ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWER INDUSTRY

In this paper some interesting findings from recent studies regarding the economic aspects of the South African flower industry are highlighted. By looking at South Africa’s competitiveness and doing a comparative advantage study, an international perspective is firstly developed. The contribution of the flower industry in the South African economy is then discussed. This includes a case study on flower growers in the Gauteng Province. The final section notes some challenges for this industry. This network of studies provide a basis from which a conclusion can be drawn that it would be important to structure government initiatives to assist the private sector to expand this industry. A strategic planning exercise where the South African flower industry is positioned within an international perspective as well as to take note of the current transformation stage of the economy will be required.Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,

CHALLENGES AND ROLES FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN REGION

The Southern African Region is facing formidable economic challenges on issues such as poverty reduction, food security, employment creation, increased farm productivity, the sustainable use of natural resources, land reform and human capital development. To meet these challenges it is argued in this article that the agricultural sector should perform a essential role in the generation of rural incomes, employment and food security and also to transfer resources efficiently to other sectors of the regional economy. However, this sector is not fully utilized yet in the different countries of the region. The nature of this role will also differ between countries.Farm Management,

Analyzing the Competitive Performance of the South African Wine Industry

South African wine industry, competitive performance and competitive space, relative trade advantage (RTA), wine executive surveys, Porter Diamond., Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

Transcendence and immanence into or onto creative pluralism in South Africa

Two philosophical tools are used in this article, namely (1) that of philosophical-pluralism and (2) transcendent pluralism as a kind of glue to enhance our examining of creative pluralism. There is a diversity implant in positive modus of understanding this pluralistic pristine of creative pluralism within transcendence modus. To help facilitate this pluralistic pristine, the author makes use of three constructivist paradigms that are distinguished and used, namely (1) exogenous constructivism (rooted in a mechanistic metaphor) emphasising the reconstruction of structures preformed in the environment; (2) endogenous constructivism (rooted in an organismic metaphor) emphasising the coordination of previous organismic structures and (3) dialectical constructivism (rooted in a contextualistic metaphor) emphasising the construction of new structures out of organism and environmental interaction. Contribution: The aim of this article is to present a coherent metatheory by specifying the boundary conditions in which each root metaphor (constructive pluralism) best applies. These above-mentioned versions of pluralism as tools are a reminiscence and a jubilee of the efforts made by sapiens through diversity onto or into pluralism to enable the religious hamlet to think and share. This pluralistic approach of orientation, I hope, will empower sapiens in their respective hamlets to define, articulate and designate to enhance their own epistemological and ontological vantage points wherefrom their individual, coherent and contextual ways of thinking, acting and projecting their lives in a positive modus by emphasising the reconstructions of their performance in their environment

INCREASING DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION OF SOUTH AFRICAN WINES: IDENTIFYING THE KEY MARKET SEGMENTS OF THE “BLACK DIAMONDS”

Although South Africans are not predominantly wine drinkers, the industry is looking for ways to develop the local market to balance exports. The black middle class, increasingly referred to as the Black Diamonds are the most powerful marketing trend in the last 10 years as they have emerged as the strongest buying influence in the economy and making inroads in understanding this market presents a good opportunity. The study asserts that the key factors influencing the South African consumers’ behavior are age, gender, income, race and wine drinking history. The study also asserts that not only are the black middle class are different from the white middle class but within the Black Diamonds different segments exist. The industry should particularly focus on marketing to the women and the “Start me up” age group in the group as there is limited consumer knowledge about wines, but a high willingness to experiment. The study also suggests various new brand communication platforms that can be explored to reach this market as well as co-opetition between industry stakeholders.Black Diamonds, wine consumer behavior, alcoholic beverages, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis,

Households typology for relating social diversity and technical change. The example of rural households in the Khambashe area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Various South African policy statements and strategy proposals argue that farmer focused planning and farming systems research approaches are required to develop policies, strategies and project activities to serve farmers efficiently. Then, the question is how to give a practical content to these requirements, and how to avoid that technical farm relations could be emphasised without recognising the diversity in farming situations and without contextualising such technical relationships in the wider social, economic and political environment. In this prospect a research, based on rural household surveys, has been carried out in the Khambashe area of the Eastern Cape Province. On the basis of this example, the authors discuss the usefulness of household typologies to link social diversity and technical change.agriculture; households; typologie; technical change; agricultural policy; South Africa; post apartheid.

Measuring perceived black economic empowerment in the South African wine industry

The aim of this study is to develop a scale to measure perceived black economic empowerment (BEE) as reported by beneficiaries themselves. Two scale development procedures were carried out on randomly selected samples of 213 and 322 previously disadvantaged individual respondents within 14 and 11wine business that cover the larger part of the wine industry chain. The results led to a 'feeling' self-report scale (5-dimensions) and an ‘evolution’ self-report scale (6-dimensions). The emerged dimensions are: Business ownership and control (BOC), Access to finance (ATF), Employment and Human Resources Management (EMP) [internal and external], Social capital/enabling environment (SOC) and Lobbying power and collective action (LOB). First measurement results indicate that respondents feel less empowered with respect to BOC and ATF as compared to EMP, SOC and LOB. There appears to be no gender or age differences, but there are geographical differences. The latter is mostly per farm, that is, a lot of variation in BEE is observed at the firm level. The scale can be used at the firm and industry level as a diagnostic tool to monitor BEE progress as a complementary and not a substitutive framework to the wine industry scorecard as an objective measure of BEE. Future research should focus on the gap between the two definitions and assessment tools in order to comprehensively capture BEE in its entirety. The scale can also be adapted to fit the context, for example, its use in the agricultural sector at large.Agribusiness,

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE AND POLICY INCENTIVES OF COMMERCIAL WHEAT PRODUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Despite the fact that all direct and indirect measures of subsidisation and protection have been removed, commercial agriculture is still widely considered to be subsidised, privileged and uncompetitive. This paper shows how the process of deregulation has in fact changed the situation. The paper reports on the comparative advantage in the production of wheat in South Africa and reveals the various distortionary effects, if any, of the policy environment on the production of wheat in the country prior to 1997. The paper concludes that South Africa has a strong comparative advantage in the production of wheat, especially, in the inland areas. Favourable climatic and soil factors as well as abundant and relatively cheaper domestic factors of production may be some of the reasons for this strong comparative advantage. The inland areas have better RCRs due to higher inland transportation costs. However, wheat production under irrigation seems to have no comparative advantage. This is mainly due to the implicit subsidy on irrigation water.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

Transcendence and immanence into or onto creative pluralism in South Africa

Two philosophical tools are used in this article, namely (1) that of philosophical-pluralism and (2) transcendent pluralism as a kind of glue to enhance our examining of creative pluralism. There is a diversity implant in positive modus of understanding this pluralistic pristine of creative pluralism within transcendence modus. To help facilitate this pluralistic pristine, the author makes use of three constructivist paradigms that are distinguished and used, namely (1) exogenous constructivism (rooted in a mechanistic metaphor) emphasising the reconstruction of structures preformed in the environment; (2) endogenous constructivism (rooted in an organismic metaphor) emphasising the coordination of previous organismic structures and (3) dialectical constructivism (rooted in a contextualistic metaphor) emphasising the construction of new structures out of organism and environmental interaction. CONTRIBUTION : The aim of this article is to present a coherent metatheory by specifying the boundary conditions in which each root metaphor (constructive pluralism) best applies. These above-mentioned versions of pluralism as tools are a reminiscence and a jubilee of the efforts made by sapiens through diversity onto or into pluralism to enable the religious hamlet to think and share. This pluralistic approach of orientation, I hope, will empower sapiens in their respective hamlets to define, articulate and designate to enhance their own epistemological and ontological vantage points wherefrom their individual, coherent and contextual ways of thinking, acting and projecting their lives in a positive modus by emphasising the reconstructions of their performance in their environment.This research is part of the project, ‘Religious Experience from an evolutionary perspective’, directed by Prof. Dr Danie Veldsman, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.Special Collection: Theology, Economy and Environment: Social, Cultural and Biotic Influences on Religious Communities, subedited by Jerry Pillay (University of Pretoria).http://www.hts.org.zaam2022Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

A systematic theological comparison of religious iconography: Referring to Groeber and Kinkade

Iconography and symbolism of religion, correspondingly, are vital and convoluted aesthetic patterns and kinetics in a well-used foundational manner to transcend religious theories and the optical, audible and gesture depictions of religious intelligence with narratives. Iconography and symbolism of religion gain autonomy from all world religions. Subsequently, during the 20th centennial, a few academics emphasized the significance of religious spirit to persuade in citing religion as a rational entity. The symbolic condition of religion is alike viewed by a few academics of mythos and psyche as essential idiosyncratic with a religious explanation. Academics from provisional religionists, developmentalists and psychiatrists harvested with explanation the vast plethora of data on the emphasised views within religion, notably within association with East as well as Western religions. In the new liturgical theology of Christian formalities, additional appraisal of religiously emphasised syntax has transpired. Contribution: In this article, kinetics of symbols and visuals that are presented in a specific pattern and tenacious accord to the structure, subject matter and motives of the proposal are proclaimed to be among the most profound ways of experiencing and articulating religious details. Such patterns, as I think Prof. Johan Buitendag would agree, also add to the care and reinforced accords between sapiens3 with its domain that is revered or divine transcendental, metaphysical magnitude. That is what this article is about