Developing an Integrative Theoretical Framework for Electronic Business Value Optimisation in Botswana

Organizations are trying to move quickly to adopt remote working policies into their organizations as to attract and retain top talent, reduce office space costs, and increase productivity. As many of these strategies were quickly adopted by South African ICT organizations during the COIVD-19 pandemic, organizations are still somewhat unclear on what their role is with regards to ensuring long term adoption of remote working. Thus, this study explored the role of the organization with regards to a work-from-home strategy. It was found that the organization is responsible for formalizing the chosen strategy, creating supportive policies, and adapting its management styles to facilitate remote working

Investigating usage of social media platforms in South Africa

This study investigated the differences in usage of different social media platforms within the South African context, broken down by user characteristics, specifically gender and age, in addition to investigating the correlation between usage of differing social media platforms. This was carried out to determine which social media needs do the different population groups aim to fulfill when using different social media platforms. Based on the results, the study confirmed the existence of preferences between types of social media platforms and groups of social media platforms in South Africa, based on frequency of use by age group and gender. Social media can thus be seen as a useful tool for collaboration and sharing knowledge to users in a South African context but must be tailored for specific audience needs

Factors influencing attitudes of workers in the work from home environment in South African Organisations

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, a plethora of articles published discuss the work from home (WFH) concept. Like in other sectors of industry, the model received much attention in the academic fraternity as millions of employees had to involuntarily employ the model during global lockdown restrictions. For some, the WFH model worked well, and yet it presented different sorts of challenges for others. While corpus literature has examined the WFH effects, limitations, opportunities, technicalities, logistics, inter-alia, there is a gap in explicating the factors influencing different employee attitudes in the WFH environment in South African organisations. As such, the objective of this study was to determine the factors influencing these differing attitudes. Following an interpretivist philosophy and exploratory approach, all based on induction, some key findings include the identification of eight factors that influence workers’ attitudes towards WFH. These are: age, seniority and position, managing a team vis-a-vis being in a team, having a family, being career orientated versus work life balance orientated, type of work, type of organisation, and distance form work

An investigation into the economic impact of legalising the casino gambling industry in South Africa : a study on the perceptions of and impact on the Pietermaritzburg community as a microscopic view.

Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.Casino gambling in South Africa was in the past not perceived as a mainstream economic activity but rather a reluctant concession. Consequently, it remained an "exiled industry" geographically isolated and strictly regulated. The rationale for this conceptualisation has varied - from religious objections concerning the immorality and irrationality of gambling, to public concern over the establishment of organised and street crime around casinos themselves. Despite the persistence of these arguments, there has over the past decade been a vast and rapid expansion of the industry throughout both South Africa and the world. It is difficult to precisely pinpoint the rationale for this paradigm shift. Popular explanations emphasise a liberalisation of public values concerning gambling, or changes in modes of governance from paternalistic prohibition to regulatory liberalisation. Many scholarly writings on casino gambling on the other hand, point to a far more sinister political agenda (Hunter and Bleinberger 1995; Rose 1998) that manipulates public perceptions of morality to serve more utilitarian needs. The political expediency of a restricted activity like gambling cannot be discounted. It remains an effective means of attracting capital investment in depressed areas without governments having to offer any quid pro quo. As a regulated industry, a premium is set on immorality, which translates into significant revenue. Gambling in South Africa has so far generated Rl 1,7 billion in investment, and in the 2002/03 financial year generated R526,4 million in tax revenue1. It has also created about 50 000 direct and indirect jobs.2 Without a doubt, in a fledgling democracy, trying to balance growth with redress and redistribution, the macro economic advantages from the gambling industry are immediately apparent but macro economic gains should not be at the expense of the country's poorest or at the expense of the moral, physical and spiritual well-being of society. This study is an attempt to probe the intersections of these sometimes conflicting imperatives on the South African society by looking specifically at the Pietermaritzburg community

The ethicolegal framework relevant to human faecal microbiota transplants in South Africa: Part 1. A legal vacuum

The legal regulation of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in South Africa (SA) is currently unclear. The purpose of this article, the first of three in a series, is to explore the nature, role and clinical application of FMT in SA in order to determine, from a legal perspective, the appropriate regulatory pathways governing FMT as a procedure that may combine approaches for the treatment of drugs, human tissue for transplantation, or clinical treatment as part of the practice of medicine. FMT has been shown to be a novel, safe and effective treatment for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Stool banks are instrumental in enabling access to FMT for patients and clinicians and help to catalyse research in the microbiome. However, the regulatory landscape in SA remains unclear. Microbial therapies such as FMT are necessary, especially in a time of rising microbiome-associated inflammatory diseases and increasing resistance to traditional antibiotics. FMT is now considered as part of the standard of care for recurrent CDI overseas, but is currently only being used for research purposes in a minority of clinical cases of CDI in SA. This article, which lays the foundation for consideration of this question in three parts, suggests that the relevant regulatory system would depend on the categorisation of human stool as tissue, the exact composition of the FMT, how it is administered to patients, and the relevant levels of manipulation of the stool for FMT-derived products

The ethicolegal framework relevant to human faecal microbiota transplants in South Africa: Part 2. Human stool as tissue?

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection. The purpose of this article, the second of a series of three articles, is to explore the legal framework governing human FMT in South Africa (SA). FMT involves different modes of administration that require different regulatory considerations. The focus of this article is to explore the legal classification of human stool as tissue in terms of the National Health Act 61 of 2003, as well as the regulation of human stool banks as tissue banks. The article concludes with specific recommendations aimed at improving the current regulatory vacuum relating to the regulation of FMT in SA

The 5D Framework: A Clinical Primer for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation to Treat Clostridium difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection is the most common health care–associated infection in the United States. Recently, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as an effective and safe therapy for recurrent C difficile infection; however, despite rapid adoption there is no standardized clinical approach. Given the rapid adoption of FMT, in part because of stool banks, there is a need for a practical primer for clinicians to safely perform FMT. Accordingly, we aim to provide a simple approach entitled the 5D FMT framework to guide physicians. The 5D FMT framework includes: decision (selecting appropriate patient for FMT), donor (selection and screening), discussion (risk, benefits, alternatives), delivery (selecting appropriate modality for FMT administration), and discharge (counseling at discharge and follow-up). We aim to help clinicians take a simple but evidence-based approach to FMT to optimize efficacy and safety. This primer navigates how to decide whether a patient with C difficile infection is appropriate for FMT and how to select and screen stool donors, identify the ideal delivery modality, and provide follow-up care after FMT

Fecal microbiota transplantation in HIV: A pilot placebo-controlled study

Changes in the microbiota have been linked to persistent inflammation during treated HIV infection. In this pilot double-blind study, we study 30 HIV-infected subjects on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a CD4/CD8 ratio < 1 randomized to either weekly fecal microbiota capsules or placebo for 8 weeks. Stool donors were rationally selected based on their microbiota signatures. We report that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is safe, not related to severe adverse events, and attenuates HIV-associated dysbiosis. FMT elicits changes in gut microbiota structure, including significant increases in alpha diversity, and a mild and transient engraftment of donor’s microbiota during the treatment period. The greater engraftment seems to be achieved by recent antibiotic use before FMT. The Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families, which are typically depleted in people with HIV, are the taxa more robustly engrafted across time-points. In exploratory analyses, we describe a significant amelioration in the FMT group in intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP), a biomarker of intestinal damage that independently predicts mortality. Gut microbiota manipulation using a non-invasive and safe strategy of FMT delivery is feasible and deserves further investigation. Trial number: NCT03008941.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Plan Estatal de I + D + i 2013–2016, project PI18/00154, a Gilead Fellowship (GLD16-00030), the SPANISH AIDS Research Network RD16/0025/0001project), and co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’ (ERDF). The present investigation was also funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Fundación Asociación Española contra el Cáncer within the ERANET TRANSCAN-2 program, grant number AC17/00022, a crowdfunding project from the precipita platform of the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT) and a restricted grant from Finch Therapeutics. The SEIMC-GESIDA Foundation supported this study with safety and data monitoring (GESIDA 9116).Peer reviewe

Unhealthy Snack Food and Beverage Consumption Is Associated with Lower Dietary Adequacy and Length-for-Age z-Scores among 12-23-Month-Olds in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of unhealthy snack foods and beverages (USFBs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is rising, with global awareness increasing about risks of overnutrition. However, little is known about the relation between USFB consumption and young children's diet/nutritional outcomes in contexts where nutrient density of complementary foods is often low. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the association of high USFB consumption, compared with low consumption, with nutrient intakes, dietary adequacy, iron status, and growth in young children in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of 745 primary caregivers of children aged 12-23 mo. Food consumption was measured through quantitative 24-h recalls, and child anthropometric measurements and capillary blood samples were collected. Using adjusted linear/logistic regression models, nutrient intakes, dietary adequacy, length-for-age and weight-for-length z-scores (LAZ and WLZ, respectively), and iron status were compared between lowest and highest tertiles of consumption based on the contribution of USFBs to total energy intakes (TEIs). Mediation of the relation between USFB consumption and LAZ via lowered dietary adequacy was explored using structural equations modeling. RESULTS: On average, USFBs contributed 46.9% of TEI among the highest tertile of consumers, compared with 5.2% of TEI among the lowest. Compared with low-USFB consumers, high-USFB consumers had lower nutrient intakes and a greater proportion were at risk of inadequate intakes for 8 nutrients. Mean LAZ was nearly 0.3 SD lower among high-USFB consumers than low consumers (P = 0.003), with this relationship partially mediated through dietary adequacy. No associations were found with stunting prevalence or iron status. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was low. CONCLUSIONS: In this LMIC context, high USFB consumption among young children was associated with inadequate micronutrient intakes, which can contribute to poor growth outcomes. Addressing increased availability of USFBs in LMIC food systems should be a priority for policies and programs aiming to safeguard child nutrition