http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_transd.html A Sabinet RSS feed with the latest modified articles for each journal. http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a1.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Wang, Y-C. Venter, B-P. Huang, C-H. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 167-187</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> This paper investigates the link between long-run corporate financial performance, corporate social responsibility, and customer satisfaction. Using annual financial data, customer satisfaction index, and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the paper seeks to establish whether it pays organizations to use ethical methods in striving to be sustainable. Data used for this research cover the period 2001 to 2008. We used dynamic panel data linear regression models to analyze the effect of customer satisfaction and social responsibility on short-run and long-run financial performance. It was found that it may benefit organizations to use ethical methods in pursuing sustainability, since organizations who invest time, money, and effort in corporate social responsibility activities, their good reputations and satisfied customers yield long-term cash flow growth. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a2.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Adendorf, C. Emuze, F. Khulu, V. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 189-199</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> Currently, refined petroleum products are manufactured by six refineries in South Africa. The supply of refined petroleum products is supplemented by imports of refined petroleum products. These refined petroleum products are transported by pipeline, rail, road, sea and a combination thereof to depots across the country. These products are then distributed directly to commercial customers through points of resale in the form of retail service stations. The challenge is that the storage facilities and distribution networks in South Africa are currently utilised to its full capacity. There is a need to expand current storage infrastructure or to erect new storage facilities to facilitate imports. Durban Port that currently handles 70% of the country's crude oil and 40% of refined products is also utilised to its full capacity. The investigated problem pertains to the limited storage and transport capacity available for the distribution of petroleum products in the country. The interview protocol, which was based on the literature reviewed, was used for compiling the primary data for the case study. Selected findings revealed that the respondents perceived that storage capacity is the most significant constraint militating against adequate supply by the supply chain. The findings also indicated that the respondents were of the opinion that transport rates and routes (cost of logistics) are the greatest contributor to the prices of products. As a result, there appears to be a major scope for improvement in terms of the usage of pipelines and rails for the movement of petroleum products. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a3.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Twala, C. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 200-216</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> Local government elections are notorious for low voter turnout, but the May 2011 elections in South Africa showed a record 58 percent of the 24 million registered voters. In South Africa, local government matters and not just because it provides a pointer to what might happen in the provincial and national elections due in 2014, but helps in determining the readiness of the African Nation Congress in providing basic services to the different communities. Interestingly, these elections were preceded by service delivery protests against the ANC. The article is an analysis of the decreased support for the ANC during the 2011 local government elections. The multifaceted reasons behind the boiling cauldron of this decline in support for the ANC are scrutinised. Underpinning this decline in support often lie deep and complex factors which can be uncovered through a careful analysis of the ANC's campaigning strategies ahead of these elections; the media which has been accused of rampant sensationalism; service delivery protests and mudslinging from other political parties. However, it is not the author's intention in this article to deal with how other parties fared during these elections, but to highlight their impact on the declined support received by the ANC in the elections. The discussion is presented in four parts: the first presents an exploratory discussion on the theory of local government in the sphere of governance. The second part discusses some key strategies and tactics used by the ANC in attempts to galvanise support, as well as the challenges encountered. The third deals with the opposition parties' machinery in preventing the ANC from getting a majority vote during the election. Lastly, the article concludes by highlighting the lessons learnt by the ANC during these elections within the framework of electoral politics in South Africa. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a4.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Van Der Waldt, G. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 217-234</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> As project management and performance management as management applications gain momentum in public sector settings, the question often arise as to if, how, and when these applications should complement each other in various policy implementation and service delivery initiatives. Answers to this question should be sought from various vantage points or perspectives. These vantage points may range from macro, meso, micro as well as theoretical-methodological perspectives.<br/>The purpose of this paper is to unlock the potential for transdisciplinary contributions between Project Management and Performance Management by focusing on the methodologies, functional areas, and practical applications of both management disciplines. It is argued that the respective methodologies and their processes should be unpacked to identify the timing or moment when each discipline could, and should, make a contribution to the success of the other. This will add value to the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of both study domains in the public sector. The respective contributions are illustrated by means of application realities of both management practices in the South African Public Service. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a5.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Raga, K. Taylor, J.D. Gogi, A. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 235-251</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> Local government in South Africa is no longer simply an extension of the national and provincial spheres of government; it has become an independent sphere in its own right. Steady progress has been made in the delivery of services since the advent of a democratic and developmental state in 1994. The 1996 South African Constitution positions local government as an independent sphere of the government, interrelated to and interdependent with the national and provincial governments. To give it a collective voice, local government speaks from a position of strength through organised local government, as embodied in the South African Local Government Association (hereafter referred to as SALGA). The government is aware of the challenges facing local government service delivery, particularly in the rural areas, where progress in service delivery has been slow. During the former Presidential Izimbizo's, the gap between the government's delivery efforts and communities' ability to benefit from that delivery was repeatedly highlighted. The introduction of community development workers (CDWs) is to assist the three spheres of government to ensure that service delivery reaches the intended recipients effectively and efficiently (IDASA, 2006: On-Line).<br/>It was against this background that community development workers (CDWs) were introduced as a link between the government and communities. CDWs are defined as participatory change agents who work in the community in which the live, and to whom they have to answer for their activities. They are required to help members of the community to improve their living standards and change circumstances. To do this, CDWs are expected to make the poor aware of their constitutional rights such as their right to basic service delivery including social grants and assist community members to understand how they can participate in the development plans for their communities. CDWs are expected to facilitate community participation in policy-making, implementation and in service delivery (Republic of South Africa. Grassroots Innovation, 2007). In this article, the role of community development workers in enhancing service delivery within the Bitou Local Municipality is discussed. The article concludes with recommendations based on an empirical survey to establish the extent to which CDWs play a role in improving service delivery and enhancing the accessibility of government services to communities. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a6.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Averweg, U.R. Kroeze, J.H. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 252-267</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> A practitioner is a professionally employed person in a selected discipline such as information and communication technologies (ICT). ICT practitioners often operate in the domain of Information Systems (IS), the social science branch of ICT. Practitioner research comprises of research that practitioners undertake with a view to the advancement of their practice. Questions arise in respect of research conducted by ICT practitioners: (1) What is the context of the IS professional when conducting practitioner-based research; and (2) Does practitioner-based research have a theoretical base and does practitioner-based research challenge the traditional dichotomy between positivist and interpretivist research in IS? An investigation and discussion of these questions in the IS discipline is the objective of this article.<br/>In this article, ICT practitioner-based research in organisations is discussed. Some philosophical underpinnings of practitioner-based research are probed and a reflection on practitioner research is given. It is suggested that active ICT practitioners are a necessity in the IS research domain. Their participation requires that the actual context in which IS practices are conducted, should be analysed. To ensure that such IS research is valid, an epistemological base is needed for critical reflection and thoughtful action from which to draw. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a7.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Van der Westhuizen, G. Dollery, B. Grant, B. </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 268-282</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> The South African local government sector has undergone changes in the post-apartheid era as policy makers have sought to improve basic services provided to disadvantaged local communities. While scholars have considered various dimensions of the reform program, little effort has been directed at evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency dimensions of the changes in service provision, with some notable exceptions (van der Westhuizen and Dollery, 2009; Krugell, et al., 2010). This article seeks to contribute to this literature by evaluating the efficiency with which municipalities have provided (Reconstruction and Development Program) RDP water, RDP sanitation RDP electricity and RDP refuse removal, using Data Envelopment Analysis techniques (DEA) applied to panel data from 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 for 231 local municipalities and 46 district municipalities. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/transd/transd_v8_n2_a8.pdf <UL><LI><b>Author:</b> Goede, Roelien </LI><LI><b>Vol 8 Issue 2</b></LI> <LI><b>Publication:</b> 2012</LI> <LI><b>Page:</b> 283-304</LI> <LI><b>Abstract:</b> Information systems and in particular data warehouses are very expensive systems to develop. It is therefore not advisable to experiment with ideas too different from current practices. This makes it difficult to apply prescriptive theories in an existing field. From theoretical considerations one might want to develop a data warehouse according to another method such as critical systems thinking methodology. It is however very difficult to persuade data warehouse practitioners to attempt such an experiment. This might be because they would rather adhere to known practices or that they are not sufficiently knowledgeable on critical systems thinking (or any other prescriptive theory) to apply it to such an expensive project. This paper describes a method in which prescriptive theories may be used descriptively to analyse their applicability in a specific field of application. The proposed method is used to understand the practices of the data warehouse discipline from the perspectives of the systems thinking discipline. It is also indicated how this method could be used in other studies where the behaviour of participants is viewed from a point of view of which the detail are unknown to the participants. </LI></UL> 2013-02-07T10:55:31Z