This research aimed to determine student and industry perceptions of industry engagement in tourism and hospitality studies in South Africa. The study applied a mixed methodology to ascertain these perceptions to determine how industry engagement can be enhanced in order to produce work-ready, employable and entrepreneurial graduates, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on 420 valid surveys conducted with students across six universities, the key findings suggest that students perceive that their universities sufficiently and effectively provide them with the necessary soft skills, practical skills, creativity skills, and personal responsibility tools through industry engagement activities. Respondents agreed that universities are actively preparing tourism and hospitality students for the world of work and assisting them with career development through industry engagement. The study concludes that the benefits of industry engagement for students include inter alia academic progress, personal development, career planning and workplace exposure, as well as the development of key skills and competencies.
Military bases can be important agents for local and regional economic development. This article examines the role of military spending in local economic development in South Africa, a country which, under apartheid, had high levels of military spending. The local economic impacts are analyzed of three operational military bases at Potchefstroom, Louis Trichardt' and Heidelberg. It is argued that the military assumes a significant role in local economies and should be used by localities as a basis for competitive advantage in planning for local economic development.
Cutbacks in defence budgets have highlighted the importance of issues around the conversion of former military bases. The international experience shows that the process of closing military bases and converting them to alternative uses can open up possibilities for local economic development (LED). This article examines South African debates and experience of the reuse of military bases made redundant in the post-apartheid period. Implications for LED are discussed in two case studies of the Zwartkop Air Force base and the Bourke's Luck Military Base.
This study examined the glass ceiling phenomenon in the South African hospitality industry, with a particular focus on four hotels in Gauteng. The primary aim was to investigate the different perspectives held on the glass ceiling by exploring the key factors inhibiting women in the hospitality industry from proceeding to the next level of the corporate hierarchy, and, ultimately, to reach senior executive positions. Data was collected through informal semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire that was targeted at men and women in lower to top management positions within the different hotels. The key findings show that the glass ceiling indeed exists, as a fluid and dynamic phenomenon, which takes on various ever-evolving shapes within different work environments. Many women resonated with the nature of the glass ceiling. The literature depicts the glass ceiling as an overarching and all-encompassing phenomenon affecting women. The study sheds more light on the circumstantial nature of the glass ceiling and shows that certain factors exacerbate the effects of the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon. A study found that a combination of variables affected the careers of women and their work life balance. The study revealed that the circumstantial nature of the glass ceiling and its dynamic nature makes it impossible for there to be a uniform solution to navigating one’s career around it or to shatter it. This finding challenges the existing view of the glass ceiling and how women should be attempting to shatter it.
This paper examines the emergence and role of the South African Cities Network (SACN) in the South African urban policy landscape. Since its establishment in 2002 the SACN has evolved as an organisation, which plays an increasingly influential role in defining and framing the urban agenda in South Africa. The article reviews the form, functions, role and practice of the SACN and highlights the role it has assumed in driving urban policy development issues. The argument presented is based on key stakeholder interviewers conducted with the leadership of the SACN and an analysis of the policy reports and outputs generated by the organisation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.