The purpose of this study was to model the demand for higher education enrollments and to determine whether or not enrollments were price elastic among Virginia's public four-year institutions. The underlying intent was to check the feasibility of a human capital theory based methodology for examining the demand dependency of higher education institutions in Virginia. Price elasticity and other determinants of enrollments were observed across different institutional groupings to observe the differential effects of these factors given institutional type or individual institution characteristics. The analyses were based upon the investment approach to human capital theory as adapted to the study of educational demand. Accordingly, it was assumed that individuals will display a willingness to invest in themselves by enrolling in a college or university because they believe that such an investment will accrue both financial and psychological benefits. Multiple linear regression was used to model five sets of determinants across three levels of analysis: statewide, institutional type (major universities, prior normal schools, and urban institutions), and individual institutions. The direct cost of attendance, the size of the eligible population of prospective students, the educational attainment of the students' locale, and the rural nature of the students' environment generally were found to have significant effects on enrollment. Price, or the direct cost of attendance, was primarily negative and statistically significant for all types of institutions except the major universities and the one special purpose, military institute in the state. Several factors indicated that the location of the institution was important. In other words, students tended to enroll in nearby as opposed to distant institutions, while a geographically concentrated pool of institutions restricted the dependency of these same institutions on local student populations. A cross-sectional design was used in this study, therefore the resultant demand models were descriptive only of the time period covered in these analyses. Nevertheless, such research should be useful in assessing the impact on enrollments of selected demand factors and in determining the efficacy of the investment approach applied in this and similar research efforts. / Ph. D.

Oregon's nursery and greenhouse industry has ranked the first in the State's agricultural for 18 years. The majority of nursery sales from the Pacific Northwest come from Oregon. Due to data limitations, empirical study of the Oregon nursery industry is rare. The present dissertation consists of three essays that analyze the demand and supply of inputs and outputs and the relationship between producers and retailers in the Oregon nursery industry. Chapter 2 identifies the major factors affecting farm labor supply and demand and evaluates their relative importance in the Oregon nursery industry from 1991 to 2008. Empirical results show that border control effort doesn't have an influential role in labor supply, while the Oregon and Mexican minimum wage do. It is because of the substantial gap between the U.S. and Mexican economies, reflected for an example in the minimum wage gap, which attracts a continual flow of immigrants. Risk of border apprehension is not great enough to prevent the flow. Increases in Oregon minimum wage is more effective than border apprehension policies in boosting the average wage and in reducing the number of hours that illegal immigrants work in the nursery sector. Chapter 3 investigates producers' and retailers' choices of, and reactions to, various contract types in the Oregon nursery industry from 2005 to 2010. As new and fast-growing retailers in the industry, big-box stores are less likely than independent retailers to make pre-order contracts with the producer. However, once a pre-order contract is chosen, big-box stores demand more days of pre-order interval than independent retailers do. Transactions with independent retailers exhibit – on average over the sample range – scale economies and scope diseconomies. Boosting per-transaction revenue scale and the number of species sold to big-box stores enhances transaction efficiency. Chapter 4 examines the interaction between supply and demand in Oregon nursery products. The result indicates that the production and transaction costs are major drivers on the supply side, while transportation costs and consumer demand for nursery products play important roles on the demand side. At the genus level, the supply elasticities of coniferous plants are larger than those of deciduous plants, which in turn are higher than those of flowering plants. The demand elasticities are the lowest in coniferous trees followed by deciduous plants, then flowering plants. Price discounts on plants with high demand elasticities would significantly boost sales and enlarge the market, while those on plants with low demand elasticities would have less sales impact. Empirically, patenting seems to bring no direct signs of greater profitability. The wholesale nursery may wish to reconsider the pricing and marketing policies of its patented plants to differentiate them more effectively from its non-patented plants. / Graduation date: 2013

Published Article / Modern philosophy left us with an unbridgeable divide between factual reality and the domain of values (normativity). This article first of all analyze modal norms, such as the principle of avoiding what is legally excessive. There are distinct but mutually cohering kinds of laws. The distinction between modal laws / norms and type laws / norms required an example from the domain of human society - John Locke and Adam Smith, whose ideas in practice gave birth to trade unionism and labour parties. The idea of an "invisible hand" (manifest in the "free market") operates with exact (natural) laws, such as supply and demand. When modal norms are distinguished from type norms it becomes clear that states and a business enterprises can act uneconomically by wasting their money although they ought to function in a way that is guided by economic considerations of frugality. As an example the well-known natural law of energy-conservation is explained as the embodiment of an analogical link between the physical aspect and the kinematic aspect which should rather be designated as the law of energy-constancy. Finally the problem of normativity is related to the coherence between the logical-analytical aspect and its coherence with the aspects of number and space - focused on the principle of the excluded middle and its implications for diverging schools of thought within twentieth century mathematics. The last subsection concludes with reference to the norms guiding technological developments and with an assessment of the meaning of technology.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology, (Tourism Management) in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Durban University of Technology, 2009. / There is a growing demand for professionally educated and trained staff in the tourism sector. However, current literature reveals a significant disparity between the tourism education provided by institutions and the skills required by the industry. A major challenge facing tourism education institutions is the identification of industry needs and requirements and the involvement of industry in curriculum design. The aim of this research is to examine the education, skills and training required of tourism employees and whether the provisions of higher education tourism courses are adequately meeting industry needs. Identifying this „gap‟ will assist in improving the development of tourism education programmes to meet the needs of industry. The research examines the relevance of the tourisms qualification from three stakeholders‟ perspectives, namely, managers from the tourism sector, tourism graduate employees, and tourism academics. Surveys, in the form of structured questionnaires, were used to obtain information from the three groups. The overall findings of the study revealed that gaps do exist in the tourism curriculum according to the perceptions of stakeholder groups that participated in this study. The recommendations are that closer collaboration is required between academics, managers from the industry when designing tourism curriculum and also to sustain the relevance of the curriculum to meet the needs of industry.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Currently, staff retention is one of the major challenges facing ICT organisations. It is a well-documented fact, that the advantages of staff retention strategies far outweigh the cost of implementation, and serves as a major source of competitive advantage. The ICT industry is typically characterised by a fast moving pace, demanding clients and a volatile external environment. Due to skills shortage and the short time-tomarket requirements of clients within the ICT industry, losing key staff can have a detrimental influence on the ability of an organisation to meet its client’s requirements. This case study endeavors to provide a practical example of an organisation in the ICT space which is experiencing relatively high staff turnover (approximately between 26% to 30% per year). Secondary research evidence is provided in the form of actual staff turnover figures including their stated reason for leaving. Further, an in-depth study is done employing primary research conducted by means of a survey in order to establish the root cause of the high staff turnover rate within the organisation. Finally, integrating and superimposing the best practices identified in the literature review and the primary and secondary research analysis, recommendations are made on how to strategically address the high turnover with staff retention initiatives and thus improve the productivity and competitive advantage of the organisation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Werknemersretensie poog om ‘n besonderse uitdaging te lewer vir maatskappye in die Informasie, Kommunikasie en Tegnologiese (IKT) industrie. Dit is ‘n goedgedokumenteerde feit dat die voordele van die implementering van werknemersretensie-initatiewe oorskry die kostes vir die implementering daarvan wesenlik. Verder dien hierdie inisiatiewe by tot ‘n versterkde kompeterendevoordeel binne die mark. Die IKT industrie word tipies gekarakteriseer deur ‘n baie hoë pas van tegnologiese verandering, ongeduldige kliënte en ‘n volatiele eksterne omgewing. As gevolg van die kundigheidstekort en die kort ontplooiings-periode vereistes van kliënte in die IKT industrie, kan maatskappy fisies nie bekostig om kernwerknemers te verloor nie aangesien dit maatskappye se vermoëns om kliënte te diens wesenlik affekteer. Hierdie gevallestudie poog om ‘n praktiese voorbeeld te verskaf van ‘n maatskappy in die IKT industrie wat tans relatiewe hoë werknemersomset ondervind (tussen 26% en 30% per jaar). Sekondere navorsingsdata word verskaf in die vorm van werklike werknemersomset statistiek. By wyse van die ontleding van primere navorsingsdata (verkry deur ‘n elektronisese opname onder al die werknemers), tesame met die sekondere data word die kernredes geidentifiseer vir die hoë werknemersomset in die maatskappy. Laasstens, deur middel van die integrasie van die beste-praktyke geidentifiseer in die literatuurstudie en die navorsingsresultate word voorstelle en aanbevelings verskaf om die hoë werknemersomset aan te spreek. Die voorstelle is gepeil op ‘n strategiese vlak en poog sodoende om die operasionele effektiwiteit en kompeterendevoordeel van die maatskappy te versterk.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The shortage of skilled labour in South Africa and also abroad is well documented and has been discussed and debated in various media and on various stages. For the construction industry, the only response is to increase remuneration in order to attract the required resources from a limited pool. At the completion of a project, these resources are returned to the open market until another project has been secured. The cycle of supply and demand then continues and project capital costs increase. Sasol is small player in a very large and fiercely competitive global petrochemical industry. Its globalisation drive focuses on the establishment on new petrochemical facilities based on its ground breaking Gas-to-Liquids technology. Naturally, this requires many skilled and experience people – both in Sasol’s unique production processes as well as people able to commission and start-up a pioneer plant in a remote location. Due to the fact that the labour pool available to Sasol is insufficient to supply in its needs and that Sasol’s capital expansion plan spans a period of more than 10 years, a long-term view on supplying the required labour should be taken. This includes estimating the demand and then training pro-actively in order to supply the right skills at the right time from internal resources. The objective of this study is to do exploratory research into estimating the manpower requirements from an owner perspective from the initiation of construction through to steady state operation of a new petrochemical facility. The research will culminate in a proposed spreadsheet model that can be used in the estimating process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tekort aan geskoolde arbeid in beide Suid Afrika en die internasionale mark is al by verskeie geleenthede en in vele media bespreek. Die gevolg van die tekort aan geskoolde arbeid is dat die lone wat deur die konstruksie industrie aan voornemende werkers aangebied moet word om hulle dienste te verseker, al hoër word. Met die voltooiing van ’n projek, keer die werkers dan weer terug na die beperkte arbeidspoel totdat ’n volgende werksgeleentheid aangebied word. Die siklus van aanbod en aanvraag herhaal homself en die koste van projekte verhoog. Sasol is ’n klein speler in die baie mededingende internasionale petrochemiese sektor. Sasol se globaliseringsambisies is geskoei op ’n model wat voorsiening maak vir die duplisering van sy kommersieel beproefde Gas-na-Vloeistof tegnologie soos bedryf in Suid Afrika. Uit die aard van die saak vereis so ’n strategie baie geskoolde arbeid – arbeid wat vertroud is met Sasol se gepatenteerde tegnologie sowel as arbeid wat kennis het van die bou en inbedryfstelling van nuwe aanlegte. Die huidige bronne van geskoolde arbeid tot Sasol se beskikking is onvoldoende vir sy huidige en ook toekomstige behoeftes. Sasol se beplande kapitaal projekte strek tot verby 2015 en daarom is ’n langtermyn oplossing noodsaaklik en ook geregverdig. Die langtermyn plan moet onder meer voorsiening maak vir ’n beraming van die behoefte en dan proaktiewe opleiding inisieer wat die regte tipe geskoolde arbeid op die gegewe tyd sal kan aflewer. Die oogmerk van die studie is om eksploratiewe navorsing te doen in die beraming van mannekrag behoeftes vir die toekomstige eienaar vanaf die inisiëring van konstruksie vir ’n nuwe petrochemiese aanleg tot by bestendige bedryf. Die navorsing sal beslag vind in ’n sigblad model wat as instrument gebruik kan word om die beraming van mannekrag behoeftes te vergemaklik.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The shortage of nurse educators has an effect on the training of current and future nurses. A shortage of nurse educators leads to the inability to increase the number of student nurses, which results in a lack of trained nursing staff to meet the healthcare needs of the South African population. There is a need to gain an understanding of why nurse educators enter into and remain in academia versus the reasons why nurse practitioners – specifically registered nurses (RN) – choose to enter into and remain in practice. The prioritised reasons for entering into and remaining in nurse academia were investigated with a focus on: i.) The difference between the reasons why RNs enter into and remain in nursing practice ii.) The difference between the reasons why nurse educators enter into and remain in academia iii.) The difference between the reasons why RNs enter into nursing practice and reasons for nurse educators entering into academia iv.) The difference between the reasons why RNs remain in nursing practice and reasons why nurse educators remain in academia A descriptive, quantitative design was used to explore the factors that lead to nurses entering into and remaining in academia. An on-line, self-administered survey was used as the primary data collection instrument. Data was tabulated and presented in histograms and frequencies. The study found that: i.) RNs enter into and remain in nursing practice for the same reasons ii.) That nurse educators enter into and remain in academia for different reasons iii.) That RNs enter into nursing practice and nurse educators enter into academia for different reasons iv.) The primary reason for RNs remaining in nursing practice and nurse educators remaining in academia are the same The shortage of nurse educators is critical and it is essential that NEIs begin to institute plans focussing on the reasons behind nurse educators’ decision to stay in nursing education. Private NEIs should use the findings of this study to focus on areas that indicate satisfaction with the position rather than dissatisfaction in order to develop specific attraction and retention strategies.

Universal service is the focal point of the economic dilemma faced by the telecommunications industry. The advent of competition spurred by several regulatory rulings is forcing rates towards economic costs. It is feared that this movement or the erosion of the toll-to-local subsidy with concomitant increases in local prices severely threatens the concept of universal service. To adequately address these fears, accurate elasticity of demand estimates for telephone access are required. This thesis develops estimates of these demand elasticities for access. These estimates are derived consistently from an underlying theory of demand for access. Furthermore, the simultaneous access and class-of-service choice problems are addressed similarly. This consistent development facilitates model usage and interpretation. For example, the model provides the best available estimate for the size of the network externality. Taking into account the underlying demand theory and acknowledging the problems associated with the aggregated nature of the data set (census tract data from 1980 Census), a modified probit technique is developed to estimate the demand model. The estimation methodology is implemented using an iterative least square procedure. To analyze the reasonableness of the algorithm and procedure, a Monte Carlo study is performed. In addition, a jackknife technique is employed to estimate variances of coefficients when the standard measures are unavailable. The model results are used to analyze the effect of current policy decisions. For example, for a proposed doubling of access prices the demand for access elasticity is found to be quite small, about -.04. A welfare analysis is performed to discuss the costs and benefits associated with moving to cost-based rates. This analysis also provides the basis for rate recommendations to facilitate the transition to competition while attempting to preserve the concept of universal service.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Currently, staff retention is one of the major challenges facing ICT organisations. It is a well-documented fact, that the advantages of staff retention strategies far outweigh the cost of implementation, and serves as a major source of competitive advantage. The ICT industry is typically characterised by a fast moving pace, demanding clients and a volatile external environment. Due to skills shortage and the short time-tomarket requirements of clients within the ICT industry, losing key staff can have a detrimental influence on the ability of an organisation to meet its client’s requirements. This case study endeavors to provide a practical example of an organisation in the ICT space which is experiencing relatively high staff turnover (approximately between 26% to 30% per year). Secondary research evidence is provided in the form of actual staff turnover figures including their stated reason for leaving. Further, an in-depth study is done employing primary research conducted by means of a survey in order to establish the root cause of the high staff turnover rate within the organisation. Finally, integrating and superimposing the best practices identified in the literature review and the primary and secondary research analysis, recommendations are made on how to strategically address the high turnover with staff retention initiatives and thus improve the productivity and competitive advantage of the organisation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Werknemersretensie poog om ‘n besonderse uitdaging te lewer vir maatskappye in die Informasie, Kommunikasie en Tegnologiese (IKT) industrie. Dit is ‘n goedgedokumenteerde feit dat die voordele van die implementering van werknemersretensie-initatiewe oorskry die kostes vir die implementering daarvan wesenlik. Verder dien hierdie inisiatiewe by tot ‘n versterkde kompeterendevoordeel binne die mark. Die IKT industrie word tipies gekarakteriseer deur ‘n baie hoë pas van tegnologiese verandering, ongeduldige kliënte en ‘n volatiele eksterne omgewing. As gevolg van die kundigheidstekort en die kort ontplooiings-periode vereistes van kliënte in die IKT industrie, kan maatskappy fisies nie bekostig om kernwerknemers te verloor nie aangesien dit maatskappye se vermoëns om kliënte te diens wesenlik affekteer. Hierdie gevallestudie poog om ‘n praktiese voorbeeld te verskaf van ‘n maatskappy in die IKT industrie wat tans relatiewe hoë werknemersomset ondervind (tussen 26% en 30% per jaar). Sekondere navorsingsdata word verskaf in die vorm van werklike werknemersomset statistiek. By wyse van die ontleding van primere navorsingsdata (verkry deur ‘n elektronisese opname onder al die werknemers), tesame met die sekondere data word die kernredes geidentifiseer vir die hoë werknemersomset in die maatskappy. Laasstens, deur middel van die integrasie van die beste-praktyke geidentifiseer in die literatuurstudie en die navorsingsresultate word voorstelle en aanbevelings verskaf om die hoë werknemersomset aan te spreek. Die voorstelle is gepeil op ‘n strategiese vlak en poog sodoende om die operasionele effektiwiteit en kompeterendevoordeel van die maatskappy te versterk.

We have developed a computerized version of Charles Holt’s classical market game that can be used even in classes with a large audience. The Pit market game gives students intuitive access to the interaction of supply and demand in real-world markets. Even though trade can take place at non-uniform prices in the classroom game, the average price and the quantity traded are usually very close to the equilibrium values predicted by supply and demand curves. The classroom game can also be used for a lively discussion about the efficiency of markets or to show the consequences of taxes and regulatory interventions.