Analysing the role of enterprise and supplier development within Mercedes Benz South Africa in improving their B-BBEE scorecard

This research is born out of the realisation of the unique challenges that the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy required from the private sector in South Africa, with Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) being one of the components of the B-BBEE’s economic empowerment strategy. Over the years, the B-BBEE’s role has been one of ensuring that economic empowerment of historically disadvantaged individuals was addressed. The role of the B-BBEE policy is described as the framework that targets the reform of the economy, reduction of poverty and inequality and empowerment of those individuals that were historically disadvantaged (Patel & Graham, 2012, p. 194). The automotive industry is South Africa’s most important and largest sector, making a great contribution to the country’s GDP. It is responsible for the employment of many people in the country, including employment in the component manufacturers and tyre industry. With these linkages throughout the economy, the government has identified the automotive industry as a vital growth sector. Government is certain that this sector will address one of the major challenges for economic growth in South Africa, which is unemployment. In the year 2015, the B-BBEE Act was amended with new compliance requirements and this changed the B-BBEE rating of Mercedes Benz South Africa (MBSA), resulting in a reduction of the company’s rating. The changes to the standard, particularly the ownership component, resulted in challenges for multinational companies such as MBSA, and an opportunity to improve the rating was identified in the ESD component sector. If these new compliance requirements were not addressed by MBSA, a predictable reduction in B-BBEE status would occur, resulting in a loss of business with government and provision of government incentives. The objective of this research study was to analyse the role that ESD plays within MBSA in improving their B-BBEE scorecard, as part of its overall B-BBEE strategy. This study was sculpted on the concept that the role of ESD at MBSA is related to (a) preferential procurement, (b) skills transfer, and (c) mentoring and a detailed literature review was conducted for these variables as well as for ESD. In testing the above research objective, the researcher utilised statistical analysis methods to reach a conclusion with regard to the relationship of ESD to these variables. A positivistic research paradigm (quantitative) was selected in order to test the objective by using hypothesis testing. An empirical study was undertaken by means of a survey with a questionnaire utilised as a data collecting tool and distributed using the supplier database of MBSA. The aim of the questionnaire was to validate the outcomes obtained from the theoretical overview. Out of a sample of 116 respondents employed at the suppliers, only 92 responses were received, thus representing a 79% response rate, which is considered acceptable. The key findings of the study indicated that preferential procurement, skills development and mentoring play a significant role in the promotion of ESD. Preferential procurement indicated a stronger association than the other variables, and thus it was recommended that MBSA place importance on this variable. Based on these findings, recommendations were made to the management of MBSA in an effort to improve the ESD component of the B-BBEE score of the company. As a way of addressing some of the challenges automotive manufacturers face, suggestions for future research were made

Soltrain II –solar water heating system test and demonstration facility

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies of Stellenbosch University has implemented a test and demonstration facility for solar water heating systems. The purpose of the facility is to conduct the performance testing of the solar water heating systems. The initial performance tests on the reference collector have been conducted and the results have been used to validate the installed facility.dc201

Measurement of directional atomic modulation direction using the azimuthal variation of first order Laue zone electron diffraction

We show that diffraction intensity into the First Order Laue Zone (FOLZ) of a crystal can have a strong azimuthal dependence, where this FOLZ ring appears solely because of unidirectional atom position modulation. Such a modulation was already known to cause the appearance of elliptical columns in atom resolution images, but we show that measurement of the angle via 4-dimensional Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (4DSTEM) is far more reliable and allows the measurement of the modulation direction with a precision of about 1{\deg} and an accuracy of about 3{\deg}. This method could be very powerful in characterising atomic structures in 3 dimensions by 4DSTEM, especially in cases where the structure deviates from that found in bulk crystals.Comment: To be submitted to PR

Measurement of directional atomic modulation direction using the azimuthal variation of first order Laue zone electron diffraction

Data that generates the figures in the associated article and shows how the calculations are done

Guidelines for energy management in the South African wine industry

CITATION: Brent, A., Silinga, C. & Sanetra, N. 2016. Guidelines for energy management in the South African wine industry. Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, 27(4):53–63, doi:10.17159/2413-3051/2016/v27i4a1458.The original publication is available at https://journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/jesaPressure is mounting on the wine industry to consider energy management interventions to, inter alia, reduce energy consumption – to be more competitive, become more self-reliant, and to reduce the carbon footprint of the sector. This paper then summarises the process that was undertaken to develop an appropriate energy management guideline for the South African wine industry. It is based on a literature analysis of best practices elsewhere, and a number of case studies across different sizes of winery operations in South Africa. The positive outcomes from energy management interventions at these cases are demonstrated, but a number of challenges are also highlighted. Recommendations are made accordingly.https://journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/jesa/article/view/1458Publisher's versio

Model-based iterative reconstruction of three-dimensional magnetization in a nanowire structure using electron holographic vector field tomography

Experimental techniques for the characterization of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic spin structures are required to advance the performance of nanoscale magnetic technologies. However, as component dimensions approach the nanometer range, it becomes ever more challenging to analyze 3D magnetic configurations quantitatively with the required spatial resolution and sensitivity. Here, we use off-axis electron holography and model-based iterative reconstruction to reconstruct the 3D magnetization distribution in an exemplary nanostructure comprising an L-shaped ferromagnetic cobalt nanowire fabricated using focused electron beam induced deposition. Our approach involves using off-axis electron holography to record tomographic tilt series of electron holograms, which are analyzed to reconstruct electron optical magnetic phase shifts about two axes with tilts of up to ±60◦. A 3D magnetization vector field that provides the best fit to the tomographic phase measurements is then reconstructed, revealing multiple magnetic domains in the nanowire. The reconstructed magnetization is shown to be accurate for magnetic domains that are larger than approximately 50 nm. Higher spatial resolution and improved signal-to-noise can be achieved in the future by using more specialized electron microscopes, improved reconstruction algorithms, and automation of data acquisition and analysis

Atomic resolution imaging of 3D crystallography in functional oxide thin films

Whilst atomic resolution imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has revolutionized science and technology, it cannot see things happening out of the plane of the image and merely forms projection images. In this article we show that it is possible to directly map the direction and magnitude of atom displacements at 30° to the imaging plane in a La2CoMnO6 thin film on (111) LSAT (LaAlO3-(Sr,Ta)AlO3) using a 4-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4DSTEM) methodology. The interpretation is backed up by analysis of theoretical simulations. We reveal that the b-axis always lies in the plane of interface in every area we looked at, and that the atom modulation is strongly suppressed close to the epitaxial interface. This crystallographic detail was not previously revealed or visible by conventional STEM imaging and the new methodology sheds a lot more light on why this particular substrate in this orientation best promotes double perovskite cation ordering and consequently the best achieved magnetic ordering in this thin film system. This approach of fitting atomic resolution 4DSTEM data to determine crystal parameters opens the door for a new era of atomic-resolution crystallography

Atomic resolution imaging of the strength and 3D direction of atomic displacements in functional oxide thin films

Atomic resolution imaging is key to understanding thin film growth and how a particular set of conditions influences properties. Whilst such imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has had transformative impact in nanoscience, it forms projection images and provides no direct information about displacements perpendicular to the image plane. In this article we show that it is possible to make atomic resolution maps of the direction and magnitude of La displacements at ~30 to the imaging plane in a La2CoMnO6 thin film on (111) LSAT (LaAlO3-La(Sr,Ta)O3) using a 4-dimensional STEM (4DSTEM) methodology. This reveals that the La modulation lies preferentially in the interface plane, and is strongly suppressed close to the epitaxial interface, and further reveals how the modulation varies with distance from the interface with unit cell resolution. These details would be completely invisible to all prior techniques in electron microscopy and this sheds light on why this particular substrate in this orientation best promotes double perovskite cation ordering, and the consequent optimal magnetic ordering for this thin film system. The approach used herein of fitting atomic resolution 4DSTEM data to determine crystal parameters opens the door for a new era of atomic-resolution crystallography

City festival as an marketing tool: comparative study of Talsi city festival and Sabile Wine festival

Bakalaura darba tēma ir „Pilsētas svētki kā mārketinga rīks: Talsu pilsētas svētku un Sabiles Vīna svētku salīdzinājums”. Darba mērķi ir noskaidrot, cik noderīgi pilsētas svētki ir kā mārketinga instruments pilsētu popularizēšanai. Kādi organizatoriskie līdzekļi un kanāli tiek izmantoti pilsētas svētku veidošanā, lai veicinātu svētku apmeklētāju piesaisti? Darbs sastāv no teorētiskās un empīriskās daļas. Teorētiskajā daļā aprakstīta teorija par mārketingu, teritoriālo mārketingu un pasākuma mārketingu veidošanos un principiem. Pētījumā izmantotas 2 pētnieciskās metodes: daļēji strukturētā intervija un kvantitatīvā anketēšana. Rezultāti norāda, ka pilsētas svētku organizēšana būtiski uzlabo vietas atpazīstamību.The theme of this Bachelor Thesis ir „City festival as an marketing tool: comparative study of Talsi city festival and Sabile Wine fetsival”. The main aim of this work is to find out how useful city festival is as a marketing tool to promote the city. What organizational tools and channels are used for city festivals to stimulate visitors attraction. The paper consist of three main parts: theoretical part, methodology and empirical part. Theoretical part consist of theory about marketing, territorial marketing and event marketing formation and principles. Two different types of methodology have been identified and used – semi structured interviews and questionnaire. The results show that organization of the city festival significantly improves places visibility

Scenarios for a South African CSP Peaking System in the Short Term

AbstractThe South African Integrated Resource Plan is a policy document, which by law allocates the energy resources that will be built to meet the future electricity needs of South Africa. The current Integrated Resource Plan indicates the electricity generation types that will be built from 2010 to 2030. It states that most of the future peak load will be met by Open Cycle Gas Turbines which operate using diesel and represents an allocation of 4,930M W. Further, the Integrated Resource Plan does not identify CSP as a potential peaking solution and allocates 1,200M W of capacity to CSP. This represents less than 2% of total capacity in 2030.This paper investigates the feasibility of utilizing CSP Plants as peaking plants in the short to medium term based on a proposition that under certain scenarios, a fleet of unsubsidized CSP peaking plants could drop the LCOE of the current Integrated Resource Plan. This is done by modeling a contemporary CSP tower system with Thermal Energy Storage. The Gemasolar CSP plant is used as the reference plant in order to obtain operating parameters.Our analysis suggests that at current fuels costs, diesel powered Open Cycle Gas Turbines produce electricity in excess of 5.08 ZAR/kWh (∼0.63 US$/kWh), significantly above current CSP energy generating costs. This is the context that informed the undertaking of this study, to influence policy and provide technical evidence that CSP can guarantee and deliver energy at competitive costs in the short term. Two alternate scenarios show a lower LCOE for providing peak power. The most promising is a combined distributed CSP system wit h diesel powered Open Cycle Gas Turbine system as backup. The LCOE for this system is 2.78 ZAR (∼0.34$/kWh) or a drop of 45% when no fuel price inflation is considered. This system also increases security of supply due to a lower dependence on fuel prices