STRATEGIC POSITIONING OF THE NAMIBIAN RED MEAT INDUSTRY BY 2005

Red meat is international business and meat companies in Namibia are global role players. Poultry consumption increased at the expense of beef primarily because of consistency and pricing, while larger beef and sheep meat suppliers are making inroads in the growth markets of the world. Ultimately, to be successful, companies must carve out a clear position for themselves, in the light of competition, and must exploit their competitive advantages to the full. A study was commissioned to determine the strategic success factors, approaches and options of the major beef and sheep meat exporting industries of the world for extrapolation on Namibia. The most common business strategy involves cost orientation, although a differentiated focus strategy with innovative and branded products targeted into niche markets is clearly needed for Namibian businesses. Developments in traceability, quality control, branding, added-value and consistency should satisfy the concerns consumers have over health and safety issues and assure repurchases of Namibian meat products.Livestock Production/Industries,

THE PSYCHO-SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF CAR GUARDS: INTERVENTIVE ROLES OF THE SOCIAL WORKER

In South Africa unemployment is a major problem and many people are desperate to make an earnest living and are prepared to do any job as long as it brings in enough money for a roof over their heads and food on the table. Crime has become a major social problem within the South African society and motor vehicle thefts and car burglaries are high on the list of crime statistics. Police and security protection services are unable to keep guard over all the parking areas and informal car guards did not provide the answer. To address this problem, car watch organisations were introduced in the city centers. Social workers should identify those people who are especially vulnerable, including car guards, and ensure that their abilities and potential are developed and strengthened. The objective of the research project was to study the survival skills of car guards relating to their economic and social circumstances. The phenomena of difficult customers, dangerous and harsh working conditions, and poor remuneration were investigated. A qualitative study accompanied by a phenomenological research design was implemented for the study. Field research and specifically in-depth personal interviewing and naturalistic observation were used as research procedures

THE SPENDING PATTERNS OF THE OLD-AGE PENSION BY THE FRAIL ELDERLY

A specific old-age home in a semi-urban area of South Africa delivers certain communityoutreach services besides the services to the inmates of the old-age home. A team of registerednurses have been delivering these home-care services since 2002, including physical care, ameal service and a transport service to clinics and hospitals. The profile of the elderly personsliving in this specific community shows that they are mostly women, black and very poor.While rendering services to the aged persons in the community, staff members realised thatespecially the frail aged have very little finances to spend on their own keeping, although theyall receive an old-age pension. This raised the question of possible neglect and financial abuseby their caregivers and other people, which in turn led to this specific research project. Thisarticle reports on an attempt to investigate the housing circumstances and the financial positionof the participants, as well as determining whether they could account for their expenditure, theitems that the pension was spent on, the point of payment of the pension, the accompanyingperson and the manner in which withdrawal of money took place. Furthermore, theinvestigation included whether participants cared for children, topics of interest forgrandparents caring for children, and the physical appearance of participant

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF RESTRUCTURING THE SOUTH AFRICAN HAKE QUOTA MARKET

Hake is the most valuable fisheries species in South Africa, with an estimated landed value of R658 million in 1997. The fishery is presently managed under an individual quota system, where total allowable catch (TAC) is set annually and divided up amongst quota holders according to past performance, without quota holders having to pay for it. Fundamental restructuring of the South African hake quota market is however due to take place in the near future as recommended by the White Paper on Marine Fisheries Policy (1997). Factor analysis of data collected from a postal survey of existing South African hake quota holders and rejected hake quota applicants suggests that distinct differences in attitudes towards restructuring exist amongst respondents. Four factors, representing groups of respondents defined as (1) applicants, (2) quota holders, (3) small scale respondents (comprising of both applicants and quota holders), and (4) larger, longer established quota holders, sharing similar attitudes towards restructuring were extracted. It was also calculated that a substantial annual rent of approximately R279 million is generated by the South African hake industry, which is presently harvested free of charge by those issued with quota. It is stated policy of the White Paper to capture these rents, however methods of accomplishing this have not been well accepted by the industry. This study aims at providing some solutions to these problems of restructuring.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME FOR CHILD-CARERS IN PRIVATE PLACES OF TEMPORARY SAFE-CARE

The article purpose of the article is to report on an empowerment programme for child-carers in private places of temporary safe-care so as to equip them with skills to act in the best interest of the children in their care. The programme was compiled on the basis of a needs assessment with child-care workers and social workers involved in private places of temporary safe-care, as well as a literature study. The programme consisted of nine sessions, including topics such as factors to be considered when dealing with these children, trauma, medical care, behavioural problems, bonding, discipline,  natural parents and self-care of child-carers

The relationship of dementia prevalence in older adults with intellectual disability (ID) to age and severity of ID

Background: Previous research has shown that adults with intellectual disability (ID) may be more at risk of developing dementia in old age than expected. However, the effect of age and ID severity on dementia prevalence rates has never been reported. We investigated the predictions that older adults with ID should have high prevalence rates of dementia that differ between ID severity groups and that the age-associated risk should be shifted to a younger age relative to the general population. Method: A two-staged epidemiological survey of 281 adults with ID without Down syndrome (DS) aged >60 years; participants who screened positive with a memory task, informant-reported change in function or with the Dementia Questionnaire for Persons with Mental Retardation (DMR) underwent a detailed assessment. Diagnoses were made by psychiatrists according to international criteria. Prevalence rates were compared with UK prevalence and European consensus rates using standardized morbidity ratios (SMRs). Results: Dementia was more common in this population (prevalence of 18.3%, SMR 2.77 in those aged >65 years). Prevalence rates did not differ between mild, moderate and severe ID groups. Age was a strong risk factor and was not influenced by sex or ID severity. As predicted, SMRs were higher for younger age groups compared to older age groups, indicating a relative shift in age-associated risk. Conclusions: Criteria-defined dementia is 2–3 times more common in the ID population, with a shift in risk to younger age groups compared to the general population

THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER TO EMPOWER FAMILIES IN A DEEP RURAL COMMUNITY

A research study was conducted at Heuningvlei near Vryburg in the Northern Cape Province ofSouth Africa during 2006. The study was called “Tshwaragano”, meaning togetherness, andwas sponsored by the National Research Foundation. The research focused on health issues andpoverty, and was undertaken to determine their effect on families in rural areas. Seven master’sstudents and two PhD students were involved in the project. The master’s students did a needsassessment with their specific aim in mind and developed guidelines. The PhD students usedthis needs assessment of the first phase to compile their social work group-work programmes toempower the families of Heuningvlei and to enhance their quality of life. This article reports ona section of the research which examined the living conditions and income of the households,and the causes and effects of poverty and unemployment. Aspects such as crime, violence andmarital conflict received attention. Because the strengths approach was used in this study, thestrengths of the families were investigated. Finally, the roles of the social worker to implementpreventive and treatment strategies in the community were discussed

Structure, Conduct and Performance in the South African Potato Processing Industry

The South African Potato industry was deregulated in the early 1990’s, leading to changes in market structure. The adjustment in market structure leads to changes in production and marketing practices, including contracting and pricing strategies for processing firms within the industry. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status in the potato processing industry, based on market structure, conduct and performance. The objective is to qualitatively measure the driving forces within the industry, and how these factors influence performance of the industry as a whole. The research method was based on the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, giving a better understanding of the potato processing industry and the driving forces, relating to future growth. A short case study of the Australian potato processing industry, which finds itself in a similar position as South Africa, reveals that increasing global competition in the form of low cost importers, are hampering competitiveness and profitability, along with rising production costs. It was found that the South African potato processing industry has a relatively high concentration, which means efficiency is lacking as market shares is not distributed effectively. It was further evident that a lack of trust between processors and producers is a source of concern for processors.Crop Production/Industries,

AN ADAPTED INTERVENTION RESEARCH MODEL: SUGGESTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

The various existing models of intervention research all have advantages and disadvantages.Postgraduate students, and especially doctoral students in Social Work, have on many occasionsexpressed their dilemma in choosing a specific model of research for intervention procedures.Therefore, many have used the intervention research model or the developmental research andutilisation model, while others have adapted these models to suit their specific researchendeavours. After making a careful study of these two models, an adapted intervention researchmodel will be suggested for use in studies of a combined research and practice nature