ABSTRACT This thesis undertakes to present a game plan for junior mining companies. It culminates with a game plan model that incorporates all the key steps and tasks that mining investors and entrepreneurs need to use to establish globally competitive junior mining companies. It is based on the research of several listed junior mining companies. The game of junior mining is defined by rules, the player, the elements of playing, and the definitions of winning and scoring. The rules of the game are those defined by the resources industry and general business concepts. The mining assets around which the junior mining game is played are exploration projects, feasibility studies, mine development projects or operating mines. The player is the junior mining company intent on winning the game. Playing the game is done through executing the steps, tasks and simple models and matrices associated with the four business pillars: strategy development, legal and financial, operations management and risks management. The first pillar is strategic, while the last three pillars are tactical. For each business pillar, databases were developed, for the purposes of creating references and benchmarks for the game plan. The databases have been created from the analysis of twenty randomly selected junior mining companies, the author’s practical experiences and previous research. Scoring the game is undertaken by completing the game score matrix, which scores the mining assets, the business pillars and the financial performance, and provides an overall company score. The total company score highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Undertaking the process of playing the game iteratively will lead to creating a globally competitive junior mining company. Winning the game is defined as creating a sustainable junior mining company, that grows to a mid-tier company, or is bought out by a major mining company. ii In the thesis, the game is played using the hypothetical case study of a of a coal junior mining company, with a marginal coal mine, an attractive feasibility study and an exploration project. Step by step the game is played leading to a company score and exposing the company’s strengths and weaknesses. The research concludes by presenting a holistic game plan model that can be applied to any junior mining company in any commodity in constantly changing resources industry dynamics.

The purpose of the study is to develop a project health check model to evaluate the status of projects within the coal mining industry. The model will be based on the Buttrick (2000) project health check model as described in his book “The Interactive Project Workout”. The model assesses the current “health” or status of a project. It looks at the full project environment and uses a set of question results in an assessment of the overall risk associated with the project. The model evaluates seven key project success factors which include: 1. Project Plan 5. Expertise 2. Resources 6. Clear Specification 3. Ownership 7. Top Level Support 4. Justifiable Case The model fulfils two roles: • As a checklist, and • As a tool to indicate where a project manager’s efforts should be directed. This study will give an overview of the coal mining industry and the way projects are being evaluated and prioritised. The Buttrick (2000) project health check model will be assessed and adapted to evaluate projects within the coal mining industry. The “new / adapted” model will be applied to the Douglas / Middelburg Optimisation (DMO) to evaluate the health status of the project which is currently at the end of definition (feasibility) stage within BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa. The results obtained from the new health check model showed that the DMO project was in a healthy state with a project health check score of 47.33. It could 4 thus be concluded that the DMO project is ready to move in to the execution phase of the BHP Billiton capital investment process. The results obtained from the project team member participants were split into management perception and team members’ perception. The overall health of the DMO project between the two parties gave similar results with the team members score of 43.76 being slightly lower than the management health score of 45.42. The only major difference was observed on the “Communication” project evaluation criteria where the management perspective on the communication effectiveness was higher than that of the project team members.

The purpose of the study is to develop a project health check model to evaluate the status of projects within the coal mining industry. The model will be based on the Buttrick (2000) project health check model as described in his book “The Interactive Project Workout”. The model assesses the current “health” or status of a project. It looks at the full project environment and uses a set of question results in an assessment of the overall risk associated with the project. The model evaluates seven key project success factors which include: 1. Project Plan 5. Expertise 2. Resources 6. Clear Specification 3. Ownership 7. Top Level Support 4. Justifiable Case The model fulfils two roles: • As a checklist, and • As a tool to indicate where a project manager’s efforts should be directed. This study will give an overview of the coal mining industry and the way projects are being evaluated and prioritised. The Buttrick (2000) project health check model will be assessed and adapted to evaluate projects within the coal mining industry. The “new / adapted” model will be applied to the Douglas / Middelburg Optimisation (DMO) to evaluate the health status of the project which is currently at the end of definition (feasibility) stage within BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa. The results obtained from the new health check model showed that the DMO project was in a healthy state with a project health check score of 47.33. It could 4 thus be concluded that the DMO project is ready to move in to the execution phase of the BHP Billiton capital investment process. The results obtained from the project team member participants were split into management perception and team members’ perception. The overall health of the DMO project between the two parties gave similar results with the team members score of 43.76 being slightly lower than the management health score of 45.42. The only major difference was observed on the “Communication” project evaluation criteria where the management perspective on the communication effectiveness was higher than that of the project team members.

The pricing of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) is an area of interest to practitioners and academics alike given the empirical regularity of investors in IPOs making very large first day returns. These first day returns are as a result of share underpricing. Academics have explained the underpricing phenomenon in terms of ex ante uncertainty, namely the risk of pricing, off take and issuing of such shares. In an attempt to predict the degree of the phenomenon much work has been done in linking underpricing to company, issue and market related factors that are known prior to the listing (ex ante as opposed to ex post information). In the case of junior mining companies, underpricing is exacerbated by a lack of financial information making these issues difficult to value since such unseasoned companies have no past earnings history on which to base predictions of future earnings. Given this context, this study identified relevant factors from secondary sources which could be used to proxy the level of ex ante uncertainty and therefore correlate with the degree of underpricing. The analysis firstly sought to ensure that underpricing exists for the issues, market and time period of interest. Secondly the presence of a “hot issue” period (Ritter, 1984), which is exclusive to the natural resources sector, was investigated. Finally the relationship between underpricing and the relevant factors was explored using hypothesis testing about means and regression analysis. It was found that underpricing does indeed exist for junior mining listings on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) between 2005-2007. This said no evidence of the “hot issue” period could be found. In terms of linking company, issue and market related factors to the degree of underpricing this study failed to identify any significant predictors. It is argued that junior mining listings on the TSX-V may be a special case since some of these factors have successfully been used, by other researchers, to predict the degree of underpricing of mining IPOs. The fact that junior mining IPO’s listed on the TSX-V show a constant degree of underpricing over time implies that investors do not build market specific factors (market sentiment and commodity price) into the listing price. Rather investors seem to demand a constant degree of underpricing regardless of the market situation to compensate them for the “unknown” exploration risk. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The mining industry plays an important role in the economy of South Africa. This industry is an employer of thousands of people and the development of South Africa has depended on the development of the mining industry in more than one way. However, working conditions in the mining industry is poor, harsh and dangerous and employees are also faced with job insecurity. This may lead to stressors in the working environment and these stressors, which are closely related to work characteristics, may have negative effects on employees as well as on their productivity levels. Studies relating organisational resources to work-related flow have provided additional evidence for the motivational potential of resources. The focus of this study is on job characteristics, consisting of job demands and job resources and whether these characteristics can foster work-related flow. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between job demands, job resources and work-related flow and to determine whether the availability of job resources and the lack of job demands foster the experience of work-related flow. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used o collect the data. An availability sample (N = 326) from employees in the mining industry was taken. The Job Demands and Resources Scale (JDRS) (which was developed for the purpose of this study to measure job demands and job resources for employees in the mining industry) and the Work-Related Flow scale (WOLF) and a biographical questionnaire were also administered The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS programme and AMOS programme. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients , Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. Pearson product moment correlation in this study showed that Supervision correlated positively with Task Freedom, Support, Pay and Benefits, Opportunities for Growth and Resources Availability. Workload correlated positively with Working Conditions. Working Conditions correlated positively with Working Hours and negatively with Resources Availability. Task Freedom correlated positively with Opportunities for Growth and Intrinsic Motivation, and Support correlated positively with Opportunity for Growth Pay and Benefits correlated positively with Opportunity for Growth and Resource Availability, whereas Opportunity for Growth correlated positively to Work Enjoyment. Resources Availability correlates negatively with Working Hours, and Absorption indicates a positive correlation to Work Enjoyment and Intrinsic Motivation. Work Enjoyment correlates positively to intrinsic Motivation A structural model of work-related flow for employees in the mining industry comprising of job demands, job resources and work-related flow was tested. Job Resources (i.e. Supervision, Task Freedom, Support, Pay and Benefits, Opportunity for Growth, and Resource Availability) may have a positive impact on Work-Related Flow and could increase the levels of work-related flow of employees in the mining industry. Job Demands (i.e. Workload, Working conditions, Job Security, and Working Hours) has a negative impact on Work-Related Flow, thus job demands may negatively influence the experience of work-related flow in employees in the mining industry. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Entre as principais fontes de contaminação de águas superficiais e subterrâneas encontra-se o lançamento de despejos industriais e de esgoto doméstico sem tratamento e o uso de fertilizantes agrícolas. Nestas matrizes, o íon nitrato aparece como um dos poluentes que mais influencia na degradação das águas. O nitrato é extremamente estável e solúvel em meio aquoso, o que dificulta a remoção do mesmo de águas e efluentes. Uma alternativa de baixo custo e eficiente para remover este poluente consiste no processo de sorção. Além disso, ressalta-se que diversos sólidos podem ser utilizados como sorvente na remoção de poluentes. Sendo assim, os resíduos sólidos, produzidos por diferentes tipologias industriais, como por exemplo, as carboníferas, que precisam ser gerenciados de forma adequada poderiam ser uma alternativa de sólido sorvente. Durante o beneficiamento do minério, estima-se que cerca de 60 % da massa inicial adicionada ao processo seja descartada como rejeito, sendo esse, fonte de importantes impactos ao meio ambiente. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho propõe verificar a possibilidade de tratamento de águas contaminadas com o íon nitrato através do processo de sorção utilizando rejeito do beneficiamento do carvão como sólido sorvente. Para isso, foram realizados ensaios preliminares com sólido natural e com o mesmo sólido modificado quimicamente. Constatou-se que a superfície do rejeito tratada com solução de HDTMA-Br 60 mM torna o processo mais eficiente. Assim, o sólido modificado foi utilizado para a realização de ensaios de sorção visando obter as melhores condições experimentais. A influência dos seguintes parâmetros foi estudada: o pH (de 2 a 10), o tempo de contato da solução de nitrato com o sólido sorvente (de 0 a 90 minutos) e a concentração de sorvente (de 0 a 2 g/100mL da solução). Ainda, isotermas de equilíbrio foram construídas utilizando as melhores condições operacionais encontradas em três temperaturas diferentes (25, 35 e 45ºC). Os dados experimentais foram ajustados aos modelos de Freundlich, Langmuir, Sips e Redlich Peterson. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que as condições que apresentaram os maiores percentuais de remoção do íon estudado foram: pH 6, 60 minutos de tempo de contato e 1 g/100 mL de sorvente. Já quando comparados os dados com os modelos das isotermas, o modelo que melhor descreve o processo foi Sips, com R2 superior a 0,99 em todas as temperaturas avaliadas. Os dados obtidos indicam que rejeito proveniente do beneficiamento de carvão é satisfatório na remoção do íon nitrato, alcançando remoção superior a 90 %. Já no efluente real estudado, houve remoção acima de 90 % do íon nitrato. Comparando os resultados com os limites estabelecidos pela Portaria 2914 de 2011 do Ministério da Saúde, que dispõe sobre os padrões de qualidade da água, o parâmetro nitrato, após tratamento de sorção proposto no presente trabalho ficou abaixo do valor máximo (10 mg L-1) que consta na Portaria. A pesquisa realizada mostra que é possível tratar águas contaminadas com nitrato utilizando um resíduo industrial proveniente de carboníferas, contribuindo para redução do impacto ambiental em diferentes dimensões. / Among the main sources of water contamination are the release of untreated industrial waste and domestic effluents and the use of agricultural fertilizers. In contaminated water, the ion nitrate appears as one of the effluents with the higher influence on water degradation. Nitrate is extremely stable and soluble in water, which hampers its removal from water and effluents. Is a low-cost and efficient alternative to remove this pollutant is the sorption process, which has been studied for the removal of several compounds. In addition, it is emphasized that various solids can be used as sorbent in the removal of pollutants. Therefore, solid wastes, produced by different industrial typologies, such as carboniferous, that need to be adequately managed could be a solid sorbent alternative. During the ore’s beneficiation, it is estimated that about 60% of the initial mass added to the process is discarded as a residue, which is source of important impacts on the environment. In this context, this work proposes to verify the possibility to treat nitrate-contaminated waters through the sorption process using the residue of coal beneficiation as solid sorbent. Preliminary tests were performed with the natural and chemically-modified solid. It was determined that the residue surface treated with the solution HDTMA-Br 60 mM increases the efficiency of the process. Thus, the modified solid was used for the performance of sorption tests aiming to obtain the best experimental conditions for sorption. The influence of the following parameters was studied: pH (from 2 to 10), contact time of the nitrate solution with the solid sorbent (from 0 to 90 minutes) and sorbent concentration (from 0 to 2 g.100mL-1 of the solution). Furthermore, equilibrium isotherms were built using the best operational conditions found in three different temperatures (25, 35 and 45°C). Experimental data were adjusted to the models of Freundlich, Langmuir, Sips and Redlich Peterson. Obtained results showed that the highest percentages of ion removal were achieved by: pH 6, contact time of 60 minutes and 1g.100mL-1 of sorbent. When comparing the data with isotherm models, Sips was the model that best describes the process, with an R² higher than 0.99 in all evaluated temperatures. The data obtained indicate that the residue from coal beneficiation is satisfactory in the removal of nitrate, reaching a removal rate of more than 90 %. In the real effluent studied, there was removal of more than 90 % of the nitrate ion. Comparing the obtained results with the Ordinance 2914 from 2011 of the Brazilian Health Ministry, , which determines the water quality standards, the nitrate parameter, after sorption treatment proposed in the present study, was below the maximum value (10 mg L -1 ) Contained in the Ordinance. The research shows that it is possible to treat water contaminated with nitrate using an industrial waste from carboniferous, contributing to reduce the environmental impact in different dimensions.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The impact of mining companies on community development in the Dilokong and Ga Pila villages in the Sekhukhune and Waterburg Districts of Limpopo Province has been demonstrated in many ways in this study. The mines have influenced the economic, environmental and social aspects of the Province. The study has revealed that even though mining has placed the Province on the global economic map, the reality is that often the environmental damage is hidden; this was shown by the fact that respondents reported over usage of water by mines. It is clear that the impacts both good and bad of mining begin before mines were even established and does not disappear with the closure of a mine. Mining does not have a good record of contributing to sustainable development or poverty reduction. This research has indicated that mineral extraction is neither necessary nor sufficient for sustained economic growth, and that it has not helped developing communities escape from poverty. This belief is due to the fact that the mines are not following mining charter and other related acts. In conclusion, these benefits may look good on paper, but it is difficult to gauge whether the community are really gaining from this mining projects

The primary goal of a publicly traded company is to maximise the wealth of its shareholders. This implies that the management of the firm, as agents of the owners, has to manage the firm in such a manner as to create value from every decision taken. Value-based management (VBM) is a management strategy aimed at achieving shareholder wealth creation and is based on the effective management of a set of internal value drivers to maximise wealth creation. The primary objective of the current study is to investigate the quantification of the relationship between internal value drivers and shareholder wealth creation in the Mining sector of JSE listed companies in South Africa. In order to achieve this, the internal value drivers were identified from literature, the necessary financial data was collected and the value drivers as well as actual shareholder wealth were quantified. Revenue growth, operating profitability, capital requirements and weighted average cost of capital (WACC) were identified as the value drivers while total shareholder return (TSR) was identified as the actual shareholder wealth creator. For the purpose of the current study, WACC was excluded from the analysis. By application of linear regression, it was found that revenue growth and operating profitability have a positive, statistically significant effect of TSR. After analysing the effect size, it is however concluded that the effect is not practically significant. These findings concur with similar research in the field of VBM. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The mining industry plays an important role in the economy of South Africa. This industry is an employer of thousands of people and the development of South Africa has depended on the development of the mining industry in more than one way. However, working conditions in the mining industry is poor, harsh and dangerous and employees are also faced with job insecurity. This may lead to stressors in the working environment and these stressors, which are closely related to work characteristics, may have negative effects on employees as well as on their productivity levels. Studies relating organisational resources to work-related flow have provided additional evidence for the motivational potential of resources. The focus of this study is on job characteristics, consisting of job demands and job resources and whether these characteristics can foster work-related flow. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between job demands, job resources and work-related flow and to determine whether the availability of job resources and the lack of job demands foster the experience of work-related flow. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used o collect the data. An availability sample (N = 326) from employees in the mining industry was taken. The Job Demands and Resources Scale (JDRS) (which was developed for the purpose of this study to measure job demands and job resources for employees in the mining industry) and the Work-Related Flow scale (WOLF) and a biographical questionnaire were also administered The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS programme and AMOS programme. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients , Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling methods. Pearson product moment correlation in this study showed that Supervision correlated positively with Task Freedom, Support, Pay and Benefits, Opportunities for Growth and Resources Availability. Workload correlated positively with Working Conditions. Working Conditions correlated positively with Working Hours and negatively with Resources Availability. Task Freedom correlated positively with Opportunities for Growth and Intrinsic Motivation, and Support correlated positively with Opportunity for Growth Pay and Benefits correlated positively with Opportunity for Growth and Resource Availability, whereas Opportunity for Growth correlated positively to Work Enjoyment. Resources Availability correlates negatively with Working Hours, and Absorption indicates a positive correlation to Work Enjoyment and Intrinsic Motivation. Work Enjoyment correlates positively to intrinsic Motivation A structural model of work-related flow for employees in the mining industry comprising of job demands, job resources and work-related flow was tested. Job Resources (i.e. Supervision, Task Freedom, Support, Pay and Benefits, Opportunity for Growth, and Resource Availability) may have a positive impact on Work-Related Flow and could increase the levels of work-related flow of employees in the mining industry. Job Demands (i.e. Workload, Working conditions, Job Security, and Working Hours) has a negative impact on Work-Related Flow, thus job demands may negatively influence the experience of work-related flow in employees in the mining industry. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The primary goal of a publicly traded company is to maximise the wealth of its shareholders. This implies that the management of the firm, as agents of the owners, has to manage the firm in such a manner as to create value from every decision taken. Value-based management (VBM) is a management strategy aimed at achieving shareholder wealth creation and is based on the effective management of a set of internal value drivers to maximise wealth creation. The primary objective of the current study is to investigate the quantification of the relationship between internal value drivers and shareholder wealth creation in the Mining sector of JSE listed companies in South Africa. In order to achieve this, the internal value drivers were identified from literature, the necessary financial data was collected and the value drivers as well as actual shareholder wealth were quantified. Revenue growth, operating profitability, capital requirements and weighted average cost of capital (WACC) were identified as the value drivers while total shareholder return (TSR) was identified as the actual shareholder wealth creator. For the purpose of the current study, WACC was excluded from the analysis. By application of linear regression, it was found that revenue growth and operating profitability have a positive, statistically significant effect of TSR. After analysing the effect size, it is however concluded that the effect is not practically significant. These findings concur with similar research in the field of VBM. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.