Employee perception on the importance of a fingerprint based attendance management system and its association with punctuality at information. management unit (IMU) of Ethekwini Municipality.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Punctuality is a worldwide phenomenon; critical for fulfilling and satisfying the organisation’s obligations to its stakeholders. Non- adherence to it may result in fatalities especially in organisations offering essential services, while it may mean loss of business to commercial companies. The aim of this study was to establish employee perceptions on the importance of a fingerprint-based attendance management system and its effect on punctuality within the Information Management Unit at EThekwini Municipality. The targeted population was the unit’s staff complement which amounted to 300. The choice of one unit was due to the manageability of numbers seen to be possible within the timelines set for the study. A total of 285 of the total population belonged to the employee component while 15 belonged to management. As the study employed a mixed methodology, the quantitative approach was administered to employees while the qualitative was administered to management. The pretesting of the questionnaire was administered to 10 participants whereby the results showed a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.8. The sample size for quantitative study was 120 randomly selected participants and was administered through an online questionnaire while the qualitative instrument was administered to managers through individual interviews. Five managers were purposively selected based on their experience within the unit. The survey results showed the participants’ perception to be in favour of a fingerprint-based attendance management system. The qualitative portion of the study revealed mixed responses about the importance of punctuality. To some punctuality was mainly important for meetings while others viewed it as important for arriving at their work stations in time as regulated by the collective basic conditions of employment. The study was expected to reveal the employee perceptions of the fingerprint based time management system and its effect on punctuality. It was anticipated that such understanding would encourage extension of the study to other units of eThekwini Municipality thereby enabling employee perception realignment to the fundamental benefits derived from the system; so punctuality, among other things such as performance and productivity, may be enhanced

Conserving cultural heritage and the usage of indigenous knowledge: A case study of the Zululand District Municipality, Kwazulu-Natal.

Local communities are the custodians of cultural heritage resources and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, therefore one imagines that they should be active participants in passing on their cultural heritage, particularly to the youth and subsequently use it in cultural heritage tourism development. The purpose of this article was to highlight the significance of conserving heritage and indigenous knowledge in order to provide authentic products and experiences which are part of cultural heritage tourism and its impact on the rural communities. The objectives of this study were thus to: establish (a) the level of participation of local communities in the conservation of cultural heritage resources (b) if local communities participate in cultural heritage tourism development and (c) the extent to which Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is used as an integral component of authentic cultural heritage tourism development. Findings of the study indicated that, the conservation of cultural heritage resources was perceived as significant by the majority of local communities. Interestingly a significant number of young people indicated that the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in packaging tourism products and the participation in cultural activities were important ways of passing cultural heritage from generation from generation. The community recommended that indigenous knowledge should be the primary source of information when packaging authentic tourism products that have a potential of enriching the experiences of tourists

Investigating item bias in some of the scales of the English version of the South African Substance Use Contextual Risk Instrument (SASUCRI) across a sample of English and isiXhosa mother-tongue learners

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych (Psychology)Substance abuse is a global concern, particularly amongst adolescents. Research shows that secondary school learners in the Western Cape are susceptible to substance use due to the ease of access to and constant use of drugs and alcohol by their peers. The use of substances by adolescents has been linked to a number of negative consequences. The South African Substance Use Contextual Risk Instrument (SASUCRI) is an instrument developed for the purpose of identifying factors that lead to adolescent substance use and communities at risk of substance abuse. In the identification of these factors, appropriate interventions can be informed in terms of the areas that need to be focused on when dealing with the reduction of substance use. Two versions of the SASUCRI exist. However, in the investigation of the larger validation study, IsiXhosa mother-tongue learners were found to have responded to the English version of the SASUCRI. A sub-study to the larger study found that certain scales of the English version of the SASUCRI proved to be in-equivalent across the English and isiXhosa mother-tongue speakers. Recommendations were made for a further validation of the instrument by investigating the level of item bias within the in-equivalent scales, to determine the extent to which it measures what it was intended to measure. Using secondary data from the larger study, the current study investigated item bias on the identified inequivalent scales of the English version of the SASUCRI across the two language groups, using a differential research design and two statistical techniques (Mantel-Haenszel and logistic regression). The theoretical framework was that of Bias and Equivalence. Permission to conduct the study and use the data was granted from various institutions and people: the Western Cape Education Department and school principals, Committees at UWC, and the researcher of the larger study. Results revealed that bias was found in some of these scales which limit its ability to be used for its intended purpose. Therefore, recommendations for the adaptation of the English version were made

Training and development for public governance: a case study of the department of government communication & information systems in South Africa.

Doctoral Degrees. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.It has been previously observed that all components of the public service are impaired by a deficiency in expertise and professionalism. Studies have shown that many workers in the public sector have not performed well because of a lack of basic training and development (T&D). In order to enhance organisational efficiency and the ability of employees to provide high-quality services to the public, T&D of public servants are required to ensure the development of effective skills and practices. Drawing upon governance theory, human capital theory and learning theories, this study explored T&D in the Department of Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS). In addition, through the use of a mixed methods design, the study aimed to provide evidence of the inherent weaknesses that currently exist in the public sector, using the case of the GCIS, when it comes to the systematic planning, implementation and evaluation of T&D. A method involving documentary research, interviews (13), and surveys was used in the study (108 questionnaires). The research attempted to show how T&D is implemented and evaluated in the GCIS department by using both qualitative and quantitative enquiry methods. The findings show that, despite the existence of T&D policies and different training frameworks, different obstacles continue to obstruct its successful implementation in the GCIS. These include a lack of standardised training, supervisory support and rigid and lengthy implementation processes. These challenges militate against training leading to increased capacity in the public sector and addressing the skills challenge that hinders national development, social development, economic development and progress in the attainment of the government’s developmental goals at large. The findings will be of interest to public sector human capital development practitioners and researchers alike, as they have several practical implications. There is a need to establish a robust legislative framework that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate the training needs of the employees. Another finding of this study is that there is an urgent need for the implementation of training programmes that reflect the individual needs of employees in the GCIS. Overall, this study reinforces the idea that the systematic and appropriate implementation of T&D is crucial in order to improve the quality of public sector services

Cultural Heritage Tourism in South Africa: Perceived a Panacea for Rural Development?

Cultural heritage tourism is perceived as one of the major development opportunities for Africa. Objective- This study conducted in South Africa, enquired the perceptions of the local communities towards their cultural heritage tourism development, and their level of participation in such development. Approach- Quantitative data were collected from simple randomly selected respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis provided information required to address research objective. Results- Local community members surveyed are sceptic towards cultural heritage tourism development invariably becoming a panacea for their rural development. Implication- Cultural heritage tourism development in South Africa should align with the sustainable rural tourism critical success factors recommended by this paper. Value- This study conducted in a district of South Africa has implications for cultural heritage tourism development in developing economies

The impact of peri-urban densification on basic social service delivery in eNtshongweni area in eThekwini Municipality.

Masters in Town and Regional Planning. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College 2015.Since the fall of apartheid peri-urban areas have been rapidly densifying due to a number of factors, including the revocation of laws that restricted the movement and settlement of black people in urban areas, limited space in the core areas and high land prices in urban areas. These factors have resulted in poor people moving into peri-urban spaces in order to access opportunities in urban core areas. Peri-urban areas in most municipalities tend to be poorly provided with basic social services as they place emphasis on areas that are within their development plans. The rapid growth of peri-urban areas without any defined pattern makes it difficult for local governments and municipalities to provide services. The lack of institutional integration and general planning by municipal officials and other stakeholders has resulted in peri-urban areas being unliveable. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of peri-urban densification on basic social service delivery in eNtshongweni area, eThekwini municipality. The study was guided by the following objectives, to determine the nature of densification in eNtshongweni and how services are provided in peri-urban areas. Furthermore to determine the nature of services available in eNtshongweni area, outline and discuss planning implications of peri-urban development along with the role of the urban development line as a planning tool and the social impacts of densification. The main research question to be addressed by the study was to find out the impact of rapid peri-urban growth on service delivery on local municipalities. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were adopted for this study. Urbanization theory and the bid rent curve theory were the theoretical bases for this study. Urbanization has contributed to rural and peri-urban spaces adopting the urban form and has led to expectations that urban services will be extended to nearby peri-urban areas. Uncontrollable population growth in urban areas has also resulted in the saturation of core areas, increasing demand for land for development outside the urban areas. The bid rent theory argues that as one moves away from the urban core, land prices start to drop until one reaches another urban or suburban area. This is one explanation for poor people occupying land in peri-urban areas. The main findings indicate that rapid peri-urban densification has impacted service delivery in eNtshongweni. For example, the municipality has found it difficult to meet the service demands of residents due to rapid growth, the socio-economic status of the community and the fact that the area falls outside the urban development line. However densification has also created some opportunities for service delivery as increased demand has created the threshold required for the provision of social and structural services. The provision of basic structural and social services in eNtshongweni has proved slow and challenging. The main reason is that the low economic status of people living in the area has made it difficult for community members to contribute to the provision and maintenance of the services provided by eThekwini municipality. Another factor is inadequacies in the strategic planning policies adopted by the municipality in catering for peri-urban areas. For example, areas falling outside the adopted urban development line such as eNtshongweni are not provided with the same level of services as urban areas. The rationale is that it is not cost effective to provide the same level of services throughout the municipality. This has led to slow and poor service provision in peri-urban areas such as eNtshongweni. It has been argued that the urban development line should be extended to include areas like eNtshongweni to ensure more consistent service delivery. It is also recommended that the municipality services peri-urban areas such as eNtshongweni according to the specific needs and demands of the community and aligns these with the economic status of the community to ensure sustainability and effectiveness

A study of the high rate of teenage pregnancy in high schools in the lLembe District

Abstract not availablePsychology of EducationM. Ed. (Psychology of Education

The impact of the TOMS shoes cause-related marketing campaign on GenY consumers in the United States

Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management and Information Systems))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2014.This study evaluates the impact of the TOMS Shoes one-for-one campaign on the perceptions, attitudes and purchase intentions of Generation Y (GenY) consumers in the United States. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the CRM Response Model, which integrates several psychological and behavioural measures in describing GenYs‘ response to campaign messages (Waters 2006, Hyllegard 2009). The model was operationalised by a hypothetico-deductive research design and data was analysed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The strongest determinant of the model‘s outcome variable (i.e. ‗purchase intentions') is brand motivation or ‗attitude towards the brand‘. Consequently the causes chosen must have affinity with the company‘s products for GenY to respond favourably to the campaign messages. Combining emotionally evocative stimuli/imagery with a cause that GenY consumers care about or are ‗involved‘ is bound to make them like or believe (accept) the campaign. The ‗emotional‘ reactions of GenY determine whether they will pay ‗attention‘ and/or 'like the campaign message' or not. The cohort‘s ‗involvement‘ in the shoe cause is partially mediated by ‗attention‘ and has a weak but significant influence on ‗attitude towards the brand‘. Likeable and/or memorable ads tend to be more effective in persuading consumers than neutral advertisements. ‗Attention‘ has a direct influence on ‗attitude towards the advertisement‘ or liking the campaign message, with communications effects in essence minimal without ‗attention‘

Multi-input multi-output proportional integral derivative controller tuning based on improved particle swarm optimization

The PID controller is regarded as a dependable and reliable controller for process industry systems. Many researchers have devoted time and attention to PID controller tuning and they all agree that PID controllers are very important for control systems. A PID equation is very sensitive; its parameters must always be varied following the specific application to increase performance, such as by increasing the system’s responsiveness. PID controllers still have many problems despite their importance for control systems in industries. The problem of big overshoot on the conventional gain tuning is one of the serious problems. Researchers use the PSO algorithm to try and overcome those problems. The tuning of the MIMO PID controller based on the PSO algorithm shows many disadvantages such as high-quality control with a short settle time, steady-state error, and periodical step response. The traditional PSO algorithm is very sensitive and it sometimes affects the quality of good PID controller tuning. This research has proposed a new equation for improving the PSO algorithm. The proposed algorithm is the combination of linearly decreasing inertia weight and chaotic inertia weight, after which a control factor was introduced as an exponential factor. This was very useful for simulations as it is adjustable. The Matlab simulation results of the experiments show that the simulations as it is adjustable. The Matlab simulation results of the experiments show that the new proposed equation converges faster and it gives the best fitness compared to linear inertia weight and oscillating inertia weight and other old equations. The MIMO PID controller system that consists of four plants was tuned based on the new proposed equation for the PSO algorithm (LCPSO). The optimized results show the best rise time, settling time, time delays, and steady-state compared to the systems that are tuned using the old equations. The exploration was directed at considering the impact of using the PSO calculation as an instrument for MIMO PID tuning. The results obtained in the examination reveal that the PSO tuning output improved reactions and can be applied to various system models in the measure control industry. The results for the MIMO PID controller tuned using PSO were assessed using integral square error (ISE), integral absolute error (IAE), and the integral of time expanded by absolute error (ITAE). The five well-known benchmark functions were also used to endorse the feasibility of the improved PSO and excellent results in terms of convergence and best fitness were attained.Electrical and Mining EngineeringM. Tech. (Electrical Engineering

Curriculum changes and implementation in Eswatini : the pedagogy of Geography teaching in secondary schools

The Southern Africa region is currently undergoing curriculum reforms like the rest of the world and the major shift is from the traditional methods of teaching to competency-based education to meet the changing needs and demands of society. In Eswatini, the secondary curriculum was changed in 2006 from GCE to IGCSE and in 2009, to a localised SGCSE now called EGCSE. However, limited studies have been undertaken to determine if the new curriculum is relevant and implemented properly. The main objective of this study was to analyse the Geography curriculum changes in Eswatini and establish the nature of the changes and assess its implementation. Geography is a practical subject hence constructivist methods are useful for Geography learners to acquire skills for lifelong learning. Qualitative methods were employed to collect data from three teachers from three schools through in-depth individual interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. The data was analysed using the grounded theory. Memos were written where the findings were categorised into themes, analysed and compared in order to determine emerging patterns, and to triangulate the data. The results of the study indicated that the EGCSE geography curriculum has changed in terms of its subject matter, teaching objectives and approaches. However, when it comes to the acquisition of the stipulated learner outcomes, problems were identified which indicated that the learners had not mastered the skills and were thus unable to use and apply them. Scores of learners were affected negatively as it resulted into poorer results in examinations. Factors found to limit successful implementation of the curriculum were lack of ownership and understanding of the curriculum by the teacher, teachers’ attitudes, some threats of change, lack of appropriate resources to some schools, teachers’ training, misconceptions about the curriculum and little time to adopt. Other factors included inadequate material resources and pressure to perform in tests and examinations. The study recommends the need for teacher training especially in practical aspects of geography and provision of adequate resources especially to the rural schools.Curriculum and Instructional StudiesD. Phil. (Education (Curriculum Studies)