Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs)

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs) by Title

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Organisational culture, innovation, and environmental performance in South African iso 14001 certified organisations
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-06) Nokaneng, Tshepo Isaiah; Callaghan, Chris
    This study investigates the link between organisational culture, innovation, and organisational environmental performance, with a focus on South African ISO 14001-certified organisations. The study uses Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory and the competing values framework to make predictions and collects empirical data from 400 SABS-certified organisations using PLS-SEM. The findings are of interest to academics, organisations, and researchers and have potential for future studies to build upon. The study found that human resource management (HRM) policies are more effective in cultures that prioritise collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and developmental and rational culture. Labour relations also predict innovation and organisational environmental performance (OEP). The Schwartz individual values (SIV) model shows that age predicts openness to change, and the industrial sector predicts intrinsic satisfaction factors, conservation, and self enhancement values. Position predicts intrinsic satisfaction, conservation and self-enhancement values, openness to change, self-transcendence, and extrinsic satisfaction. Organisational tenure negatively predicts conservation and self- enhancement values, openness to change, self-transcendence values, and intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction. The industrial sector positively predicts individual environmental performance. These findings can aid policymakers, managers students, researchers, and practitioners in enhancing innovation, OEP, individual environmental performance (IndEP) and contributing to sustainability management literature using Hofstede cultural dimensions theory (CDT), competing values framework (CVF), Schwartz's values and motivational factors. This study provides evidence of the effects of cultural dimensions on OEP and identifies mediating or moderating factors. The findings offer knowledge to improve OEP, inform policymakers, and add value to managers, students, researchers, and practitioners. The study aids in implementing and improving environmental management systems, thus enhancing OEP. It also provides insights into using Schwartz's values and motivational factors that could enhance IndEP and contribute to the sustainability management literature
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    Organisational culture, values and performance in multinational companies in Mauritius
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Ramhit, Ketan Sharma; Callagha, Chris
    The national identity of Mauritius is built on its distinctive culture, history, and beliefs, which inform how people see the world. Multinational companies (MNCs) have beenattracted to Mauritius due to its role as an economic hub and proximity to African continental markets. In a globalised context, organisations increasingly need to understand what drives employee behaviour and the relationships between the individual values of their staff and their individual performance. This study investigates how individual values affect Mauritius Multinational Companies (MNCs) employee performance. It draws from the Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) organisational culture theory as well as Hofstede’s cultural values theory to understand relationships between organisational cultural values and employee performance. While Schwartz's theory acknowledges the influence of biological needs and social contexts on an individual's value priorities, it presents a more comprehensive approach byemphasising the psychological aspect of values. His theory recognises that an individual's biological needs and social environment can significantly impact their value system and subsequent choices. First, a modified grounded theory methodology was used in Stage 1 to conduct in-depth interviews with MNC managers utilising census sampling. Data analysis employed theoretical coding and constant mapping to derive a theoretical model of the relationships between individual values and individual performance. Through a process of exploring and explaining data, the theoretical framework emerged. Once the theoretical propositions were established, a model was derived from them and further strengthened by the relevant literature. Once the initial codes were established in the first step of qualitative analysis, the second step involved connecting these codes to concepts and themes. The step was accomplished by utilising a modified version of the Gioia approach. The Gioia approach employs a schematic representation to assess qualitative data and construct a visual data structure. A comprehensive theoretical model was constructed by deriving theoretical propositions and supplementing them with relevant literature. The values that emerged from the qualitative study aligned with Schwartz's value dimensions. In Stage 2, a quantitative ii survey was used to gather information from MNCs. Schwartz’s values dimensions were tested as to their relationships with employee performance. The model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Schwartz's higher-order values were found to significantly predict individual performance. These, together with work attitudes, motivation, and the work environment were found to be significant predictors of individual performance. Theory predicting moderating relationships of age, gender, and educational attainment on the relationships between individual values and individual performance was also tested, but no evidence of their moderating effects was found. Two models were assessed - one individual performance as the dependent variable, while the other used intention-to-quit. The model using individual performance displayed acceptable fit indices, but the one using intention-to-quit did not satisfy the requirements for model fit. In conclusion, this study highlights the critical role that individual values play in determining individual performance inside Mauritius MNCs, offering insightful information for businesses doing business there
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    Social context factors and consumer innovativeness as drivers of organic food adoption amongst millennials in South Africa
    (2022) Mhlophe, Bongani
    Modern-day marketing practitioners are more interested in understanding consumers’ acceptance of innovative products rather than obliviously introducing new products to the market, only to be left to endure the costly and disruptive consequences of product rejection. Once practitioners fully understand the aspects that stimulate consumers to adopt innovations, they will be able to devise well-informed strategies that are bound to accelerate the adoption of new products, create more demand, and positively impact their long-term profitability. Furthermore, once relevant knowledge is available, the high rejection of new products will likely to be lessened to a reasonable proportion. For marketing practitioners to understand the drivers of organic food espousal amongst Millennials, scholars must conduct relevant studies on the complex relationships that exist between adoption and its antecedent factors. Recent studies have maintained that research focus is skewed towards individual-level factors, while most scholars overlook the predictive ability of social context factors on Adoption Behaviour. Therefore, it became expedient that an empirical analysis of this kind must be conducted to forge a more profound understanding of how the social context factors impact the Adoption Behaviour of organic food, particularly in an emerging economy like South Africa. This study targeted Millennials, particularly in the urban cities of South Africa, i.e., Johannesburg and Pretoria (Gauteng), Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Cape Town (Western Cape). A proposed conceptual framework portraying the relationships between the studied constructs was developed, resulting in several suppositions that were later subjected to hypothesis testing. A non-probabilty and conveniently accessible sample was used to gather primary data from 385 respondents. Both self-administered online suveys and researcher administered survey questionnaires were used for data colletion which yielded a response rate of 78.9%. This raw data was quantitatively analysed through SPSS 27 (for descriptive statistics) and through Structural Equation Modelling using Amos 27 (for inferential statistics). Path Modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships of the structural model in a bid to either reject or fail to reject these suppositions. Moderation and moderated mediation effects were analysed using Hayes’ PROCESS Procedure for SPSS 4.0. While the moderating effect of Consumer Innovativesness was firmly establishled, this study, however, failed to garner enough statistical evidence to support the moderated mediation effects. Although the results of this study mostly confirmed the results from earlier studies, some new and exciting insights were derived; for example, an inverse relationship was found between Attitude and Adoption Behaviour, resulting in the nullification of hypothesis 8. The findings of this study delivered some critical theoretical contributions to the extant literature and meaningfully advanced the frontier of knowledge within the broader fields of generational and behavioural studies by providing fresh insights into the nature of the relationships between the studied constructs. Furthermore, this study also proffers practical suggestions that may aid marketing practitioners in devising and adopting well-informed strategies that will eventually enhance the adoption of organic food, particularly within the younger generational cohort. While a mismatch between Millennials’ Attitudes and their Adoption Behaviour was firmly established, this study further corroborates the findings from previous scholars that addressing negative Attitudes towards novelties is fundamental for their effective diffusion. These Attitudes must be fully understood and channelled to the right direction (e.g., through relevant promotional activities), in order to improve the espousal of organic foods, thus paving the way for these foodstuffs to realise their full market potential. Eventually, marketers will have the assurance of future demand and sustainable profitability if the adoption of organic food is accelerated to new heights. Although this study proffered meaningful contributions, some constraints were apparent, and these hurdles inevitably affected the generalisability of the findings of this study. Owing to these limitations, the results of this study lacked external validity and thus cannot be confidently applied to other similar research contexts. On the other hand, these limitations further unlocked avenues for future research endeavours.
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    The use of Self-service Technologies (interactive screens) in enhancing the shopping experience in selected South African shopping malls: a consumer/shopper perspective
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Uta, Lloyd; Klopper, H. D.; Duh, H.
    With the South African consumer market continuously evolving, it is imperative for shopping- mall owners to create more innovative shopping ways to satisfy the needs of the 21st century South African consumers. One of the innovative ways is to provide the use of self-service technologies (SSTs), which reportedly provides consumers positive cognitive, affective, and sensory customer experience benefits. Using SSTs in banks, shopping malls, hotels and other business environments have become a trend as customers do not only enjoy fresh and actionable experiences, they also get service quality, efficiency and entertainment that can be better and consistent than the human services. Despite these benefits, emerging markets such as India and South Africa respectively are slow to adopt SSTs, especially in the shopping mall environment. This study integrated relevant elements of technology acceptance model, diffusion of innovation theory, theory of planned behaviour and the flow theory to examine SST site factors (i.e., user interface, aesthetics and authenticity), the technology-related factors (i.e., relative advantage, complexity, perceived ease of use[PEOU], perceived usefulness [PU]) and consumer factors (i.e., subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, enjoyment and concentration) driving attitudes and behavioural intentions to use SSTs at some selected shopping malls in Johannesburg. The mediating roles of PU, PEOU and attitudes were also tested. Based on proximity to the researcher’s resident and malls similarities in size, ranking, and social class (i.e., middle and higher income) and socio-economic profiles of shoppers, the researcher selected three contemporary shopping malls which have been identified as super regional centres. These malls were Mall of Africa, Rosebank and Sandton City malls. Additionally, the malls have installed SSTs like information kiosks or interactive screens. A quantitative research study was conducted with data collected successfully from 260 respondents and analysed using structural equation modelling with Smart PLS. Sobel’s test was used to test mediation. Findings revealed that user-interface and aesthetics and authenticity positively impacted PU and PEOU. The PU and PEOU with relative advantage drove attitudes to adopt SSTs, which with perceived control, subjective norm and enjoyment were positive and significant drivers of behavioural intention to use SSTs. The mediating effects of PU, PEOU and attitudes were significant. Managerially, drivers of shoppers’ attitudes and intentions to adopt SSTS are exposed. Theoretically, the study’s integrated model enriches the explanation of the acceptance of a technology, that is SST, especially in emerging market and multicultural context