3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Exploring the contributions of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) on poverty reduction in Nigeria: a focus on the n-power beneficiaries’ perspectives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria(2023) Ukpoju, Freda EneThis study explores the contributions of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) on sustainable youth empowerment and poverty Reduction in Nigeria, focusing on the perspectives of the N-Power beneficiaries residing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria. There is not enough data to determine whether beneficiaries of the NSIP, particularly, the N-power empowerment programme are sustainably exiting poverty or falling back into poverty, if at all the intervention had previously lifted them out of poverty. Thus, this study was conducted through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihood Approach. Employing the qualitative approach, by means of the multiple case study design, the study recruited ten participants using the purposive sampling technique. Two of the participants withdrew from the study, and eight were engaged on a one-onone- interview to gain deeper insight into their experiences. Thematic analysis was employed to identify, record, and analyse emanating themes and subthemes from the qualitative data. Participants’ responses indicated that Participants had expected an exit package, in form of a financial settlement, or permanent employment before being exited from the programme; N-Power encouraged participants to diversify their income in Agriculture; and the lack of leadership and poor management of N-Power impedes N-Powers capability to improve livelihood sustainably. The study therefore recommended an improvement in the leadership and management of N-Power, to enable improved training and welfare for beneficiaries, and enhance its potential for sustainable livelihood improvement. Private sector partnership should also be encouraged to expand opportunities and make N-power transformative by linking beneficiaries to economic opportunities.Item Fishing hub: establishing a sustainable fishing infrastructure as a catalyst for socio-economic development on Lake Malawi(2020) Yakobe, Andrew UOverfishing, habitat degradation, climate change and poor fish preservation infrastructure are the main factors that are leading to the depletion of fish species in Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi is of great significance because it is a World Heritage Site due its biodiversity, notably its various fish species. According to The Guardian Development Network (2018) “fish stocks in the Lake Malawi have dwindled by 90% over the past 20 years.” This is alarming because fishing is one of the main ways of sustaining human existence across Lake Malawi and extending into the inland settlements where fishing is a source of food, income, and recreation It is the author’s observation that the Department of Fisheries in Malawi together with various other institutions are struggling to resolve fish depletion and its negative impacts on impoverished lakeshore settlers’ livelihoods because of lack of adequate fishing infrastructure suitable for such sensitive regions that promote sustainable fishing practices around fishing villages. The absence of such facilities further threatens the extinction of the popular Chambo fish (Tilapia) which accounts for 1% of fish consumed from Lake Malawi (Malawi Government Economic Report, 2017). This research investigates and proposes a Fishing Hub which is a fish conservation facility centered on Chambo fish, which also addresses social, economic and ecological aspects that are at the core of fish depletion. It further explores the notion of regional and nature inspired design by interrogating the natural environment and existing built fabric along and around the lakeshore to produce a hybrid architectural language of balance; that is suitable to Lake Malawi as a response to building in sensitive ecosystems. The Fishing Hub is a sustainable ecosystem of water and land synergy that allows for fish reproduction and consumption whilst achieving socio-economic development on the lakeshore, at Nguwo fish landing site. The intervention formalizes the existing unregulated fish markets without taking away the agency of the locals, improve post-harvest infrastructure, aids to control water pollution, and most of promotes sustainable industrial fishing that also integrates collective small scale business networks of the community. This transformed space becomes a beacon of educative sustainable fishing practices that also gives an opportunity for tourists to experience the lakeshore culture. Inevitably this will become a harmonized ecosystem and a catalyst for socio-economic development on Lake Malawi.Item Supply chain management predictors of sustainable procurement and inclusive business in South Africa(2018) Mashele, FaithWith the rise in volatility of local and global markets, organisations are becoming attuned to the need for creating sustainable economic value for stakeholders. Procurement channels, as a result, have become potential gateways for enabling market access and for encouraging participation by marginalised groups in the economy. For this reason, it was considered interesting to examine how inclusive business approaches, can be adopted as part of the procurement landscape as a tool for creating concerted socioeconomic and environmental value for both business and society. The purpose of this study therefore, was to investigate the potential supply chain antecedents of sustainable procurement and inclusive business in South Africa. The study was grounded in three theories, namely: stakeholder theory, institutional theory and resource-based view theory. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was adopted to quantitatively test primary data that were collected from supply chain and procurement practitioners based in South Africa using an online self-administered survey. Out of the 385 responses that were received, 249 were usable and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 23) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS version 23) statistical software packages. Through investigating the eight hypothesised relationships that were developed, this study theoretically positioned sustainable procurement to empirical literature that focuses on strategic partnerships, competitive advantage, familiarity with policies, trust within supply chains, organisational incentives and inclusive business. Secondly, it was observed that business models and strategies that are inclusive in nature, are able to facilitate increased access to procurement markets and resources. Managers thus, may consider establishing pilot projects and specialised programmes for promoting sustainable procurement initiatives. Lastly, the results have shown, a strong and positive relationship between organisational incentives and sustainable procurement. Policy makers and practitioners, thus, may use this study as a reference point for, adopting procurement policies and strategies that are aimed at promoting responsible and inclusive procurement practices.Item Comparing the implementation of sustainability initiatives in national and multinational fast moving consumer goods companies(2017) Haw, Alexander FrancisIn recent times increasing emphasis has been placed on the important role that corporations must play in the creation of greener economies. This has given rise to greater corporate environmental disclosure and reporting, and a wealth of research into the link between sustainability reporting and financial and environmental business performance. Notwithstanding this, it has been noted that corporate responses to environmental sustainability issues are highly variable, and very little research has been conducted to determine where businesses focus their environmental sustainability efforts and to what extent they have made measureable progress in this regard. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the implementation of sustainability initiatives across a variety of fast moving consumer goods companies, including large multinational organisations, privately owned South African and publically traded JSE listed companies. This was achieved through the evaluation and scoring of an environmental self-assessment questionnaire distributed annually over a three year period between 2012 and 2014. In total, the survey, which covered a cross section of business relevant environmental issues, allowed for the profiling of 851 company responses. Scoring of these responses was based on a defined matrix with a grading system of 0 – 6. Results showed that overall, larger companies appear to be making significantly better progress when it comes to tackling environmental issues than their smaller privately owned competitors. Of the product categories investigated, the sustainability performance of liquor suppliers was the best while transport suppliers scored significantly lower than their peers. Publically listed JSE-listed companies and large multinational companies had similar sustainability performance to one another but both these groups performed significantly better than their privately owned South African competitors. Of those supplier Groups surveyed, JSE listed companies were the only business Group who showed significant year-on-year improvement in performance. An evaluation of scores achieved across the different environmental issues covered revealed that suppliers indicated they performed best in the areas of waste minimisation, operational energy mitigation and sustainable product design, while they made least progress when it came to climate change mitigation, sustainability reporting and biodiversity conservation. Results suggest that overall: companies made most progress on environmental issues that offered the greatest potential for increasing revenues or reducing operating costs; large public corporations performed significantly better than privately owned companies when it came to tackling environmental sustainability issues; and despite increasing emphasis being placed on transitioning to more sustainable business models, only one group of suppliers showed a measurable improvement in sustainability performance over the course of the study.Item An understanding of materiality in an integrated reporting context: an application of logics(2015) Cerbone, DannielleThis study is concerned with the adoption of materiality as a key reporting principle in the integrated report. This study investigates how preparers are determining which information is material and ought to be included in their integrated reports. The influence of logics is observed through an investigation of the different conceptualisations of the materiality concept by the preparers of integrated reports. Qualitative data was gathered from interviews with preparers of integrated reports in South Africa. The data was analysed using a grounded theory approach and the interplay between old and new logics that are shaping materiality in integrated reporting was identified. The findings of this research indicate that there are three groups of preparers each embodying different logics. The compliance preparers view integrated reporting as a compliance exercise. The stakeholder-aware preparers are aware that the integrated report should communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders and the interpretive preparer uses the integrated report not only to communicate to stakeholders but to identify weaknesses with in the entity. The findings also indicate that there are variations in practices and understandings of materiality and reveal differing organisational priorities which highlight the extent to which materiality is a social and behavioural phenomenon. The research adds to the limited body of corporate governance research drawing on an interpretive epistemology to explore recent reporting developments in a South African context the findings of this study will be relevant for the current debate about materiality in the integrated report, especially given the emergence of integrated corporate report. Keywords: King 3, GRI, Sustainable reporting, South Africa, Materiality, Institutional Logics, Integrated report.Item Adoption of sustainable technology: hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs)(2016) Preston, Kelli-PaigeRecent environmental awareness has led to an expanding interest surrounding environmental consciousness and a greater social shift world over towards energy efficiency and the sustainability of technologies and resources. Consequently, there has been the development of sustainable technologies within the automobile industry including that of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). With the development of these technologies, it becomes necessary to investigate the factors that underpin the use and adoption of them within our society, so as to ensure their greater diffusion, use and adoption. In this light, this study aimed to investigate the factors that function in predicting the Intention to Adopt the sustainable technology of HEVs. This has been investigated in accordance with the constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. This model comprises the constructs of: Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions. This study also intended to examine these constructs and determine whether they are moderated by the constructs of Pro-Environmental Behaviour and Dispositional Resistance to Change in predicting the Intention to Adopt HEVs. The sample for this study was comprised of 133 final year Law students from the University of the Witwatersrand. The adapted UTAUT Scale, the adapted Dispositional Resistance to Change Scale and the Pro-Environmental Scale were utilised as the measures within this study. Several subscales of the UTAUT Scale as well as the Pro-Environmental Behaviour (PEB) Scale had low Internal Consistency Reliabilities within both the Pilot and Main study. However, the researcher chose to run the analyses taking this into consideration. Several subscales of the UTAUT Scale as well as the Dispositional Resistance to Change (DRC) Scale had acceptable levels of Internal Consistency Reliabilities for use in conducting analyses. Multiple regression equations and moderated multiple regression equations were run in order to investigate the effects of these constructs in predicting the Intention to Adopt HEVs. The results drawn from this study illustrated that there was a positive, significant effect of two questions concerning lifestyle factors and a reduced taxed levy of the construct Facilitating Conditions on Intention to Adopt HEVs. The results also showed that the constructs of PEB and DRC had no direct moderating influence on Intention to Adopt HEVs.Item Trends in integrated reporting by JSE listed companies: an analysis of the integration of financial performance with corporate governance disclosures and economic, social and environmental sustainability reporting(2015) Mashile, Nkabaneng TebogoWith changes in international governance trends leaning towards integrated reporting, and the inclusion of good governance practices in the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008, it has become imperative for companies to embrace integrated reporting in order to be, and also be seen to be, responsible with regard to social, environmental and economic issues. The purpose of this report is to investigate the trends in the extent of integrated reporting by companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The report sought to investigate compliance with the recommendations of the King Report and Code of Governance Principles for South Africa 2009 (King III) by companies listed on the JSE. The report assesses the extent of reporting and disclosures made by companies in relation to the specific recommendations contained in the various chapters of King III since the inclusion of King III in the JSE listing requirements for financial years beginning on or after 1 March 2010. The report also assesses the extent of economic, social and environmental sustainability reporting as required by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The annual integrated reports of fifty-two companies listed under the various sectors of the JSE were examined to determine whether there had been significant changes in the specific disclosures provided by these companies, as recommended by King III, from 2010 to 2012. The key findings of the study show that although there has been an increase in the level of disclosure by companies, this change was not significant over the three-year period. The results also show that much improvement is needed in disclosures relating specifically to the new King III sections of risk management, compliance management and IT governance. Key words: corporate governance, disclosure, financial performance, integrated reporting, non-financial information, sustainabilityItem Factors influencing the sustainability of local drug action committees in the Free State Province : case study of Mangaung Municipality.(2014-09-05) Matsenyane, Leloko EdwinThe Local Drug Action Committee (LDAC) is the closest body to the community which is made up of individuals from different stakeholders at a local level to coordinate the activities aimed at the prevention of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking within the communities. Since the implementation of the committees, the sustainability of these committees has been a challenge in the Free State Province. The study endeavoured to explore factors which influence the sustainability of these committees in the Free State Province. A qualitative research approach that was explorative and descriptive in nature was employed. A case study design was used. Purposive sampling was applied to select the participants from two LDACs in Mangaung Municipality. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data during individual in-depth interviews with five participants. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings indicated that there was a lack of knowledge among the committee members about their roles, responsibilities and mandates. Their inability to coordinate the stakeholder activities as well as the limited knowledge about the relationship between the Free State Mini Drug Master Plan (FSMDMP) and the LDACs also appeared to be challenging. The main conclusions drawn from the study are that despite the excellent structure of the LDACs to coordinate the implementation of the FSMDMP, the members of the LDACs are neither knowledgeable about nor capacitated to fulfil their roles and responsibilities to meet the intended requirements and implement the activities of the FSMDMP, factors which hamper sustainability. The lack of financial support from Government to fund the activities of the LDACs in the Province is another major impediment in terms of sustainability.Item GRI and SRI: acronyms for investor success?(2014-03-06) Labuschagne, ZaniThe global move towards sustainability and sustainability reporting, the rise and influence of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and triple bottom line reporting, together with the launch of the King III Report, and revision of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listing requirements in South Africa, both requiring the preparation of an integrated report, have resulted in a uniquely altered information environment, in which investors are required to make investment decisions. The value-relevance of this new sustainability information is however to date untested in a South African context. The introduction of the Social Responsible Investment (SRI) Index in South Africa provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the value-relevance of such new reporting. This research report tests the GRI, using the SRI Index as a proxy, to determine whether this accepted reporting standard is recognized as being valuerelevant, from both a short term and long term perspective, on the JSE over the period 2004 to 2012. The short term value-relevance is tested using cumulative average abnormal returns in an event study methodology, while the long term effect was investigated using a 4-tiered portfolio construction technique, which uses the SRI Index category rankings to define the portfolios. The results indicate that true to the long term nature of sustainability information, in the short term the quality of sustainability and sustainability reporting has no effect on the market value of a company. However, in the long term, a positive effect was found where the SRI listed portfolio, and the SRI best performer portfolio, significantly outperformed the non-listed portfolio on a consistent basis as measured using relative performance. The SRI persistent best performer portfolio however underperformed all other portfolios. This is however due to an overwhelming lack of diversification due to a low number of shares in the portfolio, as well as the portfolio being severely overweight in resource shares, which tend to be the best reporters, due to their large environmental impact. The research report therefore concludes that investing in a higher quality SRI/GRI sustainability portfolio, as opposed to a lower quality portfolio, resulted in excess returns to the investors over the period 2004-2012.Item Exploring corporate social responsibility initiatives in South Africa : the case of the TISO Foundation in Johannesburg.(2012-08-27) Malm, Angela EugeniaCorporate social responsibility (CSR) continues to gain attention amongst corporate bodies and is the medium through which the private sector contributes to development. The last decade has seen a significant growth in CSR initiative in South Africa, partly due to the implementation of public polices such as the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Code of Good Practice and the various industry charters that obligate corporate institutions to contribute towards the reconstruction efforts of the nation. As a result many organizations have adopted strategies that include social development projects as part of their core business objectives, thus the initiation of certain projects and programmes as part of their CSR contributions to the reconstruction efforts. Although CSR has roots in philanthropic activities, it has become evident that when CSR initiatives are designed strategically to embody the holistic views of business goals towards profit making as well as community goals that promote positive development. Anecdotal evidence suggests that projects collapse after corporations discontinue funding due to lack of community involvement which renders CSR initiatives unresponsive to the developmental needs of communities. The study sought to explore the extent to which corporate social responsibility initiatives were responsive to the educational needs of beneficiaries in Johannesburg. It also explored beneficiary perceptions on how CSR initiatives can be sustained. The study population was drawn from Tiso Foundation and three partnering organisations. A qualitative case study design was utilised in the study to obtain in depth information from the research participants concerning the CSR initiatives of Tiso Foundation. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to conduct interviews with both beneficiaries of the CSR initiatives and key informants. The research sample consisted of 16 beneficiaries of Tiso Foundation’s CSR initiatives and 6 key informants that were drawn from Tiso Foundation and partnering organizations. The findings revealed that the CSR initiatives were responsive to the needs of the beneficiaries by providing them access to education and skills development. The findings also established the nature of beneficiary participation in CSR initiatives as partially participatory. The study recommended that CSR initiatives should take a developmental approach towards programme executions to ensure full participation of beneficiaries in order to ensure sustainability of the programmes even after funding is discontinued. The study also iv suggests the collaborative partnership of government and the private sector towards sustainable development by enhancing and complimenting each other’s efforts.