A research report submitted to The Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Of Masters in Public Health Johannesburg 2005 / ABSTRACT Swaziland is currently faced with a deepening HIV/AIDS epidemic. A systemic review of available information concerning the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on Swaziland was undertaken to collate data and document this impact in order to inform decision makers and planners. The methodology for the systematic review was based on the guidelines described in the Cochrane Reviewers’ handbook. HIV/AIDS has significantly increased the vulnerability of affected Swaziland rural households to environmental shocks. There is an increased burden of orphans due to HIV/AIDS, reduced household labour and income as adults die of AIDS. HIV/AIDS has reduced farm productivity leading to worsening of food insecurity and poverty in affected households. Due to HIV/AIDS, absenteeism in Swaziland organizations has increased by 20- fold. HIV/AIDS is currently the leading cause of death accounting for over 60 percent of all employee deaths. Organisations that have implemented HIV/AIDS workplace responses have been less affected. The micro-sector is the worst affected and it is recommended that policy makers ensure that this sector is protected from the negative impact of HIV/AIDS. The epidemic of negative impacts of HIV/AIDS in Swaziland has not yet reached the peak.

The liberalization of FDI is deepening, so have the incentive schemes put in place by a number of countries. Investment promotion agencies in these countries are seen to be actively promoting their countries as the best locations for foreign direct investment (FDI). With FDI emerging as a fovourite source of capital for most countries, profound questions about the true value of FDI to host countries are addressed in this study. While incentive packages may be justified on the basis of incomplete internalization of FDI benefits by foreign firms, it still remains critical to establish whether these benefits (spillovers) are substantive. As an attempt to answer these questions, this dissertation uses both firm level and country level data to investigate the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on productivity and economic growth. The first part of the study uses cross sectional firm level data to investigate whether foreign firms are more productive than domestic firms. We further examine whether there are any significant productivity spillovers from foreign to domestic firms or not. SIn the second part, focus is on country level analysis which uses both time series and panel data techniques. In the time series analysis we use the recent Toda-Yamamoto causality testing framework to determine the direction of causality between FDI and growth for three groups of countries: developing, emerging and developed countries. This is followed by fixed effects and dynamic panel data analyses for the 37 countries (9 developing, 12 emerging and 16 developed) where we test for absorptive capacity effects. Our findings show that results are determined to a great extent by the method of analysis. Interesting findings emerge from this study. The firm level data revealed the importance of multinational corporations in improving domestic firm productivity. With this finding, we anticipate these results to filter through the macro system and show up in the time series and panel data analyses. In the case of developing economies, productivity differences between domestic and foreign firms are confirmed only where the definition of FDI is below the full ownership level. Positive but statistically insignificant spillovers are found in the developing country sample. From the emerging economy sample, we iii find neither significant productivity differences nor related spillovers from foreign to domestic firms. With regards to developed economies, as in the case of emerging economies, there are no statistically significant productivity differences between domestic and foreign firms. Interestingly, for this sample, positive and highly significant spillovers from foreign to domestic firms are documented. The Toda Yamamoto Granger causality framework shows unidirectional causality from FDI to GDP in Colombia, Egypt and Zambia. These results suggest that in these three countries, we have a case of growth enhancing FDI. There is also evidence of causality which runs from GDP to FDI in China, Indonesia, France, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom. This is a case where higher levels of economic activity attract foreign direct investment. We also find evidence of bi-directional causality for Argentina, Kenya and Thailand. No clear cut relationship between FDI and growth is established in the rest of the countries: Brazil, Chile, Ghana, India, Jordan, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa and all but four of the developed economies. The dynamic panel data analysis for the developing economy sample reveals positive effects between FDI and economic growth. A key finding from this is the negative impact of financial development, an absorptive capacity measure. This unexpected result raises the possibility of international capital flows becoming more harmful to developing economies when extensive development of the domestic financial sector makes it difficult to regulate financial transactions of relatively esoteric financial contracts. This evidence there should be a nuanced embrace of financial globalization by developing economies. In the emerging economy analysis, the roles of openness of the economy and financial development as absorptive capacity indicators are elevated. Overall, the dynamic analysis shows a largely negative and statistically insignificant effect of FDI on economic growth. For developed economies, we find that negative effects of FDI on economic growth are encountered at both the minimum and mean levels of openness. This suggests that for developed economies, a level of openness above the mean value would be ideal for economic growth to be realized through FDI. iv Corroborating our findings with the work of other scholars, we conclude that our results are complementary. It appears that the contradictions inherent in the FDI-Growth literature could be partly due to methodological differences.

Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Wiwatersrand, 2011 / Biological production of hydrogen gas has received increasing interest from the international community during the last decade. Most studies on biological fermentative hydrogen production from carbohydrates using mixed cultures have been conducted in conventional continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) under mesophilic conditions. Investigations on hydrogen production in reactor systems with attached or self-immobilized microbial growth have also appeared recently in the literature. These investigations on attached or self-immobilised bacteria involve hydrogen production in the mesophilic and thermophilic temperature range. The present study investigated the design and operational features of anaerobic fluidized granular bed bioreactor (AFGB) system which would facilitate the simultaneous achievement of high productivities (HPs) and high hydrogen yields (HYs).Where high HPs is greater than 120 mmol H2 /(L.h) and HYs greater than 4 mol H2/mol glucose. Theoretical maximum yield for an exponentially growing non-granulated bacterial monoculture will always be less than the thermodynamic maximum of 4 mol H2 /mol glucose: C6H12O6 +4H2O → 2CH3COO- + 4H2 + 4H+ + 2HCO3. The design features included reducing the total non-working or dead volume of bioreactor system. The operational improvements included application of thermophilic temperatures and high rates of de-gassed effluent recycling through the fluidized granular bed. An example of an optimal ratio of effluent recycle rate (R) to bioreactor working volume (V) was (3.0 L/min)/(3.2 L/min) = 0.94 minutes. Under conditions where temperatures were maximised and V/R were minimized the HPs increased to 21.58 L H2 /h. Also under these conditions the HYs increased above 3.0 mol H2/mol glucose. Specific hydrogen productivity for the fluidized granular bed increased from 0.25 L H2 / (g BM.h) or 8.83 mmol H2 / (g BM.h) at 45 oC to 0.525 L H2 / (g BM.h) or 18.03 mmol H2 / ( g BM.h) at 70 oC. A 3.64 fold increase in hydrogen yield occurred with an increase in temperature from 45 oC to 70 oC. XX When expressed in terms of glucose, this represents an increase from 1.34 mol H2 /mol glucose to 4.65 mol H2 /mol glucose. Finally, an evaluation of the net energy production by the AFGB system revealed a positive energy balance, making thermophilic biohydrogen production energetically viable from a commercial perspective.

Thesis (M.Com. (Management))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2016. / In an economic environment where knowledge based-work is the strategic component of value creation and competitive advantage, knowledge workers have become the engine that drives sustainability and profitability. Knowledge workers are described as workers with high degrees of education, expertise and whose primary task is to create, distribute and apply knowledge. With the increasing demand and number of knowledge workers in the work force, the productivity of knowledge workers has become an imperative management task as well as a decisive economic factor. Despite the continuous stream of research on knowledge worker productivity, knowledge worker productivity continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing managers today. Knowledge worker productivity refers to ability of knowledge workers to effectively collect, create and use inherent knowledge to produce goods and services. Inherent knowledge is highly personal and cannot be separated from the person who holds it. Further, inherent knowledge is closely related to the technical skills that an individual has and are only known to the person who possesses those skills. If organisations wish to leverage this inherent knowledge to their competitive advantage, they need to know how to engage and stimulate the deepest parts of the human mind. However, no two individuals are the same. Personnel psychology literature has long stressed that meaningful differences exist between people. These individual differences influence individual work performance and behaviour. Although several studies have addressed the issue of personality predicting job performance, there is a lack of knowledge of the relationship between personality, motivation and knowledge worker productivity, specifically in the South African context. This study attempts to address this lack of knowledge through a quantitative study of the relationship between personality, motivation and knowledge worker productivity. The study investigated whether the intrinsic personalities of knowledge workers and motivation predict knowledge worker productivity. Although several studies have directly addressed the issue of personality predicting job performance, few studies have directly investigated whether motivation mediates the relationship between personality and specifically knowledge worker productivity. Consequently, there is limited evidence to support the arguments of the present study. The theoretical and practical implications for knowledge worker productivity are discussed.

A Thesis Submitted to Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Johannesburg, August 2017 / This research investigates how on-site craft gangs adapt to the production environment on-site and how on-site learning is affected by prior learning in orders to optimise productivity. To achieve the aim of the study, previous experience of construction production process of craft gangs, site supervisors and the project managers working in Nigerian construction firms was evaluated. The researcher employed a mixed method research approach utilising qualitative and quantitative approaches. The research strategies used in this investigation included interviews and observation method. A face-to-face semi-structured interviews of (15) participants comprising of craft gangs, site supervisors and the project managers was used in the qualitative method of the data collection to explore the project specific constraints and the response mechanism used to resolve the various constraints. A standard observation data form was used in all the observed seven (7) gang’s blockwork craft gangs on the construction site. The interview transcript results collected were analysed using content analysis, an objective and systematic form of data analysis applicable to analysing interview data. In the application of the learning curve model to the blockwork craft gang’s, the straight-line model was used in the preliminary analysis of the application of learning curve theory to blockwork craft gang’s. In this study, the ordinary least squares technique, frequently referred to as linear regression was used for the data analysis. 0.05% significance level was used as a satisfactory degree of the inferences in the observation part of this study. Blockwork craft gang’s observed at the site shows approximately an overall average learning of 94.21%, resulting in 5.79% improvement in blockwork gang’s productivity. In addition, substantial impact on productivity of blockwork construction was achieved in wall construction. This research work is fundamental in construction management by way of developing an understanding into the changing aspects of on-site blockwork craft gangs learning and its impact on productivity. The repetitive nature of blockwork activities has an important influence on the optimisation of productivity. Construction craft gangs productivity constraints and response mechanism generated in this study provides a methodological instrument for addressing the major constraints influencing craft gangs productivity. This instrument will also permit future research on the project specific constraints and the response mechanisms used to resolve the constraints. / MT 2018

There has been numerous research that has hypothesised that ‘green’ buildings contribute to more positive outcomes than that of their conventional counterpart, such as increased well-being (psychological and physical) and productivity. However, recent studies have shown that results have been inconclusive, showing a discrepancy within this realm. In the present study, the researcher investigated the relationship between ‘green’ buildings and organisational outcomes (well-being, productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism), as well as, factors that may impact on this relationship. This was achieved by examining a sample of participants within the Nedbank Menlyn Maine building, whereby, a 5-star ‘As-Built’ Green Rating has been achieved. A non-experimental, longitudinal, correlational mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being scale, Sick Building Syndrome Questionnaire, perceptions of physical work conditions questionnaire, and single item scales measuring productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Data was compared over three time frames (approximately 6 months apart) in order to see if there was a change. Qualitative data was collected by means of nine in-depth interviews. Most the results demonstrated that the ‘green’ building did not produce significantly better physical or psychological wellbeing, increased job satisfaction or higher perceived productivity. Qualitative data revealed that green buildings could not be examined in isolation, and that aspects, such as legitimacy of the green concept, education, resistance, unconscious impacts, office design, culture, and health effects needed to be examined in order to understand the quantitative results. The implications of the results and the limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are made.

People who live in rural areas in low-income countries not only live in poverty, they also have to deal with an extremely variable income. In the absence of a well-functioning credit market, these fluctuations can be costly for households. This study aims to provide knowledge to the cost of these fluctuations, more precisely the study aims to answer how transitory weather shocks in Kenya affect children´s cognitive ability. Where weather shocks are assumed to be aggregated shocks that temporarily change the productivity in districts. The result from the study shows that drought, which can be seen as a negative shock, decrease the cognitive ability of children 11 to 16. The effect is marginally significant at the 10 percent level. No significant effect on cognitive ability is found for children aged 6 to 10. The result for older children is robust to alternative specifications. The study does not show any conclusive evidence on different effects on how boys and girls are affected by droughts.

Researchers increasingly advocate the use of ecosystem-based management (EBM) for managing complex marine ecosystems. This approach requires managers to focus on processes and cross-scale interactions, rather than individual components. However, they often lack appropriate tools and data sources to pursue this change in management approach. One method that has been proposed to understand the ecological complexity inherent in marine ecosystems is the study of biological hotspots. Biological hotspots are locations where organisms from different trophic levels aggregate to feed on abundant supplies, and they are considered a first step toward understanding the processes driving spatial and temporal heterogeneity in marine systems. Biological hotspots are supported by phytoplankton aggregations, which are characterized by high spatial and temporal variability. As a result, methods developed to locate biological hotspots in relatively stable terrestrial systems are not well suited for more dynamic marine ecosystems. The main objective of this thesis is thus to identify and characterize local-scale biological hotspots in the western side of the Gulf of Maine. The first chapter describes a new methodological framework with the steps needed to locate these types of hotspots in marine ecosystems using remote sensing datasets. Then, in the second chapter these hotspots are characterized using a novel metric that uses time series information and spatial statistics to account for both the temporal variability and spatial structure of these marine aggregations. This metric redefines biological hotspots as areas with a high probability of exhibiting positive anomalies of productivity compared to the expected regional seasonal pattern. Finally, the third chapter compares the resulting biological hotspots to fishery-dependent abundance indices of surface and benthic predators to determine the effect of the location and magnitude of phytoplankton aggregations on the rest of the ecosystem. Analyses indicate that the spatial scale and magnitude of biological hotspots in the Gulf of Maine depend on the location and time of the year. Results also show that these hotspots change over time in response to both short-term oceanographic processes and long-term climatic cycles. Finally, the new metric presented here facilitates the spatial comparison between different trophic levels, thus allowing interdisciplinary ecosystem-wide studies.

Este trabalho discute a produtividade na execução das instalações elétricas, em obras residenciais de múltiplos pavimentos. São apresentados os conceitos e as bases teóricas que balizaram este estudo; considerações e características dos processos envolvidos no serviço; dados coletados em campo e a análise desses dados, que são apresentados no formato de índices. O conjunto destas informações gera uma referência para a gestão de execução de instalações elétricas prediais com base em indicadores de produtividade. / This work discusses the productivity of electrical installations, in multi storey residential buildings. This study presents the concepts and theoretical bases that have been used; considerations and characteristics of the adopted processes; collected data in the field and the analysis of this data, which are presented in indicator format. All these information provides the basis to develop electrical installations management supported by the labor productivity knowledge.

O principal objetivo desta dissertacão é estudar a produtividade da compacidade enumerável em grupos topológicos. Vários contra-exemplos foram descritos. / The main aim of this thesis is to study the productivity of coutable compactness in topological groups. Several counterexamples were described.