scholarly journals Developing an environmental research platform in the Karoo at the Square Kilometre Array

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helga van der Merwe ◽  
Suzanne J. Milton ◽  
W. Richard J. Dean ◽  
Tim G. O'Connor ◽  
Joh R. Henschel
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
South African ◽  
Radio Astronomy ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Square Kilometre Array ◽  
Research Platform

A part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be constructed in the northern Karoo of South Africa on approximately 135 000 ha of land. This land is formerly privately owned rangelands (farms) that were purchased by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), on which the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, as part of the global SKA project, will erect the SKA infrastructure. Additionally, a long-term environmental research programme will be established to investigate various dryland ecosystem components at a landscape scale. Livestock has been removed from the farms, and the area is now managed by the South African National Parks (SANParks) as the Meerkat National Park. The land-use and land cover changes present an unprecedented opportunity to study ecosystem dynamics. The property will be established as an NRF science park, incorporating an SKA research platform for radio astronomy and an environmental research platform of the South African Environmental Observation Network, with additional environmental research conducted by SANParks and their collaborators. We briefly describe current knowledge of the area’s environment, and report on past and contemporary changes in this part of the Karoo. We present a conceptual model for the larger landscape which considers possible future land-use scenarios, the projected trajectories of change under these scenarios, and factors influencing these trajectories. These deliberations represent the foundation for future research in this landscape and the development of an environmental observation research platform in the Karoo at SKA.

scholarly journals Attitudes towards and experience of employment equity

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudolf M. Oosthuizen ◽  
Vasantha Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Reverse Discrimination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: The demography of the South African work force has changed considerably since the implementation of Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. There is no clarity in the literature on employees’ attitudes towards and experiences of employment equity (EE).Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to contribute to the EE debate by qualitatively identifying and exploring employees’ attitudes towards and experiences of EE in the South African work context.Research design, approach and method: Twenty-one organisations were included in the study and 105 interviews conducted.Main findings: The results indicated that employees at management level perceived government as an EE ‘watchdog’. Furthermore, reverse discrimination and racism were demarcated as the main experience of non-management employees. For previously disadvantaged employees, the main concerns were lack of training and development, whereas for the non-previously disadvantaged the primary concerns were reverse discrimination, racism and victimisation.Pratical/managerial implications: Future research may be that the results can benefit from contrasting, (1) the perspectives of previously disadvantaged management versus previously advantaged management to (2) the perspectives of previously disadvantaged non-management versus previously advantaged non-management. Furthermore, it will be valuable to include other industries in the private and public sector in future samples.Contribution/value-add: The contribution of the research is building and/or supporting the current knowledge base of employees’ attitudes towards and experiences of EE in the South African work context. Proactive measures should be taken to ensure that the majority of previously disadvantaged and the non-previously disadvantaged groups benefit from EE legislation. The introduction of holistic human resource management practices that complement target setting, could overcome the stumbling blocks currently being experienced in the effective implementation of EE.

scholarly journals The South African wildlife ranching sector: A Social Accounting Matrix Leontief multiplier analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippus C. Cloete ◽  
Riaan Rosouw
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
South African ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Social Accounting Matrix ◽  
The South ◽  
Social Accounting ◽  
Multiplier Analysis ◽  
Economic Contribution ◽  
The Impact

Orientation: There is startlingly little economic research on the South African wildlife sector which contributes toward disputes regarding the economic contribution of the sector.Research purpose: The purpose of this article is to put into context the relative economic contribution of the wildlife ranching sector, as opposed to other land-use options in South Africa.Motivation for the study: Growth in the wildlife ranching sector at the cost of other traditional farming practices resulted in disagreements amongst various role players about the impact thereof on the national economy. The controversy can most probably be explained by different beliefs, coupled with the lack of a proper understanding and quantification of the wildlife ranching sector’s contribution toward the economy.Research methodology: The study employed a Social Accounting Matrix-based Leontief multiplier analysis for South Africa.Main findings: Results from the multiplier analysis revealed that developments within the wildlife ranching sector are likely to make a relatively more superior contribution towards the economy, especially when compared to similar land-use options such as extensive livestock production.Practical/managerial implications: It has been acknowledged by both academia and private sector that a major need exists for more research on the South African wildlife ranching industry, specifically looking at issues such as the industries, economic and social contributions, potentials and constraints. The research, therefore, contributes toward the depth of economic information and research regarding the South African wildlife sector.Contribution/value added: The research provides valuable information in dealing with the ‘popular belief’, especially amongst some of South Africa’s decision makers, namely, that growth in the wildlife ranching sector is not or does not have the ability to contribute significantly toward economic and socioeconomic factors.

scholarly journals A micro-level outcomes evaluation of a skills capacity intervention within the South African public service: Towards an impact evaluation

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petronella Jonck ◽  
Riaan De Coning ◽  
Paul S. Radikonyana
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Outcomes Evaluation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Previous Training

Orientation: Interest in measuring the impact of skills development interventions has increased in recent years. Research purpose: This article reports on an outcomes evaluation under the ambit of an impact assessment with reference to a research methodology workshop. Motivation of the study: A paucity of studies could be found measuring the workshop outcomes, especially within the public service as it pertains to training interventions. Research approach/design and method: A pretest–post-test research design was implemented. A paired-sample t-test was used to measure the knowledge increase while controlling for the influence of previous training by means of an analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Main findings: Results indicated that the increase in research methodology knowledge was statistically significant. Previous training influenced the model only by 0.8%, which was not statistically significant. Practical/managerial implications: It is recommended that the suggested framework and methodology be utilised in future research as well as in monitoring and evaluation endeavours covering various training interventions. Contribution/value add: The study provides evidence of the impact generated by a training intervention, within the South African Public Service. Thus, addressing a research gap in the corpus of knowledge.

scholarly journals Disaster management and humanitarian logistics – A South African perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilna L. Bean ◽  
Nadia M. Viljoen ◽  
Hans W. Ittmann ◽  
Elza Kekana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Humanitarian Logistics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Management Context ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
The Impact

Disasters are becoming an unavoidable part of everyday life throughout the world, including South Africa. Even though South Africa is not a country affected by large-scale disasters such as earthquakes, the impact of disasters in South Africa is aggravated significantly by the vulnerability of people living in informal settlements. Humanitarian logistics, as a ‘new’ sub-field in the supply chain management context, has developed significantly recently to assist in disaster situations. This paper provides an overview of the South African humanitarian logistics context. Even though humanitarian logistics plays a critical role in the aftermath of disasters, it extends far beyond events that can typically be classified as ‘disasters’. Therefore the implication of the South African humanitarian logistics context on future research and collaboration opportunities in South African humanitarian logistics is also discussed. Finally, two recent case studies in the South African humanitarian logistics environment are discussed.

Analysis of the South African construction industry business environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-416
Author(s):  
Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi ◽  
Abimbola Windapo ◽  
James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi ◽  
Richard Jimoh
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The study aims to identify and examine the construction organisational environments and its dimensions that have an impact on the performance of contracting companies in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study reports the result of quantitative research that obtained data from 72 construction organisations registered with the South African construction industry development board via a questionnaire survey. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric and exploratory principal component analysis were used to summarise forms of correlations among observed variables and to reduce a large number of observed variables to a smaller number of factors that provide an operational definition for the underlying dimension. Findings This study identified six exogenous and three endogenous environmental factors that have a varying degree of impact on construction organisation performance. Four dimensions of the environment were also examined, and environmental complexity has the highest variance explained which implies that the complexity of the construction business environment significantly influences the performance of construction firms. Research limitations/implications This paper studies the environment of the South African construction industry using cross-sectional data in exploratory research. A confirmatory study should be conducted using a longitudinal panel design with a larger sample in similar future research. Practical implications The study offers practical implications to construction organisation owners operating in the South African construction industry to understand the need to acquire market and environmental data and process them in a way that will reduce its uncertainty when making strategic decisions. Originality/value This study contributes to the current discourse on organisations’ business environments to better understand their influences on organisational performance.

scholarly journals The Determinants of Interest Rate Spreads in South Africa: A Cointegration Approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2(J)) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
Ferdinand Niyimbanira ◽  
Sanderson Sabie Kuyeli . ◽  
Koleka Rangaza .
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Interest Rate ◽  
South African ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Reserve Requirements ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Interest Rate Spreads ◽  
The Interest Rate

This study empirically identifies the determinants of interest rate spreads (IRS) in South Africa over the period 1990 to 2012. The study uses the Johansen Cointegration Approach and Vector ErrorCorrection techniques to identify the variables in explaining the interest rate spreads in South Africa. It considers the inflation rate, reserve requirements, Treasury bill, discount rate, money supply (M2) and gross domestic product per capita variables as they explain the movement of interest rate spreads. A significant short-run relationship between IRS and its explanatory variables was observed. These macroeconomic variables are significant in explaining the behavior of the South African IRS in the longrun. This paper has focused on illuminating on how the interest rate spreads are impacted by both exogenous and endogenous variables. If controlled, these variables are most likely to have the largest effects on reducing such spreads. In addition, it suggests that the reduction in the reserve requirements prescribed by the South African Reserve Bank would help to reduce the interest rate spreads. Based on the results of the study, policy implications and suggestion for future research are made.

Designing payroll levies for firm training

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-781
Author(s):  
Gregory John Lee ◽  
Alexander Davison
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
South African ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Actual System ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Firm Training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and recommend formal guidelines for the initial design of country-level or sectoral payroll levy systems that are intended to incentivize new firm training. The paper presents and illustrates two necessary conditions for new training to be stimulated, one involving transaction costs and the other the incentive payback. Ultimately, the purpose is to guide more successful designs for such systems in future. Design/methodology/approach The paper is principally theoretical, but the South African levy-grant system of the late 1990s is used as a case study. The paper illustrates how World Bank data may have been used to guide the design. Findings The paper demonstrates how during the design phase, policy makers can employ knowledge of pre-incentive training levels of firms, and possibly also estimates of unit transaction costs, to estimate the number of employees that may be positively affected. In the South African case, the actual system used may have been underspecified and unlikely to reach many employees with new training. Research limitations/implications Future research may employ these guidelines in empirical studies of the relative success of payroll levies. Practical implications The practical value of the paper is formal guidelines for policy makers seeking to implement such payroll levy systems. Social implications Better design for these systems may have positive implications for productivity and social externalities while avoiding unnecessary waste. Originality/value While there have been several more general reflections of payroll levy systems, and empirical investigations of their efficacy, this is the first paper formally modeling and testing design guidelines that can be implemented practically in the pre-implementation phase.

THE INFLUENCE OF MARKETING-RELATED MOBILE ACTIVITIES ON THE ADOPTION OF MOBILE MARKETING TRANSACTIONS: A USES AND GRATIFICATION PERSPECTIVE

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gift Donga ◽  
◽  
Armstrong Kadyamatimba
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Mobile Marketing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Uses And Gratification

There is an increasing attention being accorded to the adoption of mobile marketing transactions in recent years, as both practitioners and researchers recognise that mobile commerce (m-commerce) is poised to burst into the mainstream. This study identifies a literature gap in which there seems to be an insufficient critical mass of studies on the adoption of innovative marketing technologies within the South African context. More specifically, very few studies have been conducted regarding the contribution of mobile marketing-related activities on consumer behaviour towards m-commerce. In view of this development, guided by the uses and gratification theory, the purpose of this study is to ascertain the influence of marketing-related mobile activities on the adoption of mobile marketing transactions, specifically focusing on the South African youth consumers. To fulfil the purpose of the study, the objectives of the study are centered on examining the degree to which the following marketing-related mobile activities: (1) provide information online, (2) access content online, and (3) share content online, influence consumers’ adoption of mobile marketing transactions. Following a quantitative research technique and a descriptive single cross-sectional design, data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire, using a sample of 810 students from three selected South African universities. Three research hypotheses were advanced in line with the study objectives, and they were tested using linear regression analysis. The study findings confirm the positive significant effects of marketing-related mobile activities in driving adoption of mobile marketing transactions. Managerial implications of the findings are discussed, and limitations and future research directions are also indicated.

A profile of accounting research in South African accounting journals

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniël Coetsee ◽  
Nerine Stegmann
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current Profile ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the profile of accounting research in the two academic accounting research journals in South Africa (Meditari Accountancy Research and SA Journal of Accounting Research) during the ten‐year period from 2000 to 2009.Design/methodology/approachThe archival research method is applied, which analyses existing data (in this case the articles published in the South African (SA) accounting research journals) to come to research conclusions. The research method used to analyse the related articles in the SA accounting research journals is based on various international studies. The following dimensions are assessed: authorship; research field; the nature of the research; and research methods. Authorship is classified by institution, and the top seven authors by relative contribution are also identified. Both empirical and theoretical work are classified separately in different research methods.FindingsThese different dimensions provide a broad‐based review of the current profile of accounting research in South Africa.Research limitations/implicationsOther refereed academic articles in the field of accounting have been published in non‐accounting specific SAPSE‐approved journals. These articles are also excluded from the scope of this research since the journals in which they are published have not been established by accounting academics specifically.Practical implicationsThe motivation for doing this research is to identify the current profile of accounting research in South Africa that could be used as a basis for future research‐related development.Originality/valueKnowledge of the profile of accounting research in South Africa could provide opportunities for scholars to expand identified research areas and explore methods that are currently under‐developed in the South African accountancy research field. The paper also acknowledges the contributions by the most prolific authors in the identified journals.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document