Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Supervisor: Prof. R. Tzoneva Co-supervisor: Prof. P. Petev 2013 / Busbars are the most important components in the distribution networks. Faults on the busbar are uncommon, however an occurrence of a busbar fault can lead to a major loss of power. Busbars are the areas in a substation where the levels of current are high and therefore the protective relay application is very critical. In order for the protection scheme to be successful it is important to carry out the following specifications: Selectivity, Stability, Sensitivity, and Speed. To meet all of the above requirements protection must be reliable, meaning that the protection scheme must trip when called up to do so (dependability) and it must not trip when it’s not supposed to (security). The thesis focuses on the reverse blocking busbar protection scheme with aim to improve the speed of its operation and at the same time to increase operational reliability, flexibility and stability of the protection during external and internal faults by implementation of the extended functionality provided by the IEC61850 standard-based protective IEDs. The practical implementation of the scheme by the use of IEC 61850 standard communication protocol is investigated. The research analyzes in detail the reverse blocking busbar protection scheme that is used at the moment in the power systems and it develops an improved IEC 61850 based reverse blocking busbar protection scheme for a distribution network. The proposed scheme is designed for a radial type of a distribution network and is modeled and simulated in the DigSILENT software environment for various faults on the busbar and its outgoing feeders. The results from the simulations are used further for implementation of the designed protection scheme. A laboratory test bench is build using three compliant with the IEC 61850 standard ABB IEDs 670 series, CMC 356 Omicron test injection device, PC, MOXA switch, and a DC power supplier. Two ways of the reverse blocking signals between the IEDs implementation are considered: hard wired and Ethernet communication by using IEC 61850 standard GOOSE messages. Comparative experimental study of the operational trip response speed of the two implementation shows that the performance of the protection scheme for the case of Ethernet communication is better The thesis findings and deliverables will be used for postgraduate studies of other students, research, short courses, and solution of industrial problems. Keywords: Busbar, Power system, reverse busbar blocking scheme; IEC61850; Distribution, Protection relays, IEDs, GOOSE message, laboratory test bench

Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology:Electrical Engineering in the Faculty ofEngineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Supervisor:Prof MTE KAHN Bellville December 2013 / The work presented in this thesis consists of the simulation of a cooling plant for a future mobile satellite ground station in order to minimize the effects of the thermal noise and to maintain comfort temperatures onboard the same station. Thermal problems encountered in mobile satellite ground stations are a source of poor quality signals and also of the premature destruction of the front end microwave amplifiers. In addition, they cause extreme discomfort to the mission operators aboard the mobile station especially in hot seasons. The main concerns of effective satellite system are the quality of the received signal and the lifespan of the front end low noise amplifier (LNA). Although the quality of the signal is affected by different sources of noise observed at various stages of a telecommunication system, thermal noise resulting from thermal agitation of electrons generated within the LNA is the predominant type. This thermal noise is the one that affects the sensitivity of the LNA and can lead to its destruction. Research indicated that this thermal noise can be minimized by using a suitable cooling system. A moveable truck was proposed as the equipment vehicle for a mobile ground station. In the process of the cooling system development, a detailed quantitative study on the effects of thermal noise on the LNA was conducted. To cool the LNA and the truck, a 2 kW solar electric vapor compression system was found the best for its compliance to the IEA standards: clean, human and environment friendly. The principal difficulty in the development of the cooling system was to design a photovoltaic topology that would ensure the solar panels were always exposed to the sun, regardless the situation of the truck. Simulation result suggested that a 3.3 kW three sided pyramid photovoltaic topology would be the most effective to supply the power to the cooling system. A battery system rated 48 V, 41.6 Ah was suggested to be charged by the PV system and then supply the power to the vapor compression system. The project was a success as the objective of this project has been met and the research questions were answered.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / The introduction of the IEC 61850 standard in substations for communication networks and systems by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 2003 provided the possibility for communication between devices of different manufacturers. However, the advent of this standard also brought about many challenges associated with it. The challenges introduced by this fairly recent standard of communications in Substation Automation Systems (SAS), and the need for the development of cost effective IEC 61850- compliant devices, motivated the decision of the Centre for Substation and Energy Management Systems within the Electrical Engineering Department of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to focus on the implementation of the IEC 61850 standard using an embedded hardware platform. The development of an IEC 61850 embedded application requires substantial knowledge in multiple domains such as data networking, software modelling and development of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), protection of the electrical system, system simulation and testing methods, etc. Currently knowledge about the implementation of the IEC 61850 standard usually resides with vendors and is not in the public domain. The IEC 61850 standard allows for two groups of communication services between entities within the substation automation system. One group utilizes a client-server model accommodating services such as Reporting and Remote Switching. The second group utilizes a peer-to-peer model for Generic Substation Event (GSE) services associated with time-critical activities such as fast and reliable communication between Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) used for protection of the power network. The messages associated with the GSE services are the Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) messages. The use of GOOSE messages for protection of the electrical system is very important in modern substations. Detailed knowledge of the structure of these messages is important in instances requiring fault diagnosis to determine the cause of mal– operation or to address interoperability concerns or when developing custom IEC 61850- compliant devices with limited functionality. A practical protection application (overcurrent) case study is presented where GOOSE messages are exchanged between a commercial IED and an IEC 61850-compliant controller based on an embedded platform. The basic data model and software development of an actuator node for a circuit breaker is proposed using an IEC 61850 communication stack on an embedded platform. The performance of the GOOSE messages is confirmed to be as per the functional behaviour specified, and per the IEC 68150 standard in terms of the temporal behaviour required. This thesis document tables the methods, software programs, hardware interfacing and system integration techniques that allow for the development and implementation of a low cost IEC 61850-compliant controller unit on an embedded systems platform for the substation automation system. The overcurrent case study distributed between a commercial IED (SIEMENS Siprotec device) and the actuator application developed on an embedded platform for this project (DK60 board) is in compliance with the IEC 61850 standard and utilizing GOOSE messaging is successfully completed both in terms of functional and temporal behaviour. This novel research work contributes not only to the academic community, but to the international Power Systems community as a whole. Keywords: IEC 61850 standard, IEDs, GOOSE message, software modelling, software development, substation automation systems, communication stack, embedded systems, actuator.

Thesis submitted in the requirements for the degree Doctor Technologiae: Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, 2013 / To date, limited information has been published on textile wastewater treatment, for re-use, in South Africa (SA), with treatment processes focusing on conventional wastewater treatment methods. A large contributor to the contamination of water within textile industries is from dyehouse processes. A major concern in textile wastewater treatment is the release of azo dyes and their metabolites, some of which are carcinogenic and mutanogenic, into the environment since they are xenobiotic and aerobically recalcitrant to biodegradation. A necessity therefore exists to find an effective treatment method capable of removing both the strong colour and the toxic organic compounds from textile wastewater. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are favoured when treating high-strength wastewater, since the membrane area is determined by the hydraulic throughput and not the biological load; no sludge is wasted and all bacteria are retained within the reactor, including specific bacteria capable of degrading the toxic, non-biodegradable constituents present in textile wastewater. MBR systems, using various configurations have been utilised extensively in the rest of the world to treat textile wastewater at both lab and pilot-scale. This DTech project formed part of a collaborative Water Research Commission (WRC) funded project K5/1900 - Pilot application of a dual-stage membrane bioreactor (dsMBR) for industrial wastewater treatment. The main purpose of this study was the on-site evaluation of a pilot-scale dsMBR incorporating two ultrafiltration (UF) sidestream membrane modules for the treatment, recovery and re-use of textile wastewater. The objectives of this project were to determine the treatment efficiency of the system; to evaluate the degree of colour removal from the textile wastewater; to improve residual colour removal within the system using treatment processes, such as NF and RO, as well as to propose a design and cost for a full-scale plant. A textile industry located in Bellville, Western Cape, was chosen as the industrial partner for the on-site evaluation of a semi-automated pilot wastewater treatment MBR plant using two 5.1 m2 Norit X-flow AirliftTM membrane modules. Since the wastewater treatment system was located on the premises, real continuously changing industrial wastewater was being treated. The industrial textile wastewater was treated in a series of tanks: 1) an anaerobic tank, which cleaved the azo bonds of the reactive dyes; 2) an anoxic tank containing reduced amounts of dissolved oxygen, in which denitrification occurred; and 3) an aerobic tank, in which i) nitrification, as well as ii) mineralisation of the aromatic amines occurred. The UF-membrane modules would account for the removal of any organic material. The wastewater stream was characterised by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) range of between 45 to 2,820 mg/L and an average biological oxygen demand (BOD) of 192.5 mg/L. The dsMBR achieved an average COD reduction of 75% with a maximum of 97% over the 220 day test period. The COD concentration obtained after dsMBR treatment averaged at 191 mg/L, which was well within the City of Cape Town industrial wastewater discharge standard. The average reduction in turbidity and TSS was 94% and 19.6%, respectively, during the UF-MBR stage of the system. Subsequent treatment of the UF permeate with nanofiltration (NF) for 4 days, alternated with reverse osmosis (RO) for 14 days removed both the residual colour and salt present in the UF permeate. A consistent reduction in the colour of the incoming wastewater was evident. The colour in the wastewater was reduced from an average of 659 ADMI units to ~12 ADMI units in the NF permeate, a lower American dye manufacturing index (ADMI) (i.e. method of colour representation) compared to the potable water (~17 ADMI units) utilised by the industrial partner in their dyeing processes. The colour was reduced from an average of 659 to ~20 ADMI units in the RO permeate, a lower ADMI and therefore colour when compared to the potable water. An average conductivity rejection of 91% was achieved with conductivity being reduced from an average of 7,700 to 693 μS/cm and the TDS reduced from an average of 5,700 to 473 mg/L, which facilitated an average TDS rejection of 92%. Based on the composition of the UF permeate fed to the RO membrane a maximum removal of 98.7% was achieved for both conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS). The proposed full-scale plant would incorporate a UF-MBR system, followed by NF, RO, flocculation and a filter press. Therefore, the two waste products produced during operation of the proposed full-scale plant, would be the solid filter cakes and the liquid filtrate from the filter press. Implementing the proposed full-scale plant it would cost the industrial partner an operating cost of ZAR 113.85 and ZAR 3,415.49 to treat 97.1 m3 and 2,913 m3 of textile wastewater, respectively, per day and per month. This results in an annual saving of ZAR 845,848 on potable water expenses. This research, would provide SA textile industries, with an option to: 1) reduce their water consumption, thereby utilising less of a valuable decreasing commodity; 2) meet the SA government discharge standards and reduce their discharge costs; 3) reduce their carbon footprint (i.e. reduce their impact on the environment) by re-using their treated wastewater and therefore using less water from the municipality; and 4) decrease their annual expenditure on water, since the treated wastewater would be available for re-use.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree MAGISTER TECHNOLOGIAE in Quality Faculty of Engineering CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, 2012 / Post apartheid South Africa experienced major economic turbulence with poverty, unemployment and skills shortage, with most manufacturing and other key economic sectors affected by poor productivity and a subsequent downsizing of their labour work force. At the same time, many economic opportunities arose, including the full impact of globalisation, the emergence of China and Africa as economic partners and becoming a full member of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) economic development group by the year 2010. The government and business communities at large realised the necessity for skills augmentation in order to expedite economic development and alleviate the scarcity of employment opportunities and growth across the major economic sectors. The backdrop of the economic upheaval of 2008 and 2009 placed manufacturing firms under pressure to reconsider their current operational strategies by streamlining their organisations and adopting aggressive lean and cost saving approaches in order to remain competitive. There is a perceived lack of alignment between industry and institutions alike, sometimes resulting in a perception that graduating industrial engineers do not entirely match industry expectations. Thus, it is imperative to explore the articulation and relationship between those industries that rely on the skills of industrial engineering technologists and the graduate industrial engineers with emphasis on the skills expectations as stressed by the national priorities and the academic capacity to meet these skills expectation in today’s competitive professional arena. This perceived lack of alignment between end user requirements and the service provided falls within the ambit of the field of quality management. This study focuses on two main sample groups within two areas of interest: • The industrial engineering student community and their respective academic environments; and • the relevant industrial engineering industry and its working environment. A self-administered questionnaire coupled with a number of interviews is employed in order to gather the required data. Grouped samples, involve the relevant industry employers, students and academic institutions. The research explores the pertinent roles and responsibilities expected of industrial engineers and industrial engineering technologists on entry into the working environment, as compared to the current level of training offered by various institutional bodies as expressed by the South African qualifications authority (SAQA) and the national qualifications framework (NQF). The validation of the analysis and outcomes of the study culminates through the exploration of the following: • The influence of skills levels on productivity within the relevant industrial engineering industries. • The demand and supply of industrial engineering skills. • Skilling industrial engineering graduates for their required roles and responsibilities. • Governing bodies responsible for the curriculation of industrial engineering programmes, offered by institutions of higher learning. The study aims to proffer valuable knowledge by identifying better opportunities for employment in the industrial engineering field, the addition of value towards better industrial engineering schooling and output quality of students emerging from institutions, and lastly superseding earlier misconceived perceptions of industrial engineering.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: in Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Supervisor: Dr Ephias Ruhode Cape Town campus December 2013 / The use of ICTs such as computers, electronic databases and other technologies have been in use for a number of years within the public sector to organise, manage and disseminate information to the public as well as to facilitate day-to-day communication in government offices. In this context, the value of the use of ICTs has been to assist and streamline government operations. The technological development in South Africa has opened up the possibilities of the use of ICTs in the democratic and governance process. E-democracy has been defined as a tool for abandoning the representative system for one with more direct citizen engagement. This study sets out to explore the challenges of the current electoral process, and also determine the factors that could influence the adoption and diffusion of e-voting technologies within the South African context. Literature has shown that countries such as Brazil and India have successfully implemented electronic voting systems and other countries are at various piloting stages to address many challenges and problems associated with manual paper based system such as costs of physical ballot paper and other overheads, electoral delays, distribution of electoral materials, and general lack of confidence in the electoral process. It is in this context that the study also seeks to determine whether the South African electoral management body can leverage on the opportunities that e-voting presents. However, with all the benefits that e-voting presents, there are countries such Germany, the Netherlands etc. that have tried and tested e-voting systems and decided to abandon these system to go back to the manual paper ballot voting systems because of various reasons ranging from cost, security and verifiability. This research is exploratory in nature and adopts qualitative research approach and it is within the interpretivism paradigm. Survey and interview strategies were used to collect data. A purposive sampling method was used to select the participants for the survey. To gain an understanding of the views of voters and electoral management body (IEC) about the current electoral process and e-voting technologies, literature was explored, a questionnaire was distributed online to voters and an in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with the IEC. The study targeted voters who had access to the internet since the survey questionnaire was distributed online. The analysis is based on thematic analysis and diffusion of innovation (DoI) theory was also used to provide an analytical framework for the study. Through this framework the aims and objectives of the study were conceptualized around three constructs from the theory (relative advantage, compatibility and complexity). The findings of the study revealed that the three constructs from the DoI framework are important factors that may influence the adoption process of e-voting technologies. The findings also revealed other factors such as availability of ICT enable infrastructure and resources, digital divide, trust in technology, awareness of the technology and environment could that also influence the adoption process. The contributions of this research are anticipated to be a better understanding of the adoption of e-voting technologies in South Africa. For the electoral management bodies, the contribution of this research is that the research to some extent portrays factors that could influence the adoption of e-voting technologies in South Africa. Therefore, findings such as availability of ICT infrastructure and accessibility of these infrastructures should be taken into consideration before introducing e-voting technologies. Keywords: DoI (diffusion of Innovation), e-voting (electronic voting) technologies, E-governance, e-participation.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Technology: Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / The alignment between business and information technology (IT) strategies has been a challenge for many years. Strategic alignment models and enterprise architecture methodologies and frameworks have been developed to assist business and IT managers with improving alignment between business and IT strategies. The business analyst, systems analyst and project manager are key role players in delivering the information systems (IS) needs of business and therefore key in aligning business and IT strategies. Despite literature and research suggesting a positive influence of emotional intelligence on occupational performance in various industries, the development of emotional intelligence of the business analyst, systems analyst and project manager is neglected by software development organisations. Emotional intelligence is neglected in industry IS competency models as well as documented standards for the business analysis and project management profession (BABOK and PMBOK). Emotional intelligence is not addressed in strategic alignment models and enterprise architecture methodologies and frameworks. Emotional intelligence is equally neglected in IS literature. Systematic research investigating the impact of emotional intelligence on occupational performance of IT professionals remains sparse. The purpose of this study was to determine which emotional intelligence competencies are needed to improve the occupational performance of business analysts, systems analysts and project managers in delivering business information system needs. The study took the form of a multiple interpretive case study. Qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from 20 software development organisations utilising the roles of the business analyst, systems analyst and project manager. Quantitative data was collected using the Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory with the aim of identifying the patterns of emotional intelligence visible in the sample of business analysts, systems analysts and project managers assessed. The study suggests emotional intelligence has a role to play in alignment between business and IT strategies. It is proposed that industry IS competency models as well as the standards for the business analysis and project management profession as documented in BABOK and PMBOK include specific emotional intelligence competencies. The study also proposes that higher education institutions in IT/IS such as universities of technology, as well as training providers focusing on business analysis, systems analysis and project management, should focus not only on technical skills but emotional intelligence skills as well when developing the supply pipeline of business analysts, systems analysts and project managers. Keywords: Emotional intelligence, business – IT alignment, information technology, enterprise architecture, business analyst, systems analyst, project manager, competencies, non-technical skills.

Master of Technology Marketing Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / The advent of IT technology in particular, mobile technology has forced most of the private sector to re-evaluate how they interact and communicate with their intermediaries. Since the early 1990s most businesses have put the intermediary at the centre of their business by means of business strategies like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions. However, the speed at which technology is evolving is forcing businesses to evaluate new and alternative means of managing intermediary relationships, as intermediaries now drive the economy, not businesses. The very essence of a good CRM programme is its reliance on an IT system which is advanced enough to analyse the captured intermediary data, transform that data into usable knowledge, which is then stored in a centralised, crossfunctional database or data warehouse. Most businesses agree that the goal of CRM solutions is to maximise business profits by maximising the value of interaction with intermediaries. Successful CRM businesses have strong, clearly defined business strategies that focus on the intermediary and generate a process-orientated view of the organisation. CRM functionality therefore creates a single view of the intermediary and the business as well as support to the Marketing, Sales, Order, Production and Service processes. This dissertation investigated the CRM functionality within the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) wholesale and retail liquor sector of the City of Cape Town, paying particular attention to the three channels that the liquor industry operate in. These three channels are segmented as the formal Off-premise consumption, formal On-premise consumption and the Informal Main market. The formal Off-premise consumption channel consist of the mainstream convenience and self-service liquor retailers where stock is purchased and consumed at another location by the end user. The formal On-premise consumption channel consists of venues where patrons purchase and consume liquor on the spot. The informal Main market, which is dominated by shebeens and taverns, is a combination of the Off- and On-premise consumption channels where bottle purchases and consumption occur on site together. This dissertation investigates one primary and four secondary questions within these channels. The primary question will establish whether a mobile CRM programme can be used as a marketing instrument to create a competitive advantage within the B2B licensed liquor industry of South Africa. The secondary questions establish whether intermediaries are willing to adopt CRM technology, what barriers exist, what the benefits are for both intermediary and company and whether there will be a reduction in communication costs for both parties. The South African government regulates the South African liquor industry in that only licensed outlets may trade in liquor. Within the Western Cape region, there are approximately 4,000 licensed outlets of which approximately 2,000 licences (data obtained from a leading liquor wholesalers company database) fall within the boundaries of Cape Town. A leading liquor wholesaler has legal contracts with each one of these accounts, providing a defined database from which primary research was conducted. Primary researches, in the form of quantitative interviews with a random sample of 150 intermediaries, across the three identified channels were conducted for this study. Questionnaires were used to establish how a competitive B2B mobile CRM programme can be implemented, while possible barriers and facilitators to mobile CRM were also considered. The findings produced two results: one result was expected but the second result was not expected by the researcher. The first results were that 57.5% of respondents, across all business channels, indicated their willingness to receiving a mCRM programme on their mobile devices. The unexpected finding was that 57.3% of respondents across all business channels had no idea or did not know what a CRM programme was. From these findings several recommendations are discussed namely: the implementation of a six month tactical marketing campaign which would expose intermediaries to the concepts and ideas of a CRM programme; the establishment of a comprehensively updated intermediary database; welltrained field sales staff who would support the CRM programme once implemented; a simple, easy to use and navigate mCRM programme to begin with. This programme would have to have the ability and capability to progress in the future as intermediaries become more familiar with the system; and a complete company philosophy, with a clear, holistic and coherent business strategy, that would embrace the mCRM concept to drive future growth opportunities. Key Words: business-to-business; customer relationship management; electronic customer relationship management; Information Technology and mobile customer relationship management.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology Design in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Supervisor: Prof J Messeter Cape Town, 2013 / The aim of this research project was to provide an answer to the question: “How can an understanding of online trust be used to build valuable online applications in Higher Education?” In order to present an answer to this question, a literature survey was conducted to establish: • An understanding of the phenomenon of online trust • What the factors are that influence a loss of trust in the online environment The literature survey highlighted several factors that influence a loss of trust in the online environment, called trust cues. These factors, however, were often tested within the E-commerce environment, and not in organization-specific contexts, such as online platforms in use in Higher Education. In order to determine whether or not these factors would influence the development of trust in context-specific environments, the author of this research grouped the indentified trust factors into three focus areas, i.e. content, ease of use, and navigation. These factors were then incorporated into a series of nine different prototypes. These prototypes were different versions of a particular online platform currently in use at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The prototypes were tested over a three week period, with certain staff members at the institution in question recruited as test participants. During each week of user observations, a different focus area was targeted, in order to establish the impact that it would have on the perceived trustworthiness of the platform in question. User observations were conducted while test participants completed a standard process using the various prototypes. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted while participants completed the specific process. Participants were asked to evaluate each screen in the process according to its perceived trust worthiness, by assigning a trust level score. At the completion of the three rounds of user observations, in-depth interviews were conducted with test participants. The participants’ trust level scores for each prototype were captured and graphed. A detailed description for the score given for a particular screen was presented on each graph. These scores were combined to provide an analysis of the focus area tested during the specific round. After the three rounds of user observations were completed, an analysis of all the trust factors tested were done. Data captured during interviews were transcribed, combined with feedback received from questionnaires, and analysed. An interpretation of the results showed that not all trust factors had a similar influence in the development of trust in the online platform under investigation. Trust cues such as content organization, clear instructions and useful content were by far the most significant trust factors, while others such as good visual design elements, professional images of products, and freedom from grammatical and typographical errors had little or no impact in the overall trustworthiness of the platform under investigation. From the analysis done it was clear that the development of trust in organization-specific contexts is significantly different than developing trust in an E-commerce environment and that factors that influence the development of trust in one context might not always be significant in another. In conclusion, it is recommended that when software applications are developed in organization-specific contexts, such as Higher Education, that trust factors such as good content organization, clear instructions and useful content be considered as the most salient. Organization-specific contexts differ quite significantly in that the users of these systems often convey a certain degree of trust toward the online platforms that they work with on a daily basis. Trust factors that are geared toward developing an initial or basic trust in a particular platform, which is often the case with first time users engaging in an E-commerce platform, would therefore not be as significant in the development of a more developed level of trust, which is what is needed within the development of organization-specific online platforms.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / Parental involvement in rural multigrade schools in South Africa is poor. This is mainly due to a lack of support for and insufficient knowledge regarding the development of a programme that would increase parental involvement at rural multigrade schools in South Africa. The context of multigrade education in South Africa reflects the reality of a lack of parental involvement. South African rural multigrade education is beset by a variety of internal and external challenges which have a detrimental effect on effective parental involvement. However, in the rural multigrade school context, parents have untapped potential that needs to be identified and acted upon in order to empower parents; this could provide the rural marginalised children with meaningful access to quality education. Research has proved that parental involvement has a positive effect on the quality of education. According to research, the six types of parental involvement are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making and collaborating with the community. In this study the focus was on involving parents in learning and allowing them to become active partners in education. To increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools in South Africa, an intervention was needed. This intervention came in the form of a school, community and family partnership programme. The core elements of a school, community and family partnership programme (SCAF partnership programme) were the creation of partnerships and communication channels between the school, community and family, as well as the utilisation of existing community resources. These core elements had a specific focus on learning. This study used Bourdieu's (1986) theory on capital and Epstein's (1995) theory of overlapping spheres of influence. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of an effective school, community and family partnership programme that would increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools in South Africa. Design-based research was employed in order to design, develop and test the proposed programme. Research was conducted in two phases. During the preliminary phase, a needs and content analysis, review of literature, and the development of a conceptual or theoretical framework for the study were conducted. This was followed by a prototyping phase which is an iterative design phase consisting of iterations, each being a micro-cycle of research with formative evaluation as the most important research activity, and which is aimed at improving and refining the intervention. Summative evaluation was conducted during the prototype phase in order to determine whether the solution or intervention met the pre-determined specifications. Data gathered during this study indicated: 1. The SCAF partnership programme can increase parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools if certain product and process characteristics are active. 2. The SCAF partnership programme allows utilising school, home and community capital through interaction and collaboration to increase parental involvement in learning. 3. A SCAF partnership programme should focus on learning through creating partnerships and opportunities for communication, and utilising community resources. 4. A SCAF partnership programme should be employed through a specific process. 5. Design research offers an appropriate and powerful approach to design, develop and implement a SCAF partnership programme that increases parental involvement in learning at rural multigrade schools. Keywords: Parental involvement, Parents, Design Research, Rural multigrade schools, Rural multigrade education