An Airport in the Central Karoo

Atkinson, D, Myles, P and Van Rooyen, D (2013), An Airport in the Central Karoo: The Feasibility and Potential Impacts of the Karoo Gateway Airport, Beaufort West. Unpublished commissioned report, Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein; Funded by the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, Pretoria.   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  1. This report…

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Missing the uranium train

Van Rooyen, D (2012), “Missing the uranium train: Local economic development and civic culture in Beaufort West”, R Donaldson and L Marais (eds), Small Town Geographies in Africa: Experiences from South Africa and Elsewhere, Nova Press. (Author contact: griesd@ufs.ac.za; book for sale from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Geographies-Africa-Experiences/dp/162100001X).  

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Business confidence in a Karoo town

Van Rooyen, D (2011), “The U-turn: Business confidence in a Karoo town”, Southern African Business Review, vol. 15, no. 2, 2011.   ABSTRACT Business confidence helps explain the sentiments that business owners or managers have towards current and future business conditions. This article compares several ways of measuring business confidence. Business confidence is mostly surveyed…

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Environment in harvesting strategies

Van Rooyen, D and Van Zyl, J (2010), The role of the business environment in harvesting strategies, Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, vol. 3.   ABSTRACT Harvesting is made up of many different strategies that can be used by entrepreneurs to exit their business. This is a long-term ambition to create…

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Victoria West case study

Van Rooyen, D (2007), Victoria West case study. Unpublished report, Centre for Development Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein.   BACKGROUND – BRIEF HISTORY  The town of Victoria West was founded in 1843, when the Dutch Reformed Church bought a portion of the farm Zeekoegat from the estate of Mr. J.H. Claassens. The history…

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Sutherland case study

Van Rooyen, D (2007), Sutherland case study. Unpublished report, Centre for Development Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein.   BACKGROUND  Sutherland is famous for its cold climate. Sutherland gets frost on an average of 88 nights every year with an average minimum temperature of 3oC and a maximum of 20oC (Karoo Hoogland, 2004). Sutherland…

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Beaufort West case study

Van Rooyen, D (2007), Beaufort West case study. Unpublished report, Centre for Development Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. BACKGROUND – BRIEF HISTORY  The town of Beaufort West was established in 1818 on the farm Hooyvlakkte at the request of Lord Charles, Somerset, then governor of the Cape. The town was named in honour…

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