The Changing Nature of the Mice Sector in South Africa Due to Covid-19

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Refiloe Julia Lekgau ◽  
Tembi Maloney Tichaawa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Successful Execution ◽  
Mice Tourism ◽  
Mice Industry ◽  
Virtual Events ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Visitor Numbers

The purpose of the study is to explore the changing nature of MICE tourism in South Africa due to COVID-19. Based on a series of interviews conducted with representatives of the MICE industry in various sectors, including incentive, conference, and meeting, venues, and associations, the study found that while the shift to virtual events was adopted by many, there are substantial costs involved and significant learning required for their successful execution. Further, the study found venues to be among the most affected owing to the restrictions placed on visitor numbers and the need to adapt to the virtual environment. Moreover, virtual events were perceived as temporary plasters, with live to return once restrictions on the industry are lifted. The study concludes that virtual and hybrid events are valuable in the continuity of MICE tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research is one of the very few studies examining the impact of COVID-19 on MICE events and reveals the subsequent changes, in theory and practice, to MICE tourism.

scholarly journals The impact of corporate governance on firm competitiveness and performance of small and medium enterprises in South Africa: A case of small and medium enterprises in Vanderbijlpark

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Progress Hove-Sibanda ◽  
Kin Sibanda ◽  
David Pooe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Value Added ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Impact

Orientation: Corporate governance adoption and compliance are an issue augmenting in importance recently and have been extended to business enterprises of any size including small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Research purpose: This study seeks to examine the impact of corporate governance adoption on the firm competitiveness and performance of SMEs in Vanderbijlpark.Research design, approach and method: The study employs a cross-sectional research design, which employed quantitative methods. One hundred fifty-two SME owners or managers were selected from Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng, South Africa. The collected data were analysed using a structural equation modelling system by using Smart PLS software.Main findings: The principal findings of this study revealed that the implementation of corporate governance by SMEs significantly and positively affected their competitiveness and performance.Practical and managerial implications: The paper provided practical implications and made some recommendations.Contribution or value-added: This article bridges the gap between theory and practice because it has both an economic and commercial impact in practice. It can be used in influencing public policy, teaching and research (because it contributes to the body of knowledge, particularly regarding SME corporate governance in emerging markets). An important aspect of this article is that it gives a framework for additional similar studies in other locations within emerging markets to test the generalisability of the findings. For teaching purposes, it provides a template for how to assess the link that exists between corporate governance and SME performance. Lastly, the article gives a unique empirical analysis of the relationship that exists between corporate governance compliance and performance of firms in South Africa, and thereby giving a valid contribution to corporate governance literature.

scholarly journals ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY THE MICE SECTOR IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1203-1210
Author(s):  
Refiloe Julia LEKGAU ◽  
◽  
Tembi Maloney TICHAAWA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Operational Costs ◽  
Mice Industry ◽  
Virtual Events

COVID-19 has brought to the fore drastic and transformative changes to MICE tourism. The current study therefore sought to examine the adaptive responses employed by the MICE sector of South Africa to survive and maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting a qualitative research design, 19 representatives of various subsectors of the MICE industry (including organisers, suppliers, and associations) were interviewed. The data reveals that the immediate strategies implemented by many MICE organisations involved the reevaluation of their operational costs. Moreover, the study found that the sector has readjusted its business models to include virtual events in order to ensure recovery and resilience in light of the pandemic. The study argues the importance of understanding adaptive strategies as broadening theory on tourism and crises (specifically to the MICE sector) as well as understanding the process of sector resilience post-COVID-19.

Some Reflections on Reparation in Post-Apartheid South Africa, using a Couple Therapy Intervention as a Microcosm of South African Society

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hill ◽  
Sylvia Poss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Couple Therapy ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Depressive Position ◽  
Central Hypothesis ◽  
Transference And Countertransference ◽  
Constructive Engagement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Therapy Intervention

The paper addresses the question of reparation in post-apartheid South Africa. The central hypothesis of the paper is that in South Africa current traumas or losses, such as the 2008 xenophobic attacks, may activate a ‘shared unconscious phantasy’ of irreparable damage inflicted by apartheid on the collective psyche of the South African nation which could block constructive engagement and healing. A brief couple therapy intervention by a white therapist with a black couple is used as a ‘microcosm’ to explore this question. The impact of an extreme current loss, when earlier losses have been sustained, is explored. Additionally, the impact of racial difference on the transference and countertransference between the therapist and the couple is explored to illustrate factors complicating the productive grieving and working through of the depressive position towards reparation.

UN-BLURRING THE MYTHS AND REALITIES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
T N Sithole ◽  
Kgothatso B Shai
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Children's Rights ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Children’S Rights ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Great Awareness ◽  
Policy Theory ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
The Status ◽  
Customary Practices

Awareness of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW 1979) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC 1989) is relatively high within academic and political circles in South Africa and elsewhere around the world. In South Africa, this can be ascribed mainly to the powerful women’s lobby movements represented in government and academic sectors. Women and children’s issues have been especially highlighted in South Africa over the last few years. In this process, the aforementioned two international human rights instruments have proved very useful. There is a gender desk in each national department. The Office on the Status of Women and the Office on Child Rights have been established within the Office of the President, indicating the importance attached to these institutions. These offices are responsible for co-ordinating governmental efforts towards the promotion and protection of women and children’s rights respectively, including the two relevant treaties. Furthermore, there is also a great awareness amongst non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in respect of CEDAW and CRC. This can be ascribed mainly to the fact that there is a very strong women’s NGO lobby and NGOs are actively committed to the promotion of children’s rights. Women are increasingly vocal and active within the politics of South Africa, but the weight of customary practices remains heavy. The foregoing is evident of the widening gap between policy theory and practice in the fraternity of vulnerable groups – children and women in particular.

Harnessing Digital Technology to Strengthen the Culture of Reading at Public Libraries in South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Ramothupi Matolong
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Pilot Phase ◽  
Impact Measurement ◽  
Private Company ◽  
Line Survey ◽  
Gates Foundation ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
The Impact

Statistics and numerous authors have highlighted the reading crisis in South Africa. At the same instance, more people in South Africa are embracing the potential of digital technology to provide lifelong learning opportunities and also to strengthen the culture of reading. This study is framed against the backdrop and implementation of the Mzansi Libraries On-Line Project in South Africa – a project implemented in line with the Global Libraries Programme of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study explored the potential of access to information of digital technology and the contribution of the project to inculcating a culture of reading at public libraries. A benchmark survey was conducted by an independent research company during the pilot phase of the project in 2015. This survey covered library users of the 27 libraries that formed part of the pilot phase, and a further 25 libraries from a representative sample across South Africa. An end-line survey was conducted through a private company towards the conclusion of the countrywide implementation in 2017, based on the Common Impact Measurement System which was customised for South Africa. The benchmark survey found that although ICT in libraries had been used by relatively few people in 2015, the impact of this technology tended to be positive and would be beneficial to the wider society by helping to redress societal imbalances, including education and the culture of reading. The end-line survey found increased benefits of library usage and library technical infrastructure to improve the lives of the communities involved.

An Econometric Analysis on the Relationship between Globalisation and Inequality in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-89
Author(s):  
Jacques de Jongh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Global Integration ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The World ◽  
Distribution Of Resources ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Impact

Globalisation has had an unprecedented impact on the development and well-being of societies across the globe. Whilst the process has been lauded for bringing about greater trade specialisation and factor mobility many have also come to raise concerns on its impact in the distribution of resources. For South Africa in particular this has been somewhat of a contentious issue given the country's controversial past and idiosyncratic socio-economic structure. Since 1994 though, considerable progress towards its global integration has been made, however this has largely coincided with the establishment of, arguably, the highest levels of income inequality the world has ever seen. This all has raised several questions as to whether a more financially open and technologically integrated economy has induced greater within-country inequality (WCI). This study therefore has the objective to analyse the impact of the various dimensions of globalisation (economic, social and political) on inequality in South Africa. Secondary annual time series from 1990 to 2018 were used sourced from the World Bank Development indicators database, KOF Swiss Economic Institute and the World Inequality database. By using different measures of inequality (Palma ratios and distribution figures), the study employed two ARDL models to test the long-run relationships with the purpose to ensure the robustness of the results. Likewise, two error correction models (ECM) were used to analyse the short-run dynamics between the variables. As a means of identifying the casual effects between the variables, a Toda-Yamamoto granger causality analysis was utilised. Keywords: ARDL, Inequality, Economic Globalisation; Social Globalisation; South Africa

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