South Africa's seaborne commerce and global measurement of shipping costs.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006No abstract available

Queer strokes, sexual subjects : gay male artists' representations of male bodies in selected contemporary South African artworks.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal,Durban, 2006.This dissertation explores how the male body is utilised and visualised by a selection of gay male artists working within the post-Apartheid South African context. The male body is the means by which they represent these concepts of sexuality and identity. The complexity of contemporary visual arts is, in this dissertation, viewed as a signifier of cultural change. The visibility of gay males in South African society (read as a sign), is also reflected in the foregrounding of male bodies in artworks after 1994. Queer theory and theories of representation are used as a conceptual framework, in which readings are presented of how the male body is interpreted and represented as a site of contestation and convergence of power. The politics of sexuality and identity are represented and discussed in this project through the mediums of painting, photography and installation. These different mediums are linked conceptually, in the same way that sex, gender and sexuality are interlinked; influencing, yet not predetermining each other

The potential benefits of a tonnage-based corporate tax to South Africa and the South African shipping industry.

Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.No abstract available

JSE listed companies in the food and drug retail sector: A content analysis of financial statements to determine their primary purpose

The overall purpose of the study is to analyse financial statements to determine the primary purpose of JSE listed companies in the food and drug retail sector. There were two parts to the analyses. First, the study examines the literature on the three models, namely: neoclassical, conscious capitalism and entity maximisation and sustainability in order to identify themes or major identifiers of each model. Second, it analyses the financial statements (over five years from 2010 to 2014) of JSE listed companies in the food and drug retail sector, in particular the non-financial information. The entire population was analysed as there were only four in the population, namely SPAR, Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Clicks. Annual integrated reports and sustainability reports (where separately published) were analysed using content analyses. Keywords and themes were used to link the attributes of the company to the attributes identified in the literature to determine the model the company used. The content analyses showed that the dominant model was the entity maximisation and sustainability model. However, each company appears to have chosen to focus on a different stakeholder: SPAR on employees, Pick n Pay on customers (with a differentiation strategy), Shoprite on customers (with a low cost strategy) and Clicks on shareholders

Restructuring Port Governance in South Africa

South Africa’s (SA) ports do not have a clearly defined port doctrine. They have certain elements resembling the Anglo-Saxon port doctrine, others the Continental doctrine and still others the Asian port doctrine. Thus, SA encounters conflicting port objectives: it runs a complementary ports system where costs are not reflective of prices charged, and the revenues and costs allocated to various commodity types remain unjustified. This is against the backdrop of intra-port, inter-port and multimodal cross-subsidisation, which found justification in SA’s developmental objectives but has been viewed as unjustifiable under current economic conditions, giving rise to dissatisfaction among various port stakeholders regarding Transnet as a state-owned enterprise and Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) governance and pricing practices that have not been adequately addressed. Using content analysis, 18 stakeholders’ submissions on the 2013-2014 TNPA tariff application, 15 stakeholders’ submissions regarding the multi-year tariff application, and 16 submissions regarding the 2014-2015 tariff application were assessed. The focus was on finding links between challenges faced by stakeholders and whether solutions would be found through SA adopting a different port doctrine. The findings show that while the Asian doctrine is more aligned with SA’s developmental objectives, adoption of it may prove premature in view of the current and foreseeable economic conditions. The study shows that the local port system may not find a perfect fit into any of the known port models and established port doctrines, but, instead, that SA needs to articulate its own port doctrine

On the (Mis)Measurement of Transport Costs in Econometric Modelling

Several world institutions and researchers use import cif/fob ratios to measure a country’s international transport costs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the (mis)measurement of transport costs in econometric modelling. The paper discusses the econometric assumptions that are used to justify the (mis)use of country cif/fob ratios to measure international transport costs. Several econometric studies use a country’s cif/fob ratios as exogenous explanatory variables, whereas this study shows that the ratio may indeed be an endogenous variable, hence generating spurious empirical results. In this paper, the relationship between annual cif/fob ratios and compositions of imports are examined via correlation analysis. The findings show that where the quality of the data is reliable, a country’s composition of imports has a significant effect on that country’s cif/fob ratios; hence researchers cannot use the ratio as a dependable measure of direct shipping costs. Researchers should be wary of substituting country cif/fob ratios for direct measures of transport costs. JEL Code: F10 </jats:p

South Africa’s Maritime Policy and Transformation of the Shipping Industry

More than 95 per cent of South Africa’s trade volume is seaborne. Although South Africa is clearly an important sea-trading nation, it is not a significant shipowning or ship operating nation. Despite a decade of democracy, and the improved Ship Registration Act of 1998, the South African merchant marine has continued to decline. South Africa’s new Maritime Charter of December 2003 has the long-term vision “to develop South Africa to become one of the world’s top 35 maritime nations by the year 2014”. Currently, South Africa adopts a strongly market-driven shipping policy. In stark contrast the Charter calls for “a clear strategy/plan for the majority of South African cargo, going through South African ports to be carried on South African ships”. This article argues that although South Africa has a large volume of trade, it does not necessarily have a competitive advantage in the shipment of these goods. Thus policies to promote or protect the national shipping industry might not be in the broader economic interests of South Africa. JEL: R40 </jats:p

Wood chip exports and the challenges faced by private pulpwood farmers in Southern KwaZulu-Natal

The South African forestry industry contributes to the economic growth of the country by the planting of trees and the processing of these trees for the export market. The purpose of this study is to examine the trends in wood chip exports from the Port of Durban and to examine the stability and growth of private pulpwood production in Southern KwaZulu-Natal. The methodology used in this study includes questionnaires distributed to timber farmers and semi-structured interviews with respondents in forestry. The findings show that wood chip exports from Durban have increased between 2006 and 2011. Dominant challenges faced by the farmers were land reform, transportation costs and municipal rates. Land claims, road infrastructure, cash flow and variation in the demand for timber were the most challenging factors affecting private timber production.</jats:p

Examining car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector

Car guarding is a distinctly South African informal sector employment activity. A car guard offers to guard vehicles in a public or private parking area for a donation. Car guarding enables an unemployed person to earn some income. The purpose of this study is to examine car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector. This study interviews 30 car guards at six different locations in Durban, South Africa. It examines their demographic characteristics, income, education and skills, risks and challenges faced, and the opinion of car guards regarding their livelihood. The average car guard worked six days per week and an average of nine hours per day. The average income per hour ranged from ZAR4.64 to ZAR30. Average daily incomes ranged from ZAR50 to ZAR350. Car guarding is a high risk activity that includes health risks, and risks of verbal abuse and violence. </jats:p