The Complexities of Demographic Properties, Personality Differences and Incentives: A Review of Literature
In: Journal of social sciences: interdisciplinary reflection of contemporary society, Band 36, Heft 2, S. 137-151
ISSN: 2456-6756
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In: Journal of social sciences: interdisciplinary reflection of contemporary society, Band 36, Heft 2, S. 137-151
ISSN: 2456-6756
Julian Assange of Wikileaks has become a cult figure. Not much was known about this founder of a whistle blowing web site until recently when he published what most governments around the world would not have us, ordinary people, read. On South Africa?s Reconciliation Day, 16 December 2010, Al Jazeera, an international news channel, blew a second whistle on Boeing. I call this a ?second whistle? because two former employees (let us call them Mr and Mrs Jones) of Boeing had earlier blown a whistle that warned the American government against substandard manufacturing and procurement processes employed by Boeing. These whistle blowers warned that Boeing 737 NG was pretty much a death trap for passengers. Boeing's 737NG is flown by more than 150 airlines worldwide. As procurement and safety officers respectively, Mr. & Mrs. Jones discovered flaws in the production and manufacturing processes of key structural parts for many of Boeing 737NG?s. Al Jazeera (2010) reported that Mr and Mrs Jones told the United States (US) Department of Justice in a detailed written report that the parts - made by a sub-contractor for Boeing between 1996 and 2004 - were ill-fitting and illegal, but that Boeing used many of them to build the aircraft. Aviation experts working with these whistle blowers confirmed in a television program that the problem with these parts could lead to a ?catastrophic failure? of aircraft fitted with them. While Boeing dismissed these allegations as lacking merit, the American Federal Aviation Administration ? which regulates the US aircraft industry - backed Boeing (Al Jazeera, 2010). Interestingly, Ducommun Technologies, an aviation services organization backed the whistle blowers. In 2005, when it became clear that there was no urgency on the part of the US Department of Justice to respond to their report, they (Mr & Mrs Jones) went to court. To date, the US government has failed to respond seriously to the issues raised. ; Faculty of Business, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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The world is still fascinated by South Africas transition to democracy; what with stories of massacre (Sharpeville, etc.) of those who dared challenge white supremacy and the battle for prominence between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party. Since gaining independence, South Africa has attracted investors from far and wide. Now and again, one hears news stories that report about forms of disgruntlement from whites and blacks, respectively. In some quarters, you may hear stories suggesting the white community has not completely gotten over their resentment of black leadership. In some other quarters, you are likely to hear the blacks insist that the South African land space belongs to them and as a result they should be in charge of the distribution of wealth, one must understand that much of the wealth of the South African land still resides with the Whites. In what is considered as a fair attempt to integrate all the citizens of the republic, the new government of Nelson Mandela came up with a constitution that is hailed as perhaps the best in the world. Carved out of the United Nations Human Rights Charter, it proposes a free society that recognizes all its inhabitants regardless of colour. Within the world of work, the constitution identifies seven very important statutes that not only give effect to and sustain the republics membership of the International Labour Organisation, but also help to realize and regulate the fundamental rights of workers and employers.
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This paper explores the significance of transformational and political leadership in strengthening the capacities of truth commissions as effective mechanisms for democratization in transitional polities. First, the paper sets out to trace some of the conflicting goals and political compromises that attend to the establishment of truth commissions in Africa as well as lack of political will on the part of political leadership. The paper then identifies and discusses major problems that confront the institutionalization of truth commissions as veritable instruments of post-conflict transformation and democratic consolidation in the continent. Drawing insights from South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, the paper argues that national reconciliation processes in Africa are characterized by a paradigm shift from the primary concern of leadership choices to those of justice, truth-seeking, granting of amnesty and forgiveness. In conclusion, the paper stresses the role of transformative leadership as crucial to enhancing the capacities of truth commissions in consolidating democracy in post-conflict states.
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In: International journal of gender studies in developing societies, Band 3, Heft 1, S. 1
ISSN: 2052-0360
In: Commonwealth Youth and Development, Band 13, Heft 2, S. 55-71
ISSN: 2663-6549
The intention of this article is to identify the obstacles unique to female entrepreneurs in the tourism industry in Western Cape, South Africa. This is against the backdrop that in order to accelerate economic growth and development in South Africa, female entrepreneurs should also be considered as important vehicles that can bring about the necessary economic growth and development. Unfortunately, this growth has been stifled due to the high failure rate in the SMME sector; specifically among women. This article used the qualitative deductive approach, utilising in-depth semi-structured interviews, which enabled the participants to disclose important information relating to the study. The data were analysed qualitatively using themes. For effect, this article also made use of content analysis because of its significance in qualitative studies.Three themes emerged from content analysis. These include demographic factors; socio-economic factors and culture. The findings have shown primarily that the factors that impede female entrepreneurs differ from sector to sector. Within the Western Cape Tourism industry, specifically the accommodation sector, unique obstacles abound. While the authors acknowledge that the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs are unique to this sector, they are equally mindful of therepercussions of a generalisation of the findings. To this end, we suggest that a broader study be conducted to compare factors that impede entrepreneurship in other provinces in South Africa and/or draw a comparison between males and females. This article undoubtedly has value not simply because it is gender biased, but also because by highlighting the unique challenges and barriers faced by female entrepreneurs, there could be better government support for female entrepreneurs in general and especially those in the accommodation sector in the Western Cape.
In: Journal of social sciences: interdisciplinary reflection of contemporary society, Band 35, Heft 1, S. 51-60
ISSN: 2456-6756
In: http://hdl.handle.net/11189/5867
South Africa is a leading example of democracy in Africa albeit many argue that it has lost meaningful direction in aspects which range from its practice of majority rule, social cohesion, and neoliberalization of its political economy and international diplomacy. South Africa could fairly well be viewed as an emerging middle power but many of its actions have belied this thus allowing certain analysts to consider it as inconsistent, confusing, and even sinister. Some of the core problematic areas of South African democracy include poverty, unemployment, inequality, high level of HIV/AIDS, corruption, fast decaying educational system, electricity (load) shedding, fast loss of rand value in the international market and rampant strike actions, especially in the mining industry. However, this paper depends on the documentary method of research to examine the drama surrounding the security upgrade of the President?s home at Nkandla. The findings show that in a democratic society like South Africa, majority rule may sometimes be a limitation of democratic practices. In order to avert the challenges which majority rule may pose to the other principles of democracy, the principles of values, such as separation of power among the three levels of government and rule of law, must be respected.
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This study sought to determine the relationship between social media and prostitution among students of institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria. The population comprised the approximate 150,000 students studying in various institutions of higher learning in Delta State. From this population, 3,438 students were selected as sample. Survey and questionnaire were used respectively as method and instrument of data collection. The findings indicated that the students use social media significantly for prostitution. There was a significant relationship between the students" use of social media and their involvement in prostitution. There was also a significant relationship between the students" gender and their use of social media for prostitution. The study recommends that the authorities of the selected institutions, Non–Governmental Organizations and the government should mount orientation programmes and formulate policies to discourage the students from using social media for negative purpose.Keywords: Prostitution, Social media, Students, Higher institutions, Delta state
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This study sought to determine the relationship between social media and prostitution among students of institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria. The population comprised the approximate 150,000 students studying in various institutions of higher learning in Delta State. From this population, 3,438 students were selected as sample. Survey and questionnaire were used respectively as method and instrument of data collection. The findings indicated that the students use social media significantly for prostitution. There was a significant relationship between the students? use of social media and their involvement in prostitution. There was also a significant relationship between the students? gender and their use of social media for prostitution. The study recommends that the authorities of the selected institutions, Non?Governmental Organizations and the government should mount orientation programmes and formulate policies to discourage the students from using social media for negative purpose. ; Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.
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In: http://hdl.handle.net/11189/4953
This paper explores the significance of transformational and political leadership in strengthening the capacities of truth commissions as effective mechanisms for democratization in transitional polities. First, the paper sets out to trace some of the conflicting goals and political compromises that attend to the establishment of truth commissions in Africa as well as lack of political will on the part of political leadership. The paper then identifies and discusses major problems that confront the institutionalization of truth commissions as veritable instruments of post-conflict transformation and democratic consolidation in the continent. Drawing insights from South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, the paper argues that national reconciliation processes in Africa are characterized by a paradigm shift from the primary concern of leadership choices to those of justice, truth-seeking, granting of amnesty and forgiveness. In conclusion, the paper stresses the role of transformative leadership as crucial to enhancing the capacities of truth commissions in consolidating democracy in post-conflict states.
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Given the dearth of skilled professionals in South Africa, immigrants present opportunities for South African firms which have been in dire need of skilled workforce. South Africa continues to experience massive unemployment which currently sits at 26.7%. This begs the question: how do natives perceive skilled immigrants? Researches have barely looked at this question rather they have concentrated on reasons for scarce skills and the emergent political conundrums. This study brings some value especially against the backdrop of the increasing xenophobia and wanton attacks of African immigrants in South Africa. The hospitality industry is one that enjoys massive numbers of workforce - skilled and unskilled. So, this study examines the perception of employers of skilled immigrants and tries to understand whether they are valuable or not. This will help both practitioners and government to start examining other ways of curbing xenophobia within South African townships and possibly bring about new ways of looking at diversity within the workplace. The study is conducted using qualitative means. Data were collected through personalised interviews between the researchers and hospitality practitioners. Findings firstly reveal the significance of skilled workforce which often are available from immigrants. It must also be noted that African immigrants are happy to find work and are more likely to settle for lower wages. A major implication is that labour law applications may need some urgent review owing to what we suspect are its poor application in relation to African immigrants.
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Given their sheer number and ?motherly instincts? one would expect that the effective participation of women in entrepreneurial activities will offer a far reaching impact on the economy, yet their contribution is barely apparent in a number of developing countries. Assuming that women are unique, this paper sought to determine the specific barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in doing business in Kigali. Anchored on the quantitative approach, the requisite data was obtained from 398 women entrepreneurs operating formal and informal business in the city of Kigali using structured self-administered questionnaires. Aiming for descriptive statistics, the data collected was analysed using the latest version of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results suggest that women entrepreneurs face a number of challenges in running their businesses in Kigali. These challenges are not limited to among others, the lack of collateral to obtain loans, high taxes, a lack of information technology skills and access, high interest rates, high transport costs, a lack of entrepreneurial skills, but are also compounded by cultural and psychological factors. Therefore, our view is that, it will take time and the combined efforts of women entrepreneurs themselves, society, their families, government, researchers and other stakeholders to overcome these challenges
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In spite of the concerted drive by most countries towards gender equality, the reality is that women still remain under utilised in certain spheres of professional endeavours, and entrepreneurship is no exception. Widening the gap between female and male participation in entrepreneurial activities is reinforced by customs, beliefs, culture and religion. Using the patriarchal perceptions that dissuade women from pursuing a business opportunity as the backdrop, this study sought to ascertain how it feels to be a woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated society such as Rwanda. The study involved 398 women entrepreneurs who were purposely drawn to complete the survey questionnaire that was the basis of the quantitative approach adopted. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results suggest that women entrepreneurs worked lesser than men due to family issues;female businesses are smaller in size than male businesses, and women find it difficult reaching the decision to start a business. The implication is that womens? businesses suffer most and thus limit their ability to contribute to the socioeconomic development of a country as they would through employment and poverty reduction. By working together, government and stakeholders may eradicate any form of discrimination in business that is associated with gender.
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In: http://hdl.handle.net/11189/4920
Until recently survivalist entrepreneurs were viewed as having little or no significant impact on economic growth. This is against the backdrop of the numerous studies that have focused on the so-called high impact and well established businesses which are regarded as major vehicles for economic growth and development. Whilst there has been growing concern over the support directed at survivalist entrepreneurs given that a majority of them do not grow, this article investigates the survival and/or growth aspirations of survivalist entrepreneurs and the perceived challenges that they encounter. Mixed methods were employed for data collection using in depth semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The snowballing sampling method was employed resulting in a sample size of 100 respondents. Contrary to the popular view that survivalist entrepreneurs, venture into businesses primarily to obtain self-employment and sustain family needs, it was noted that the majority of them (87%) pursue growth as the ultimate objective of their businesses. Nonetheless, 13% indicated meeting family needs as their primary objective. Further strengthening the foregoing results, was the fact that 90% of the survivalist entrepreneurs that enrolled in incubator programs did so because of their aspiration to grow. These entrepreneurs, however, re-echoed the need for financial support (61%), infrastructural support (23%) and favorable government regulations (16%). Growth-oriented entrepreneurs can have a greater impact on economic growth and development through employment creation and poverty reduction. This article concludes that survivalist entrepreneurs should not be discriminated against in entrepreneurship development programs, but rather provided the necessary support. They make a significant contribution towards economic development as most communities depend on the goods and services provided by them.
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