Wits Business School (ETDs)

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A comparative analysis of the extent of investment banking In Africa versus other emerging markets
(2020) Mphakathi, Solomon
This comparative study examines and explains investment banking levels in African emerging markets to the Asia Pacific counterparts. It examines how investment banking activities, especially the raising of capital, influence financial development. There is a paucity of studies conducted in these emerging markets to identify and contrast why their financial development levels are significantly different. African emerging markets appear to be lagging while the Asia Pacific emerging market economies are among the fastest-growing in the world. Finance theory underpins the framing of the study that demonstrates plausible relationship between financial development and economic growth. The methodological procedures followed a quantitative deductive approach through desktop and secondary data analysis to draw conclusions and make inferences. A multiple regression model was used to quantify the effects and extent to which investment banking contributes to financial development. GDP per capita and human development level relate positively to African countries' financial development level. The literature review also revealed some interesting and relevant facts about African economies and the challenges they face. Despite some marked growth in some African economies vis-a-vis others, important structural adjustments appear necessary prerequisites for enhancing Africa's financial and economic development more sustainably. Surprisingly, the empirical analysis identified no evidence of statistically significant relationship between the measure of level of investment banking (in this study) and financial development.
A comparison of investor attractiveness of oil and gas exploration and production regulatory environments and fiscal regimes in South Africa and Mozambique
(2022) Sigedle, Anelisa
The petroleum industry plays an important role both in South Africa (SA) and Mozambique’s economies. It is one of the most important sources of energy and the largest single commodity in international trade. This study aimed to explore and compare the fiscal policies of Mozambique and SA in respect of the attractiveness of the fiscal regime used to attract investment to South Africa as opposed to Mozambique. The study explored the evolution of policies in both countries. This was done by comparing the fiscal regimes using a hypothetical case model for both countries, which applied different tax rates and state participation in an oil field project. Net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) were used to evaluate the project success and how much the government or the contractor stands to make from the different fiscal regimes. The results showed that the project NPV is highest for the investor when the proposed Mineral Petroleum Resource Bill is applied than the current Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the Petroleum Law in Mozambique. The results also showed that the proposed fiscal regime in SA will decrease the NPV for the investor, which makes it less attractive. The study showed that increased state participation has a greater impact on changing the contractor’s NPV. If these two governments want to encourage investors to continue exploration in their countries, there should be a balance between the profit that companies make and the revenue that the governments can collect. Thus, the policy recommendation for SA includes having negotiable royalties that promote investment in exploration and increase resources in oil and gas.
A conceptual framework for the South African fintech ecosystem
(2021) Masangwana, Vuyelwa
The term ‘ecosystem’ is synonymous with multi-company dynamic teamwork and a new way of organised economic activities. It is thus important to understand the modes of interaction among the heterogeneous actors in the ecosystem. Financial Technology (FinTech) became prominent after the financial crisis when the financial industry's role in economic growth became a global concern. Many FinTech companies were established by bankers who found themselves unemployed after the financial crisis and found creative ways to use their skills in financial services. The purpose of FinTech companies in the economy became pre-eminent due to their ability to reduce economic risks and costs through innovation. It also became clear that FinTech would benefit the financial system due to its efficiency in addressing transaction costs, information asymmetry and in addressing issues of taxation. No market player can afford to operate in a silo in the digital age, as collaboration and partnerships are more critical than ever. According to the IMF website (2020), South Africa is a dual economy and has one of the highest inequality levels worldwide. According to a Business Technology article published in 2019, there is still an untapped consumer opportunity, as there are nearly 1.2 billion people globally who do not have bank accounts. South Africa has a large unbanked or underbanked population, estimated to be about 11 million people. A healthy FinTech ecosystem will develop in South Africa if there is an improvement on barriers to entry and a better understanding of the consumer. The study aimed to establish whether the existing FinTech ecosystem models are suitable for the South African context and identify any discrepancies and similarities between developed and developing world FinTech ecosystem models. Qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews was conducted. The sample included 12 executives from South Africa who represented entrepreneurs and start-ups, policymakers and financial institutions. The sampling technique was purposive in nature, and it was chosen because of its convenience. The study found that an additional function of funding must be explicitly specified as a government role in the South African context. In addition, the study revealed that in the South African sense, customers must be segmented further to include the unbanked and underbanked market. There is no existing FinTech ecosystem model for South Africa, and this study has developed a model that suits developing countries, specifically South Africa. Finally, the study ii uncovered that incubation and mentorship are essential components of the FinTech ecosystem in South Africa. The study will assist policymakers and other FinTech ecosystem players to gain a better understanding of their roles and how they can contribute and collaborate to make the FinTech ecosystem a success. The study will also aid policymakers and FinTech companies to focus on consumers and help policymakers consider some of the frustrations that participants have raised about policies. It will further assist them in FinTech policy formulation and amendment of the existing or the creation of new policies and legislation.
A framework for Mobile Application integrated with Biometric Authentication to Improve Youth participation in Elections
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Botsime, Kealeboga Obed; Pellissier, Prof René
The purpose of this research study is to apply the technology acceptance framework to assess the prospect of using mobile application integrated with biometric authentication that might improve the South African’s youth participation in elections. The main objectives of this research are to measure the extent to which youth voters have trust in internet and the ability for the national government to conduct online elections, evaluate the youth voters ICT accessibility and skills and to determine the attitudes, perceptions as well as intention to participate in online elections using framework for mobile application. A quantitative research approach was adopted for this research. An onlinequestionnaire on formplus platform is used to collect data from Gauteng youth (18-35 years); 209 participants had valid responses. A conceptual framework is proposed using constructs and theories from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The constructs were adopted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and it was also extended with trust constructs. The findings of this research are youth respondents have indicated that they agree (eighty-four percent) and have intention to use the mobile application to participate in online voting if it becomes available and they have the willingness to learn how to use it. The intention of youth to use mobile phones for online voting as an important contributing factor to improve youth participation in elections.
A human capital perspective of digital business and service delivery in Johannesburg
(2022) Thari, Kagiso
The digitalisation of processes and services has grown popular as a result of the fourth industrial revolution. Digital businesses have successfully demonstrated that technology can offer strategic value, inspiring global governments to improve the quality of services offered to the public through digitalisation. The integration of digital technology into the service delivery strategy of the City of Johannesburg remains a subject with limited understanding. This qualitative study explored the level of integration of digital technologies in the delivery of public services by conducting six semi-structured interviews with the middle managers within the city. The collected data were thematically analysed by applying a dynamic capabilities framework with a focus on human capital. It was determined that the level of integration is still in its infancy, owing to the decentralised nature of the organisation. It was further determined that the human capital within the city is adequate to improve the level of integration of digital technology with the service delivery strategy from infancy to an advanced state, provided that there is organisational support for the middle managers.
A small-scale sustainable farm in Tlapeng, Kagisano Molopo Municipality, North-West Province
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Parkins, Lorato; Moyo, Bhekinkosi
This project focuses on the establishment of a small farm business venture in Tlapeng Village, a rural area in Northwest Province, to explore market opportunities and promote social empowerment. By employing sustainable farming practices, the project seeks to enhance the socio-economic conditions of the community. Through a thorough assessment of market dynamics and consumer preferences in Kagisano Molopo, the project examines market demand, competitive landscapes, and consumer preferences. This analysis aids in identifying potential customers and developing unique selling propositions and understanding distribution channels and exploring niche markets, effective marketing strategies can be devised to gain market share. The project emphasizes the impact of a small farm business venture on social empowerment and business sustainability and highlights the key contributors to social empowerment, including bridging the knowledge gap, optimizing human resources, providing training and education programs, generating employment opportunities, ensuring access to healthy food, and fostering collaboration with the local community. These initiatives not only improve individuals' livelihoods but also foster a sense of community and overall well-being.
A study of Industry 4.0 technologies and customer perception in the insurance industry
(2021) Busschau, Mary C.B
The changes in society and business towards a more digitised and connected world evoke feelings of both excitement and anxiety. Businesses are increasingly using these technologies to ensure optimal customer service and delivery of services and products, but the literature shows that many customers may not be ready for this change. Industry 4.0 technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things are bringing increased awareness around customer concerns on privacy, fear of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence, and a general distrust of new technology. This research study looks at the potential issues that customers have with digital technology and their perceptions of South African insurance providers using this technology. The research also looks at whether customer education and communication have an impact on these areas of privacy concerns, fear of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence and distrust of new technology and customer perception. A quantitative research method was applied through an online survey, of which 395 participants formed the segment. Using correlation statistics and structural equation modelling the results showed that a unit increase in privacy concerns was more likely to improve their perceptions towards insurance by as much as 17.9%. The results also suggest that there is a 26% chance that improvements in trust in technologies could positively impact respondents' perceptions of insurance. The study also revealed that fear of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence have nothing to do with customer perceptions; results were not significant at the 5% level. Further results indicated that customer education and transparent communication significantly impact customer perception related to privacy concerns by 61.15% and distrust of new technologies by 143.15%. These results support most of the theories from the literature
Absenteeism and motivational factors at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Emergency Unit
(2021) Ndwandwe, Martin
Absenteeism, which is the practice of not attending a scheduled work duty as expected by an employer, is a serious concern in South African health institutions, which already suffer staff shortages. This study analyses the causes of absenteeism and its consequences for the emergency unit of a public hospital. The research was conducted through a qualitative and quantitative analysis using primary data. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires with ten participants working at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Emergency Unit. Data analysis was conducted using codes and themes which were interpreted to deduce meaningful findings. The main findings were that poor working conditions, poor work relationships, poor management and inadequate compensation contribute to absenteeism. Absenteeism has negative repercussions for all stakeholders at a public hospital, especially the public, for whom the absence of staff equates to poor service delivery. Moreover, absenteeism results in the overloading of remaining staff, an increase in pressure on managers, and a poor reputation for the institution as a whole
Achieving price pack architecture in South Africa’s processed food industry through frugal innovation
(2021) Rautenbach, D E
For successful penetration into new markets, organisations should provide consumers with a product solution that is accessible to them and meets their needs, at a price point they are both willing and able to pay, while maintaining the value proposition. This process is known as price pack architecture. This study investigated whether the constructs of disintermediation and price pack architecture could be integrated to enable businesses to successfully reach the bottomof-the-pyramid market in South Africa. Several research studies have shown that price pack architecture can be implemented by organisations to extend their reach into new market segments effectively, if all theoretical concepts relating to product, price, and accessibility are applied. However, when it relates to the bottom-of-the-pyramid market, several distribution challenges deter organisations from extending their reach to the lower income market, impeding a successful price pack architecture model. This case-based research study on the processed meat industry demonstrates how the amalgamation of disintermediation and price pack architecture can assist organisations to overcome the barriers to entry that make it difficult for them to sell their products to the bottom-of-thepyramid market in South Africa. It is proposed that price pack architecture could enable organisations to expand their market reach. However, to achieve successful price pack architecture strategies for the bottom-of-the-pyramid market, disintermediation needs to be incorporated as a constituent factor of price pack architecture. The research study outlines two key objectives. Firstly, to demonstrate how the application of price pack architecture can aid organisations to effectively extend their reach to the bottom-of-the-pyramid-market by incorporating an additional theoretical construct to overcome the distribution challenges experienced in the processed meat industry. Secondly, to demonstrate the effect of incorporating disintermediation as a component of price pack architecture.
The activation of individual customer intimacy towards a financial organisation through personalised marketing in South Africa
(2021) Visagie, Marné
South African financial organisations face challenges to emotionally connect with a diverse, financially vulnerable consumer market. It is well-researched that building customer value drives growth and profitability. This study explores the concept of customer intimacy – a value discipline presented by Treacy and Wiersema (1993) – as a marketing strategy focused on perceptions of value to create, communicate and deliver emotional experiences. It investigates personalisation as the leveraged customer information and one-to-one customer relationship to individually target and activate a customer’s feelings of intimacy during digital interactions. In this context, when a customer feels understood and appreciated, they experience intimacy, a warm feeling, or a sense of belonging. Social connections might draw attention, motivate engagement, and positively influence attitudes and behaviours to build emotional connections. A neuromarketing experiment observed the personalised experience and intimacy effect to predict an emotional connection. Adapting to remote research during the Covid-19 pandemic required three instruments: facial coding, an interview, and a survey. Two groups were selected; existing clients (emotionally connected) and non-clients (not connected). They joined an online video meeting to interact with two different email communications. Recorded emotional responses were analysed with facial expression software, themes, and statistics. Results reveal a positive relationship: personalisation as an intimate experience is significant in predicting the customer’s attitude towards the organisation. The two critical intimacy influencers are the accuracy of the organisation’s customer knowledge and the quality of the financial adviser relationship. Two surprising findings were extracted; the emotionally connected responded insignificantly, while non-clients reacted significantly. Also, the customer knowledge an adviser holds might have an adverse effect on the experience. Findings suggest that personalisation and multiple intimate interactions support the activation of an emotional connection. Implementing and activating individual customer intimacy requires individual targeting, close relationships, and personalised marketing campaigns
The adoption of intelligent robot automation by auditors within South Africa
(2021) Naidoo, Evaashan
To automate, or not to automate, that is the question? The use of disruptive technologies has changed, and in many instances, has replaced traditional business operations and models. The auditing profession has been burdened with high costs and reputational damage as a result of false results due to a high dependency on manual tasks that are susceptible to errors or manipulation. The use of robots to help minimise these errors, achieve efficiencies and reduce costs, provides a convincing theoretical case to automate. The objective of this research is to apply the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to understand the views of audit professionals determine the factors that would influence organisations to use robot technology for performing audits in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative approach, where a survey questionnaire consisting of 39 questions, aligned with the UTAUT model, was used to gather data. The sample comprised 59 auditors and 26 non-auditors who were involved in audits performed in South Africa. The non-auditors comprised of a Chief Information Officer, Finance Managers, Heads of Product, and various Senior Risk Management Professionals. A purposive sampling technique was used to select individuals who had an understanding of the capabilities of robots, and the potential use of robots to support business operations. The results of the study highlighted that performance expectancy and facilitating conditions were the key factors that influenced the adoption of robots in audits. Auditors and clients were more likely to use robots if they felt it would improve their performance. The respondents were more likely to use robots if it enabled the quicker completion of tasks, reduced errors, increased the number of tasks that could be completed and delivered better value than manual processes. The study also highlighted that sufficient investment and management support would be provided to ensure that an enabling environment is established for using robots to perform audit tasks. This would include acquiring management support as well as finding hardware, software, and skills to support the robotics development initiatives. The study provides more insight on how leaders and management in the auditing field can use insights attained through this study to successfully influence and support the use of robots to perform audits. Furthermore, the study contributes to an increased used of robotics in auditing which could improve the quality and efficiency of the auditor’s work. The study contributes towards the body of knowledge in the accounting and robot fields of study
Afrocentric leadership coaching among Shona men in Zimbabwe
(2020) Mhlanga, Brian Ndabaningi
This study looks at the need for an African approach to leadership coaching. It aims to contribute towards a leadership coaching model that is Afrocentric or is framed around the African concept of “Ubuntu”. Leadership coaching is a profession that is widely practiced and yet has limited scientific theory. Practitioners on the African continent rely heavily on the Eurocentric philosophical approaches to leadership coaching without taking cognizance of cultural considerations among other things. Using the social identity theory, and a case study of Zimbabwe Shona male executives will be conducted on selected Shona cultural aspects on leadership and how gender, spirituality, socioeconomic and political factors have impacted on leadership coaching. The tools used for data collection included observations and interviews (semi-structured face-to-face). The target population comprised eight Shona male executives and four leadership coaches working in the provinces of Mashonaland East and West, Harare and Midlands, Zimbabwe. Data collected for this study is qualitative and was interpreted using QSRNVIVO in uncovering emerging themes, patterns and insights. The findings of the study reveal that the Shona traditional ways of healing are appropriate and can be integrated into western and modern leadership coaching. The study also established coaching in Zimbabwe among Shona men is perceived to be a western leadership development tool and fails to embrace African spiritual consciousness sufficiently. The study gives an understanding of how Shona men understand and experience leadership mastery revealing the need to accommodate some of the Shona aspects of culture to leadership coaching. Insights from this exploration will contribute towards the formulation of an Ubuntu Leadership Coaching model that could add value to leadership coaching not only in Zimbabwe but potentially across the continent.
Alternative finance: definition, sources and implications for the financial sector
(2020) Chabaya, Bothwell
The research will seek to highlight the sources of alternative finance and in the same vain highlight the structural problems of ‘’tainted intermediation’’ brought about as a result of the rise of Alternative Finance. It seeks to introduce a framework for regulatory thinking and approach in response to the emergence of alternative finance especially given that it is a new and developing phenomenon. The research will assist with further studies in the area of financial inclusion in the emerging economies as a result of alternative finance as well as the role and impact of alternative finance in the democratization of the financial sector. The study seeks to contribute in highlighting the main sources of alternative finances from the different types offered in the financial sector. It goes further to explore whether these sources of alternative finance result in reintermediation or disintermediation 15 answering the questions of who and what the intermediator is because of alternative finance. This exploration would highlight the problem of ‘’tainted intermediary’’, as well as lead to an introduction of how regulators and policymakers should frame their thought process and approach in the development of regulation governing the operations of new and alternative finance. Because alternative finance is a new and developing phenomenon the study will assist in further study of the area by the academic community from insights provided.
An analysis of the effect of systematic risk factors on returns of the South African banking sector
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Malatji, Tumiso Chris; Chakamera, Chengete
Understanding the risk-return relationship is vital to effectively allocate assets based on investors’ risk tolerances and return requirements. To achieve this, it becomes a peerless need to effectively manage investors’ exposure given the macroeconomic environment in which their investments operate. Addressing this will ensure a more comprehensive understanding of macroeconomic risk in the process of generating returns. This research seeks to understand the nature of the relation of systematic risk factors on the returns of the South African banking sector while also establishing what the combined impact of the risk factors is. Additionally, this research paper aims to demonstrate the existence, or lack thereof, of a long-term linkage between sectoral banking returns in South Africa and the macroeconomic risk factors. In addressing the first research objective, the OLS regression is applied. The PCA is used to create the composite index of the risk factors. To establish the existence of a long run link, ARDL test was performed. Of the eight risk factors used in this paper, only three were found to be statistically significant. The JSE ALSI was discovered to be positively related to banking returns while the gold price and rates of interest were surmised to be adversely correlated to returns. Nevertheless, the combined effect of the systematic risk variables was significant in describing the returns of the South African banking sector. Moreover, this research paper established the existence of a long-term linkage between the macroeconomic risk parameters and South African banking sectoral returns. The results of this research report deduce that careful assessment of banking sector exposure must be conducted given the macroeconomic environment movements in which banks operate. This will ensure that necessary adjustments, from Tactical Asset Allocation and Strategic Asset Allocation perspectives, are made so that risk budgets are not exceeded while pursuing returns.
An analysis of the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility in the mining sector: a comparative study of South Africa and Zimbabwe mining companies
(2020) Mandevere, Melody
Over the past years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has received increased attention from the corporate world and international organisations. There has been a call for an Africanised CSR agenda based on the African context since CSR activities being undertaken in developing countries do not address the root cause of poverty and fail to improve relations with local communities. There is concern over the sustainability of the CSR projects undertaken by mining companies in Zimbabwe and the motives behind CSR activities aimed at benefitting the mining companies’ shareholders and less on the community where they operate. CSR projects in Zimbabwe differ to that of South Africa although the companies are subsidiaries. This comparative study between Zimbabwe and South Africa’s mining sectors has been carried out to analyse the effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The study followed the interpretivism philosophy and the qualitative research design with multiple case studies in the two countries. The target population for the research were two companies with branches in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Hence four mines were chosen, two in Zimbabwe and two in South Africa. A total of 22 respondents were purposively selected consisting of community representatives, mining company representatives, non-governmental stakeholders and governmental stakeholders. Data was triangulated by integrating semi-structured interviews and secondary documents. The findings indicated that in South Africa there is more stakeholder inclusion and ownership of the CSR projects as compared to Zimbabwe. This is more attributed to the nature of the South African legislation on CSR that encourages stakeholder inclusion. The stakeholder inclusion and ownership contributes to project sustainability which then leads to effectiveness of CSR. The research also concluded that an Africanised CSR agenda should prioritize legal iii issues over others. This means African countries need to attend to their legislation so that CSR is mandatory with ‘social impact’ as the driving force. The study contributes to the CSR literature specifically as a comparative study between African countries. This is one of the few empirical studies that compare CSR in neighbouring developing countries. Moreover, the study also addresses whether there is a need for a more Africanised CSR to address the social challenges and understand the effectiveness of the Africanised CSR agenda leading to sustainable development
An application of goal programming model to a bank balance sheet management
(2019) Chiwandire, Denise D M
The research presented the application of a goal programming model to the balance sheet management of South African Banks in segmented markets based on multiple goals such as asset accumulation, total liability, shareholders wealth, profitability, earnings and total goal achievement. The significance of the study can measure the effectiveness of policy decisions and plan future investments effectively. The model determined the optimal structure of the balance sheet based on the fulfilment of strategic objectives. Data collected from annual financial reports covered the period 2011 to 2019. The solutions showed the achievement of all goals and possible improvements in target values for optimization.
An Assessment of the Business Innovation Model Strategy used to enhance information technology by ABSA
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Sidali, Nozi; Pellissie, Rene
The purpose of this research was to provide an analysis and understanding of how ABSA bank dealt with inertia, resistance to change and managed to have a low risk tolerance during the implementation and adoption of their revised business model where transformation attempts sometimes do not achieve the expected objectives. For this astudy, the researcher used ABSA bank’s Information Technology Strategy with the requirements and characteristics of a business model innovation and outlined the primary innovation enablers that assisted the bank becoming a digitally powered business amongst its competitors in South Africa (SA). In South Africa, the topic of innovation, digitalisation and digitising banks has always been an ever-present agenda item for the banking sector. However, before the recent Covid -19 pandemic, these topics were still in their infancy in most banks. They have challenged the traditional old-age business models within many organisations. This study will assess ABSA bank’s Information Technology Strategy as a business model, relate it to the industry- used business models, determine if it complies with the requirements and characteristics of a business model innovation, and determine to what extent the relationship is. Listed on the JSE, ABSA is a proudly pan-African bank with a geographical footprint in 13 countries such as (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) and prides themselves on diversity, also having entities in the United Kingdom, the United States as well an IT specialist office in the Czech Republic (ABSA, 2022). For this study, the researcher applied a intepretivism research paradigm to analyse and understand ABSA’s information technology strategy and business model, the itertia and how the bank managed to have a low risk tolerance during its implementation and adotion. A random sampling method was used to select the twelve participants to collect data for this study and ensure a fair diversity regarding ethnicity, job roles, job grade, gender and employee tenure within ABSA. A highlight from the findings of this research suggests with no doubt, ix digital transformation, the importance of innovating a business model and its benefits are a vehicle that could assist organisations to stand out from their competitors, gain more revenue and upscale. The analysis of this ABSA case and benchmarking the researcher did during this study states that it takes a few iterations of innovation before successfully innovating a business model for any organisation. When done right, this research suggests that innovating business models for organisations can be the most powerful tool for any business
An examination of the performance of hedge funds in South Africa
(2021) Makhubela, Romeo
This study examines the hedge fund industry's performance in South Africa from 31 March 2015 to 31 March 2020. The period under review is significant as the hedge fund industry was first regulated and monitored from 2015 onwards. The industry has been seen by critics and other stakeholders as greedy, corrupt, and charging outrageous investor fees. Since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent recession, the hedge fund industry has underperformed its respective benchmarks on average. The study seeks to analyse the hedge fund strategies' performance in South Africa against their benchmarks for a 5-year monthly period starting March 2015 to March 2020 against traditional investment products' benchmarks such as the All-Share, SWIX SA, and All bond Index. The exercise aims to establish whether investors are adequately compensated for their fees against these products' risks and returns. Another critical factor in our analysis is to determine whether or not the industry performance has been persistent. Persistency of Performance is tested using different statistical methodologies such as Cross Product Ratio (CPR) Test, Chi-Square Test, Cross-Sectional Regression (CSR) Test and, Binomial Test to understand whether skill or luck is a factor in analysing the performance of managers
An implementation framework for BYOD in a selected state-owned enterprise
(2020) Mokoena, Elliot
This study will explore the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon in South African State-Owned Enterprise, Transnet. The concept has become significant during the global pandemic lockdown and the resultant slowing of the economy forcing state-owned enterprises to review their cost saving measures. The objective is to identify critical factors influencing BYOD implementation with the purpose of understanding how these factors shape the actions of the information technology portfolio at Transnet. The Perceived e-Readiness Model (PERM) isadopted to identify contextual BYOD adoption factors. There are several studies conducted on the corporate adoption of BYOD, but few have investigated the phenomenon from state-owned enterprise (SOE) perspective in South Africa specifically. The study highlights the importance of technological and organisational readiness in the adoption of BYOD. Due to the complexities in cyber security, the study further highlights the importance of IT security to ensure correct adoption of BYOD as a response to continued work from home response during the Covid-19 pandemic, securing both the user’s privacy and confidentiality as well as the organisational goals of productivity.
An integrative cognitive-behavioural framework for predicting collective intelligence in small teams
(2020) Yu-Jen Chen, Jefferson
Leaders’ capability to empower their employees to form small intelligent teams will profoundly impact the competitiveness of their organisations, considering that unrelenting disruption and fierce competition are the norms in today’s business landscape. In part, owing to this reason, the study of collective intelligence (CI) has emerged as a notable interdisciplinary body of knowledge in recent years. Scholars have regarded CI as the socio-psychological concept that accounts for how team members can derive superior ideas leading to higher performance when working together as collectives instead of as individuals. The study of CI in adults is relatively new ground for management science and various research gaps persist. Not only does a well-validated CI predicting framework not exist, many CI studies were not carried out in settings that closely resemble the real-life organisational context. Some researchers even contest the legitimacy and the existence of CI. To study CI in small teams can be challenging. One of the pertinent challenges is that factors attributing towards the development of individual adults’ intelligence are not well-understood. Newly emerged studies have further highlighted the poor correlation between scores generated from widely-adopted intelligent quotients (IQ) tests and adults’ intelligence. Other studies have asserted that one cannot simply assign adults’ IQ as the results of their biological attributes and further advocate that it is more accurate to study what the cognitive-behaviours are that influence the intelligence of adults in the day-to-day context. In a similar trend of logic, CI researchers have greatly accentuated that an integrative cognitive-behavioural framework that can predict the CI of the small teams is well-needed but has not yet been established. Taking these scholarly recommendations as the basis for the research design, this study regards CI as an emergent asset that arises from the cognitive-behaviours between team members during the problem-solving and decision-making processes. This study assessed the causal relations between twenty hypotheses of three cognitive-behavioural clusters, viz. resource acquisition and utilisation (RAU), strategic thinking (ST) and team members exchange (TMX), and the CI of the Action Learning Project (ALP) teams based on the outcomes of ALP competitions. The lack of academic consensus on how these twenty cognitive-behaviours impact the CI of small teams provides added novelty to this research. Considering that ALP teams are subjected to an environment that shares a fair amount of similarities with the real-life corporate scenarios but with less interference by other complex issues, the empirical findings allow researchers to further their scholarly knowledge, practitioners to design better ALP content and leaders to empower their teams. A questionnaire was developed and tested before inviting research participants to rate their own cognitive-behaviours as individuals and concurrently to assess the same cognitive-behaviours of their teams as collectives. Seeing that CI studies commonly rely on participants’ self-reporting data about the perceptions on their own cognitive-behaviours only but hardly having been probed and compared against the outcome of the participants’ perceptions of their teams as collective, contrasting two surveying approaches allow this study to conclude which approach is more appropriate for CI related studies. The responses of 406 delegates from 12 programmes were deemed fit for use, and the datasets were subjected to various statistical calculations. The findings revealed that the two datasets obtained from the two surveying approaches produced two slightly different structural path models after they were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistic techniques. The hypotheses were reassigned into different factor dimensionalities, and subsequently, the partial least squares structural equation modelling calculations were applied to these two models. The statistical results indicated that the H-null for one of the 20 hypotheses must be rejected. An explanation was offered. Subsequently, the factors accepted were ranked according to the degree of potential impact on the overall CI of the ALP teams. The plausible rationales and the implications of this ranking are discussed. In addition, it was found that the datasets obtained from the “Rate Team” surveying approach produced a slightly better CI predictability than the ones obtained from the “Rate Self” surveying approach. The suitability of the surveying approach for CI related study is then discussed. Despite the differences between these two structural path models being marginal, this study observed a profound contrast of the key insights of each model. For the model generated from “Rate Self” surveying approach, it underscores the importance of the RAU cognitive-behaviours. Whereas the model generated from “Rate Self” surveying approach advocates that small teams must pay equal emphasis to all three types of cognitive-behaviours (RAU, ST and TMX) in order to boost overall CI of the ALP teams. The findings challenge the popular management philosophy of “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. Instead, the outcome of the study draws attention to the equal importance of gathering and utilising resources, thinking strategically and harnessing helpful styles of interaction among team members. The limitations and contributions were discussed. Recommendations for future studies are also proposed based on the findings uncovered.

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