capitalism and neoliberal society, has been influenced by historical factors that human beings has been prioritising economic growth and ideology of capitalism and affect the environment and vice versa. This also have impact on the structure of Tokyo including infrastructure, transportation, lifestyle, human behaviour in the future. In this circumstance, will it actually make the city sustainable for its environment, society and economy?

A atuação do Estado sempre foi crucial para que as economias nacionais elevassem sua produtividade, no sentido da promoção da industrialização, do aprendizado tecnológico e da inovação para superar o atraso econômico. Nesta tese mostraremos como essa atuação estatal é influenciada pela ação de grupos de interesse, que buscam defender seus valores, angariar vantagens econômicas e proteção diante a concorrência. No entanto, argumentamos que o ambiente institucional criado na relação histórica destes atores apresenta ineficiências que corroboraram para a não consecução dos objetivos propagados pelas políticas industriais mais recentes. Para tanto, investigaremos com maior detalhe como esse ambiente institucional se comporta em um momento de crescimento econômico e maior ativismo estatal, a partir de um efeito não esperado: a situação de escassez de profissionais de engenharia entre os anos 2006 e 2014. Com isso, objetivamos contribuir para a discussão sobre a influência de grupos de interesse na orientação econômica e política do Estado, bem como indicar novas formas de atuação do mesmo no sentido de promover uma economia mais inovadora e competitiva. / State action has been crucial for national economies to increase their productivity, in the sense of promoting industrialization, technological learning and innovation to overcome the economic backwardness. In this thesis we will show how this State action is influenced by interest groups that seek to defend their values, to obtain economic advantages and protection against competition. However, we argue that the institutional environment created in the historical relationship of these actors presents inefficiencies that corroborated the failure to achieve the objectives propagated by the most recent industrial policies. Therefore, we will investigate in more detail how this institutional environment behaves in a moment of economic growth and greater State activism through an unexpected effect: the situation of shortage of professionals of engineering between the years 2006 and 2014. We aim to contribute to the discussion about the influence of interest groups in the economic and political orientation of the State, as well as to indicate new ways of State action in order to promote a more innovative and competitive economy.

Este estudo busca fornecer subsídios para uma interpretação científica inovadora acerca de um fenômeno político e social pouco estudado na academia brasileira e, portanto, praticamente desconhecido do público nacional: a ascensão de um tipo especial de Islã político e militante representando no partido xiita libanês Hizballah durante a chamada guerra civil libanesa, cujo armistício coincidiu com o fim da Guerra Fria em 1989-91. Os grupos políticos e milicianos conservadores, progressistas e reformistas do conflito libanês, bem como a ingerência externa regional e internacional em favor de uns ou de outros e nos assuntos internos libaneses representaram o impulso que faltava para a culminação de um processo político e social que, desde os anos 1960, encontrava-se em gestação na comunidade xiita, historicamente à margem das instituições estatais e do controle das relações sociais de produção libanesas. Após o fim do conflito, o Hizballah adaptou e aprofundou um protagonismo político, econômico e social nunca antes observado entre os xiitas libaneses ao decidir participar das primeiras eleições parlamentares e municipais do pós-guerra. A partir do ano 2000, o partido adotou a defesa de uma espécie de nacionalismo concorrente de outras comunidades e grupos libaneses, e contrário a determinados agentes e interesses externos no Líbano. Ademais, o Hizballah assumiu a projeção e a execução de programas econômicos e sociais de assistência a parcelas da sociedade libanesa, sobretudo xiitas, destroçadas pelo conflito que recém findara e desamparadas por um Estado frágil e quase inexistente em diversas esferas. / This study intends to come up with an innovative scientific approach on a social and political phenomenon which is not a common subject or case study amongst Brazilian academics and, therefore, is deeply unknown to its national audience, i.e.: the rise of a special category of political and militant Islamist movement which is represented in the Lebanese Shiite party known as Hizballah during the Lebanese Civil War, whose armistice has coincided with the ending of the Cold War between 1989 and 1991. The conservative, progressive and reformist political groups and militias which have taken part in the Lebanese conflict, as well as foreign intervention be it regional or international in support of one or another of those parties at war and on Lebanese internal affairs have represented the impetus that lacked for the culmination of a social and political process which, since the 1960s, had been maturing among the Shiite community, historically marginalized and at bay respect to the states structure and services and to the control of Lebanese social relations of production. After the ending of the war, Hizballah has adapted and deepened its political, economic and social activism in a way that has never been observed before amongst Lebanese Shiites, especially when, back in the 1990s, the party decided to participate in the first parliamentary and municipal elections held in Lebanon after the war was over. In the 2000s, Hizballah has adopted the defense of a specific type of nationalism which competes with other Lebanese groups and sects and which is contrary to several foreign interests and agencies on Lebanon. Besides, Hizballah has taken on elaborating and performing social and economic welfare programs aimed at the Lebanese society, especially the Shiites, who have been devastated by the turmoil that not long ago had come to an end and hence felt helpless and abandoned by a fragile and absent state in many different ways and stances.