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Plant diversity patterns of a settlement in the North-West Province, South Africa / Elandrie DavorenDavoren, Elandrie January 2009 (has links)
In recent years the composition of urban vegetation has become far more complex than that of
the surrounding natural vegetation. This is mainly due to the influence that humans have on the
creation of new plant communities and the management of urban green spaces. Green spaces
are fundamental to the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity in areas that have been
severely impacted by urban development. Green spaces provide various ecosystem services
and benefits for the health and well-being of urban residents, and can help to reduce the effects
of global climate change.
The most understudied green space in the entire urban green infrastructure is homegardens.
Homegardens contribute greatly to the species composition of urban and rural settlements and
are important in situ conservation sites that help to protect rare and endemic species. They are
essential agricultural systems, especially in rural settlements, that provide both sources of
additional income generation and food supply. In developing countries such as South Africa,
very few studies have been done on homegardens and the benefits they provide to
homeowners and to urban ecosystems in general. However, since South Africa become
committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2000, more research has
been done on the potential of homegardens for poverty alleviation.
The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of plant diversity in a rural settlement and to
determine to what extent the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants influences the plant
species composition of the settlement. The settlement of Ganyesa, situated in the Bophirima
district in the North-West Province, was chosen for the study. Using GIS techniques, a grid was
placed over the settlement and plant surveys were done every 500 m. Different land-use types
were identified during the completion of the survey, namely natural areas, fragmented natural
areas, fallow fields, road verges, wetlands, home gardens and institutional gardens. The
national South African census data from 2001 proved to be too unreliable to accurately
determine the SES of the residents in Ganyesa. Consequently, a social survey was completed
by means of a questionnaire to determine the socioeconomic status of the owners of the
homegardens under study.
Clear differences could be observed between the land-use types and the indigenous and alien
species composition, which were indicated in kriging maps. In comparison with the natural
areas, homegardens contained more alien species than the surrounding natural areas. The
vegetation composition for all the homegardens were correlated with the residents
socioeconomic status along a socioeconomic gradient, ranging from low, to medium to high. ANCOVA, multiple regressions and basic statistical analyses were performed using all the
vegetation and socioeconomic data. Meaningful correlations occur between the socioeconomic
status of the homeowners and the plant diversity of their gardens. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.
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The economic impact of the Wacky Wine Festival / Joubert E.Joubert, Elize-Mari January 2012 (has links)
Literature indicates that events like a wine festival have many role players involved that need each other for them to be successful. The more role players there are, the more complex the event becomes, as in the case of the Wacky Wine Festival which is spread over 48 wine farms. The most important role players are the visitors and wine farmers that represent the demand and supply side of the festival. Local enterprises, wine farmers and the festival organisers put a lot of effort into the event, such as their time, money and skills. It is essential for these role players to know that they will get a return on their investment and for the host community to know that the festival will make a contribution to their local economy. Furthermore, literature indicates that the festival can improve the economic position of the role players by targeting the high spending market through intensive marketing that focuses on this particular segment.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of the Wacky Wine Festival to the local economy and to compile a profile of the heavy spender. To achieve the latter, a quantitative study was carried out by means of two surveys via questionnaires that were handed out to both the visitor and wine farmer. The data was then captured in Microsoft© Excel©. In Article 1 (Chapter 2) the sales multiplier effect and an analytical framework were used to determine the contribution of the festival to the host community. In Article 2 (Chapter 3) different tests and analyses were used to compile a profile of the heavy spender such as the K–means clustering, Chi–Squared, the Mann–Whitney non–parametric test and an ANOVA analysis.
The results from Article 1 (Chapter 2) showed that the Wacky Wine Festival had an positive economic contribution of an estimated R29.9 million to the host community`s economy. From a demand and supply point of view, the visitors contributed R15.4 million and the wine farmers R6 million. From the results, it could be derived that the festival had low leakages in comparison with other festivals.
iii
The results from Article 2 (Chapter 3) indicated that the heavy and low spenders differ in terms of gender, language, age, occupation, number of people paying for in travelling group, residence and number of days spent at the festival. It was clear from the results that if the festival organisers and wine farmers focus marketing strategies on the high spending segment, this can lead to a R10 million increase in the Wacky Wine Festival’s revenue, thus improving the economic contribution of the event to the local economy of Robertson. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.
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An analysis of selected stakeholder dynamics in the South African recreational freshwater angling sector / by J.J.S. van ZylVan Zyl, Jan Johannes Steyn January 2010 (has links)
Angling as a sport and recreational activity attracts millions of participants worldwide, making it the most popular pastime on the planet. Freshwater bank anglers in South Africa account for approximately 60% of the angling community and contribute billions to the economy.
The freshwater bank angling industry as such is largely informal, with the exception of the small organised angling section. The technical aspects of angling receive an abundance of covering in magazines and increases in popularity through the electronic media. This study focuses on lesser known aspects regarding the angling industry stakeholders and put the activities of South African freshwater bank anglers in perspective. Valuable information was gathered describing the socio-economic profile and various preferences and habits of anglers. The information should form the basis of future studies to formalise the freshwater bank angling industry.
A general and mutual concern among stakeholders for the future sustainability of freshwater angling was identified. The apparent lack of enforcing angling and environmental legislation was singled out as a serious shortcoming in protecting the interests of stakeholders. The study calls for organised angling to engage all stakeholders in a national strategy for developing the structures and creating the momentum to promote and grow this undervalued industry to its potential. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
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Implementation of the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa / Andrew Willie BartlettBartlett, Andrew Willie January 2011 (has links)
In 2001 the first Human Resource Development Strategy of South Africa (HRDSA) was
implemented. The lack of institutional arrangements, structures, procedures, processes
and capacity and the location of the HRDSA, 2001, at both the then Departments of
Education and Labour, severely hampered the implementation and effective functioning
of the Strategy. This study aims to find solutions to the main implementation difficulties
experienced with the HRDSA, 2001, in order to ensure increased performance
regarding the strategic priorities of the revised HRDSA, 2010 – 2030.
An empirical study was conducted to determine potential challenges pertaining to the
implementation of the revised HRDSA. Interviews were conducted with senior officials
and experts at relevant national departments and with the Gauteng Provincial
Government and social partners and relevant stakeholders, including organised labour
and organised business. Questionnaires distributed among human resource
development (HRD) practitioners addressed matters pertaining to possible solutions
with regard to the appropriate location of the HRDSA, challenges in implementing the
HRDSA, capacity needs, appropriate governance structures, political support and
budgetary constraints.
Best practice for the implementation of a national HRD strategy in a number of countries
is outlined and discussed with a view to benchmarking the HRDSA and learning from
the mistakes made by them in the implementation of their national HRD strategies.
Based on these lessons learnt by those countries, and valuable information gathered
through the results obtained from the questionnaires and interviews, recommendations
are made to support the successful implementation of the revised HRDSA. The
recommendations are focused on the effective, efficient, economic and sustainable
implementation of the revised HRDSA commitments, strategic priorities, strategic
objectives, programmes and projects to improve social and economic growth, as well as
HRD, human development (HD) and accelerated quality service delivery in South Africa. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
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Plant diversity patterns of a settlement in the North-West Province, South Africa / Elandrie DavorenDavoren, Elandrie January 2009 (has links)
In recent years the composition of urban vegetation has become far more complex than that of
the surrounding natural vegetation. This is mainly due to the influence that humans have on the
creation of new plant communities and the management of urban green spaces. Green spaces
are fundamental to the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity in areas that have been
severely impacted by urban development. Green spaces provide various ecosystem services
and benefits for the health and well-being of urban residents, and can help to reduce the effects
of global climate change.
The most understudied green space in the entire urban green infrastructure is homegardens.
Homegardens contribute greatly to the species composition of urban and rural settlements and
are important in situ conservation sites that help to protect rare and endemic species. They are
essential agricultural systems, especially in rural settlements, that provide both sources of
additional income generation and food supply. In developing countries such as South Africa,
very few studies have been done on homegardens and the benefits they provide to
homeowners and to urban ecosystems in general. However, since South Africa become
committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2000, more research has
been done on the potential of homegardens for poverty alleviation.
The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of plant diversity in a rural settlement and to
determine to what extent the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants influences the plant
species composition of the settlement. The settlement of Ganyesa, situated in the Bophirima
district in the North-West Province, was chosen for the study. Using GIS techniques, a grid was
placed over the settlement and plant surveys were done every 500 m. Different land-use types
were identified during the completion of the survey, namely natural areas, fragmented natural
areas, fallow fields, road verges, wetlands, home gardens and institutional gardens. The
national South African census data from 2001 proved to be too unreliable to accurately
determine the SES of the residents in Ganyesa. Consequently, a social survey was completed
by means of a questionnaire to determine the socioeconomic status of the owners of the
homegardens under study.
Clear differences could be observed between the land-use types and the indigenous and alien
species composition, which were indicated in kriging maps. In comparison with the natural
areas, homegardens contained more alien species than the surrounding natural areas. The
vegetation composition for all the homegardens were correlated with the residents
socioeconomic status along a socioeconomic gradient, ranging from low, to medium to high. ANCOVA, multiple regressions and basic statistical analyses were performed using all the
vegetation and socioeconomic data. Meaningful correlations occur between the socioeconomic
status of the homeowners and the plant diversity of their gardens. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.
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26 |
The economic impact of the Wacky Wine Festival / Joubert E.Joubert, Elize-Mari January 2012 (has links)
Literature indicates that events like a wine festival have many role players involved that need each other for them to be successful. The more role players there are, the more complex the event becomes, as in the case of the Wacky Wine Festival which is spread over 48 wine farms. The most important role players are the visitors and wine farmers that represent the demand and supply side of the festival. Local enterprises, wine farmers and the festival organisers put a lot of effort into the event, such as their time, money and skills. It is essential for these role players to know that they will get a return on their investment and for the host community to know that the festival will make a contribution to their local economy. Furthermore, literature indicates that the festival can improve the economic position of the role players by targeting the high spending market through intensive marketing that focuses on this particular segment.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of the Wacky Wine Festival to the local economy and to compile a profile of the heavy spender. To achieve the latter, a quantitative study was carried out by means of two surveys via questionnaires that were handed out to both the visitor and wine farmer. The data was then captured in Microsoft© Excel©. In Article 1 (Chapter 2) the sales multiplier effect and an analytical framework were used to determine the contribution of the festival to the host community. In Article 2 (Chapter 3) different tests and analyses were used to compile a profile of the heavy spender such as the K–means clustering, Chi–Squared, the Mann–Whitney non–parametric test and an ANOVA analysis.
The results from Article 1 (Chapter 2) showed that the Wacky Wine Festival had an positive economic contribution of an estimated R29.9 million to the host community`s economy. From a demand and supply point of view, the visitors contributed R15.4 million and the wine farmers R6 million. From the results, it could be derived that the festival had low leakages in comparison with other festivals.
iii
The results from Article 2 (Chapter 3) indicated that the heavy and low spenders differ in terms of gender, language, age, occupation, number of people paying for in travelling group, residence and number of days spent at the festival. It was clear from the results that if the festival organisers and wine farmers focus marketing strategies on the high spending segment, this can lead to a R10 million increase in the Wacky Wine Festival’s revenue, thus improving the economic contribution of the event to the local economy of Robertson. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.
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A spending behaviour model for selected South African arts festivals / Veronique LabuschagneLabuschagne, Veronique January 2014 (has links)
Arts festivals form a large part of the South African culture originally as many local communities began to share their culture with visitors by means of arts festivals. This has grown into a large industry that has tremendous financial gain for the hosting communities. With over 500 arts festivals each year in South Africa alone, visitors are certain to find a festival to satisfy their specific needs and wants. Therefore, with so many genres available, each festival has created its own niche market and loyal customer base.
An extensive literature study was conducted for the purpose of this thesis and it was found that research of small to medium arts festivals has been neglected. This finding motivated the main theme of this research. As mentioned earlier, there are so many genres available that the festival organisers may experience difficulty when deciding what to offer and how many genres to offer in order to still be sustainable and attract a sufficient number of visitors. Furthermore, the large number of arts festivals organised each year makes it increasingly difficult for festivals to build a loyal client base. First-time visitors can be converted into repeat visitors if the marketing strategy is precise. Repeat visitors, as stated in the literature, results in a sustainable income for each festival.
Another question that motivated the research was the location of the three arts festivals (Innibos, Vryfees, and Kierieklapper). Three arts festivals in three provinces makes an interesting study to determine whether there is a difference in the three types of visitors that they attract and the spending patterns at each festival.
While addressing the problems stated above, this study produced the following three articles:
* Article 1: ―Determinants of spending at Vryfees with a focus on genres‖.
* Article 2: ―First-time versus repeat visitors at Innibos Arts Festival‖.
* Article 3: ―Role of location in the attendance and spending of festinos‖.
Article 1 investigates spending determinants that influence visitor expenditure on the different genres offered at the Vryfees Festival in Bloemfontein, based on a survey conducted in 2011. The research is based on the notion that different genres have different spending patterns. Article 2 focuses on the differences and/or similarities between first-time and repeat visitors at the Innibos Arts Festival as an alternative approach to market segmentation. Lastly, the third article focuses on three different arts festivals in three different locations in South Africa. The research was conducted by means of a visitor survey at the three arts festivals during the same year with questionnaires administered at Innibos (428), Vryfees (336), and Kierieklapper (202) respectively.
The most significant contributions of this study can be summarised as follows:
* the tourist spending behaviour in regards to the difference between first-time and repeat visitors is significant and can be considered an important spending determinant;
* the tourist spending behaviour in terms of length of stay between first-time visitors and repeat visitors is significantly different, suggesting that familiarity with the destination (as the repeat visitors are) has an important impact;
* different locations attract their own type of tourists and certain locations receive a higher economic injection than other provinces do because of the type of festival held. All three arts festivals attract mainly Afrikaans speaking attendees; and for the first time, a comparative study has been conducted on three arts festivals targeting the Afrikaans speaking community. Additionally, this is the first time a comparative study was conducted on three small to medium arts festivals located in three different provinces; and
* the developed spending model described in the last chapter of this thesis can assist the festival organisers with future festival marketing to improve their income and marketing strategy. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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A spending behaviour model for selected South African arts festivals / Veronique LabuschagneLabuschagne, Veronique January 2014 (has links)
Arts festivals form a large part of the South African culture originally as many local communities began to share their culture with visitors by means of arts festivals. This has grown into a large industry that has tremendous financial gain for the hosting communities. With over 500 arts festivals each year in South Africa alone, visitors are certain to find a festival to satisfy their specific needs and wants. Therefore, with so many genres available, each festival has created its own niche market and loyal customer base.
An extensive literature study was conducted for the purpose of this thesis and it was found that research of small to medium arts festivals has been neglected. This finding motivated the main theme of this research. As mentioned earlier, there are so many genres available that the festival organisers may experience difficulty when deciding what to offer and how many genres to offer in order to still be sustainable and attract a sufficient number of visitors. Furthermore, the large number of arts festivals organised each year makes it increasingly difficult for festivals to build a loyal client base. First-time visitors can be converted into repeat visitors if the marketing strategy is precise. Repeat visitors, as stated in the literature, results in a sustainable income for each festival.
Another question that motivated the research was the location of the three arts festivals (Innibos, Vryfees, and Kierieklapper). Three arts festivals in three provinces makes an interesting study to determine whether there is a difference in the three types of visitors that they attract and the spending patterns at each festival.
While addressing the problems stated above, this study produced the following three articles:
* Article 1: ―Determinants of spending at Vryfees with a focus on genres‖.
* Article 2: ―First-time versus repeat visitors at Innibos Arts Festival‖.
* Article 3: ―Role of location in the attendance and spending of festinos‖.
Article 1 investigates spending determinants that influence visitor expenditure on the different genres offered at the Vryfees Festival in Bloemfontein, based on a survey conducted in 2011. The research is based on the notion that different genres have different spending patterns. Article 2 focuses on the differences and/or similarities between first-time and repeat visitors at the Innibos Arts Festival as an alternative approach to market segmentation. Lastly, the third article focuses on three different arts festivals in three different locations in South Africa. The research was conducted by means of a visitor survey at the three arts festivals during the same year with questionnaires administered at Innibos (428), Vryfees (336), and Kierieklapper (202) respectively.
The most significant contributions of this study can be summarised as follows:
* the tourist spending behaviour in regards to the difference between first-time and repeat visitors is significant and can be considered an important spending determinant;
* the tourist spending behaviour in terms of length of stay between first-time visitors and repeat visitors is significantly different, suggesting that familiarity with the destination (as the repeat visitors are) has an important impact;
* different locations attract their own type of tourists and certain locations receive a higher economic injection than other provinces do because of the type of festival held. All three arts festivals attract mainly Afrikaans speaking attendees; and for the first time, a comparative study has been conducted on three arts festivals targeting the Afrikaans speaking community. Additionally, this is the first time a comparative study was conducted on three small to medium arts festivals located in three different provinces; and
* the developed spending model described in the last chapter of this thesis can assist the festival organisers with future festival marketing to improve their income and marketing strategy. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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Accounting education : investigating the gap between school, university and practice / Henriette van RomburghVan Romburgh, Henriette January 2014 (has links)
Various studies have highlighted the problems faced in accounting education. Some of these
problems refer to the stagnating accounting curriculum, limited resources available to
students from designated black empowerment groups, and the underdevelopment of skills
required by practice. This study focuses specifically on the problems faced in secondary and
tertiary accounting education in South Africa (SA) and the effects of these problems on
practice.
The first article of this study emphasises the various causes for the declining pass rate in firstyear
chartered accountancy (CA) students. For this purpose, the researcher gathered
information on the perceptions of first-year CA students and of lecturers involved in
departments of accounting at SA universities. One of the possible causes identified is the
apparent gap between school and university accounting education, especially in respect of
curriculum, teaching quality and textbooks. The study revealed that students from designated
black empowerment groups are facing the most problems in SA accounting education.
The second article addressed the skills shortages in first-year CA trainees that practitioners
have to deal with. According to the results, the majority of the participants felt that
universities do not sufficiently equip students with the skills necessary to be successful in
practice. The skills shortages identified included the inability of first-year trainees to
determine the extent of testing needed in audits and to think independently. It also seemed as
if first-year trainees lack professional communication skills and cannot sufficiently apply theory learnt at university in practice. These are only some skills with which universities are
expected to equip students in order to be successful in practice.
The researcher drew conclusions and made recommendations based on the information
obtained from the above-mentioned two studies. / MCom (Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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Alignment of various environmental authorisation processes for the mining industry / Wessel Johannes OosthuizenOosthuizen, Wessel Johannes January 2012 (has links)
Mining contributes significantly to the economic development of South Africa,
contributes to pollution and other negative environmental impacts. Section 24 of the
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Constitution) places a duty on
government to, amongst others adopt legislative measures to protect the
environment, prevent pollution and degradation, and secure sustainable
development, while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
Government responded with the introduction of new acts or the amendment of
existing acts most of which require an authorisation process as a “command and
control” tool to enforce environmental governance within the mining sector. The
abovementioned legislative development will be discussed from a historical
perspective up to the current developments. The research aims to attempt to align
the authorisation process pertaining to mining. The mining life cycle will be illustrated
and the authorisation requirements for each of the mining life cycle processes will be
discussed alongside its challenges such as fragmentation, lack of capacity in
government sectors, lack of communication and cooperative governance within
government. The lack of focus within the authorisation requirements will be
deliberated. To avoid the negative consequences of the current authorisation
processes such as duplication, unnecessary time delays and the stifling of economic
growth, an investigation into how the various fragmented authorisation processes
can be aligned into a single streamlined authorisation process which will contribute to
the sustainable development within South Africa will be made. / MPhil (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013
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