The dissertation presents an economic analysis of tourism in the Southern Maputaland Biosphere Reserve. The aim of the study was to gather relevant information on the benefits and costs associated with the existing tourism operations in the sub-region, and to determine the broader impact of tourism on the local economy. The study sampled twenty private tourism operations ranging from upmarket game lodges to bed and breakfast facilities. The results of the study present a comparison of indicators of the economic impact and efficiency of tourism, such as revenue generation, annual rates of return on investment, employment creation and wage levels, between various types of tourism operations as well as between tourism as a land use option and other land use options. They also highlight the economic importance of the protected areas to the local tourism industry. In addition, the nature and extent of interaction between the sampled tourism operations and the local communities, as well as possible constraints on the expansion of the tourism industry in the region are examined. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The purpose of the study is to assess whether a psychological test of learning potential can predict supervisory rating of different components of learning potential for the low level worker-This exercise would be done ascertain the relationship between the learning potential by using the TRAM-2 battery Ca learning potential assessment instrument) and supervisory rating of the sample of workers. A sample of 60 employees with levels of education ranging form grade 8 to 12 inclusive was used. It is hoped that the findings would predict or identify employees with potential for development which would then lead to planning how that potential is developed to, empower the employees to improve their performance and self actualise their objectives. This would enhance the realisation of aims and objective of skills development and employment equity plan of the company. The findings and their implications and suggestions would be discussed in this study. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 1991.

The port of Durban is currently suffering under severe capacity constraints. This has negatively affected efficiency resulting in queuing and berthing delays. If Durban wishes to remain the premier hub status port of the region and Southern hemisphere, then it needs to adequately address the current supply constraints. Shipping vessel operators and owners will not tolerate these inefficiencies indefinitely and if the port does not seek to address the situation, it runs the very real risk of losing patronage in the medium to long term. The obvious response to the supply side constraint is to increase container handling capacity. This dissertation will analyse the expansion options available to the port in this regard. Beside simply increasing capacity, the port needs to increase draught depth at the berths since container vessels are continually migrating to larger sizes to benefit from economies of scale. A key challenge is the fact that the port serves other purposes beyond that of being a gateway for traded goods such as ecological functions and subsistence fishing. This is compounded by the significant environment degradation which the bay has suffered over the last century or so. The port, however, generates significant economic benefits for the city in terms of economic linkages and employment, and for its wider national and regional hinterland, by holding down the generalised cost of the transport of goods. By not expanding capacity, there are significant opportunity costs for Durban and for the port’s wider hinterland. The best way of analysing the benefits and costs of the various options is to conduct a public CBA analysis which monetises and discounts streams of benefits and costs to arrive at a NPV. Several expansion options are examined and include Bayhead, the old DIA site and Richards Bay. An NPV was calculated for each option where environmental externalities were included. The CBA yielded three options with positive NPV’s out of the seven examined. The Southern Access routes, 3CA and 3DA, were both rejected since the effective removal of port sites used presently for the handling and storage of petrochemicals was considered infeasible. One of the Northern Access routes, 1AB, was also rejected since the option yielded a negative NPV. Even though DIA1 had a positive NPV; it was rejected based on mutual exclusivity with option DIA2. Richards Bay was rejected since it had a penalty cost of R89 billion over Durban, due primarily to higher logistical costs. On balance the Bayhead option 1AA and airport option DIA2 were chosen as the projects of choice primarily on the basis of the CBA results. Both these options yielded significantly positive NPV’s and the port should seriously look into their construction as they would provide several years of spare capacity as well as being able to accommodate Post Panamax vessels. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a powerful driver of economic growth and development, particularly in the developing world. FDI can lead to greater efficiencies in the local economy through a number of different channels such as the transfer of technology, increase in competition, and job creation. This dissertation discusses the costs and benefits derived from FDI as well as examining various complementary issues to FDI, such as the relevance of fiscal incentives and the varying effects of different modes of entry. This study further analyses the determinants of FDI into South Africa for the period 1961-2009, through the use of two different econometric techniques – time series and panel data analysis. The results from the time series analysis concur largely with previous studies, finding market size, exchange rate, macroeconomic (in)stability and infrastructure to all be statistically significant determinants of FDI inflows into South Africa. South Africa underwent a major political and economic change in 1994 with the end of Apartheid. This fundamental shift in the economy has also affected the determinants of FDI into the country. To this end a panel data analysis was conducted between 1994 and 2009, the results of which are more suitable for forecasting. This analysis found similar results to the time series analysis, although the relative importance of the determinants varies somewhat, and two additional variables – education and labour productivity – were also found to be statistically significant determinants in the panel data analysis. The dissertation concludes by discussing the policy implications that derive from the findings of the econometric analysis and offers some policy advice in terms of attracting greater FDI into South Africa, based on the findings of this analysis. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The foreign exchange market plays an important role in global finance, as it is considered to be among the largest financial markets in the world because of the significant amount of money involved in the foreign exchange market's transactions. Economic theories show that the exchange rate market may interact with the stock market index, but empirical studies on the interaction between the exchange rate market and the stock market index produced mixed results. Thus there is no empirical agreement regarding the interactions between the stock prices and exchange rate. This study examined the interaction between the real exchange rate and the stock market index in South Africa, with the aim of identifying the effect of exchange rate shocks on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). It establishes the direction of causality between the stock market index and the real exchange rate; identifies the long-run and short-run relationships between the South African stock market and the exchange rate and determines the response of the South African stock market to different exchange rate regimes from 1978 to 2008. This study used different econometrics models, including descriptive statistics analysis, Engle-Granger cointegration approach, Error Correction Model and a Granger-Causality test. Variables used in this study include the real values of the JSE all share index and the real exchange rate series (the Rand/U.S. dollar exchange rate) from January 1978 to December 2008. The stock market index responded to changes in exchange rate regimes. Although the response tended to be slightly stronger during the period of the free floating exchange rate, correlation coefficients were insignificant in both fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes. A negative long-run relationship between the real exchange rate and the stock market index was found. The short-run results established that changes in the real exchange rate have no impact on the real stock market index. Granger-Causality tests indicated that there is a bidirectional causal relationship between the South African stock market index and the Rand/U.S. dollar exchange rate. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

Many countries such as Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom (UK), Spain, United States of America (USA) and South Africa (SA) among others have experienced an increase in housing prices, since the late 1990s. In SA, the abrupt increase in residential property prices, particularly during the period 1999 to 2007, resulted in an improvement in the level of households’ net wealth position. Empirical investigations, mainly from developed countries, provide evidence indicating that a house price increase has a significant impact on the households’ wealth, and thus house price gains increase housing collateral for homeowners which make it possible for them to take out equity in the form of refinancing or selling of the house to finance consumption. With the above in mind, this study investigates the relationship between aggregate expenditure on consumption by households and residential house prices in South Africa. Following the permanent-income/lifecycle hypothesis (PI-LCH), this study applies the vector error model (VECM) into the 1980:Q1 to 2007:Q4 quarterly data sample. The overall finding of the study indicates there is indeed a long-run positive relationship between housing prices and consumption in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.