Blockchain Technology Changing Resource Management: A Case Study on How Even Botswana Can Improve their Level of Accountability in Diamonds

The African continent is rich in resources yet still lags behind, in terms of economic development, in relation to a large portion of the world. There are mines all over the continent yet mineral ores leave the countries without a trace and nothing to show for the hard work it took to retrieve them. There are many factors that have led African countries to where they are now, but what if an improvement in; resource management, the ability to track property ownership, value added or environmental externalities at each step could help change things around. The countries would be able to avoid expropriation, theft, exploitation, degradation, slavery, war pillages etc. So how does one tackle this decades long problem, how about through something that has only surpassed a decade, blockchain technology. Blockchains are a form of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that is part of an ever growing phenomenon, a distrust of big governments, big business, big finance and big tech. This paper hopes to propose a way in which blockchain technology and resource management can go hand in hand, looking at Africa’s gem, Botswana, as a case study. Botswana is a perfect example of how resources can improve the country for the better. The mining of diamonds has been a pivotal part of the history of Botswana. Diamonds were able to transform Botswana from one of the least developed nations at its independence to being one of Africa’s few middle income countries. With the resource curse averted and with steady economic growth it is still worrying that Botswana ranks within the top 10 most unequal countries. .“In 2010, for instance, when the stated export value of diamonds is compared to the production value at mine-gate, over $438 million vanishes—an undervaluation of$19 per carat. ”(Sharife, 2016, p.81). This proposal shows how even Botswana could improve on their resource management to help the entire country progress into a more equally distributed society. This paper argues that the centralized private-public partnership of the Botswana diamond mining sector can be seen as being the root cause of the problem. While most remedies to the commodity curse have been government controls or industrial consolidation, which often lead to private or public sector monopolies, as these monopolies can withstand price volatility. They also lead to the expropriation of the surplus, lack transparency, result in bureaucratic kickbacks and corruption, are undemocratic, and most of the surplus is siphoned off into international tax havens rather than returning to the original owners of the buried treasure. Blockchain is a new technology and governance structure that gives hope for indigenous property rights, allows for decentralized coordination, offers the potential for a fairer distribution of the surplus, gives greater transparency to the process, can incorporate fines and records for environmental damage. It overall offers a way for the management of primary resources and their supply chain which has previously been left up to those in power. The centralized nature of the mining sector allows such a proposal to exist. By utilizing blockchain technology, Botswana can improve the value added on their diamonds through the transparency of blockchain, as well as the government and private sector being held accountable for any monetary loss that occurs through unmonitored agreements

The effects of the mildly or moderately retarded child on the family

M.A. (Social Science)Please refer to full text to view abstrac

Exploring the livelihood strategies of unemployed black female migrant youth living in Cape Town, South Africa

Unemployment among youth within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is one of the major factors that has contributed to migratory movements. Today many youths are leaving their home countries within the region, in search of employment opportunities in stronger economies like that of South Africa. However, the local unemployment rates hinder their chances of employment. This qualitative study explored the livelihood strategies of unemployed black female migrant youth living in Cape Town, South Africa. The study interviewed twenty unemployed black female migrant youth between the ages of 25 and 34 to understand their experiences and perceptions of a) factors or conditions that forced them to immigrate to Cape Town, b) challenges they encountered in trying to secure employment, and vulnerabilities experienced, and c) the livelihood strategies they employed and available social service support. The findings reveal that unemployed black female migrant youth have immigrated to Cape Town for various reasons including political instability, social influences, poor economic conditions, and social factors such as marriage and poverty in their home countries. When they arrive in Cape Town, they face many obstacles in securing employment because of either their nationality or documentation status. They are also vulnerable due to lack of basic needs, living in overcrowded homes, and being in informal settlements where they build temporary shelters. To overcome the challenges they face, they engage in different livelihood strategies such as accessing free government clinics or hospitals for their healthcare. They are dependent on their spouses for support and engage in part-time employment. Besides, they have had limited information about any government or non-governmental organisations that provide support for unemployed black female migrant youth. The need for well-established social networks for unemployed black female migrants, where they can be received and assisted in integrating into society through legitimate channels, is relevant. There need to be centres that offer free English-language training for migrants who are not conversant in English. Established non-governmental organisations or government agencies need to provide facilities that could assist undocumented immigrants who have prolonged their stay in Cape Town. There is also a need to establish support centres that specifically target unemployed black female immigrants. The South African government should enforce sensitization and educate the public and stakeholders about the legitimacy of asylum-seeker permits issued to immigrants. If implemented in conjunction with policy measures, this could increase black female immigrant youth's ability to secure employment. The enforcement of the development of entrepreneurial skills programmes, which specifically vi target unemployed black female youth migrants in Cape Town, is another potentially beneficial strategy

A review and evaluation of developments in marine simulation training and assessment and impact of such change on maritime education and training in Fiji

The Thesis is a study of current marine simulation technology, and of the historical and current developments in training seafarers through the use of simulation techniques. The range of marine simulation systems is vast, and a brief look is taken at the design, categorization and definition of the systems, with special emphasis on the significance in classifying this equipment. The reasons for utilizing simulation training techniques are examined, taking into account the inadequacy of traditional training methods in the rapid technological changes that have taken place. Traditional and technological training systems are evaluated and compared. Simulation training methodologies used in some selected training establishments are discussed. The use of marine simulators as an assessment tool and its effectiveness in the training context are investigated. Additionally, a brief look is also taken in identifying the present training needs in terms of shiphandling operations, considering the concerns of various International bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Marine Simulation Forum (IMSF) and, the current revision of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW) regarding simulation training. The results from this research project have led to the identification of simulation training equipment considered appropriate to meet the training needs in the Maritime Education and Training System in Fiji. In addition, proposed plans for various simulation training programmes are devised and the impact of implementing such a development in Fiji are discussed. The concluding chapters, inter-alia, discuss the adequacy of using simulators as a training tool and, the significance of educating and training simulation instructors. A number of recommendations are made concerning the acquisition of equipment and on the role of instructors

An investigation of the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and financial performance of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between CSR and financial performance in South African companies which are listed on the FTSE/JSE SRI Index. Specifically, whether there is a difference in financial performance of companies that perform CSR activities, and those that do not. If so, which direction does this association have? The selection process of companies used in this study will now be explained step-bystep. The JSE SRI Index results show that there were 80 successful constituents as of February 2015 (JSE, 2015). These 80 companies are listed alphabetically in Appendix A, while the top 100 companies as ranked by Turnover are linked in Appendix B. Of these 100 companies, 67 were constituents of the JSE SRI Index continuously in 2015 and are shown in Appendix C. This leaves 33 companies in the top 100 which are not listed on the JSE SRI Index. Companies that were listed on the JSE SRI Index were assumed to be ‘good’ companies as the listing requirements included the performance of numerous CSR activities such as Employee development, environmental sustainability practices and stakeholder engagement. The financial performance of these 67 companies was compared to the financial performance of the 33 companies that were not listed on the JSE SRI Index which were included in the population sample of one hundred companies. Financial performance was measured using the ratios: Return on Assets and Return on Equity. The data analysis process used in this study was as follows: 1. The ratios for each company were obtained from the iNET (BFA) database, and annual and integrated reports for the period 2011 - 2015 (Appendix D;E;F). 2. The ratios for Non-SRI and SRI companies were then compared for each of the three ratios using a T-Test. The purpose of the T-Test was to show whether there is a difference in the ratios between SRI and Non-SRI companies on a year to year basis. The direction of the difference was shown by whether the SRI ratio was higher than or lower than the Non-SRI ratio. The results of this study do not seem to support any of the CSR theories, as the study concluded that there is no significant difference between the financial performance of companies that perform CSR activities and those that do not. This means that investing in CSR activities does not have a significant effect on the financial performance of a company

Saving Planetary Systems: Dead Zones & Planetary Migration

The tidal interaction between a disk and a planet leads to the planet's migration. A long-standing question regarding this mechanism is how to stop the migration before planets plunge into their central stars. In this paper, we propose a new, simple mechanism to significantly slow down planet migration, and test the possibility by using a hybrid numerical integrator to simulate the disk-planet interaction. The key component of the scenario is the role of low viscosity regions in protostellar disks known as dead zones, which affect planetary migration in two ways. First of all, it allows a smaller-mass planet to open a gap, and hence switch the faster type I migration to the slower type II migration. Secondly, a low viscosity slows down type II migration itself, because type II migration is directly proportional to the viscosity. We present numerical simulations of planetary migration by using a hybrid symplectic integrator-gas dynamics code. Assuming that the disk viscosity parameter inside the dead zone is (alpha=1e-4-1e-5), we find that, when a low-mass planet (e.g. 1-10 Earth masses) migrates from outside the dead zone, its migration is stopped due to the mass accumulation inside the dead zone. When a low-mass planet migrates from inside the dead zone, it opens a gap and slows down its migration. A massive planet like Jupiter, on the other hand, opens a gap and slows down inside the dead zone, independent of its initial orbital radius. The final orbital radius of a Jupiter mass planet depends on the dead zone's viscosity. For the range of alpha's noted above, this can vary anywhere from 7 AU, to an orbital radius of 0.1 AU that is characteristic of the hot Jupiters.Comment: 38 pages, 14 figures, some changes in text and figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Oral traditions among the northern Malawi Ngoni

No Abstract