Fostering Open Educational practices in cross-cultural contexts

The open content movement is breaking down traditional barriers to learning and resource sharing by promoting free access to Open Educational Resources (OERs) such as digital educational content and technological tools for teaching and learning. OERs have the potential to enable learners to champion their own learning by providing free access to educational content and tools that enable them to create, use and share knowledge. However, the design and uptake of OERs is often hampered by limited understanding of issues relating to the context in which learners access and use OERs. This paper discusses some of the approaches taken to foster open educational practices in learner use of OERs offered by The Open University’s open content initiative, OpenLearn. Drawing on these experiences, we then consider future ideas about supporting open educational practices in cross-cultural contexts, and, in collaboration with Tshwane University of Technology, examine potential impact of OERs in Africa

Development of a performance-based high pressure feed water heater model for Flownex SE

Feed-water heaters (FWHs) are an integral part of the power plant with respect to the overall heat recovery, and thus its efficiency. While the main purpose of the FWHs is to heat up the feed-water before being sent to the boiler, there are more added advantages owing to the installation of this equipment to the power plant such as less heat being removed to the atmosphere at the condenser. This report aims at understanding the different types of FWHs in operation and understanding how heat is transferred from the bled steam into the feed-water, and using the understanding to model a transient FWH. The FWH model is a building block towards building a complete transient power plant model. Process operations are all subject to constraints of some sort. The limitations can be in the form of physical geometry, process parameters or lack of correlations that relate known data. The constraints vary in their complexity, and depending on the type of constraints a different mathematical modelling technique can be applied to implement the FWH model. The grey-box modelling technique was chosen to be the appropriate one for analysis as it captures the dynamics that depend on the first principles and correlations whilst still using the global inlet and outlet properties of the FWH. The FWHs have three zones; de-superheating, condensing and sub-cooling zones. The heat transfer characteristics of the three zones are different, and thus their heat duties with the condensing taking a significant amount of the heat duty

The relationship between corruption, ease of doing business and FDI inflows in SADC countries

Globalisation and trade integration have positioned Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a development imperative for many developing countries, including Southern African Development Community (SADC) economies. Despite concerted efforts both at individual country level and at regional level, FDI flows to the SADC region have declined compared to other regions in the world. The main reasons posited for SADC's inability to attract and retain FDI include negative risk perceptions; a weak ease of doing business environment, and endemic corruption. Hence, the study seeks to investigate the relationship between FDI inflows and corruption and ease of doing business in SADC. The research applies Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) analysis to all 16 SADC countries over a period of 2010 to 2019. The results show that although both corruption and ease of doing business are significantly and positively relate to FDI inflows in SADC, ease of doing business affects FDI to a greater extent compared to corruption. In addition, the inclusion of the interaction between corruption and ease of doing business shows that FDI inflows are more closely attracted by ease of doing business than by corruption

EXPLORING PERCEIVED IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES OF THE PERMIT-TO-WORK REQUIREMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS IN SOUTH

ArticleRegulations are designed to encourage changes in individual outcomes. Such outcomes could be changes in conditions of work that leads to reduced accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the construction industry. Following this premise, the reported research project investigated the implications of the 2014 Construction Regulations that replaced the 2003 regulations in South Africa. Methodology With exploratory sequential mixed method research design that obtained the perceptions of project actors that are active in the industry, the study examines the contents of the regulations; the intentions of the permit-to-work requirement of the regulations; and the ability of the Department of Labour (DoL) to enforce compliance. The exploration focuses on the procurement system of the national Department of Public Works (DPW) in South Africa as a major client of the industry. Findings The study shows that though the interviewees were relatively familiar with the revised regulations, their ability to implement the permit-to-work requirement is a concern. The concerns focus on the capacity of the DoL to process permits when required. This perception indicates that there would be cost implications for project actors when implementing the permitto- work requirement and this cost factor could delay project initiation, planning, and delivery. Value The issues that have been highlighted have to be addressed in practice so that the health and safety (H&S) improvement intentions of the revised regulations would not be marginalised

The implications of the 2014 construction regulations for the Department of Public Works procurement system

The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that regulations seek to make improvements by changing individual or organisational behaviour in ways that generate positive impacts in terms of solving societal and economic problems. At its most basic level, regulations are designed to work according to implementation, leading to changes in behaviours that, in turn, lead to changes in outcomes. Such outcomes can be satisfaction in terms of an underlying problem or other (hopefully positive) changes in conditions in the world. Following this premise, this research project investigates the implications of the 2014 Construction Regulations for the Department of Public Works’ procurement system. The study also examines the contents of the construction Regulations; the impact of the Construction Regulations 2014 – permit-to-work; client / contractor procurement issues; the enforcement of compliance to permit-to-work requirements, and education and training demands in relation to health and safety (H&S) competency. The study shows that even though industry role players are relatively familiar with the Construction Regulations 2014, there is a common concern regarding competency (education and training) levels required for the implementation of the permit-to-work requirement of the regulations. The concerns focus on the ability of the Department of Labour (DoL) to process the permits. Based on the study’s findings, the research concludes that there would be cost implications for project actors when implementing the permit-to-work requirement and this cost factor could delay project initiation and planning, as well as service delivery

Definition of Leadership in Africa within the Twenty-first Century Context: Empirical Research on Leadership in Africa

Orientation: Leadership is a widely used construct and there are numerous articles across multiple disciplines. In the past few years there has been growing interest to investigate the construct of leadership in Africa. Much of what is written is conceptual, and empirical articles on African leadership remain sparse. Research purpose: This paper reports on the findings of the systematic literature review that was conducted on leadership in Africa. The paper presents a qualitative review of empirical research highlighting key findings and implications for future research. Research method: The research investigation followed the traditional body of knowledge framework of concepts, statements, definitions, and conceptual frameworks to systemize reports on leadership in Africa. Articles were identified, selected and analysed using the systematic literature review methodology. Articles, statements, definitions, models, typologies, theories, and paradigms were explored and interrogated in each article to understand how they are linked to leadership in Africa. Main findings: A total of 96 articles were retrieved from eight electronic search engines. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, only thirteen articles met the set criteria - suggesting that little empirical research is conducted on leadership. The findings illustrated the extent of paucity of empirical research on leadership in Africa and clearly indicate a definite need to investigate it, and then to build on the understanding of African leadership through empirical research. The published articles showed that the concept of African leadership is seldom defined, measure-ments are typical of the Western tradition, and that the set hypotheses do not include the African context. Furthermore, no Africa-specific models or theories are presented. The positivist paradigm was most often used in the research. Practical implications: The literature review has provided an understanding of the extent of the lack of empirical work around leadership in Africa. There is a definite need for systematic empirical work to explore what leadership means in Africa, and to build the concept of African leadership as a concrete scientific construct. The paper concludes by providing suggestions on how to bridge the gap towards understanding leadership in Africa

EXPLORING PERCEIVED IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES OF THE PERMIT-TO-WORK REQUIREMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Published ArticleRegulations are designed to encourage changes in individual outcomes. Such outcomes could be changes in conditions of work that leads to reduced accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the construction industry. Following this premise, the reported research project investigated the implications of the 2014 Construction Regulations that replaced the 2003 regulations in South Africa

She’s seldom seen wearing her director’s hat here: interrogating the paucity of black women stage directors in three state-supported theatres in contemporary South Africa (1999-2018)

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The startling dearth of black women stage directors accessing three of South Africa’s six state-funded theatres – Artscape, the Market and the Playhouse – between 1999 and 2018 forms the impetus for this study. Production information across these case studies reveals that black men, white men and white women theatre directors continue to dominate mainstream stages, despite the 1996 White Paper’s resolute stance that everyone is to equally participate in the arts in a post-1994 dispensation. This study examines the factors contributing to this group’s under-representation through analysis of cultural policy, one-on-one in-depth interviews with the institutional heads of the three theatres, and with twelve black (inclusive of African, Coloured and Indian) women who have directed productions in at least one of the theatres during the 20 years under investigation. As historically those who are the most marginalised, the narratives of the twelve women are centered. Although these women have had directing opportunities within these theatres, their narratives reveal adverse experiences at the time that their productions were staged or later. Cultural policy is not the panacea for persistent intersectional prejudices at state-supported theatres, as other mitigating factors are at play, including the profoundly elitist nature of the mainstream performing arts world and the notion of excellence. Nevertheless, it remains the foundational document guiding artistic activities in these spaces in a democracy. In their frameworks, the White Paper of 1996 and later drafts, neglected to effectively facilitate the overt inclusion of black women stage directors. Efforts to substantially transform these theatres are further betrayed by the pursuit of commercial viability. Additionally, lack of investment by these institutions towards training and capacity-building programmes designed to benefit specifically black women directors does not augur well for emerging directors particularly. Furthermore, aspects like level of education, training, experience or accolades do not seem to ease challenges of access, despite the various efforts made by this group of practitioners to get into these spaces. Essentially, weak cultural policy frameworks alongside insufficiently funded theatres that must see to their own sustainability foster an arts and culture landscape that has only marginally transformed in more than twenty-five years of democracy

The ecological economics of inter-basin water transfers: the case of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project

This study developed a general framework that can be applied to integrating environmental sustainability aspects into economic development planning in the case of exploiting water resources through inter-basin water transfers (IBWT). Using the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) between Lesotho and South Africa (SA), the study used the multi-country ecological social accounting matrix (MC-ESAM) for Lesotho and SA to integrate ecological implications of the LHWP with the economic benefits of the project. The study further used the developed MC-ESAM multipliers to analyse the impact of lost ecological services downstream the LHWP dams in Lesotho on the wellbeing of households directly affected by the project in Lesotho and the general economies of Lesotho and SA. The MC-ESAM multipliers were also used to analyse different policy scenarios aimed at compensating affected households in Lesotho for ecological losses. The results revealed that while the LHWP has significant direct and indirect benefits in terms of social and economic development in Lesotho and SA, the project has serious unitended impacts on ecological resources and services, with resultant deleterious wellbeing implications for populations residing within the reaches of the LHWP rivers and downstream the LHWP dams in Lesotho. The results from the MC-ESAM multiplier analysis indicated that not only the income of populations directly affected by the project in Lesotho is likely to fall, but also that of other households and social groups, as well as the general economies of Lesotho. Also, because of economic dependence of Lesotho on SA in terms of imports, SA will also loose. The policy simulation results showed that compensating the ecological losses would greatly improve the welfare of directly affected populations and the rest of Lesotho economy. The empirical analysis and policy simulations results showed relatively small impacts in general, but were significant for groups of people directly affected by the project in Lesotho. The study demonstrated the importance of integrating ecological consequences into impact assessment of IBWT before such transfers can be implemented to ensure Pareto optimality and of considering economy-wide impacts and multi-sector, multi-country linkages associated with IBWT for a holistic impact assessment of IBWT.Thesis (PhD (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmentunrestricte

Towards a zero waste South Africa : a case study on post-consumer solid waste management in rural and urban areas.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.Through the National Environmental Management Act (No. 107 of 1998), the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) introduced the concept of the Waste Hierarchy (Reduce - Reuse - Recover - Dispose) as the only possible road towards sustainable development. This concept of sustainable waste management was extended into the Polokwane Declaration on Waste Management which identified Zero Waste as the ultimate goal for sustainable waste management systems in South Africa. Zero Waste is defined as the concept of using all waste produced in a certain area for production activities in that area when it is environmentally acceptable, socially equitable and economically viable, with unavoidable residual waste going to landfill. The aim of this thesis is to test the applicability of Zero Waste to post-consumer waste arising from rural and urban areas. The primary reason that this study has been attempted is that little research in South Africa has focused on the demand-side management of post-consumer waste, and that whatever research that has been undertaken has focused almost exclusively on waste management in urban areas. In order to realise the aim of this thesis, two case studies were selected and analysed: one rural and one urban. These case studies were selected due to differences in characteristics of the waste arising from households, existing waste management systems and socio-economic indicators for households in these areas. In each case study, a proposed Zero Waste Scheme was assessed for application based on four sustainability criteria: environmental, social, economical and institutional. The Zero Waste Schemes are based on the conceptual Zero Waste Model (ZWM) that has been specifically developed as the main tool for conducting this research. The development and use of the ZWM in assessing waste management systems in South Africa is a significant contribution of this thesis to knowledge. Generally, the results showed that the proposed Zero Waste Schemes could meet three of the evaluation criteria used in the investigation, but could not meet the fourth: institutional sustainability. For this reason, the Zero Waste Schemes could not be implemented since the municipalities responsible for waste management in those areas did not have the capacity administrative, financial resources and political will - to implement them. Thus, institutional sustainability has been shown to be the main constraint in the application of Zero Waste Schemes in post-consumer waste management systems in South Africa. This is another significant contribution of this thesis to knowledge.Other significant findings from this study reveal that rural areas lack basic waste collection and disposal systems; hence this lack in service delivery prevents full implementation of Zero Waste Schemes in these areas. In contrast, households in urban areas are served by integrated waste management systems that extend to most households, and most of these households are able to finance the waste management services provided. The existence of the integrated waste management systems was used as a basis for introducing waste minimisation and at-source separation of recyclables in order to reduce the amount of waste needing disposal. Education of households in urban areas has been identified as a key factor in establishing Zero Waste Schemes in the case study areas. In conclusion, it has been shown in this thesis that although Zero Waste Schemes are theoretically applicable to rural and urban areas of South Africa, institutional constraints that will have to be overcome in order to make Zero Waste a reality. Implicit in this conclusion is the extension of waste collection services to rural households and the full participation of rural and urban households in Zero Waste Schemes, participation which can only be verified by actual implementation of the schemes. This is the next step in the approach towards Zero Waste within post-consumer waste management in South Africa