This research paper presents a systems and process approach into the development, implementation and certification of ISO 9001:2000 within the Industry Association Resource Centre, (IARC) formally known as Distribution Technology (DT). There is currently no formal Quality Management System (QMS) applied within the bounds of IARC. ISO 9001 :2000 is one such system that is to be implemented to ensure that the products and or services as generated by IARC meet the customers expectations and within the required time frame. Due to the restructuring of the EDI and disbanding of Distribution, DT was relocated from the disbanding Distribution division and incorporated into the R & S division. In doing so DT was restructured and the name changed to IARC. This meant that Risk Management a previous section within DT was moved out and three new sections, Standardisation, Information Centre and the Electricity Supply Industry - Geographic Information System were incorporated into IARC. The three new sections had previously been with R & S and were already ISO 9001 :2000 certified. IARC is currently split into eight sections namely; • Technology Development, Power Plant, • Technology Development, Control Plant, • Engineering Processes, • Technical Training, • Pre-Paid Development, • Technology Standardisation, • Information Services and • Electricity Supply Industry - Geographic Information System. There is also however a Corporate Consulting Service supplied by IARC. IARC is further spread throughout the country and thus has multiple offices namely; • Megawatt Park (Johannesburg) • Menlyn Park (Pretoria) • New Germany (Durban) • Brakenfel (Cape Town) • Simmerpan (Germiston) • East London • Klerksdorp • George. As can be seen from above IARC is a department that is multi skilled and spread through out the country hence the importance of implementing a quality management system. A method of developing and implementing ISO 9001 :2000 within IARC will be discussed. This research paper will further only involve five of the sections within IARC as three of the sections as stated above have already achieved ISO 9001 :2000 certification.. Thus the five sections that form part of this research paper are; • Technology Development, Power Plant, • Technology Development, Control Plant, • Engineering Processes, • Technical Training and • Pre-Paid Development. The sections within IARC have in the past worked in isolation from each other and thus have built up their own reporting systems to which they adhere to. It is thus recommended to involve the relevant staffthroughout the entire IARC and to ensure that they fully understand the benefits that can be achieved with certification. It is further important to understand that extensive training be undertaken throughout IARC during the process to educate all staff. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Natal, 2004.

As enshrined in the post-apartheid South African constitution, access to basic services like potable water, sanitation and formal housing has become a basic right for all South Africans. The delivery of low-cost housing through the national and provincial Departments of Human Settlement is one of the major focuses of the post-apartheid South African Government. South Africa today (2010) still has massive shortages of low-cost housing for the poor, despite funding being made available to address this need. Millions of poor families live in shacks in informal settlements and in overcrowded townships where small (250 to 300 square metre) erven with one bedroom dwellings and rudimentary extensions and backyard shacks erected on them often house more than one family while they await access to housing subsidies. The Eastern Cape Province is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa, with a significantly poor rural community and dense urban settlements which have sprouted all over as a result of urban migration and population growth. According to the Provincial Human Settlement Department, the Eastern Cape has a backlog of approximately 370,000 low-cost houses. Several low cost housing projects have been initiated in the province. The projects are implemented using different partnership strategies and they produce different outcomes, which are in no way near the desired outcomes of meeting the demand of supplying quality houses in the shortest possible time (E Cape Government Department of Human Settlement). In terms of the project management norms, standards and processes of the building industry, it takes two builders, one plumber and five labourers five days to build a fifty square metre low-cost housing unit. Yet some projects, as small as 200 housing units, have taken more than 10 years to complete for one reason or the other. Often when the houses are perceived to be complete it becomes evident that their quality is of an unacceptable standard, and some unmet desired objectives. Some project sites in rural towns of the former Transkei have been abandoned due to failures in implementation. Furthermore, some project sites which start off as green fields have been invaded by poor communities who build rudimentary shack dwellings on the sites in a sign of desperation, impatience and frustration at the pace of delivery (among other reasons) with a huge unfavourable financial impact on the implementation of the planned projects. The problems impacting on low-cost housing delivery are a combination of hard systems (processes, procedures, costing, programming and so on) and soft systems (the human element). The problems and risks described as being associated with housing projects are many and varied, depending who is talking, and in some instances it is difficult to describe the problems in words (unstructured and complex problems). This study concentrates on the human element associated with the implementation processes by critically examining the roles of the multitude of stakeholders who are identified as partners in the projects. Such partnerships are a huge contributing factor to the success or failure of a programme. This study looks at minimising project implementation risks through the establishment of effective cross-sector partnership frameworks. The positive and negative impacts of partners in low-cost housing project management and implementation are critically examined using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) with a view to improving service delivery. Keywords Systems Thinking, Complexity, Soft Systems, Cross-sector Partnerships, Project Management, Low-cost Housing Projects / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

This dissertation, employing an array of theoretical approaches under the rubric of Systems Thinking, explores the reality and experiences of family members that mainly provide care at home for their loved ones who live with or are directly affected by HIV & AIDS. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, the dissertation demonstrates how Systems Thinking, feminist and indigenous knowledge principles can be employed for a better understanding of the contemporary construction of family and experiences of caregivers in an HIV & AIDS context. The discussion of the dissertation is based on data analysed following in-depth interviews with fifteen caregivers of the Bhambayi community. The findings of the study reflect a significant change in the definition and practice of parenting. It was found that HIV & AIDS forces a re-definition of the concept and practice of parenting beyond the traditional boundaries of age, sex and gender. Aligned with this main finding was that parenting practices and coping strategies are largely influenced by a strong commitment to the well-being of the children as well as societal constructs. The thesis of this dissertation is that the HIV & AIDS context and associated gender and cultural stereotypes are principally responsible for a significant shift in the understanding of the concept and practice of parenting within an African context. The study thus submits that a Systems Thinking approach ought to be used by interventionists to better understand and thus contribute towards improving the lives of families or communities in similar circumstance as that of the Bhambayi families. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

The study is about the impact of housing development in the KwaZulu-Natal traditional authority areas under the ownership of Ingonyama Trust Board. These pieces of land are under administration of the Chiefs (Amakhosi). A case study of Isimahla Rural Housing Project had been utilised to reach provable findings. It was one of the first rural developments established on the basis of the Additional Rural Guidelines (as amended) that advanced to an implementation stage; approximately 500 houses or top structures were constructed by 2007. The researcher has chosen this topic because it has an involvement of the elements of systems theory and complexity. Through complexity something new is normally established because complex systems have a way of self-organizing and change could be intentional or unintentional. Another reason for choosing the topic is the researcher’s working experience where rural housing development is a key performance area. Rural Housing Development is one of the main priorities of the MEC for Housing in KwaZulu-Natal. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Housing developed the guidelines for rural housing in 2003 to enable the delivery of housing in the deeper rural areas. There were concerns from the traditional leaders with respect to their authority and powers. Concerns included the alienation of land, ownership of the project and the role of the traditional council. There was confusion regarding the initiation of rural projects. In addition, major causes of concerns amongst traditional leaders were based on the planning process. There was a perception that a setup like urban township settlements would be formed. To overcome the abovementioned concerns the Provincial Department of Housing created a partnership with the chiefs and all other relevant stakeholders involved in rural development. The Additional Rural Guidelines (2003) were then amended to accommodate such a partnership. The amended guidelines mainly focused on the following elements: - The acknowledgement of the existing functional tenure as an acceptable form of tenure for rural housing developments - The housing norms and standards do not apply to the level of services in rural developments, but do apply to the top structures - The introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as an acceptable methodology for positioning beneficiary sites - The National Home Builders Regulations Council (NHBRC) registrations do not apply to rural development - Outlining the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders in the rural development process. There were a greater number of projects approved by Department of Housing (DoH) in almost all the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal after the launch of the Additional Guidelines, but in 2008 some of them had not yet advanced to the implementation stage. The Isimahla Rural Housing Project, based at Vulamehlo Municipality under the Ugu District Council has outshone the other rural projects. The study was to get an understanding as to whether rural development creates job opportunities for the local people, equipped local community beneficiaries with necessary skills in building and administration addressed land tenure issues and brought about sustainable development. Briefly, the utilization of Checkland’s epistemology on soft systems methodology assisted to reach some findings in the complexities facing rural housing development. What came out clearly is that integrated development needs to be vigorously implemented for rural development to be sustainable, managing of partnerships and stakeholder participation, utilization of project management principles and adherence to the principles of spatial development planning. There should be training and development, homestead gardening and subsistence farming to achieve sustainable development through integrated development planning by the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings could help rural housing stakeholders in improving the practice and improve delivery. It could also assist in the current debate on rural development that is part of the policy review by the Provincial Department of Housing KwaZulu-Natal. Due to tight schedule to complete the study the findings could not be implemented as per Checkland’s soft systems methodology, but they could be of use in the future. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

This study uses a practitioner research approach to focus on poorly performing schools in grades 10 –12 in the Samungu Ward, and looks at the value of using a systems thinking approach to address the problems of poor performance, as compared to the traditional, reductionist approach that is usually applied by the schools and the Department of Education in the implementation of its policies. The research moves from the premise that schools are complex learning organisations and that their problems should be addressed within the context of the systems thinking approach, in which the organisation is seen as a whole with emergent properties, a layered structure, and with processes which enable it to adapt in response to environmental pressures (Checkland, 1999:21). The research has used some aspects of the Soft Systems Methodology as a tool to process the information collected from the participants, because the Soft Systems Methodology “concentrates on learning from organizational and contextual ambiguity and appreciating socially conditioned problem situations with a view to changing relationships and making improvements.” (Jacobs 2004:140) The study has looked at the problem formulated during the discussion with the stakeholders and has juxtaposed the value of the use of Systems Thinking with that of the traditional approach, either in the intervention programmes or in the formulation of solutions. The research concludes with recommendations made in terms of the systems thinking approach, having discovered that the traditional approach fell short in yielding the desired outcome during the implementation process of the policies. From a practitioner research perspective, the study has also led to the implementation of some of its recommendations, which seem to be viable and has produced the desired outcome. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

This dissertation has posed and answered the question whether strategic conversation can be used as a tool for facilitating learning and change in organisations, within the context of the public sector. The study provided answers to the following sub-questions through the literature review:- * What is ‘strategy’ and what does it entail? * What are ‘strategic conversations’ and what do they entail? * What is ‘organisation learning’? * What is ‘organisational change’? * What factors create an environment conducive to the facilitation of learning in organisations by means of strategic conversation? * What factors create an environment conducive to the facilitation of change in organisations by means of strategic conversation? After the above questions had been answered, an interactive data collection and analysis was conducted. This process culminated in the findings of the study which made it possible to draw specific conclusions. The main conclusion of the study was that strategic conversation is a tool that can be used to facilitate learning and change in the Legislature as an example of a public sector organisation. The study concluded by highlighting key recommendations. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand how policies and legislative frameworks impact on the planning for water provision in rural areas, and in particular, the Makosha village in the Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo Province. The research method used was qualitative, which is exploratory, descriptive and conceptual in nature. The sample selection method was purposive since it was targeting specific people. Data were collected from a focus group and individuals through in-depth interviews. The findings of the study for the focus group were presented under the following themes:- Problems related to water provision; problems related to rights; communication between the municipality and the community; and respondents’ envisaged recommendations related to problems of water supply. The findings for the individual interviews were also presented under the following themes: - The district municipality’s expression of its difficulties when providing water; and planning. The results of the study provide evidence that water provision in rural areas is still a challenge. Mopani District municipality does not have the capacity to provide water. Water sources in the Greater Giyani municipality are not able to provide water to the various villages due to inadequate infrastructure. In the Makosha village, technical challenges are a cause of the problem. Illegal connections, lack of public participation in water provisioning activities and lack of skills in water provision were also identified as a cause of the problem. It is noted that the use of the Water Service Development Plan (WSDP) and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), as planning tools, were not properly implemented. The study recommends that planning for water provision should be in line with the various legislative frameworks put in place in the country. The two planning tools, i.e. Water Service Development Plan (WSDP) and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) must be used in planning for water provision in all municipalities which are either a water service authority (WSA) or a water service provider (WSP). The capacity of the municipality should be improved in terms of skilled human resources, financial resources and infrastructural development. The Water Services and local government sectors should create a culture of public participation in the activities of the municipality. Monitoring and Evaluation should form an integral part of project implementation. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to examine the claimed racism and lack of transformation in the advertising, marketing and communications industry based on the plenary hearings that were held in parliament in November 2001 to October 2004. The main aims of this dissertation included the exploration of national media communications industry paths in respect of the transformation agenda and the provision of systematic analysis for a smooth transition to real transformation. This study could therefore be classified as being located within the interpretive school of social science (Silverman, 1993), and a mixture of methodologies was appropriate. Using a multiple case study approach, this dissertation particularly focuses on the alleged resistance of this industry to transformation, which sparked the journalists, media owners, the government and non- government organisations to set their focus on how the communications industry conducted their business. The Department of Communications and the Government Communication and Information System (both determined to be catalysts and not meddlers) took the initiative to establish a task force to put together an Indaba of all interested parties and anyone who had even the most remote interest in the issue regarding the claims that the industry was still immersed in the old apartheid mentality. The South African media and communications industry is a world-class industry. In the context of a global industry of over $300 billion in which the USA accounts for 42%, Japan for 11%, UK for 4.5% and SA for 0.3%, SA has distinguished itself when it comes to measuring its creative product against its global peers. In the four major international advertising festivals, SA is invariably in the top 10 best performing countries in the world (Ikalafeng & Warsop, 2002). It was therefore imperative to investigate such claims because it appeared as if the industry was diverting from the national agenda of transformation. Data was collected from three sources (policy documents, expert interviews and industry case studies) using two main tools. These were the face-to-face interviews and web-data mining. The data collected assisted in drawing the conclusions and to form both inductive and deductive reasoning about the research subject. As this study locates the issue of transformation within the corporate social investment (CSI) framework the researcher also had to put the two (transformation and corporate citizenship) in context. By gathering available primary and secondary data this dissertation therefore tries to find answers empirically to explore the issue of perceived or actual lack of transformation in media and how these impact on the individual and organisations. The findings are consistent with other research showing that even though significant strides have been made there is still a long way to go before we can truly claim that the industry is truly representative of the South African demographics. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The study examines the challenges and critical success factors for effective incubation of ICT start-up firms. Information and communication technology (ICT) start-up firms are internationally acknowledged for their contribution to economic growth, improving the quality of life and job creation. The selected case site is the Innovation Hub which hosts a hi-tech incubator called Maxum. The Innovation Hub is an internationally accredited science park located in Tshwane, Pretoria which was launched by the Gauteng Provincial Government in year 2002. The Innovation Hub’s challenge is that its incubation programme is similar to those employed in the developed world. The off-the-shelve programme has not been customised for use within the South African socio-economic context. However, the Innovation Hub is a relatively high performing incubator which has met the prescribed precursors for success. The critical success factors include the hands-on professional services provided to entrepreneurs, value networks and government support. In order to improve the success rate of the incubation of ICT start-up firms, there is a need to adopt a long-term approach towards innovation support and to establish an incentive funding mechanism that fosters job creation by entrepreneurs. The objectives of the study were achieved. The researcher has extended Kumar & Kumar framework and added three critical success factors. The findings of the study cannot be generalised but can be replicated. These findings are of value to the incubator managers and also to the policy-makers when developing and enacting policies that promote incubation of ICT start-up firms. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.