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Communities in WIReDSpace

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 19

Recent Submissions

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    Digital fraud and the adoption of digital banking services by customers in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Naidoo, Kevandren; Hughes, Mitchell
    The banking industry in South Africa rapidly changed when traditional banks embarked on digital transformation initiatives. The digital transformation has come with challenges as the potential for digital fraud arguably increases as customers adopt digital channels. Customers therefore may have been afraid to adopt digital channels, which could have caused low adoption rates. The study aimed to investigate to what extent the threat of digital fraud affected customers' adoption of digital banking services in South Africa. Customer intention, perceived risk, perceived benefits, and trust were measured to examine the effects of digital fraud. A quantitative research approach was adopted in this study. The data from respondents was collected via a survey. Convenience sampling was adopted, and 350 respondents were targeted. However, only 150 responded to the survey. The response rate was 42.9%, which was deemed acceptable. The findings indicated that intention alone does influence adoption. The findings also indicated that perceived risk did not significantly influence adoption. Perceived benefits in this study significantly influenced the adoption of digital banking services. The study also indicated that trust is critical in mitigating the impact of perceived risk associated with digital banking services. The research focused on the adoption of digital banking services in South Africa. However, there was an opportunity to conduct further research in other industries and contexts. In conclusion, the research has shown that organisations that can demonstrate benefits when customers use their digital banking services and gain their customers’ trust will likely not experience decreased adoption and use of their digital service offering.
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    Digital maturity and employee wellness programmes and the influence thereof on employee participation
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Mzinyane, Mbali
    Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been accelerated transformation in the workplace that has affected the overall wellness of employees. With a changing workforce and increasing expectations from employees, companies have had to expand their employee wellness initiatives to meet the needs of their employees (Bhaidkar, 2022). Even though organisations have expanded the scope of employee wellness programmes (EWPs) to include and support employee mental health and wellbeing, these initiatives remain underutilised and undervalued. While low utility rates can be associated with a variety of factors including a lack of awareness of EWP services, limited access and inadequate coverage of services offered, it is organisation-wide factors such as organisational culture and behaviours modelled by leaders that affect participation. This paper explores digital maturity and Employee Wellness Programmes (EWPs) and the influence thereof on employee participation by considering employee perceptions of the awareness, access, and utility of these services. This paper examines if the digitalisation of EWPs affects variables such as awareness, access, and utility in employee wellness initiatives. Using a qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews of volunteering participants and the Maturity Model of Technology Adoption for Educational Organisations (MMEO) as a framework to evaluate the digital maturity of EWPs in an organisational setting, this research suggests that employee perceptions and attitudes towards EWPs affect utility and participation rates despite increasing levels of digital transformation of EWPs. Employee participation in EWPs is less influenced by their design (including the adoption of digital tools) and more by employee perceptions and attitudes, work- related demands, and concerns around confidentiality and trust of the EWPs. Organisational culture and leadership also play a critical role in shaping employee engagement where visible promotion and modelling from leaders enhance credibility and uptake, whilst a non-trusting organisational culture can hinder use.
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    Shannon information entropy, soliton clusters and Bose-Einstein condensation in log gravity
    (Springer, 2023-03) Mvondo-She, Yannick
    We give a probabilistic interpretation of the configurational partition function of the logarithmic sector of critical cosmological topologically massive gravity, in which the Hurwitz numbers considered in our previous works assume the role of probabilities in a distribution on cycles of permutations. In particular, it is shown that the permutations are distributed according to the Ewens sampling formula which plays a major role in the theory of partition structures and their applications to diffusive processes of fragmentation, and in random trees. This new probabilistic result together with the previously established evidence of solitons in the theory provide new insights on the instability originally observed in the theory. We argue that the unstable propagation of a seed soliton at single particle level induces the generation of fragments of defect soliton clusters with rooted tree configuration at multiparticle level, providing a disordered landscape. The Shannon information entropy of the probability distribution is then introduced as a measure of the evolution of the unstable soliton clusters generated. Finally, based on Feynman’s path integral formalism on permutation symmetry in the λ-transition of liquid helium, we argue that the existence of permutation cycles in the configurational log partition function indicates the presence of Bose-Einstein condensates in log gravity.
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    Experiences of the Wellbeing of Households with Severe Disability on Zambia’s Social Cash Transfer Programme
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Mwamba, Most
    This research report explores the experiences of households with severe disabilities participating in Zambia’s Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme. The study aims to explore experiences beyond cash value that are essential for maximizing the effectiveness of Cash Transfer Programmes (CTPs) for people with disabilities. The primary objective is to contribute to the evidence on the impact of cash transfer programmes in enhancing the wellbeing of people with disabilities, focusing on outcomes beyond financial support. An inductive, qualitative approach was employed, rooted in interpretative paradigms, to gain insights into participants' experiences. The study was conducted in Lusaka and Chongwe districts, involving interviews with households with persons with disabilities and focus group discussions with heads of beneficiary households. Findings highlight the significant positive impact of cash transfers on household economic stability, educational opportunities, healthcare access, empowerment, mental health, and small business investments. However, challenges such as insufficient amounts, payment delays, administrative barriers, inadequate support for special needs, and limited long-term impact were also identified. Participants suggested additional support measures, including free or subsidized healthcare, provision of assistive devices, accessible education and vocational training, and access to savings and credit facilities. In summary, this research provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of CTPs on people with disabilities, offering insights for theory, policy, practice, and social inclusion. It informs policy development and promotes the design of more effective and inclusive social protection programmes.
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    Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices influencing the performance of high-growth ventures listed on JSE Altx
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Motha, Thabo S.; Urban, Boris
    The incorporation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices is increasingly prioritised in global corporate strategies to enhance sustainable development and stakeholder trust. Investment decisions are progressively influenced by non-financial metrics, prompting the adoption of ESG frameworks by both major corporations and emerging firms in competitive markets like the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Altx. However, empirical research on the performance effects of ESG in high-growth enterprises, especially in emerging markets with evolving institutional support for ESG, is scarce. Current literature predominantly examines established firms, neglecting how nascent companies navigate ESG responsibilities amidst rapid growth, thus creating a research gap regarding the impact of ESG on innovation and financial performance. This study seeks to assess the influence of ESG practices on the performance of high-growth ventures listed on the JSE Altx by analysing the separate effects of environmental, social, and governance factors. Utilising a positivist and quantitative research methodology, the study analysed secondary data from 25 high-growth firms collected between 2023 and 2024, incorporating ESG ratings, financial reports, and innovation metrics with statistical techniques including Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression via SPSS. The findings indicate that while environmental practices positively affect innovation performance, no ESG dimensions significantly impact financial or operational results, suggesting that ESG adoption among high-growth Altx firms may be more compliance-driven than strategically motivated. These results underscore the nascent nature of ESG's effectiveness as a performance enhancer in this sector, indicating an urgent need for specialised policy support, ESG reporting frameworks for SMEs, and initiatives to ensure that ESG integration yields real value for firms and society.