Women participation in the informal economy: assessing the pattern of operations and challenges in post-COVID-19

The object of research: first, to understand the operational activities of women informal economy operators. Second, to highlight and discuss the challenges of women informal economy operators. Third, to understand the implication of post COVID-19 era for women informal economy operators. Investigated problem: the dynamics, operations and level of activities of the informal economy and the extent of women involvement, the issues around the challenges women are exposed to as participants of the informal economy, the role and impact of the post COVID-19 on women informal economy operators. The main scientific results: first, the operational activities of women informal economy operators include street-trading and hawking, casual employment, family business and home-based enterprises. Second, the challenges for women operators in the informal economy include health hazards, gender discrimination and harassment, institutional and social barriers, cultural stereotypes and constrictions to loans. Third, the implications of postCOVID-19 pandemic include liquidation of businesses, increased economic hardship and poverty and little or no State intervention through palliatives. The area of practical use of the research results: ministry of labour and employment, trade unions, women organization, non-governmental organization (NGO’s), labour research institute, traders association, industrial court, labour professionals and advocates

Якісне дослідження проблем розриву у сфері зайнятості: відповіді та рішення в органах місцевого самоврядування

Purpose: Remarking on the rife in employment discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and persons with disabilities in South Africa, sparse policy measures have been taken to address these challenges. To address this gap, the study seeks to assess the impact of employment equity (EE) implementation on the municipality and how employment equity management challenges can be mitigated. Design/Method/Approach: The interpretivism research philosophy and qualitative approaches were used in this study. A total of 15-unit managers were purposively recruited and interviewed in November 2021. The quality of the qualitative data was ascertained through the four indicators of trustworthiness including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The NVivo (v12) software was employed to identify themes, and the Content Analytical Tool was used to make sense of the themes. Findings: The significance of employment equity in the municipality includes increased awareness of affirmative action policy in the areas of gender equality and the promotion of organizational diversity, an upturn in employee motivation and sense of belonging irrespective of race, gender, and skin color, and the promotion of more women to the senior management level. Change in culture and orientation, management program and commitment to employment equity implementation, leadership management program, and talent identification and succession plan were shown as measures for addressing employment equity challenges. Practical Implications: The study recommends the application of a strategic policy as more critical to addressing the challenges of EE. This perspective indicates that EE should be strongly cherished as an instrument for the creation of a new South Africa devoid of employment discrimination. The study also recommends a more responsive evaluation, monitoring, and compliance effort of municipalities in their capacities toward addressing EE challenges. This recommendation is no doubt important as it will sustain municipalities’ efforts at maintaining challenge-free EE implementation and increased zeal for the identification of scarce skills from the designated areas to fill the vacuum of EE in the municipality. Originality/Value: Although there are available commentaries on the impact of EE on organizations in South Africa, the originality of this present study can be uncovered from the attempt to proffer solutions to the management of EE, specifically in the context of the eThekwini Municipality of South Africa which is sparsely researched. Research Limitations/Future Research: This study provides a good account of the challenges and management of EE through the qualitative account. Future studies can look at the research problem through a quantitative approach and a comparative study of municipalities can give a broader review of EE in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Paper Type: Empirical JEL Classification: J14, J16, J21, K31Мета роботи: Зважаючи на поширеність дискримінації у сфері зайнятості за ознаками раси, статі та осіб з інвалідністю в Південній Африці, для вирішення цих проблем було вжито небагато політичних заходів. Щоб заповнити цю прогалину, дослідження має на меті оцінити вплив впровадження рівності у сфері зайнятості (РЗ) на муніципалітет і визначити, як можна пом'якшити проблеми управління рівністю у сфері зайнятості. Дизайн / Метод / Підхід дослідження: У цьому дослідженні було використано дослідницьку філософію інтерпретивізму та якісні підходи. Загалом у листопаді 2021 року було цілеспрямовано відібрано та опитано 15 керівників підрозділів. Якість якісних даних визначалася за допомогою чотирьох показників надійності, включаючи достовірність, можливість передачі, надійність і підтверджуваність. Для визначення тем було використано програмне забезпечення NVivo (v12), а для осмислення тем – інструмент контент-аналізу. Результати дослідження: Значення рівності у сфері зайнятості в муніципалітеті включає підвищення обізнаності про політику позитивних дій у сфері гендерної рівності та заохочення організаційного розмаїття, зростання мотивації працівників і почуття приналежності незалежно від раси, статі та кольору шкіри, а також просування більшої кількості жінок на вищі керівні посади. Зміни в культурі та орієнтації, управлінська програма та прихильність до впровадження рівності у сфері зайнятості, програма управління лідерством, а також ідентифікація талантів і план наступності були показані як заходи для вирішення проблем рівності у сфері зайнятості. Практична цінність дослідження: Дослідження рекомендує застосовувати стратегічну політику як більш важливу для вирішення проблем рівності у сфері зайнятості. Така перспектива вказує на те, що РЗ слід всіляко підтримувати як інструмент для створення нової Південної Африки, вільної від дискримінації при працевлаштуванні. Дослідження також рекомендує муніципалітетам більш оперативно оцінювати, моніторити та забезпечувати дотримання вимог законодавства в рамках їхньої спроможності вирішувати проблеми енергоефективності. Ця рекомендація, без сумніву, важлива, оскільки вона сприятиме зусиллям муніципалітетів щодо підтримки безперешкодного впровадження енергоефективності та підвищенню зацікавленості у виявленні дефіцитних навичок у визначених сферах для заповнення вакууму енергоефективності в муніципалітеті. Оригінальність / Цінність дослідження: Хоча існують коментарі щодо впливу рівності у сфері зайнятості на організації в Південній Африці, оригінальність цього дослідження полягає в спробі запропонувати рішення для управління РЗ, особливо в контексті муніципалітету eThekwini в Південній Африці, який є малодослідженим. Обмеження дослідження / Майбутні дослідження: Це дослідження добре описує виклики та управління РЗ за допомогою якісного аналізу. Майбутні дослідження можуть розглянути проблему дослідження за допомогою кількісного підходу, а порівняльне дослідження муніципалітетів може дати більш широкий огляд рівності у сфері зайнятості в провінції Квазулу-Натал у Південній Африці. Тип статті: Емпіричний JEL Classification: J14, J16, J21, K3

Systemy zarządzania projektami i świadczenie usług na poziomie samorządu w Południowej Afryce

The fundamental function and responsibility of any government, aside the protection of lives and properties, is the provision of qualitative services through projects management and implementation. Conversations on projects management systems and service delivery at the local level of governance with emphasis on the eThekwini municipality of South Africa is still largely sparse. The study addresses this gap by interrogating projects management systems and service delivery at the level of local government with purposive recruitment of 14 units’ managers. The increasing demands for qualitative service has provoked a need to interrogate how projects management systems can be harnessed for the delivery of qualitative service at the local level of governance. The novelty of this study can be unpacked from the scarce conversations on project management systems and service delivery discourse in the eThekwini municipality of South Africa. In other words, this study has been able to provoke a unique and fresh discussions to the literature by examining the responsiveness of the eThekwini municipality to service delivery measures through projects management initiation and implementation. The qualitative research method with the exploratory research design were used to advance the limit of the research knowledge. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative software was used to identify themes and the content analysis employed to make sense of these themes. The study showed the challenge of poor financial allocation and time frame for the release of funds as hindrances to effective project management systems. In addition, the challenge of political interference and the politicization of projects were shown as factors constraining effective service delivery. The study calls for the effective monitoring and inspection of projects and appropriate mechanism for addressing the challenges of political interference and politicization of projects.Podstawową funkcją i odpowiedzialnością każdego rządu, oprócz ochrony życia i mienia, jest świadczenie wysokiej jakości usług poprzez zarządzanie projektami i ich realizację. Rozmowy na temat systemów zarządzania projektami i świadczenia usług na szczeblu lokalnym, z naciskiem na gminę eThekwini w Republice Południowej Afryki, są nadal w dużej mierze rzadkie. Badanie uzupełnia tę lukę poprzez badanie systemów zarządzania projektami i świadczenia usług na poziomie samorządu przy celowej rekrutacji kierowników 14 jednostek. Rosnące zapotrzebowanie na usługi wysokiej jakości wywołało potrzebę zbadania, w jaki sposób systemy zarządzania projektami mogą być wykorzystane do świadczenia usług wysokiej jakości na lokalnym poziomie zarządzania. Nowość tego badania można wydobyć z nielicznych rozmów na temat systemów zarządzania projektami i dyskursu o świadczeniu usług w gminie eThekwini w RPA. Innymi słowy, badanie to było w stanie wywołać wyjątkową i nową dyskusję na temat literatury poprzez zbadanie reakcji gminy eThekwini na środki świadczenia usług poprzez inicjowanie i wdrażanie zarządzania projektami. Do poszerzenia granicy wiedzy badawczej wykorzystano jakościową metodę badawczą wraz z projektem badań eksploracyjnych. Oprogramowanie jakościowe NVivo (v.12) zostało użyte do identyfikacji tematów i analizy treści zastosowanej w celu zrozumienia tych tematów. Badanie wykazało wyzwanie, jakim jest słaba alokacja środków finansowych i ramy czasowe uwolnienia funduszy, jako przeszkody w skutecznych systemach zarządzania projektami. Ponadto jako czynniki ograniczające efektywne świadczenie usług wskazano wyzwanie, jakim są ingerencje polityczne i upolitycznienie projektów. Badanie wzywa do skutecznego monitorowania i kontroli projektów oraz odpowiedniego mechanizmu reagowania na wyzwania związane z ingerencją polityczną i upolitycznieniem projektów

Casualisation and trade union survival strategies in the beverage sector of Lagos State, Nigeria.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The global purpose of work is to promote an ever-improving and sustaining economic outlook, where the working population can be guaranteed fulfilling types of work for the attainment of basic wants and needs. While escalating pressures have been invoked on labour unions for effective strategies and programmes to address the upsurge of poverty amongst the working people, a knowledge gap still exists on the responsiveness of labour unions to employment casualisation. This thesis examines trade union survival strategies to employment casualisation in the Nigerian Beverage sector. Specifically, in a bid to unravel the effectiveness of trade union survival strategies, the study uncovers the different patterns and practices, as well as challenges of employment casualisation. A concurrent mixed method type was employed to gather data. While quantitative data were elicited through stratified sampling from 291 respondents drawn from five Beverage companies in Lagos State, qualitative data were collected through a purposive sampling of 9 respondents of FOBTOB. From the convergence of data, outsourced and contract employment was revealed as the two patterns and practices of temporary employment with a range of challenges. Amongst the four strategic responses of trade union tested with correlation and multiple regression analysis, only trade union leadership activities and education and (re) training programmes were significant to employment casualisation. The integration of data found that the proscription of casual workers from National Bargaining Agreement benefits, and the labour union non-utilization of industrial strikes strategies to subside casualisation, are contraventions of labour legislation. The study further reveals economic constraints; an unpatriotic and divisive labour union; and a lack of political-will; corruption and the ambiguous content of Nigerian labour laws as factors limiting trade union struggles. For a robust labour struggle towards attaining decent work, the study makes a case for the review of Nigeria’s labour laws for best international practices; monitoring functions by the ministry of labour and employment; genuine legislative function on the part of Nigeria’s lawmakers; addressing the challenges of corruption amongst rank and file trade unions; and the need for the establishment of labour training centers in the six geographical zones of the country

Female academics’ views on work-life conflict in a Covid-19 global pandemic in Nigeria

Remarking on the importance of managing the existential conflict between work and family responsibilities, emphasis on female academics in a COVID-19 era in Nigeria has received diminutive research attention. The study seeks to address this research gap by interrogating women's views of work-life conflict narrative in a COVID-19 era. The exploratory research design was employed to expand the limit of the research gap and a total of 19 female academics were y recruited for interviews. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative software was employed to identify themes from the data and content analysis used to make sense of the various themes. The paper shows evidence of cultural bias in the recruitment and placement of female academics with social constraints hindering female academic capacity development. The long hours of teaching and consultation depict an indicator of work-life conflict with consequences on family support and emotional care for family and dependents. The need to acquire higher education qualifications on the part of females is also established as a pointer for the provocation of work-life conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic. The significance of lockdown constitutes major constraints for parenting mothers in the areas of combining home front responsibilities with work activities such as teaching, supervision, and the requirement of building a competitive career and research portfolio. The study concludes for a more robust measure in ensuring practical and realistic work-life conflict management strategies are introduced by managers of the University in order to aid the conflict between work and family responsibilities for female academics

Green human resource management and green environmental workplace behaviour in the eThekwini municipality of South Africa

Conversations on green human resource management (GHRM) are relatively new in the canon of human resource discourse. Existing studies have been focused on industrial and service industries of the private sector leaving a research gap in the public sector establishment, especially at the municipality level of governance. This study aims to address this gap by interrogating the perception and understanding of green behaviour and the evaluation of green behaviour performance. A total of 12 unit managers and employees of the human resource management department of the eThekwini municipality were purposively recruited based on existing knowledge of the green behaviour concept. The semi-structured interview approach was used in eliciting qualitative data. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative software was employed for the identification of themes and the content qualitative analytical tool was employed to make sense of the various themes. The findings show a range of perceptions and understanding of green behavior including change in management behaviour towards environmental sustainability goals, moving towards a paperless environment, re-engineering and automation of work process and safeguarding the environment through pro-environmental behaviours. The evaluation of employees’ green behaviour performance can be achieved through regular introspection and monitoring of the operations of green environmental activities, the integration of green behaviour targets with key performance indicators (KPI) and the benefits of green behaviour to the organisation. The study echoes the need for robust managerial support and massive organizational awareness of the importance of green behaviours for a sustainable work environment

Green human resource management and green environmental workplace behaviour in the eThekwini municipality of South Africa

Conversations on green human resource management (GHRM) are relatively new in the canon of human resource discourse. Existing studies have been focused on industrial and service industries of the private sector leaving a research gap in the public sector establishment, especially at the municipality level of governance. This study aims to address this gap by interrogating the perception and understanding of green behaviour and the evaluation of green behaviour performance. A total of 12 unit managers and employees of the human resource management department of the eThekwini municipality were purposively recruited based on existing knowledge of the green behaviour concept. The semi-structured interview approach was used in eliciting qualitative data. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative software was employed for the identification of themes and the content qualitative analytical tool was employed to make sense of the various themes. The findings show a range of perceptions and understanding of green behavior including change in management behaviour towards environmental sustainability goals, moving towards a paperless environment, re-engineering and automation of work process and safeguarding the environment through pro-environmental behaviours. The evaluation of employees’ green behaviour performance can be achieved through regular introspection and monitoring of the operations of green environmental activities, the integration of green behaviour targets with key performance indicators (KPI) and the benefits of green behaviour to the organisation. The study echoes the need for robust managerial support and massive organizational awareness of the importance of green behaviours for a sustainable work environment

Proceedings: 3rd International Conference on Food and Agricultural Economics: EFFECTS OF FADAMA III AF SORGHUM PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ON WOMEN AND YOUTHS IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

This study was conducted in Niger state Nigeria to determine the effect of Fadama III AF development programme on women and youth sorghum farmers. A Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the sampling procedure. Two local government areas were selected and four villages were randomly selected from both local governments. A total of 78 respondents which included women and youths were selected from the villages which brought the total of the respondents to be 156. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, propensity score matching analyzed the effect of Fadama III AF programme on the income, labor, output and area of land cultivated. The ordinary least square regression model was used to analyse the determinants of the income of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The study revealed that the average income, output and labour used of the beneficiaries increased after the participation of the development program depicting a positive impact on the beneficiaries. The study revealed that the mean age of the beneficiaries and non- beneficiaries were 34years and 37years respectively. The majority of the beneficiaries were females 62.80% and males 37.20% for the non- beneficiaries. The OLS estimates indicated that quantity of seeds at 1%, labour at 5%, farming experience at 5%, number of adopted technologies at 10% and transportation at 1% level of significance respectively were the determinants of income for the beneficiaries while price of sorghum at 1%, farm size at 1% and farming experience at 10% level of significance respectively were the determinants of income for the non- beneficiaries. Therefore it was recommended that the Federal Government, ADP’s, nongovernmental agency and financing institutions (World Bank) ensure the continuation of the programme and extension to the non-beneficiaries in order to improve the standard of living in the rural area

Proceedings: 3rd International Conference on Food and Agricultural Economics: EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS ON FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY STATUS OF IRISH POTATO FARMERS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the effect of conflicts on food security and poverty status of Irish potato farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 225 respondents in the study area. Data for the research were collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, United States food security scale, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke model, Probit regression and Ordered Logit regression model. Results showed that about 12% of respondents in the study area were food secured while 88% of the respondents were food insecure with various degrees of hunger. Majority (88.4%) of the respondents were poor and only 11.6% were non poor. Age, marital status, farm size, food expenditure, membership in cooperative and poverty status were found to be statistically significant factors at p<0.01 and p<0.05 levels of probability that affects the food security status of farmers during conflicts while level of education, farm size, labour and non-potato income were significant factors at p<0.01, p<0.05 and p<0.10 levels of probability respectively that affects the poverty status of respondents in the study area during conflicts. Also number of conflicts witnessed, household size and susceptibility to sickness were found to be statistically significant factors at p<0.01 and p<0.10 levels of probability that determine the susceptibility of respondents to conflicts. Respondents perceived and adopted adherence to curfew, living close to security post, cutting the size of meals and participation in community policing as effective coping strategies during conflicts in Plateau State. Agricultural credit should be made available to farmers through government intervention by statutory and commercial banks at little or no interest to increase crop production output, reduce poverty and improve food security status. Security post and barracks should be cited by government in rural communities to guarantee security of life and property