No description available.

This study is aimed to assess the extent of street food vendor information and education on food safety. Aim: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of street food vendors, within the City of Johannesburg, with regard to food hygiene and safety. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study utilizing a quantitative research approach. Data was collected through face-to-face interviewing of street food vendors, with observations of general hygiene and cleanliness. Data was captured in Excel and imported into CDC Epi Info version 3.4.3 (2007) for analysis. Numerical data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and categorical data was analyzed using frequencies. Bivariate analysis was used to establish differences between regions with high and low proportions of street food vendors with regard to knowledge, practices and attitudes variables.

<p>This study investigates ways in which migratory trajectories relate to the gradual insertion and eventual integration of immigrants. It therefore shows the contribution of social capital in the migration and insertion into the entrepreneurial city of the host country. The focus of the study is on immigrants of African origin. It is hypothesized that immigrants of different nationalities in South Africa use&nbsp / particular assets to engage in street vending as a way of insertion into their new environment. Data were obtained through a survey of two hundred and eight (208) respondents conveniently&nbsp / selected. The survey was carried out in five suburbs of Cape Town and as well as at some major road junctions where these vendors are found. The Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. The results showed that nationality was an important determinant of the migratory trajectories of immigrant vendors. Migration has been on the increase with the&nbsp / improvement in technology and globalization. In the same light, migration into South African cities mainly from the rest of Africa and Asia took an upward trend especially after the fall of Apartheid&nbsp / Regime and the advent of democracy in the nineties. Street vendors form part of these immigrants in South Africa. Many of them especially from other African countries find it a suitable means of&nbsp / survival. Faced with the difficulty of getting jobs in South Africa, immigrants resort to informal trading as a starting point for survival. They may change to other activities depending on certain variables like duration of stay, level of education, age, sex, marital status, social capital and networks. Coming from different socioeconomic, cultural and political backgrounds, these immigrants&nbsp / resort to different ways of migrating and forms of adaptation aimed at sustaining their livelihood in their new environments. Most studies in the field of migration and entrepreneurship focus on&nbsp / remittances by the migrants as well as their impact on both their place of departure and on the place of destination. Little attention is paid to the way they migrate and how they insert themselves in the entrepreneurial city.<br /> &nbsp / </p>

A county's level of development is measured by poverty, unemployment and inequality. Strategies and development plans must address these three elements. The informal sector is an important part of the economy, contributing to the social and economic development of countries. Despite its importance, the management of the informal sector has not taken central place in most countries, probably because there is still the subconscious belief that the sector will disappear if sufficient levels of growth are reached. The sector is still being viewed as temporary and transitional. Research has however shown that the sector is permanent, and that there are those who enter the sector by choice (voluntary informal employment) and those who participate in the sector involuntarily. Despite the reason for participation, the sector should be taken seriously as it continues to grow and is permanent. As a result of the permanent nature of the informal sector, debates have moved from focusing only on informal enterprises to include the workers themselves, thereby giving birth to the notion of informal economy. The most visible activity in the informal economy is street trading. Street trading is a source of livelihood for the majority of the urban poor, but if not properly managed, can be problematic. Actually, street trading is associated with various urban management problems such as crime, grime, dirtiness, and many other issues, in some instance badly affecting the ability of the formal sector to grow. Due to its direct effect on the formal economy and communities, as street traders use public space, the study focuses on the management of street vendors. The study argues that while it is true that street vendors are a contributing factor to most urban management challenges in urban areas, the main cause is lack of proper systems and processes designed to manage the sector. The study argues further that the problems associated with street vendors are a symptom of systematic problems in public institutions, especially municipalities that are mandated by the Constitution to manage street trading. It maintains that the majority of the problems associated with informal trading can be addressed by adopting relevant policies that would guide and delimit the actions and behaviours of both the public officials and the traders. Such policies should, however, not equate management to regulation as has been the case. The policies should instead be developmental in nature, thereby recognising and acknowledging that street trading is an important component of the economy. This is not an easy task. The most fundamental challenge is the conflicting objectives between the street vendors and the authorities. While the street vendors focus on their right to trade, the local authorities focus on the right to enforce safety and health regulations. It is therefore important for municipalities to adopt a balanced approach to street trading as a phenomenon. This fact is also exacerbated by local authorities' limited understanding of the size and the contribution of the informal sector generally, and street vendors in particular, to the economy. This results in the adoption of public policies, urban plans and other development plans that counter rather than support the informal economy. Another critical finding that emerged from the study is that street vendors are generally not organised, and therefore have limited bargaining power. Due to this fact, they are unable to participate in the decision-making processes of the authorities even when decisions that affect them are taken. Even in instances where there are trader's associations, it has been indicated that they are weak and unable to assert any influence. On the local authority's side, the lack of proper traders' organisational structures makes it difficult for the municipalities to engage them and jointly develop strategies that will enable the sector to grow and become sustainable. It is therefore important that the authorities play a critical advocacy role with regard to the issue of association. Although various organisations such as SEWA, StreetNet or WIEGO are present, this is at local level, and hence their effect has not been felt. Another element that has emerged is that street vendors are harassed and do not enjoy any benefits, even in areas where it is legal to engage in street trading. One contributing factor to this could be that the management of the sector is not properly institutionalised. The study argues that where proper institutional mechanisms are put in place, and roles clearly defined, the sector is better managed and supported. Singapore, for example, established a hawker's department to deal with issues of licensing, support, monitoring and personal hygiene. This approach enabled Singapore to manage the sector better. Analysis of the policies of various municipalities in South Africa indicated a shift in this regard. The municipalities analysed acknowledge the fact that management of the sector requires a multidisciplinary approach, and have attempted to clearly define the institutional model for managing the sector. The question, however, would be if the state of street vending in some of the cities continues as it is, whether the lack of effectiveness of the policies is due to lack of resources and capacity to implement such policies or whether the policies are not appropriate for the environments which exist. The conclusion arrived at indicates without any doubt that the informal economy is here to stay, and is a critical component of the economy. It is therefore important that like the formal economy that is regulated and protected, the informal economy, is managed in a way that can make it one of the levers to address poverty, unemployment and inequality. The study also concluded that the formal economy remains the backbone of the economy. As a result, the informal economy should not be regarded as a solution to the problems in the formal economy. Instead, the informal sector is complementary and supplementary to the formal economy. As a result, it is prudent to have proper polices and strategies that put the informal economy at the centre and not at the periphery of economic development. Indeed, such policies and strategies should not affect the formal economy negatively. The recommendations provided in the study indicate that when developing a policy for managing street trading, such a policy should be developed taking into account the various policy-making stages. The municipality should also conduct a thorough environmental analysis in order to determine the external and internal factors that will affect the policy in order to develop an implementable and effective policy. The study concludes that issues such as infrastructure provision, safety, organisation, proper institutional model and capacity-building are critical intervention mechanisms that can enable the municipality to manage street vending effectively. Once these issues are addressed, the municipality will be able to manage street trading effectively. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

This thesis examines the informal sector of the economy in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and the role the church can play in assisting those who are involved. In describing the nature of the informal economic sector the thesis investigates the reasons for the existence of the informal sector, namely the economic structural adjustment programme, unemployment, land and climatic conditions in Bulawayo, post independence political disturbances and easy entry into the industry; the types of the sector, namely, manufacturing and wholesaling, which has the clothing, steel and furniture manufacturing industries; the retail sector, which has the vegetable vending and the flea markets; and the service sector, which has the foreign currency traders and other activities such as television, radio and shoe repairs, prostitution, shebeens and pirate industries. The impact the informal sector has on established business has also been considered, and the role of the funders of the informal sector. Particular attention is drawn to the problems of the informal traders , which are identified as lack of legal protection and freedom of operation, lack of training, lack of access to business and marketing information, lack of credit facilities, lack of quality merchandise, the fact that it is considered illegal business, the problems of foreign currency, fuel shortage and high prices, lack of sanitary conditions, lack of adequate support from the city authorities, lack of equipment and lack of social security. The thesis then presents an argument for the church's involvement in assisting people engaged in the informal economic sector, with a reflection on the Biblical tradition and the concept of humanization. The projects of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa are discussed and attention is drawn to the background history of the activities and administration of the projects, the problems encountered and the way forward. Finally, the thesis proposes eight key strategic initiatives that the church can take. These are the change of attitude of the church in order to meet the needs of the church, advocacy to government, advocacy to banks and financial institutions, by establishing financial support for the informal industry, by supporting organizations such as BUTA and the formation of the National Association of the Informal Sector, by offering training and mentorship , by giving support and counselling and finally by giving of the church's own facilities where necessary and appropriate. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

The Theory of the Firm consists of a number of economic theories that attempt to describe the nature and the behaviour of the firm. One of the important assumptions of the theory is that of profit maximisation. In order to maximise profits, there are four factors of production that are required by the firm, i.e. land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Although capital may relate to the acquisition of funds that are required by the business, it also relates to proper financial skills that are needed to manage these funds. Therefore, in order to successfully establish and manage a business, especially a small or medium sized enterprise, it is necessary to possess financial management and accounting skills. The SME sector has been identified as having the potential to contribute to economic growth of the country. In order to achieve this objective, is important that the sector is well managed and that there are sufficient accounting and financial management skills in the sector. The research has been undertaken in order to determine and evaluate accounting and financial management skills that are needed by the SME sector in KwaZulu-Natal. The literature review suggested that an absence of accounting and financial management and accounting skills contributes to the poor performance of the sector in South Africa and that the possession of some basic skills in these fields may enhance the growth and profitability of the sector. The research design was of a quantitative nature. A questionnaire was completed by a group of thirty industry experts and these findings were statistically analysed. The questionnaire allowed for further comments and opinions from the experts on selected accounting and financial management aspects in the SME sector. The empirical research indicated that: • there is a low level of accounting and financial management skills in the SME sector in KwaZulu-Natal; and, • there is a need to improve the accounting and financial management skills in the SME sector in KwaZulu-Natal. / Thesis (M.Comm.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

My Interior Design practicum is an inquiry about the nature of urban informality through the study of present and emerging urban vernaculars within Kambi Moto, an informal area in Nairobi Kenya. I argue that unique vernacular characteristics manifest in everyday living and can be captured through the experience and knowledge of self-builders, entrepreneurs and dwellers within informal settlements. An understanding of these vernacular characteristics is instrumental in the designing of meaningful and effective social housing prototypes. The main methods used to document vernacular characteristics include, post occupancy evaluations (POEs), time diaries, photographs and observation. Within an interior design context, these tools helped describe the spatial needs, wants and desires of the everyday dwellers of Kambi Moto. The four resulting compact housing configurations support one-to-ten member households with provisions for a home-based business (HBB) or a rental unit. All units have an adaptable rooftop with a garden.

Neformaliojo muzikinio ugdymo poreikiui patenkinti ir jo tikslų įgyvendinimui užtikrinti svarbu ne tik galimybė pasirinkti interesus atitinkančią ugdymo įstaigą ar mokymo programą, bet ir sudaryti sąlygas vaikui džiaugtis pasirinkta muzikine neformalia veikla. Deja, neretai susiduriama su sėkmingai vaiko neformaliai muzikinei veiklai trukdančia motyvacijos šiai veiklai stokos problema. Kadangi vaiko motyvaciją lemia ne vienas veiksnys, susijęs su visa vaiko aplinka, pedagogui ypatingai svarbu į neformaliojo muzikinio ugdymo procesą įtraukti ir mokinių tėvus bei su jais bendradarbiauti. Todėl darbe nagrinėjamos pedagogų ir tėvų bendradarbiavimo galimybės įtakoti vaiko neformalios muzikinės veiklos motyvacijai poveikį darančius veiksnius. / In order to meet the need for musical education and to ensure achievement of it’s goals it is important not only to have a possibility to select an educational institution or an educational program meeting personal interests, but also to create conditions for a child to enjoy the informal musical activity selected. Unfortunately, very often the problem is encountered related to the lack of motivation in a child for informal musical activity and preventing him from successfully involving into such activity. Since motivation of the child is predetermined by several factors related to his whole environment, it is particularly important for a pedagogue to also involve children’s parents into the process of informal musical education as well as to cooperate with the latter. Therefore, the paper analyses possibilities of cooperation between pedagogues and parents in influencing the factors affecting the child’s motivation for informal musical activity: personal characteristic features of the child, family, pedagogue’s personality and competences, contemporaries.

The present study used Nardi and O’Day’s (1999) information ecology theory, along with activity theory (Wertsch, 1998), social learning theory (Wenger, 1998), and situated learning theory (Lave, 2009; Lave & Wenger, 1991) to examine the informal professional learning of a high school social studies department. Existing literature is just beginning to attend to the potential of informal professional learning, so this exploratory study used a single-case study of a high school social studies department made up of 12 teachers. Data included observations of scheduled and spontaneous collaborative learning activities, department meetings, and in-service meetings; semi-structured interviews; and relevant documents to consider how high school social studies teacher participants navigate their own informal professional learning. Supporting research questions included: (1) How do high school social studies teacher participants choose what to do to individually and collectively meet their professional learning needs? (2) What actions do participants take to meet their professional learning needs individually and collectively? (3) How do participants evaluate their professional learning growth individually and collectively? (4) How do participants interact with one another and with the environment as they navigate their own professional learning? Results indicated that participants valued their informal professional learning experiences, engaged in reflection throughout their informal professional learning, were influenced by departmental leadership, and experienced successes and failures in their informal professional learning goals. The department’s informal professional learning was important but also imperfect. Further consideration of teachers’ informal professional learning may offer new ways to support teacher growth.