No abstract provided. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

My Home is a collection of the first six short stories in an on-going short story collection. The collection, set in a small southern town, mixes the real with the whimsical. The stories feature many of the local townspeople, but they mostly revolve around the character of Kyd Smylie. The critical introduction focuses on the linked story collection, influence of fairy tales, the story-telling tradition, surreal elements, and the importance of family which influences the stories of the collection.

This thesis examines and explores the costume design for Temple University’s 2017 production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Each major phase of the process will be discussed, including conceptual development, period research, character analysis, design development and production process as experienced by Costume Designer Liudi (Ariel) Wang. / Theater

Thesis (DPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Identity reflects and aims to control one’s experience. It is an act of consciousness which is neither essential nor immutable but a social construct open to change as circumstances, strategies and interactions fluctuate. It needs therefore to be situated historically and relationally, as identity is a matter of social context. This thesis sets out to investigate processes of identity formation in post-apartheid South Africa, i.e. a context marked by deep changes at both symbolic/material structural levels, in particular within the urban setup. On the basis of focus group discussions with residents of Cape Town, various, and at times contradictory, strategies of identification are explored. Residents’ discourses are analysed on the basis of two entry points, that of the context or the ‘scale’ within which discourse occurs (from the local, to the urban, the national and the continental) and that of the traditional categories of class, race and culture. The narratives that urban citizens draw upon to make sense of their lives and environment illuminate the emergence of new social boundaries among citizens which, though volatile and situational, reveal a changing picture of South Africa as a nation.

The thesis deals with the promotion of the town of Most. Its aim is to analyze commercial communications, which are used nowadays by the town for its promotion, and to suggest steps for its use in the future. For this purpose the situation analysis of the tourism in the town and the demand analysis in the form of a questionnaire survey among the target group in question were carried out. Based on this data the recommendations for improvement of commercial communications in the town of Most were formulated.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to present the impact of the Josephine reforms of town-councils on the administrative development of a minor South Bohemian liege town. The work is divided into several chapters, which study the local administrative organization in Lhenice just before the mentioned reform and the life of the local inhabitants at the turn of the 18th and 19th century. Being put into context, there was even outlined the progress of establishing regulated town-councils in some Bohemian and Moravian towns and the influence of no implementation of this system on the administration functioning in the town.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / It is acknowledged that the South African Department of Education has accomplished some of its goals in changing the Further Education and Training (FET) sector through transformation initiatives such as mergers of colleges of education within a short period. The FET sector has made great strides in enhancing equity, redress of resource allocation and providing high quality education for all South Africans and enhancing access to Further Education and Training. However, the problem of staff retention and attraction still remains a setback. There is a growing concern in South Africa that the FET sector is losing or unable to retain its staff, with specific reference to academic and support staff. This problem is exacerbated by the growing number of learner enrolments within in the sector. This study investigated the factors affecting retention of staff within one specific FET college in Cape Town, South Africa. Due to the position taken by the said college on confidentiality and anonymity, the institution will be referred to as "College X". The objective was to assess the extent to which these factors influenced the decision to stay or leave College X. Linked to the objective was to come up with recommendations of how College X can build staff capacity and develop more innovative ways of attracting valuable talent and become an employer of choice. In order to assess the factors affecting retention in College X, the study used a blend of qualitative and quantitative research approach including the literature review. The survey questionnaires were used to collect data. In addition to the survey, the study also used focus group discussions. The study found that career development, remuneration and benefits, as well as performance management, were key in the retention of staff and this was congruent with the objectives of the study. However, the issue of culture, location, environment and leadership style varied across the college community but these were not deemed to be significant in the study. The study will confirm the important role that the factors affecting retention of talent plays in motivating employees to stay or quit College X. This study can be extended and repeated in a similar public FET college environment. Other possible areas for research include discovering from the entire FET sector what the factors are affecting the motivation of staff to stay or leave the sector. The study will also highlight the career development, remuneration and performance management which are critical factors to address if College X is to retain its staff and become competitive in the FET sector.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Carnival events have become significant factors in tourism development and marketing initiatives of most destinations. The developments, in threefold, economic, socio-cultural and environmental experienced by host communities of tourism attractions and resorts result in the emergence of carnival events as critical destination products. The current research found that the selected stakeholders, particularly residents, businesses and event attendees’ perceptions are often overlooked although they are directly impacted by carnival events, especially when they reside (for residents and businesses) in close proximity to the event location. In addition, tourism businesses operating in the Green Point area, the place where the carnival parade takes place, were included in this study to ascertain their views about the Cape Town Carnival. In most cases, successful carnival events are underpinned by community support as well as the visitors or attendees to the event; therefore, it is crucial to examine stakeholders’ perceptions towards such events. The aim of this study was to determine how selected stakeholders (residents, businesses, and event attendees) perceive an annual cultural event, the Cape Town Carnival, hosted in a Cape Town suburb. It also sought to establish the overall value of this event following a triple bottom-line approach (economic, socio-cultural, and environmental). This investigation explored the perceptions and experiences of the residents, businesses, and event attendees in Green Point in relation to the carnival, as well as highlighting the positive and negative aspects of their experience. The research primarily adopted quantitative research approach by using three survey questionnaires (residents, businesses and event attendees) with both closed and open-ended questions. The data were analysed using SPSS version 24 and the findings were visually presented by the use of frequency tables and charts. The general findings indicated that the selected stakeholders were in favour of the Cape Town Carnival to continue being hosted in the Green Point area, although there were some issues that were viewed as the negative impacts of hosting this event. The study’s findings show that the event is perceived positively by the stakeholders even though some had reservations to the idea of the event continuing in the area. Community involvement and enhancing safety and security during event period were some of the recommendations that could see the event continuing flawlessly. The study notes the importance of event organisers to understand the three stakeholders since they contribute to the success of the event. However, even though there are many benefits that are likely to accrue to residents, businesses and event attendees associated with hosting an event of this magnitude, one should not overlook the negative impacts that are potentially connected to such a hosting since this informs how the stakeholders perceive the event.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / This research study explored perceptions which small business owners and managers have of the impact that initiatives, aimed at revitalisation, have on small business development. The Woodstock Salt-River Revitalisation Framework (WSRRF, 2002) served to guide these initiatives in order to achieve their various objectives, which included, inter alia, the development of small business. Often, official initiatives cannot adequately meet the needs of all stakeholders. The benefits that are derived from these initiatives may differ amongst stakeholders owing to their varying expectations and perceptions. The main research problem that was identified relates to reasons why the impact of this framework initiative is currently not appropriately understood and, as a result, not effectively and efficiently implemented. Hence, this research study evaluates the extent to which the Revitalisation Framework has affected the development of small businesses within the study area.

Thesis (MTech (Architectural Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Informal settlements are increasing in the cities of the global South in line with the rapid rate of urbanisation that is taking place in countries of this region. The growth of informal settlements in these countries has been exacerbated by factors that are unique to this region, factors such as scarcity of resources, colonial legacies and rapid urbanisation. Cape Town, a city that relates to the global South both in terms of geographical location and socio-economic context, has also seen a rapid growth of informal settlements, particularly in the last two decades. Like other cities in this region, Cape Town has ambitions of being regarded as a global city. Global cities are modelled on cities of the global North such as London, New York and Tokyo. Beyond the economic prestige that is generally associated with the cities of the global North, the imagery that they conjure up is also seen as an inspiration to be emulated by cities across the world, and it does not include informal settlements. As such, informal settlements generate a host of attitudes. Attitudes towards informal settlements don’t just emanate from political authorities, but emanate from across the spectrum that constitutes inhabitants and interest groups in these cities, including the creators of informal settlements themselves. These individuals and interests, according to their social standing and thus influence, have varying degrees of agency in the matters related to informal settlements. The aim in this study is to probe the effect of these attitudes on housing delivery to the poor. Attitudes not only influence the choice of what is regarded as the norm, but also how any entity that is regarded as the ‘other’ is evaluated. Almost without exception, cities that have been characterised by large numbers of informal settlements have attempted, without success, to eradicate informal settlements from their urban fabrics. An overarching assumption in this study is that the resilience of informal settlements says something about their necessity, and the failure by some, to recognise this necessity or the utilitarian value of informal settlements is influenced by attitudes. This research is done by first using a literature review to elucidate on: • the social condition, that is, the phenomenon of informal settlements, • the relevant theories applicable to the academic field the thesis is anchored in (architecture) and other social orders impacting architecture such as modernism, • the construct of attitudes and its impacts on beliefs, evaluations and perceptions on the affect of objects. The Joe Slovo informal settlement is then used as an analytic case study to investigate the effects of attitudes on the dynamics that have seen the site being transformed into what had been conceived as a prototype for transforming informal settlements to formal housing. The study shows that such transformations, although often carried out in the name of changing the lives of the inhabitants of informal settlements, do not necessarily entail them remaining at the site post its transformation. In the case of Joe Slovo, it actually resulted in a sizeable number of the original inhabitants being relocated to a new, less favourable site.