Barriers of growth within an informal sector business: narratives of women subsistence entrepreneurs in South Africa

PurposeThe study explores growth barriers experienced by a sample of women subsistence entrepreneurs operating within the informal sector in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes a descriptive-exploratory research approach and design relying on semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample of 45 women subsistence entrepreneurs formed the participant pool.FindingsThree main narratives emerged. First, a sense of personal contentment existed as a potential barrier for women subsistence entrepreneurs. Second, the women subsistence entrepreneurs had no expansion strategy due to their circumstances. This served as a barrier to growth. Finally, challenges emanating from the home-front served as a limit to the growth of the informal sector business.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the findings, strategies are offered to assist the women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the identified barriers to the growth of the informal sector business. A limitation of the research concerns issues that accompany qualitative research. Notably, these include sampling issues.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, strategies are offered to assist women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the barriers that affect their businesses.Originality/valueGiven the popularity of the informal sector in emerging nations such as South Africa, the study proffers suggestions that assist the advancement of subsistence entrepreneurship, especially within the informal sector. The role of women in all this is heightened.

Evaluating the Barrier Effects of Charge Point Trauma on UK Electric Vehicle Growth

For electric vehicles (EVs) to realise the UK government’s goal of mass-market dominance, there are surmountable hurdles to resolve before car users accept this radical shift in motoring technology. This study focuses on recent EV adopters who experience a new phenomenon described as charge point trauma (CPT). In contrast to range anxiety, we define CPT as the psychological, physiological, and behavioural condition where EV user’s experiences develop trauma or anxiety in response to the availability of sufficient charge points, locations, payment processes, and operability. Resolving impediments to EV usage reduces long-term growth barriers, which we argue can subsequently lower or even eliminate EV driver anxiety. We conclude that range anxiety still plays a major part in overall EV driver trauma, and after deep analysis of our case study data conclude that a trauma other than range anxiety exists at the charge point. To mitigate this phenomenon, we propose a regulatory framework comprising a series of stimuli to encourage EV uptake. These recommendations should be targeted at regulating a new generation of EV charging stations to meet operational parity with current fossil fuel filling stations by ensuring they are always on, available in sufficient numbers, accessible and operable as part of the UK motorway and major trunk network. This will de-risk EV purchasing and stimulate their adoption in this embryonic stage, reducing CPT in the process.

An Evaluation of E-Money’s Growth, Barriers, and Challenges to Build Green Finance on Post-Covid Era

Since paper money is one of the Covid-19 transmission media, a touchless alternative is needed. Electronic money (e-money) is the best alternative. This study analyzes the growth, barriers, and challenges of e-money as a new means of payment in Indonesia by raising an empirical study on the millennial generation. Data was collected through interviews with the managers of e-money issuer companies and 18 millennial e-money customers. Using qualitative methods, this research concludes that the strategy for developing e-money is to create innovations that can make it safer for users to meet their daily needs in the post-covid era. Increased promos and cashback at merchants who have collaborated with products issued is also the most favourite development strategy for customers. E-money customers face obstacles faced by e-money customers include safety issues, limited merchants, unstable provider networks, and socio-cultural factors (the habit of using conventional cash payment methods). The challenge that e-money issuers face is competitors of similar products. Millennial Indonesia is an emerging market for e-money, and this study is the first qualitative study to bring together the topics of e-money, millennials, and green finance.

Self-Sustaining Vortices in Protoplanetary Disks: Setting the Stage for Planetary System Formation

The core accretion scenario of planet formation assumes that planetesimals and planetary embryos are formed during the primordial, gaseous phases of the protoplanetary disk. However, how the dust particles overcome the traditional growth barriers is not well understood. Recently proposed viscous ring-instability explains the concentric rings observed in protoplanetary disks by assuming that the dust grains can reduce the gas conductivity, which can weaken the magneto-rotational instability. We present an analysis of this model with the help of GPU-based numerical hydrodynamic simulations of coupled gas and dust in the thin-disk limit. During the evolution of the disk the dusty rings become Rossby unstable and break up into a cascade of small-scale vortices. The vortices form secularly stable dusty structures, where the rapid dust growth can occur via the streaming instability. The phenomenon of self-sustaining vortices is consistent with observational constraints of exoplanets and sets a favorable environment for planetary system formation.

Kontaminasi Telur Dan Larva Cacing Usus Pada Tanah Di Desa Juku Eja Kabupaten Tanah Bumbu

Latar belakang: Soil Transmitted Helminth merupakan penyakit infeksi oleh nematode usus masih menjadi neglected diseases yang dapat menyebabkan kekurangan gizi, anemia, hambatan pertumbuhan dan perkembangan kognitif khususnya pada anak-anak. Penularan STH terjadi melalui kontak dengan telur parasit atau larva yang berkembang di tanah yang hangat dan lembab sehingga penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keberadaan telur dan larva cacing usus yang ada di dalam tanah di Desa Juku Eja yang merupakan penyebab dari tingginya prevalensi kecacingan di SDN Juku Eja.Metode: Penelitian menggunakan desain cross sectional. Pengambilan sampel tanah dilakukan di 5 titik di SDN Juku Eja dan 17 titik di sekitar area pemukiman warga Desa Juku Eja. Pemeriksaan sampel tanah menggunakan metode pengapungan dan preparat kemudian diperiksa di bawah mikroskop. Hasil: Ditemukan 2 sampel positif larva cacing tambang (hookworm) di SDN Juku Eja dan satu titik positif telur cacing Trichuris trichiura di area pemukiman. Kondisi tanah pada kedua lokasi yaitu berpasir dipinggir pantai. Kontaminasi tanah oleh telur dan larva cacing STH disebabkan oleh kebiasaan BAB di tepi pantai oleh masyarakat, ketidaktersediaan jamban keluarga dan kebiasaan tidak menggunakan alas kaki di tanah.Simpulan: Kontaminasi tanah oleh telur dan larva cacing dapat menjadi sumber risiko penularan infeksi STH jika terjadi kontak manusia dengan tanah tanpa perlindungan diri dan kebiasaan hidup bersih dan sehat. ABSTRACT Title: Contamination Of Worm Egg And Larvae In Soil At Juku Eja Village Tanah Bumbu RegencyBackground: Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) is an infectious disease by intestinal nematode. This neglected disease can cause nutritional deficiencies, anemia, growth barriers and cognitive development, especially in children. STH transmission occurs through contact with parasitic eggs or larvae that develop in warm and moist soils, so this study aims was determine the presence of intestinal helminth eggs and larvae in the soil of Juku Eja Village, which is the cause of the high prevalence of helminthiasis in SDN Juku Eja.Method: Research using cross sectional design. Soil sampling was carried out at 5 points at SDN Juku Eja and 17 points around the residential area of Juku Eja Village. Soil samples examination was using the flotation method and then the preparations are examined under a microscope.Result: Result was found 2 positive samples of hookworm larvae (hookworm) at SDN Juku Eja and 1 spot positive of Trichuris trichiura egg in the residential area. Soil conditions at both locations are sandy beach. Soil contamination by eggs and STH worm larvae is caused by the habit of defecating on the beach by the community, the unavailability of family latrines and the habit of not using footwear on the ground Conclusion: Contamination of soil by eggs and worm larvae can be a source of risk of transmission of STH infections if there is human contact with the soil without self-protection and clean and healthy living habits.

Inert gas bubble formation in magnetron sputtered thin-film CdTe solar cells

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells are deposited in current production using evaporation-based tech- niques. Fabricating CdTe solar cells using magnetron sputtering would have the advantage of being more cost-efficient. Here, we show that such deposition results in the incorporation of the magnetron working gas Ar, within the films. Post deposition processing with CdCl 2 improves cell efficiency and during which stacking faults are removed. The Ar then accumulates into clusters leading to the creation of voids and blisters on the surface. Using molecular dynamics, the penetration threshold energies are determined for both Ar and Xe, with CdTe in both zinc-blende and wurtzite phases. These calculations show that more Ar than Xe can penetrate into the growing film with most penetration across the (111) surface. The mechanisms and energy barriers for interstitial Ar and Xe diffusion in zinc-blende are determined. Barriers are reduced near existing clusters, increasing the probability of capture-based cluster growth. Barriers in wurtzite are higher with non-Arrhenius behaviour observed. This provides an explanation for the increase in the size of voids observed after stacking fault removal. Blister exfoliation was also modelled, showing the formation of shallow craters with a raised rim.

How Church Leadership May Influence Growth by Applying an Organizational Life Cycle Perspective on Church Development

Birth, growth, and decline processes in organizations have been studied in the leadership literature for many years. An important perspective applied in this research has been the life cycle perspective. In the church growth literature, traces of the same research can be seen in some growth barriers studies. Using research within the church conducted in different kinds of organizations is not trivial. In this article, I apply a narrative synthesis approach to review the literature and discuss factors that influence growth processes, the strictness of the life cycles, challenges in the transitions between phases, and how these challenging transitions can be addressed for growth to continue in local churches. I argue that the life cycle perspective is relevant in a church context. I propose that many of the same challenges that other organizations meet also have to be handled in churches to prevent growth from slowing down or stop. I also suggest several organizational means to increase churches’ chance to pass challenging transitions and maintain further growth.