bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Phosphoric Acid Sludge for Rare Earths Recovery I
Authors: Allaedini Ghazaleh , Zhang Patrick
Published: July 2019

A total of nine polymers were first tested. Correlations between molecular weight and sludge settling rate were identified for three types of polymers with a general trend of higher molecular weight giving a faster settling rate. Among the non-ionic polymers, the medium molecular weight polymer produced the best results (1831.88 ppm). Among the cationic flocculants, the lowest molecular weight polymer resulted in more REEs distribution (2478.81 ppm). It was concluded that the super high molecular weight of anionic flocculants works best for treating phosphoric acid sludge which resulted in REE concentration of 2568.69 ppm. Five co-polymers with different anionic ratio were tested as well. A higher anionic ratio resulted in faster settlement. It was found that the higher was the anionic ratio of the flocculant, the higher was REE concentration in the final solids and the highest anionic ratio polymer resulted in 2999.64 ppm of REE. This trend was attributed to zeta potential change due to addition of the polymer.
Study of Mechanical Properties and EMI Shielding Behaviour of Al6061 Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites
Authors: Gireesh Ch Hima , Ramji Koona , Prasad K.G Durga , Srinu Budumuru
Published: July 2019

In the present technological environment, the aerospace industry needs cutting-edge materials not only to meet the requirements such as lower weight and higher values of strength and stiffness, but also to protect against electromagnetic interference. In this article, an attempt has been made to prepare Al6061 hybrid metal matrix composites reinforced with varying percentages of SiC, Al2O3, and fly ash particulates through a stir-casting route. As per ASTM standards, various tests have been conducted to know the density, tensile strength, yield strength, and hardness. Simultaneously, all the prepared composites are tested for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) under the X band frequency with the help of a vector network analyzer. In order to identify the composite possessing good mechanical properties, as well as shielding effectiveness, a TOPSIS methodology has been employed in this work. The present study reveals that the proposed hybrid composite contains 5% of each reinforcement material which shows better mechanical properties as well as good shielding effectiveness.
Cost of Quality
Authors: Kau Lawrence , Nel Hannelie
Published: July 2019

Quality management is the key to sustainability in any manufacturing business. The cost of quality has been the topic of discussions these days in various research forums. The purpose of the study is to present a review of prior literature and present a complete picture of past, present and future directions in the domain of Cost of Quality. Authors have used systematic literature review methods to conduct the analysis of literature. The study concludes with some food for thought to future researchers.
Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Oncology Medicines Pharmaceutical Companies Under Chain of Sustainable Procurement
Authors: Sahu Anoop Kumar
Published: July 2019

Cancer is awful disease, which makes panicle network in the body system of patients. Cancer is characterized by abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth, which results in the formation of lumps or masses in body known as tumor. There are more than 100 types of cancers and each is classified according to the cell capacity and size. Globally, cancer is accepted as the second leading cause of death. As per a WHO report, cancer is responsible for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Anti-cancer drugs or oncology medicines are employed in taking the care of different patients. At the present time, many pharmaceutical companies are active in producing oncology medicines. It is probed that by pharmaceutical scientists how cancer treatments under the scheduled time can save life of patients and a delay in treating cancer patients may have unseemly effects on the life of patients. The presented research focuses on two cases. The first was conducted at Jabalpur Hospital & Research Centre (JHRC), where a structure/model related to A-CMsP company is built for assessing the performance under chain of sustainable procurement criteria. The second research focuses on the benchmarking of two A-CMsP companies. A multi objective optimization approach is implemented, accompanied with vague modeling for computing the overall performance index of oncology medicines.
Selecting the Most Desirable IT Portfolio Under Various Risk Tolerance Levels
Authors: Yu-Hsiang (John) Huang  , Yu-Ju (Tony) Tu  , Strader Troy J. , Shaw Michael J. , Ramanath (Ram) Subramanyam
Published: July 2019

To better assist decision-makers (e.g., enterprise executives) in selecting the most desirable IT portfolio, this study proposes a new IT Portfolio Efficient Frontier model that incorporates the decision-maker's risk tolerance levels. The proposed model, built on portfolio optimization along with experimental design and simulation data, considers three IT portfolio scenarios: even distribution-based IT portfolios, uneven distribution-based IT portfolios, and dominant IT portfolios. Our findings show that the IT portfolio efficient frontiers derived from both an even distribution-based IT portfolio and an uneven distribution-based IT portfolio have a relatively positive relationship between IT portfolio risk and return. Our findings also indicate that if IT investments are part of a dominant IT portfolio, an inflection point of the IT portfolio efficient frontier appears under the decision-maker's medium risk tolerance level, and the most desirable IT portfolio is generated when a decision maker's risk tolerance level is medium or higher.
Continuous Evaluation of the Learning Process of Algebra Through a Semi-Automated Tool
Authors: Pedroza-Méndez Blanca Estela , Gonzalez-Calleros Juan Manuel , Guerrero-García Josefina , Collazos Cesar A.
Published: July 2019

Personalized education is an issue that is being considered in the development of automated tools. Personalized education refers to the fact that students' characteristics must be considered to determine the type of teaching or instructional design that must be provided to him/her. Within the area of intelligent tutorial systems (STI), student characteristics are handled within the student's module and usually refer to the student's skills, learning styles and prior knowledge of the subject of interest. The latter is closely related to the need to constantly assess the student, which is a process that is not easy to perform manually. However, several public schools in Mexico there is not the infrastructure necessary to be able to use automated tools, in each of the classrooms. This article is a proposal for a semi-automated tool for constant assessment.
CO2 Chemical Conversion Using Catalytics Systems Based on Titanate Nanotubes
Authors: Formentin Monteiro Wesley , Oliveira Vieira Michele , Scheid Carolina Majolo , de Souza Michèle Oberson , Einloft Sandra , Ligabue Rosane
Published: July 2019

CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas in terms of emitted quantities and its emission has increased significantly due to the action of anthropogenic sources. Among the alternatives for mitigation of this gas is the direct synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC), which requires efficient and selective catalysts. In this scenario the titanate nanotubes (TNT) are promising catalysts because they can be modified to become selective for the PC synthesis. The present work has the objective to develop titanate nanotubes with different metals (Na, Sn and Zn) as well as protonated titanate nanotubes (HTNT) and to test their efficiency in the direct synthesis of PC. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by TEM, EDS, XRD and N2 adsorption-desorption. The results showed that the synthesized TNT have a specific surface area of 155, 232, 56 and 140 m2/g (NaTNT, HTNT, SnTNT and ZnTNT, respectively). Besides, the ion exchange of [Na+] by [Sn+2] and [Zn+2] decreased the crystallinity of nanostructure. On the catalytic tests, the system NaTNT/ZnBr2 showed the best results with a yield of 61% and a selectivity of 81% in PC. The catalytic system SnTNT/DMF and ZnTNT/DMF are promising to this reaction showing interesting yields and catalytic activity (59 and 53%; 295 and 265 mmol/g) for PC synthesis.
Ionic Liquid [Bmim][NTf2] as Solvent for CO2 Removal in Offshore Processing of Natural Gas
Authors: Barbosa Lara C. , Araújo Ofélia de Queiroz Fernandes , de Medeiros José Luiz
Published: July 2019

Offshore oil production in deep waters challenges CO2 removal technologies since, for extracting the oil, a huge flow rate of CO2-rich gas must be processed. Currently, amine absorption and membrane permeation are widely used for CO2 abatement in offshore rigs although they present some drawbacks such as high heat demand for CO2 stripping and high-power requirement to meet trans-membrane partial pressure difference, respectively. In this context, due to their low vapor pressure, high thermal stability and low energy consumption, ionic liquids have been considered a promising alternative to conventional CO2 capture technologies. The aim of this work is to define the most economically suitable operating condition for CO2 capture from Brazilian Pre-Salt natural gas using ionic liquid [Bmim][NTf2]. According to a process condition screening methodology, based on CO2 and CH4 Recoveries, Specific Energy Consumption and Life Cycle Cost, alternative with a two-stage solvent regeneration at 15 and 4 bar configures the most suitable one.
Water and Power Consumption, Ethanol Production and CO2 Emissions: High-Scale Sugarcane-Based Biorefinery Toward Neutrality in Carbon
Authors: Dias Raquel de Freitas , Carminati Hudson Bolsoni , Araújo Ofélia de Queiroz Fernandes , de Medeiros José Luiz
Published: July 2019

The present work assesses water and power consumption, ethanol production and CO2 emissions in order to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of a high-scale sugarcane-based biorefinery and propose a scenario of full carbon and capture system, so the complex could become a sustainable carbon withdrawer from the atmosphere. This work is performed with the aid of professional software for a rigorous mass and energy balances simulation to achieve process data for plant technical and economic analysis. The combustion of sugarcane bagasse is the only source of energy of the plant, which provides steam for the distillery and generates electricity through cogeneration system. The ethanol production from sugars fermentation produces CO2 which, jointly with the CO2 from combustion, is released directly into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. Results demonstrate that for processing capacity of 1,000 t/h of sugarcane, the plant emits 0.7 tCO2 per ton of sugarcane, with net water consumption of 3,600 m3/h as make-up water to replace blowdown and evaporation losses in the cooling tower. The cogeneration system generates 320MW of net power for exportation as electricity. The economic analysis reveals a fixed capital investment of 910MMUSD and a net present value of 378MMUSD considering as revenues the ethanol produced and the electricity from cogeneration at an annual discount rate of 10%.
Importance of quality of life in people with dementia treated with enteral nutrition: the role of the nurse
Authors: Veronese Nicola , Minto Serena , Bonso Ornella , Merlo Andrea
Published: July 2019

Nutritional problems are common in dementia and can lead to enteral nutrition, a nutritional treatment option in severe stages of dementia. However, the benefits of enteral nutrition in people with dementia are still weak. The decision to use artificial nutrition in these patients is often emotional and complex and the attitudes of health personnel (physicians and nurses) in this sense they are very different. The objective of this review is to show the role of enteral nutrition on quality of life in patients affected by dementia and the possible implications for practice and research, with a special focus on nurse role. We made a literature search in PubMed and Scopus, searching for studies dealing with enteral nutrition and quality of life in dementia. We were able to find only a few observational studies related to enteral nutrition and quality of life, with a lack in the scientific literature regarding the management of nutritional problems in dementia, particularly taking in account quality of life. Furthermore, by orienting the research on a possible role of nurses, there were limited studies on properly nursing aspects. From this work emerges the need for further research in this context for which the training and education of health personnel result of fundamental importance, with a view to improving the quality of life of the patients with dementia and their family.
The linguistic characteristics of the language of human rights and its use in reality as the kingdom of God in the light of Speech Act Theory
Authors: Cho Anna
Published: July 2019

Human rights, a language that keeps public order, is realised in ordinary life by language characteristics according to social rules. Despite this fact, research that considers the linguistic features of human rights relating to its use and effects in terms of the kingdom of God in the present world seems to have not been attempted or seldom attempted. Thus, this article proposes to examine the language of human rights by means of Speech Act Theory. The approach is predicated upon the language use as performative acts. The approach shows the language of human rights with performative language by seeking to uncover the operation and effects of language of rights in real-life situations. The thrust of this article implies how we can explain the semantics of human rights and execute them in ordinary life in terms of God’s kingdom.
A Neuro Linguistic Programming’s modelling process for the development of and guidance to congregations: An adaptive ministry
Authors: Bester Johan , Meylahn Johann A.
Published: July 2019

Several congregations in the workspace of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa are losing viability and sustainability. This can be attributed to various factors, the most prominent being isolation. Isolation is defined here as the inability of some congregations to move away from maintenance and an inward focus towards making necessary adjustments on the way to a dimension of missional focus. While commitment and enthusiasm are present in the work of all congregations, some find it difficult to adapt their established ideas and in some cases obsolete customs and traditions. Other congregations have made the necessary adjustments by defining themselves as missional. In congregations where constructive change occurs, the focus moves to undertake congregational ministries. The congregation not only gains insight into their own situation but also becomes aware of God’s calling for that specific congregation within a specific context. The focus shifts from their own situation and needs to the needs and challenges of the context surrounding the specific congregation. A consequence of this change in focus is that the whole ministry of the congregation adjusts accordingly. These congregations discover their own unique spirituality and begin to ask: For whom do we exist? The article is based on a PhD thesis, where Osmer’s four questions of practical theology were brought into the conversation with the modelling process of neuro-linguistic programming, in an attempt to sojourn with congregations towards a contextual missional focus. This research was undertaken to expand Osmer’s four questions of practical theology by using the modelling process of neuro-linguistic programming so that congregations may succeed in making the necessary adjustments.
Stephen Bantu Biko: An agent of change in South Africa’s socio-politico-religious landscape
Authors: Dolamo Ramathate T.H.
Published: July 2019

This article examines and analyses Biko’s contribution to the liberation struggle in South Africa from the perspective of politics and religion. Through his leading participation in Black Consciousness Movement and Black Theology Project, Biko has not only influenced the direction of the liberation agenda, but he has also left a legacy that if the liberated and democratic South Africa were to follow, this country would be a much better place for all to live in. In fact, the continent as a whole through its endeavours in the African Union underpinned by the African Renaissance philosophy would go a long way in forging unity among the continent’s nation states. Biko’s legacy covers among other things identity, human dignity, education, research, health and job creation. This article will have far reaching implications for the relations between the democratic state and the church in South Africa, more so that there has been such a lack of the church’s prophecy for the past 25 years.
Primary health care and family medicine in Sierra Leone
Authors: Robinson Colan
Published: July 2019

This article is a country profile of Sierra Leone describing the state of primary health care and family medicine in early 2019. Family medicine in Sierra Leone faces many challenges but recent changes in the location of the training programme encourage optimism that it may become better established within the next few years.
Company failure in South Africa: Classification and prediction by means of recursive partitioning
Authors: Steyn-Bruwer B. W. , Hamman W. D.
Published: July 2019

The deficiencies in previous research on failure prediction studies were identified from the international literature. This study’s purpose is to address these deficiencies while using a new method in developing failure prediction models, namely recursive partitioning (specifically the classification tree algorithm).The deficiencies were addressed as follows:Brute empirism was avoided by focussing on cash flow ratios in combination with certain accrual ratios. Failure was not only defined as bankruptcy, but as any condition where the company cannot exist in future in its current form, therefore including delistings as well as major structural changes. By using the population of listed industrial companies between June 1997 and May 2002, the grey area in-between ‘successful’ and ‘bankrupt’ was included in developing the models. Every model developed was tested with the help of an independent sample. The different economic cycles were considered by developing different models for a growth and a recessionary period. A combined model was also developed, with the economic cycle as a independent dichotomous variable.When the prediction accuracy for the different classes and in total, of the models developed, is compared with the ex ante probability that an observation will fall in a particular class of the majority (non-failed companies), the prediction accuracy is in every instance higher than the ex ante probability.
Rethinking the knowledge bearing capacity of e-Business systems
Authors: Botha Daniel F.
Published: July 2019

Research was conducted in the area of sustainable knowledge extraction from e-business systems and technologies by exploring differentiating approaches from three notable authors seeking some common denominator to apply to a convergent approach in system conceptualization and design. It will be argued that most of e-business system upgrades and modification cost could be averted if the knowledge bearing capacity of proposed systems is realized and included as primary design parameters during the System Development Life Cycle. It will furthermore be argued that if this inclusive and integrative approach is followed it would lead to building a capacity to act that could be utilized for creating sustainable competitive advantage. Most e-Business system development is approached from an information processing and efficiency dimension, which more often than not exclude the knowledge utilization and effectiveness component as a design parameter. In most cases the primary focus is on information intensive functions, business process reengineering/automation and transaction processing whilst the use of information to discover knowledge assets and to innovate only comes into prominence after system implementation. This line of design thinking leads to the emergence of dominant designs which extend the scope for standardization whilst simultaneously limiting the scope for system variation. It will be proposed that re Boisot (1999), N-learning (neo-classical) thinking is normally dominant to S-learning (Schumpeterian) thinking during the e-business system design phase. The paper primarily draw on Max Boisot’s Evolutionary Production Function and I-Space theoretical approach, Donald Marchand’s Four Fundamental Principles of using Information to Create Business Value and Yogesh Malhotra’s model on Balancing Design and Emergence for EBusiness Model Innovation. A new construct called the Knowledge Prospect Domain (KPD) will be identified and introduced as a common denominator between the models of the three authors on which to ground the approach to new thinking on e-business system design. To facilitate argumentation an attempt will be made to position the extant status of e-business systems in the I-Space, referring to what will be proposed as proprietary technologies and emergent technologies.
The construct validity of the revised job diagnostic survey
Authors: Buys M. A. , Olckers C. , Schaap P.
Published: July 2019

The Job Characteristics Model, the accompanying Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the proposed steps for improving motivation, satisfaction and performance have been functionally utilized in South Africa as a revised job redesign practice to address some critical human resources problems currently facing managers and human resources practitioners. The aim of the study was ] to determine the construct validity of the Revised Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) in the South African context. The Revised JDS was evaluated using item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The finding of this study is in favour of the Revised JDS as a reliable and factorially valid instrument for South African use. The promising results of this study should pave the way for further research and the search for more conclusive evidence on the construct validity of the Revised JDS in the South African context.
Understanding service recovery satisfaction from a service encounter perspective: A pilot study
Authors: Boshoff C.
Published: July 2019

When a service provider fails to meet the expectations of customers during a so-called service encounter, the resultant disconfirmation can lead to a series of negative outcomes such as defection and negative word-of-mouth. Often, however, errant firms are afforded a second opportunity by complaining customers to rectify their misdemeanours – a practice referred to as service recovery. Service marketers’ understanding of service recovery is, however, limited. This study investigates service recovery from a service encounter perspective by considering the influence of what the complaining customer can visually see during the encounter. The underlying premise of the study is that, during the service encounter the complaining customer is exposed to stimuli such as the physical features and appearance of the service provider and these features can influence their assessment of the service firm’s efforts to resolve their complaint.By drawing on social psychology theory this study investigates whether what a complaining customer sees during the service encounter (what the service provider looks like) influences their satisfaction with the service recovery efforts of the firm. The empirical results of this pilot study do not support the general contention of the social psychology theories investigated in this study.
A proposed conceptual familiness transmission of capital model
Authors: Venter W. P. , Kruger S. , Herbst F. J.
Published: July 2019

Notwithstanding family businesses being a prevalent phenomenon in the economies of most countries, insight into this form of enterprise is still limited and it has been largely ignored as a study field. Interest has now grown in identifying and understanding those facets of business that support the superior performance of family firms. As interest in the field of family business has expanded, so have the theories that support these views. Theory therefore provides a guideline to investigate causalities and link information. It indicate that presently there is no single, generally accepted theory defining the family-firm concept and that rigorous work on such theory is only just starting.The purpose of this article is to review the different theories underlying family businesses. It is concluded that the orthodox theories, that regard the business and the family as separate units, do not acknowledge the complexity of the different relationships that exist in family businesses. A Conceptual Familiness* Transmission of Capital Model is suggested in the current study as representative of the functioning of family businesses as an interactive system. It embraces the heterodox views that the family and the business cannot be separated, but are rather seen as an interactive system with unique, collectable resources. It fulfils the need of the main deficiency in the family organisation literature, namely a theory that explains the developmental stages of each generation succession.*Used in the context of Habbershon and Williams (1999:1)
The drivers influencing the relationship between sales representatives and customers and the impact this relationship has on sales volume within Coca-Cola’s Western Cape region
Authors: Herbst F. J. , Forrest C. L.
Published: July 2019

Companies within the FMCG sector are continually trying to create value from their brands by increasing their margins and/or selling more of their products. Taking cost out of the value chain gives the company a competitive advantage, but this advantage is short lived as competitors also reduce costs. Differentiating a product through enhanced features and benefits also provides a competitive advantage, but is also subject to imitation by rivals. As competition increases, companies are looking for new avenues to differentiate themselves. Relationship marketing has, as a result, increased its prevalence as a competitive tool to provide that point of difference.This research investigated the factors that influence the relationships between a Coca-Cola sales representative and his/her customers within the Cape Town region.This article was developed after studying literature as it pertained to customer relationship marketing. From the literature the foundation blocks in developing buyer-seller relationships were studied. The research methodology tested the impact of certain factors on the ability to build a relationship between buyer and seller and then tested the validity of those answers using underlying determinants of a relationship. These determinants included the ability to communicate, the ability to trust, the degree of loyalty and the ability to influence a customer.The response to the questionnaires was extremely high (over 95%) and provided for a robust evaluation of data. The research showed that there was a positive correlation between the profile of a sales representative and a customer. It is easier for a sales representative to build a relationship with a customer who is a similar age. It is however easier for the sales representative to influence a younger customer. Gender plays no role in a sales representative’s ability to build a relationship. With respect to education, a stronger relationship exists between a customer and sales representative of a similar education. Again it is easier for a representative to influence a customer who has a lower level of education. Race does have an impact on the ability to build relationships. The research showed that an African sales representative should service an African customer. There was a positive link between matching sales representatives and customers who come from similar areas and have the same religion. There was no correlation between the degree of the relationship that a Coca-Cola sales representative in the Western Cape region has with a customer and the sales growth within the outlets. This final conclusion must be read in the context of the relative high market share that the Coca-Cola Company has in the Western Cape.
The role of culture in the determination of a standardized or localized marketing strategy
Authors: Van Heerden C. H. , Barter C.
Published: July 2019

Given that culture is an important factor in the international environment, it is a necessity that culture be well understood in order to achieve success in international marketing strategies. Previous research focused more on the broader influence of culture on marketing strategies, with few studies focusing on the way in which culture and marketing affect and are effected by one another, culture’s role in the localisation or standardisation of a marketing strategy, as well as which elements of the marketing strategy to standardise versus localise. The sample was drawn from key employees working within reputable multinational organisations in South Africa. No hypotheses were formulated or tested but instead this exploratory study identified areas, which have not been researched in South Africa and eight propositions based on the findings were formulated. The findings indicate that culture plays a very important role in the overall formulation of an international marketing strategy, and it was not conclusive whether such a strategy should be standardised or whether it should be localised. Generally, the responses suggest that a marketer’s strategy should suit the local culture in order to reach them and have the desired effect on the target market, and not the other way around because such evolutions could take an extensive amount of time in order to achieve marketing goals.
A comprehensive organisational model for the effective management of project management
Authors: Brown C. J.
Published: July 2019

This paper is not primarily aimed at project leaders, but at the decision-makers on project management in organisations. The purpose is to expose the not-so-obvious organisational complications which confront project managers in the management of projects. The point of departure is to establish a comprehensive approach to creating an organisational environment conducive to project management excellence in an organisation.In the arenas of business and management, the principles of project management is relatively simple and much of it actually common sense. However, it is the experience of many project leaders that the mere application of appropriate project management processes and techniques, by no means guarantee that the management of projects will be effective on a continuous basis. On investigation of that premise, this paper reports on research that identified organisational variables that can affect the organisational strategy, structure, culture, systems, behavioural patterns and processes of an organisation, which comprehensively determine the internal environment pre requisites for project management to be exercised successfully.The rationale of the paper is to re-emphasise, but also to investigate progress on the stern warning by Nicholas (1990:481) nearly two decades ago that organisations should not jump into project management precipitously, but with a well-developed and organisation-fitted strategy and game plan.
The strategic positioning and configuration of national mapping organisations as enablers of economic and social growth in South Africa
Authors: Denner M. , Oosthuizen H.
Published: July 2019

This paper explores the transferability and application of business-driven strategic thinking to that of a public sector context, namely national mapping organisations. These organisations exist throughout the world because the economies of the world require geospatial information to support economic and social growth. As such their strategic positioning within government is of prime importance. In South Africa, however, there is a paucity of knowledge in this regard and consequently triggered the research which forms the basis of this paper.A macro-environmental analysis suggests significant growth opportunities for the South African geospatial industry, fuelled by a micro-industry borne out of the 2010 Soccer World Cup event. A profile description of the characteristics of consequence, boundaries between the private and public the industry and expected changes reflect a large industry which is expanding at a rapid rate but is fragmented and displays a complex network-system of inter and intra-industry relationships. As such it is attracting increasing numbers of competitors but, as an industry, appears to be slow to adjust to technological advancement. An internal analysis of the value chain of the National Mapping Organisation (NMO), the single most important player in the local public sector geospatial industry, reveals significant value creation in its inhouse activities. However, the external deconstructed operations, outbound logistics and procurement processes are not allowing the organisation to realise any benefits from efficiencies it may introduce. Key to achieving efficiencies lies in the human capital, which by all accounts, it is failing to retain.Future strategic thrusts for the NMO have been identified by constructing a SWOT model and by analysing its relative competitive strength. These thrusts were found to concentrate on actions and themes related to staff, communication, marketing, general management, production (cost and capacity) and product (quality and innovation). Interpreting and applying those themes on an interorganisational basis will enable the NMO to best position itself in the industry. In this regard sufficient related strategic fit is evident between the value chains of the NMO, The Satellite Application Centre (SAC) and Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), enabling the NMO to leverage on the sales, marketing and distribution activities of SAC and the financial leveraging capabilities of Stats SA.This paper has presented an example of how delivering an efficient and effective service delivery may be hampered through the inappropriate strategic configuration of South African public sector activities. It is therefore suggested that the government revisits the strategic positioning of public sector organisations engaged in the provision of geospatial information.
The relationship marketing practices of travel agencies in the Western Cape Province
Authors: Roberts-Lombard M. , Steyn T. F.J.
Published: July 2019

Relationship marketing has received much attention and widespread publicity over the past ten years and has moved to the forefront of research and practice. It provides organizations with a management tool to establish economically profitable relationships, networks and interactions with different, but equally important stakeholder markets. The purpose of the article is to research the relationship marketing practices of travel agencies in the Western Cape province. The empirical research component of the study consisted of the completion of structured questionnaires through personal interviews. The questionnaire consisted of a structured format and incorporated two types of questions, namely closed-ended questions and five point Likert-type statements. The findings of the study concluded that the relationships between travel agencies and the different role players in their market environment are fragmented. The direct marketing initiatives of SAA and hotel groups such as the Southern Sun and Protea hotels are putting strain on the current relationship between travel agencies and these suppliers. The managerial implications for the study specify that an environment must be created which is more accessible to the critical interaction between the travel agency in the Western Cape province and its different role players. This is especially relevant considering that organisations are continuously becoming more aware that their success within a highly competitive market environment depends on the building of long term relationships with each of these role players.
Predicting financial distress of companies listed on the JSE: A comparison of techniques
Authors: Muller G. H. , Steyn-Bruwer B. W. , Hamman W. D.
Published: July 2019

In 2006, Steyn-Bruwer and Hamman highlighted several deficiencies in previous research which investigated the prediction of corporate failure (or financial distress) of companies. In their research, Steyn-Bruwer and Hamman made use of the population of companies for the period under review and not only a sample of bankrupt versus successful companies. Here the sample of bankrupt versus successful companies is considered as two extremes on the continuum of financial condition, while the population is considered as the entire continuum of financial condition.The main objective of this research, which was based on the above-mentioned authors’ work, was to test whether some modelling techniques would in fact provide better prediction accuracies than other modelling techniques. The different modelling techniques considered were: Multiple discriminant analysis (MDA), Recursive partitioning (RP), Logit analysis (LA) and Neural networks (NN).From the literature survey it was evident that existing literature did not readily consider the number of Type I and Type II errors made. As such, this study introduces a novel concept (not seen in other research) called the “Normalised Cost of Failure” (NCF) which takes cognisance of the fact that a Type I error typically costs 20 to 38 times that of a Type II error.In terms of the main research objective, the results show that different analysis techniques definitely produce different predictive accuracies. Here, the MDA and RP techniques correctly predict the most “failed” companies, and consequently have the lowest NCF; while the LA and NN techniques provide the best overall predictive accuracy.
Your next boss is American: Attitudes of South African managers towards prospective US-South African joint ventures
Authors: Akande W. A. , Banai M.
Published: July 2019

This study explores South African managers’ expectations of prospective South African – United States international joint ventures. One hundred and three middle-level South African managers responded to a theory-based original survey questionnaire that included questions about various aspects of prospective US-South African joint ventures. US companies invest in South Africa to gain access to its market and South African companies get into joint ventures with US companies to tap into their financial resources. Tarrifs imposed by the US government and the South African government’s administrative barriers seem to be the most crucial problems for the prospective joint ventures. Implications for international managers are offered.
The social dimension of multi-racial advertising: Its impact on consumers’ attitude
Authors: Johnson G. D.
Published: July 2019

Since the end of the apartheid regime, the number of advertisements casting actors from different racial backgrounds simultaneously has significantly increased. Comments about this development are multi-faceted. While some observers praise this technique as the ideal social mirror of the “new” South Africa, others criticize it as a pervasive commercial tactic. Consistent with this debate, it is important for brands to understand consumers’ perceptions of multi-racial advertising. Indeed, these perceptions are also assumed to influence consumers’ attitude towards the advertised brand. Based on the attribution theory, this study investigates whether South African companies, by integrating a multi-racial feature in an advertisement, create the perception amongst consumers that their advertisement is socially responsible and, in so doing, increase their brand equity. The empirical results of this study support that consumers’ attitude towards a brand is significantly influenced by the extent to which they attribute a social responsibility to its advertisements. Nevertheless, it is also found that using multi-racial advertising is a necessary but not sufficient condition to generate this social attribution.
Q methodology and the measurement of subjectivity in corporate brand perception
Authors: Angelopulo G.
Published: July 2019

This paper reviews Q methodology and its application in an area of business research in which subjectivity is of considerable importance – that of corporate brand perception. More specifically, it explores the dimension of corporate brand perception that is directly related to the consumption and utilisation of the brand. The consumption-specific dimension of corporate brand perception is conceptualised as the ‘solution meaning of the corporate brand’, and the process of identifying the solution meaning with the aid of Q methodology is described and applied in a case study.
Follow the leader: How expert ratings mediate consumer assessments of hedonic quality
Authors: Priilaid D. , Feinberg J. , Carter O. , Ross G.
Published: July 2019

Within the context of sighted wine appreciation, previous studies indicate that extrinsic cues like price and area-of-origin have a marked effect on the sighted ratings proffered by tasting experts. While these expert ratings are widely employed by the wine media as proxies of genuine quality, it remains uncertain whether such expert ratings, in turn, serve to influence the public in their own sighted assessments of wine quality. To determine the influence of the expert rating cue in the public’s sighted appreciation of wine, a tasting-room experiment was held in which 32 subjects assessed seven wines first blind and then sighted. During the sighted tasting the only (additional) cue-information made available was the expert rating conferred by the South African annual wine-guide known as John Platter. An interrogation of the resultant database of 224 paired blind and sighted wine assessments reveals the extent to which the expert rating cue consistently mediates the sighted appreciation of wine, this particularly within the younger, less experienced demographic. An examination of the meta-model’s driving coefficients suggests that in explaining sighted quality, expert ratings appear to operate at five times the strength of the original intrinsic (blind) assessment. For marketers, this finding suggests (1) that the promotion of this extrinsic cue be targeted more specifically at wine “novices”, and (2) that this narrowing of marketing focus implies a more judicious and effective employment of media budgets.
The development of an instructional design model as a strategic enabler for sustainable competitive advantage
Authors: Le Roux L. , Oosthuizen H.
Published: July 2019

In a business environment of continuous change and in light of a defined need to fast track skills improvement and development in South Africa and Africa, training strategies and practices are under increasing pressure to develop a more productive and skilled workforce. Demands on training and the practices it employs increasingly focus on the alignment with strategic imperatives of organisations and the country.This research presented an instructional design (ID) model positioned in intersection between the positioning-based and resource-based theories and used a multi-disciplinary approach to extend the literature on ID models with the aim to offer measurable improvements in job-specific knowledge and productive behaviour as proxies for sustainable competitive advantage. The research confirmed the contribution of the ID model in this regard and described and substantiated the pivotal link between training and ID models and the application thereof in practice to aid organisations and, by extension, countries, in the achievement and sustainability of competitive advantage. This, the first of two articles, presents not only the theoretical and practical context of the research, but also the development of a revised and advanced ID model. In the second article the ID model will be subjected to empirical investigation and evaluated through the application thereof in a case organisation and a grounded conclusion provided.This is the first in a series of two articles.
Evaluating the economic impact of national sporting performance: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Authors: Smith B. K. , Krige J. D.
Published: July 2019

This study examines the impact of South Africa’s national soccer, rugby and cricket teams’ performances in international matches on returns on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Match results constitute a mood proxy variable hypothesised to affect stock returns through its influence on investor mood. The unconditional mean return on the JSE All Share index for a 13½ year period from September 1995 to February 2009 was compared to the mean return after wins, draws and losses by the national sport teams. An event study approach was followed and four different statistical tests were conducted in order to test for a relationship. The results of the tests indicate the existence of a moderate win effect, with mean returns after wins being statistically significantly higher for the categories all sports combined, cricket and soccer.
Concentration in the South African equity market and its implied restrictions on the long only equity fund manager’s opportunity set
Authors: Raubenheimer H.
Published: July 2019

South Afric's Equity market provides a large (in terms of volume) but concentrated investment environment. Domestic pension funds are restricted from diversifying globally and are thus faced with a restricted set of investment opportunities. This article describes and quantifies the extent of the concentration on the JSE historically and at present. The article describes the consequent limitations on long-only equity portfolio construction and the implications for the domestic long-only fund manager subject to various active weight limits. The analysis shows that the higher the allowable active bet sizes, the less consistently asset managers are able to implement their views and the less symmetric their response to forecasted excess returns can be. Consequently, the less competitive a long-only fund manager can be alongside hedge funds and similarly constrained long-short managers.
Derived loop stacks and categorification of orbifold products
Authors: Scherotzke Sarah , Sibilla Nicolò
Published: July 2019

The existence of interesting multiplicative cohomology theories for orbifolds was initially suggested by string theorists. Orbifold products have been intensely studied by mathematicians for the last fifteen years. In this paper we focus on the
virtual orbifold product
that was first introduced in Lupercio et al. (2007). We construct a categorification of the virtual orbifold product that leverages the geometry of derived loop stacks. After work of Ben-Zvi Francis and Nadler, this reveals connections between virtual orbifold products and Drinfeld centers of monoidal categories, thus answering a question of Hinich.
On properties of geometric preduals of ${\mathbf C^{k,\omega}}$ spaces
Authors: Brudnyi Alexander
Published: July 2019

Let

C_b^{k,\omega}(\mathbb R^n)

be the Banach space of

C^k

functions on

\mathbb R^n

bounded together with all derivatives of order

\le k

and with derivatives of order

k

having moduli of continuity

O(\omega)

for some

\omega\in C(\mathbb R_+)

. Let

C_b^{k,\omega}(S):=C_b^{k,\omega}(\mathbb R^n)|_S

be the trace space to a closed subset

S\subset\mathbb R^n

. The geometric predual

G_b^{k,\omega}(S)

of

C_b^{k,\omega}(S)

is the minimal closed subspace of the dual

(C_b^{k,\omega}(\mathbb R^n))^*

containing evaluation functionals of points in

S

. We study geometric properties of spaces

G_b^{k,\omega}(S)

and their relations to the classical Whitney problems on the characterization of trace spaces of

C^k

functions on

\mathbb R^n

. In particular, we show that each

G_b^{k,\omega}(S)

is a complemented subspace of

G_b^{k,\omega}(\mathbb R^n)

, describe the structure of bounded linear operators on

G_b^{k,\omega}(\mathbb R^n)

, prove that

G_b^{k,\omega}(S)

has the bounded approximation property and that in some cases space

C_b^{k,\omega}(S)

is isomorphic to the second dual of its subspace consisting of restrictions to

S

of

C^\infty(\mathbb R^n)

functions with compact supports.