A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Communication Science in the Department of Communication Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / Amidst growing concerns about the impact of Human Immuno Deficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV & AIDS) on the political, social and economic spheres of our country, comes the responsibility of government to address this pertinent issue, especially through communication within the uThungulu District Municipality Structures. This research emerges within the context of rising levels of human immuno deficiency virus (HIV) infection amongst young adults, and the escalation of deaths from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS. This study critically examines the commonly used theories and models used during HIV & AIDS preventative care communication strategies. Failure to acknowledge the communication context in campaigns theory has various negative implications. One implication is that the messages are sender-oriented, however there has been sufficient campaigns for grassroots dialogue but the recipients are unable to identify with the message as they are divorced from the context of its production. Furthermore, because of a lack of engagement by the recipient in the development of messages, retention of knowledge is minimal, and this leads to a lack of acceptance of the message. Clearly, then, there exists a need for the communication strategies, theories and models to be rearticulated so that they are more relevant and may be adapted for application within various cultural contexts. This study examines the role of communication campaign theory and audience participation as central components during planning, implementation and evaluation phases of HIV & AIDS prevention.

This qualitative study examines the prevalence of violent extremist groups and criminal gangs in a county in Sweden, and what support is available for people in the county who want to leave these groups. The participants consist of eight people who in their profession can meet people who want to leave criminal gangs or violent extremists. The participants work in six different professions and in four different municipalities. Through semi-structured interviews data were collected which were analyzed based on Thematic Analysis. The theoretical frame of reference for this study is Hirschi's theory of social bond. The results show that in the studied county there is some occurrence of violent extremism, but especially of criminal gangs. From what emerges, there is a lack of insight and awareness of this among different professional groups. Support for people who want to leave criminal gangs or violent extremism is very limited, there are no Exit programs and there are no routines and contact routes between the actors involved that may be relevant for these people. Protection may be available, but other support is lacking. The conclusion of this study is that increased knowledge, awareness and support and treatment interventions in this area are central to counteracting the increase, in particular, gang crime. The results of the study can contribute to the crime prevention work in the county by highlighting the existence of this problem and the need for support for this target group. / <p>2022-01-31</p>

The demand for well-located land in order to be developed for the upper-middle to high-income housing, industries, offices, retail, etc in Mbombela Local Municipality, is substantial. Within the past 10 years, Mbombela Local Municipality, has experienced an increase in residential development on welllocated land in and around its urban centres, i.e. Nelspruit, White River and Hazyview. Most of the land in and around these urban centres is privately owned, and as such, development is mainly driven by the market forces. However, there has been persistence in the peripheralisation of the poor through the government’s programme on low-cost housing delivery in Mbombela Local Municipality. The high demand of well-located land has triggered high land prices and this is one of the causes of lack of access to urban land by the poor. Despite good government policies on socio-economic integration, there seems to be no challenges on the current situation, either by government, Mbombela Local Municipality or private organisations. This research argues that the lack of access to urban land by the poor is the cause of the persistent peripheralisation through the programme of low-cost housing delivery in Mbombela Local Municipality. These urban centres (Nelspruit, White River and Hazyview) accommodate only those who have power to purchase, and thus, creates a socio-economic gap because the poor are excluded by the market forces in these areas. Since the government and Mbombela Local Municipality own less land in and around the urban centres, the market forces become the sole supply of well-located land. It is therefore imperative that government, Mbombela Local Municipality and private organisations forge a partnership with the private sector and deduce a sound strategy that will seek to address and challenge the current situation.

The late 1960s introduced legislation regarding waste to the national level in Sweden. During the 1970s new legislation expanded what was included in, and further defined, the management of waste. With changes and additions to legislation a municipal monopoly on waste management was established in 1975. In this paper a descriptive case study is conducted featuring the municipality of Härnösand in Västernorrland County. In 1974 the formerly municipal activity concerning waste was transferred to the municipal corporation AB Härnösands Industriverk. Through archival material subsisting of minutes originating from Härnösands municipal executive committee and the company board of AB Härnösands Industriverk, as well as annual reports by the latter, the establishment and development of waste and recycling management during the years of 1973—1980 is presented.

Under 2018 betalade Sveriges myndigheter, kommuner och regioner ut totalt 847 miljarder kronor till privata företag och av dessa kan 800 miljarder kopplas till offentliga upphandlingar. Den summan uppgår till ca 20% av Sveriges Bruttonationalprodukt. Det innebär att den offentliga upphandlingen har förutsättningar att göra stor positiv inverkan på de globala hållbarhetsmålen, främst genom Agenda 2030s mål 12: Hållbar konsumtion och produktion, samt mål 13: Bekämpa klimatförändringarna. I den här rapporten har Sandviken kommuns upphandlingsprocess analyserats genom djupintervjuer med nyckelpersoner med expertis inom upphandling och hållbarhet. Syftet är att ge en fördjupad inblick i hur upphandlingsprocessen ser ut specifikt i Sandvikens kommun, samt presentera möjliga förbättringsförslag. Intervjuer genomfördes under april 2022 genom de digitala plattformarna Zoom och Microsoft Teams. Teori från vetenskapligt granskade artiklar (peer-reviewed) har sedan jämförts med upplevelser från de intervjuade nyckelpersonerna för att se var förbättringspotential finns. Analysen visade att nyckelpersonerna hos Sandvikens kommun till stor del är medvetna om den problematik som finns, men att arbete återstår innan optimala processer är implementerade. Författarna har efter analysen redovisat ett antal förbättringsförslag där bland annat framtagande av nya miljömål, förtydligande av arbetsuppgifter samt integrering av ekologiska och sociala hållbarhetsfrågor i upphandlingsprocessen anses vara en del av lösningen. För framtida studier anser författarna att ytterligare intervjuer med politiker och deltagare från referensgrupper bör genomföras. En jämförande undersökning av hållbarhetsarbetet mellan Sveriges kommuner anses också vara intressant för att se ytterligare förbättringspotential. / In 2018, Sweden's authorities, municipalities and regions paid out a total of SEK 847 billion to private companies, of which SEK 800 billion can be linked to public procurement. That sum amounts to about 20% of Sweden's Gross National Product. This means that public procurement has the potential to make a major positive impact on the global sustainability goals, primarily/mainly through Agenda 2030s goal 12: Sustainable consumption and production, and goal 13: Combating climate change.   In this thesis, Sandviken municipality's procurement process has been analyzed through in-depth interviews with key people with expertise in procurement and sustainability. The purpose is to provide an in-depth insight into what the procurement process looks like specifically in Sandviken municipality, and to present possible improvement proposals. Interviews were conducted in April 2022 through the digital platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Theory from scientifically peer-reviewed articles has then been compared with experiences from the interviewed key people to see where the potential for improvement lies.   The analysis shows that the key people in Sandviken municipality are largely aware of the problems that exist, but that work remains before optimal processes are implemented. After the analysis, the authors have presented a number of improvement proposals where, among other things, the development of new environmental goals, clarification of tasks and integration of ecological and social sustainability issues in the procurement process are considered part of the solution.   For future studies, the authors believe that further interviews with politicians and participants from reference groups should be conducted. A comparative study of the sustainability work between Sweden's municipalities is also considered interesting to see further potential for improvement.

The development of Watershed Management Plans (WMPs) in urban areas aids municipalities in allocating resources, engaging the public and stakeholders, addressing water quality regulations, and mitigating issues related to stormwater runoff and flooding. In this study, 63 urban WMPs across the nation were reviewed to characterize historical approaches and identify emerging trends in watershed planning. Planning methods and tools were qualitatively evaluated, followed by statistical analyses to identify correlations between planning factors. Plans developed by a municipality or consultant were correlated to higher occurrences of hydrologic modeling and site-specific recommendations, and lower occurrences of characterizing social watershed factors. Trends in the use and selection of hydrologic, hydraulic, and pollutant load models were identified, specifically in the past decade. Project prioritization was found to increasingly focus on feasibility in implementation. Additional qualitative trends identified include an increased focus on water quality and interdisciplinary studies, public participation, responsiveness to water quality regulations, and risk aversion. The study concludes by envisioning future watershed planning trends. This state of the practice review of planning efforts, innovation in implementation, and the adoption of emergent technologies will aid future planners in employing current tools and strategies in the development of new WMPs. / Master of Science / Watershed-based management has long been used as the preferred approach for protection of water resources at a hydrologic, ecological, and social level. The development of Watershed Management Plans (WMPs) in urban areas aids municipalities in allocating resources, engaging the public and stakeholders, addressing water quality regulations, and mitigating issues related to stormwater runoff and flooding. The processes and tools used in watershed management planning are ever-evolving based on improved technologies, changing regulations, and social trends. In this study, 63 urban WMPs across the nation were reviewed to characterize historical approaches as well as identify emerging trends in watershed planning. Planning methods, tools of analysis, and recommended strategies were qualitatively evaluated to determine trends in the planning process, followed by statistical analyses to identify correlations between planning factors and methodologies. Plans developed by a municipality or consultant were correlated to higher occurrences of hydrologic modeling and site-specific recommendations, and lower occurrences of characterizing social watershed factors. Trends in the use and selection of hydrologic, hydraulic, and pollutant load models were identified, specifically in the past decade. Project prioritization was found to increasingly focus on feasibility in implementation. Other qualitative trends identified include an increased focus on water quality and interdisciplinary studies, public participation, responsiveness to water quality regulations, and risk aversion. The study concludes by envisioning future watershed planning trends. This state of the practice review of planning efforts, innovation in implementation, and the adoption of emergent technologies will aid future planners in employing current tools and strategies in the development of new WMPs.

M. Tech. Business Administration / In recent years, major cities in South Africa (i.e., Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria) have experienced a mushrooming of private further education and training (FET) colleges. Clearly, the increasing number of private institutions has resulted in growing competition in the sector. Escalating competitive pressure, therefore, means that there is need for these institutions to find new ways of achieving competitive advantage. Marketing specialists agree that an effective strategy for a business to maintain competitive advantage in a highly competitive market depends on two factors. Firstly, the business needs to develop an understanding of customers' opinions on service quality, and secondly, applying such knowledge to create efficient services delivery systems for maximising consumer satisfaction. It is against this background that the purpose of this study was twofold: (a) assessing FET students' perceptions of service quality, and (b) investigating how the Servqual attributes influence satisfaction.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly seen as playing an important role in the economies of many countries. Thus, governments throughout the world focus on the development of the SME sector to promote economic growth. However, SMEs suffer from a high failure rate. The adoption of corporate governance is one of the factors that can help to improve the performance and reduce the high failure rate of SMEs in South Africa. The primary objective of this study was to establish the adoption of corporate governance principles by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the study investigated the barriers to the adoption of corporate governance by SMEs. Principles adopted from the King 111 report were used to measure the corporate governance of SMEs. Four principles were used by this study to measure the adoption of corporate governance by SMEs. These were (1) Management of risk: this included accounting measures, control system and risk management. (2) Use of information technology. (3) Responsible and ethical leadership and (4) Compliance with applicable laws and rules. The study area was Tshwane Central Business District.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The City of Tshwane initiated and implemented a structural and infrastructural change process in recent years, by merging with Metsweding District, Cullinan and Bronkhorstspruit. One of the critical tools that influences the success or failure of a change process is communication. This study investigates how communication during the implementation phase was utilised and it impacted on the attitudes and behaviours of employees of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

Municipalities are public corporation, which have their own property and they manage according it to their own budget. The aim of this thesis is a municipal budget analysis. In the theoretical part I describe the municipality especially its scope and authorities. Municipal management is divided into the financial management and property management. I also define a controlling and accounting reform of public finance, which occured in a year 2010. In the practical part I present the village Ondřejov and I analyse its budget management in years 2006 -- 2010. Analysis is focused on budget receipts, budget expenditures, result of economy and village indebtedness.