Browsing by Author "Pirie, Gordon"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    'Africanisation' of South Africa's international air links, 1994-2003
    (Elsevier, 2006) Pirie, Gordon
    In the first decade of democratic rule in South Africa scheduled commercial passenger flights across the country�s borders more than doubled. Additional flights served new African air passenger markets and secondary airports in established markets. Overseas flights increased more slowly, serving a diminishing number of overseas countries and cities. In 1994 the Republic was linked directly by air with more overseas than African countries and cities; within a decade the pattern reversed. The changing geography of South Africa�s international air links reflects developments in the international airline industry, and South Africa�s increasingly prominent political and commercial role in Africa.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A comparative study of municipal waste disposal practices and management in the Breede River District Council and the Cape Metropolitan Area
    (University of the Western Cape, 2006) Frantz, Amanda; Pirie, Gordon; Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies; Faculty of Arts
    Solid waste management is a phenomenon that has been researched for many years. With the development of industries and commerce, waste inputs into waste management programs are crucial, since these are the sectors responsible for the generation of waste and thus the inputs are invaluable when programs are formulated. In order to develop effective waste management strategies, it is important to identify the source of waste generation and the processes that must be followed to minimize waste. The objective of this research was to follow waste from generation to ultimate disposal and to case study why and how differences in waste disposal practices occur in the Breede River District (BRD) and the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Distance
    (Elsevier, 2009) Pirie, Gordon
    The English language has long acknowledged and required some preconception of distance, but it has only been considered explicitly as a key element of human geography for half a century. The distances of greatest consequence in human geography are those between public places on the earth�s surface. Measures of physical distance have become increasingly standardized, but anomalous practices persist. Straight-line distance in nature has less applicability to human geography than route distance on a transport network. Even circuitous distance measures may be less useful measures of the separation of places than the time, expense and effort of traversing distances. Cognitive and compound distance also measure relative distance. In human geography distance is treated mainly as an organizing principle in location decision making and travel behavior, as a deterrent to spatial interaction and diffusion, and as a differentiator. Advances in rapid, long-range transport and communication have mediated sheer physical distance and rendered it less significant. Yet even while the world shrinks metaphorically, distances measured in relative terms are being reconfigured unevenly and imaginatively. Even where distance has ceased to be a material concern, the idea and discourse of distance survives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Geography of Primary and Secondary Education in Rwanda
    (University of the Western Cape, 2008) Muyombano, Emmanuel; Pirie, Gordon; Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies; Faculty of Arts
    The study focuses on primary and secondary education rather than tertiary education as primary schools enrol the largest number of Rwandan students and absorb the major share of public spending on education.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Indigenous knowledge and vegetation utilisation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
    (University of the Western Cape, 2005) Simelane, Bhekithemba Doctor; Pirie, Gordon; Faculty of Arts
    The aim of this study was to investigate indigenous knowledge of vegetation resource utilisation, in particular the use of traditional medicinal plants in the provision of health care in the community of Khayelitsha and to determine traditional resource management approaches.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Pharmaceutical security in South Africa: law and medical geopolitics
    (University of the Western Cape, 2008) Gater, Thomas; Pirie, Gordon; Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies; Faculty of Arts
    The study focuses on the political and economic geographies of pharmaceutical delivery. In 1997 the South African government passed the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act, sparking outrage from both the local and international pharmaceutical industry, and resulting in court action in 2001. The industry believed that South Africa was in breach of its obligations under international intellectual property law. Those fighting for pharmaceutical security hoped the court case would be a 'landmark' in the global campaign for equitable access to medicines. This investigation seeks to analyse the domestic and international legacy of the court action. The inquiry takes its significance from the high prevalence rates of treatable diseases and the need for pharmaceutical security in South Africa and its neighbouring African countries. The absence of a sustainable international medicines delivery system is a global political, economic and moral failure. A solution is required that balances the positive productive forces of the market with a philosophy of justice and equity.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Tourism and multilingualism in Cape Town: language practices and policy
    (University of the Western Cape, 2009) Manaliyo, Jean-Claude; Pirie, Gordon; Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies
    Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable descriptive analysis of tourists� languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers� language rather than tourism service providers speaking tourists� languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the ourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists� native languages. Multilingualism should be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer�s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may affect other tourism sectors� performance.