Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar ( Sustainable Ecological Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Sustainability reporting is becoming increasingly important, and governments and stock exchanges of many countries require or strongly encourage businesses to provide some level of sustainability reporting. South Africa is one of few emerging market economies and the only country in Africa which show substantial sustainability reporting activities. In South Africa, sustainable development has been recognised at a constitutional and legislative level. Companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) must integrate sustainability reporting with financial reporting, or explain why they are not complying. Establishing a suitable sustainability reporting framework should therefore be part of the strategic integration of sustainability with other aspects of organisational planning and decision-making. This study suggests such a framework of standards and indicators for sustainability reporting in South African businesses, and evaluates it in South African listed companies. Mixed methods research was used in two phases. In phase 1, a critical analysis of the literature produced a framework of standards and indicators to be used as a measure to evaluate sustainability reporting in South Africa. In phase 2, first hand, original data was collected by performing a quantitative content analysis of sustainability reports of 84 companies listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange with the aim to identify standards and indicators that are applied in the content of sustainability reports in South Africa. Quantitative content analysis involves analysing material and then classifying it into various coding units or themes found in the material - it is a systematic way of converting text to numerical variables for quantitative data analysis.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Stakeholders have demanded that strategic disclosure and sustainability reporting of companies are disclosed in more detail in order for the different stakeholders to form an opinion whether to invest, partner and contribute towards the sustainability of the company. Different stakeholders require different disclosure. Various bodies have been formed to established guidelines for sustainable reporting. The Global Reporting Initiative has become the leader in the field and have implemented the fourth generation of their Sustainable Reporting Guidelines. This study was to evaluate the strategic sustainable disclosure of companies in the banking and retail sectors. Five companies from each sector were selected being consistent with previous studies. The previous studies utilised the 2010 and 2011 information with this study focusing on the 2012 company reports. The reports used were the integrated annual reports, sustainability reports and annual financial statements where applicable. Strategic disclosure was evaluated against three different baseline models. Two of these models, being baseline 1 and baseline 2, were used in previous studies with a new baseline being introduced. Baseline 1 was based on the Global Reporting Initiatives third generation guidelines with seven reporting elements. Baseline 2 was based on the elements of the strategic architecture framework with eight reporting elements. Baseline 3 was based on the new Global Reporting Initiatives fourth generation reporting guidelines, which were issued in May 2013. The main differences from the Global Reporting Initiatives third generation and fourth generation was moving previous standard requirements to guidelines and the introduction of new standard disclosures. The study results showed an overall improvement in both sectors for all the companies using baseline 1 and 2 from 2011 to 2012. Baseline 3 differed to baseline 1 in only the organisational profile element with an additional fourteen questions but the removal of four questions. The results of the organisational profile were markedly worse than baseline 1 with an overall drop of 23% and 18% for the banking and retail sector respectively. Baseline 1 should be replaced by baseline 3 moving from the third to fourth generation of the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability guidelines.

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of: Masters of Commerce University of the Witwatersrand / In recent years, the call for companies to account for their activities to a wide group of stakeholders has grown. Integrated reporting provides a platform for such stakeholder communication. Recent studies have, however, concluded that integrated reporting is viewed merely as an exercise to be undertaken to ensure compliance. This thesis explores the challenges faced by those charged with the preparation of the integrated report in the South African eco-tourism industry. It adopts a social constructivist ontology and is grounded in an interpretive epistemology. The eco-tourism industry is particularly suited to this study as the notion of sustainability and, more recently, integrated reporting is of great importance in a rapidly growing industry which places significant reliance on natural resources. It is required to deliver economic profits whilst ensuring that the differing needs of a range of stakeholders are met. A theoretical framework of change implementation, based on different mechanisms presented by existing literature, was developed and used in exploring the challenges encountered by a case organisation when preparing its integrated report. A qualitative case study was undertaken in which the role-players in the preparation of the integrated report of the case entity were interviewed, and the minutes of internal meetings and workshops and an external assurance report were reviewed. In this context, this thesis provides further understanding of the challenges faced by organisations in the preparation of an integrated report, providing insight into how preparers are interpreting and applying the guidelines found in the integrated reporting frameworks and codes on corporate governance. / MT2017

Sustainability has gained prominence globally among nations, regions and organisations as a result of factors such as the effects of climate change on the environment, diminishing natural resources and rising population growth with their concomitant impact on economies and social systems. South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) that promotes international principles and best practices on sustainable development. Sustainability Reporting is one such best practice. Sustainability Reporting is imperative for good governance and organisations are now expected to support sustainability issues, risks and performance in a balanced and reasonable way. The United Nations and other global bodies have been in the vanguard in promoting guidelines for sustainability reporting with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) being the most Prominent Sustainability reporting guideline. The South African Higher Education Institutions generate a number of reports in the course of any given academic year. As has been the case in the global corporate world, failures in governance in some South African universities point to weaknesses in their governance, especially when it comes to oversight of the operations of institutions. Considering this, it is important to critically examine strategic planning processes to understand the aspects that are important for the survival of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and therefore they should be regularly and closely monitored. The study begins by exploring literature relating to strategic planning, governance, sustainability reporting practices and Business Intelligence (BI) technologies in Higher Education. The primary objective of the investigation is to propose a sustainability reporting framework for Higher Education Institutions in South Africa. It is argued that with the aid of appropriate BI tools, the proposed Sustainability Reporting framework would be useful in tracking progress in the implementation of strategic plans and at the same time strengthen governance in institutions. The study identified elements of Sustainability Reporting that are important for strategic planning. To develop the proposed framework, an empirical investigation was undertaken. Four online questionnaires were completed and returned by 108 participants comprising of Registrars and Information Managers at 23 South African Higher Education Institutions as well as to Information Managers in selected International Higher Education Institutions and Managers at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). The online questionnaires were developed to elicit information to include in the proposed framework. To analyse results, both descriptive and inferential statistics such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used. Results from the surveys revealed that Higher Education Institutions globally and in South Africa are grappling with the same issues. When it comes to Sustainability Reporting, factors such as information culture and Business Intelligence maturity levels were not found to be very different among the various institutions. In the case study at NMMU, correlational analysis confirmed that variables such as Management buying and the availability of BI reports were positively related to effective strategic planning and vice versa. Similarly, a strong correlation was observed between reporting guidelines and strategic planning. Moreover, the study highlighted the critical role of management and leadership in a university in creating an environment that supports Sustainability Reporting. In conclusion, it was recommended that efforts should be directed at creating awareness and at training staff on aspects that promote sustainability. It is incumbent upon the institution to take advantage of and promote technological tools and techniques to enable the easy flow of data and information in understandable and usable formats to all its stakeholders. Finally, a Framework for Sustainability Reporting for Higher Education Institutions (FSRHEI) and guidelines for implementing Sustainability Reports are proposed.

Ph.D. / This study investigated the nature of collaboration between three institutions: the school, NGO and community (local leaders and members) in enabling sustainable development in regard to the creation of livelihoods and conservation. Two school-based environmental education programmes in South Africa and Tanzania were used to investigate the nature and issues of collaboration involving the tripartite institutions. Adopting pragmatic and critical paradigms, a mixed model approach formed the framework within which the study was conducted. A mixed model emphasising qualitative methods was appropriate and proved useful enabling insightful investigations. The study found that the nature of collaboration between the tripartite institutions was superfluous. Inspired by their traditional roles and modernistic competitive practices, most institutions preferred independent or singularist approaches and weaker inter-relationships to openness and closer working partnerships for survival. The resultant deliberate negation of developing local capacities promoted the traditional independent relational status quo, which assured little or no innovative approaches to conservation and livelihood creation. The isolated and independent institutional activity implementation approaches led to institutions copying each other as opposed to learning from each other innovatively as enunciated in communities of practice. The position thus contributed in stifling the efforts that could drive sustainable development activities in local communities through the institutions. It also impeded the development of familiarity between, and among the institutions further discouraging meaningful collaboration. Local institutions thus isolated themselves from each other making themselves vulnerable to external forces that further derailed their efforts to contribute towards education, conservation and the creation of livelihoods in local contexts. It is recommended that NGOs involved in education and environmental activities, and the government departments of education in particular assist educators to establish forums and nurture them to attain functional capacities. This is one way of encouraging continuous professional development and growth. Learners must be exposed to as many active learning opportunities as possible, which include activities in the community as part of their formal education requirements and assessment for their final grades. Furthermore, more innovative approaches are required in introducing curriculum changes to educators and involving them to co-interpret such changes with the developers to fit respective contexts and to meaningfully contribute in implementing the envisaged changes. NGOs should invest material and financial resources in school and community programmes during implementation to illuminate deeper socio-economic, cultural and political community issues that influence community development and well-being as a core activity. Indeed conventional education and community development programmes should be integrated in design, budgets, and capacity-building objectives and implementation plans to effectively demonstrate natural community or societal systemic functions essential for nurturing sustainable communities. In conclusion, it is recommended that a critical review of such knowledge claims as "poverty causes environmental degradation" and some of the models that are popularly used in most environmental education activities which relate to human-nature interactions be exposed to learners and community development workers as a way of enabling them to engage with such knowledge claims and realities. The continuing reliance on such false science does not promote a practical understanding, practice, or foster self-sustaining communities for the current generation and posterity.

The dissertation is rooted in the implications of the policy on Transfrontier Conservation Areas. It is a comparative policy analysis study of sustainable development in South Africa between the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area and Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Resource Area. Qualitative research methodology and theoretical analysis are used in this research. Qualitative research answers the question, “what is going on here?” (Bouma, 1996: 169). The research on the two Transfrontier Conservation Area is investigated through literature review and to a lesser extent by conducting face to face interviews with government officials dealing with the two Transfrontier Conservation Areas. The approach in the research is the Managerial approach. “The focus of the management approach is the improvement of the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the public sector by the utilisation of techniques which were once regarded purely appropriate to the private profit sector” (Parsons, 1995: 479). The dissertation also examine the effects of the two TFCA’s in question on Ecotourism, Economic growth and the conservation of biodiversity for sustainable development in South Africa within the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiative. Chapter one is the introduction, the rationale for the dissertation, background and objectives of the study. Chapter two is the theoretical framework in detail which define the managerial approach technique used in the research. Chapter three explain Sustainable Development. It looks at various arguments by the different school of thoughts. It also explains the link between the economy and the environment. In chapter four Environmental Economics and the TFCA’s are looked into as part of the aim of the dissertation to establish whether the policy of the TFCA’s on economic growth and sustainable development is viable or not. Chapter five examine Ecotourism as one of the sub-themes of the dissertation. Ecotourism is defined and the value of ecotourism is examined. Integrated tourism plan is also discussed in the chapter in order to determine the effects of TFCA’s in question on ecotourism. Chapter six deals with the case study no. one of the dissertation which is the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. It is an indepth study on this TFCA i.e. history of the region of these protected areas, management structures, zonation rivers, diseases etc. Chapter seven is a further expansion on the case study no. one and looks at the developmental aspects of the TFCA. Chapter eight deals with the second case study of the dissertation which is the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area. It describes in detail the composite parts of this TFCA. It also looks at sociological, cultural and historical resources of the TFCA in question. Opportunities for development and the activities that can boost the economic growth of the region and the surrounding communities. Chapter nine is the concluding chapter of the dissertation which gives findings and recommendation of the dissertation. / Dissertation (MA(Political science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

This study considers a Grade 9 Integrated Environmental Research Project which was implemented as a vehicle to induce knowledge-based change in learners. It was noted that change did not occur as hoped, and this study was undertaken to review the Grade 9 Project in order to improve it and to probe the apparent gap between knowledge and action. The study generated evidence on the learning processes within the project. This revealed a number of contradictions and tensions which limit change initiatives within the local environment. Notable here was a contradictory mandate between undertaking a research-based change project and responding to the rubric of assessment which was not linked to the research done. It was found that faced with this dual mandate, learners chose to focus on the assessment-laden mandate as this was the ultimate agenda that would reap the reward within the traditional school environment. The study examines the gap between knowledge and practice to probe ways in which to close this gap in the context of an environmental research assignment. The outcome is a recommendation that we as the project designers review the evidence of tensions and contradictions revealed in the study to reflect on the underlying purpose of the project and reshape it in light of recent literature on the challenges of social learning and change.

M.A. (Social Development) / The North West Province is predominately comprised of rural areas. The occupants of these areas are mostly rural, underprivileged with only a few of the important basic facilities. In most areas the community still get water from the village tap, use wood for heating and candles for lighting. Unemployment is rife, despite the fact that there are mines around Rustenburg, the area in which this study is carried out, has quite a number of people who are jobless. Community Development Projects have been started in this area of the province to uplift the standard of living of these communities, but to no avail. The aim of this study ls to investigate the opinions of participants concerning these projects, with the final aim of improving maximum participation. The failure of these projects is a concern to service providers, service consumers and funders.