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Rural-urban migration in Sub-Saharan African countries has been increasing since the 1960s. In Senegal from 1961 to 1996, it grew 7.6% per annum. Labour market in the modern industrial and service sectors is so depressed that urban workers face high unemployment and poverty rates, and live in substandard conditions in the fringe urban sector. The purpose of this study is to examine policies needed to reduce rural-urban migration through selected agricultural investments, especially given that a long run of low agricultural productivity has been a major cause of rural-urban migration flows. / Based on a recursive system of equations, an estimate was made of rural-urban migration elasticity caused by agricultural inputs and their impact on migration. The model used combines a Cobb-Douglas agricultural production equation along with a rural-urban migration equation with agricultural output as an explanatory variable. The study period is 36 years from 1961 to 1996. / Our findings support the hypothesis that rural-urban migration is a positive outcome function of the urban-rural wage ratio that is proxied by the ratio of urban per capita income to rural per capita income. The results justify the design of a policy aimed at reducing rural-urban migration flows through increasing per capita earnings by means of increased agricultural investments. For instance, 10% increase of fertiliser lowers rural-urban migration by 20.5% while 10% increase of agricultural infrastructure reduces rural-urban migration of about 32.2%. If one extrapolates these results, fertiliser and infrastructure need to be increased respectively by 36% and 25% or both inputs by 13.09% to reach rural-urban migration annual rate of 2%, the level of industrial labour demand.

The overall aim of this thesis was to determine the relative importance of heterotrophy and autotrophy in lake plankton. Empirical analyses using extensive surveys of literature data revealed three specific patterns in metabolism and biomass structure in freshwater plankton. First, the ratio of phytoplankton production to plankton respiration (P/R ratio) tends to be low in unproductive lakes ($<$1), and increases along gradients of enrichment. Second, the contribution of planktonic heterotrophs (bacteria and zooplankton) to community respiration is highest in oligotrophic lakes. Third, planktonic heterotrophs dominate community biomass in oligotrophic lakes, whereas phytoplankton increasingly dominate plankton biomass along gradients of enrichment. These three distinct patterns were then tested simultaneously in a set of lakes that span a wide trophic gradient. Results indicated that the plankton of oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes were characterized by P/R ratios well below unity, and a high contribution of heterotrophs to both community respiration and biomass. These trends are completely the opposite in the most productive lakes. The plankton communities of oligotrophic temperate lakes are predominantly heterotrophic and extensively utilize external inputs of carbon, and therefore only the plankton of eutrophic lakes conformed to the classical phytoplankton-based food web. In most lakes, excess heterotrophic activity could be supported by inputs of organic matter from the drainage basin. Excess plankton respiration, fueled by allochthonous organic carbon, could represent an important source of CO$ sb2$ to lakes.

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No description available.

Accelerated warming of high latitude systems of the northern hemisphere is expected to cause significant changes to the hydro-ecology of Arctic lakes. To record comprehensive and meaningful baseline hydrological, limnological, and ecological conditions to which future change can be compared, all available environmental information generated on Noell Lake, NWT was compiled and synthesized. Data included: physical and geographical characteristics (bathymetric and drainage basin attributes); general regional climatology; water quality (nutrients, major anions/cations, dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic carbon); biological composition (fish community, macrophyte, phytoplankton, epiphyton and epipelon surveys) and seasonal patterns in primary productivity (as measured by chlorophyll-a (Chl-a)). A field-monitoring study was conducted from September 2010 to July 2013 assessing the application, reliability, and quality control/quality assurance of a newly developed automated buoy-based Arctic Lake Monitoring System (ALMS). The ALMS continuously measured a range of lake limnological and water quality parameters under both open-water and under-ice conditions. Overall, the ALMS provided a usable, uninterrupted record of changes in measured environmental, hydrological, and limnological parameters in both the epilimnion and hypolimnion. Noell Lake was determined to be spatially homogeneous with respect to the limnological measurements taken and, thus, the data recorded by the instrument arrays were determined to be representative of the lake as a whole. In addition to the measurements made by environmental sensors mounted on the buoy and mooring components, an augmentary array of in-situ sampling campaigns and controlled experiments were conducted to produce a continuous and comprehensive description of daily and seasonal changes to the hydrological and limnological conditions of Noell Lake. The continuous data series confirmed that Noell Lake is dimictic, with mixing events occurring in August and June, and hypoxic oxygen conditions occurring in March. Nutrient limitation experiments revealed that autotrophic productivity in Noell Lake was nitrogen-limited. Compiling data from existing literature involved >700 northern, high-latitude lakes; patterns in temporal and latitudinal changes in Arctic lake primary productivity (as measured by open-water, epilimnion Chl-a) and geochemistry were assessed. The key hypothesis tested was whether Arctic lakes are showing increased primary productivity (i.e., “greening”), through time and by latitude, similar to that documented for Arctic terrestrial systems. In general, significant decreases in lake Chl-a was observed in Arctic and sub-Arctic lakes over a ≈50 year time span. Separation of lakes by latitudinal bands revealed that trends in the lower Arctic region (60.00-69.99 Degrees North) showed a significant decreasing time trend, while high Arctic lakes displayed no trends. Corresponding temporal trends of total phosphorous (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) differed depending on the latitude of the lakes. Re-evaluation of the original northern-lake productivity models developed by Flanagan et al. (2003) through the use of the new, independent datasets (>700 lakes) as well as the addition of other environmental variables (DOC, dissolved inorganic carbon, lake depth, conductivity, and ice-cover) showed that the original models were valid and the most parsimonious in predicting variation in algal biomass in northern latitude lakes. Only measures of dissolved nutrients (TP, TN) and latitude are required to predict autotrophic water column productivity. / Graduate

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This mini-dissertation investigates the influence that an outcome-based remuneration scheme can have on productivity in the financial sector. It focuses on four dimensions that were used to determine if productivity levels could be affected; all of these four dimensions could be linked back to the performance of the employee and employer. The four dimensions were units produced, overtime, absenteeism and till cash up which speaks to the quality of transactions that were processed. When these four dimensions were tested statistically the results tended to suggest that there is a positive association with productivity and an outcome-based remuneration scheme. This simply means that an outcome-based remuneration scheme increases productivity levels in the workplace, more specifically in the financial sector; the literature review also supports this statement. The study also deals briefly with the advantages and disadvantages of a pay for performance scheme as well as when designing a pay for performance scheme what are the key design elements. It also briefly touches on the implementation of such a scheme, whether pay for performance is sustainable over a period of time and what are the most common types of pay for performance schemes. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This mini-dissertation investigates the influence that an outcome-based remuneration scheme can have on productivity in the financial sector. It focuses on four dimensions that were used to determine if productivity levels could be affected; all of these four dimensions could be linked back to the performance of the employee and employer. The four dimensions were units produced, overtime, absenteeism and till cash up which speaks to the quality of transactions that were processed. When these four dimensions were tested statistically the results tended to suggest that there is a positive association with productivity and an outcome-based remuneration scheme. This simply means that an outcome-based remuneration scheme increases productivity levels in the workplace, more specifically in the financial sector; the literature review also supports this statement. The study also deals briefly with the advantages and disadvantages of a pay for performance scheme as well as when designing a pay for performance scheme what are the key design elements. It also briefly touches on the implementation of such a scheme, whether pay for performance is sustainable over a period of time and what are the most common types of pay for performance schemes. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The motivation for this study was to increase the knowledge of foodservice personnel in mass food production in the foodservice area in which they work and by doing so, increasing their productivity. Training is often used to improve productivity and is seen as the answer to many productivity problems. Training and productivity improvement go hand in hand. Little research has been done on training and productivity in mass food production. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of training on the productivity of workers in mass food production by means of questionnaires. Firstly, the training needs of the workers were investigated. Secondly, training was given as needed and thirdly, follow-up questionnaires were completed to determine the impact of training. The training needs of the target group were firstly determined by means of questionnaires. The training material was then compiled from information obtained in the questionnaires. Training was given in the form of a lecture. Follow-up questionnaires were completed two and four months after training. The practical significance of the training was determined by comparing the answers of the sets of questionnaires with each other. Results: The workers' knowledge increased by 55% (supervisors), 33% (cleaners), 20% (foodservice aids) and 6.25% (cooks) after having received training. These results show that training will only be of practical significance to the supervisors when it is presented in the same circumstances as in the study. Conclusions: Training, with productivity improvement in mind, must be presented in an effective and meaningful manner to have a significant impact on the knowledge of foodservice workers. The environment, type of worker, management's involvement as well as the type of training, motivation of the worker, correct training material and whether the training will make a difference, must be taken into consideration when planning training for foodservice workers. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.