Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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    The Relationship Between Talent Management Practices and Organisational Competitiveness in South African Law Firms
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mbuqe, Sinomtha; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    The globalisation of legal services has massively amplified competition among professional service firms in South Africa and globally. To compete more effectively in the present-day environment, characterized by increased competition and enhanced customer expectations, sustaining high performance is critical. Due to scarcity of talent, law firms compete for the same pool of human resources to acquire and retain to increase growth in profitability and service. Literature has identified talent management practices (“TMP”) such as talent identification, selection, retention, and development as sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Despite talent management and its practices being established concepts in literature and in practice, there is an apparent lacuna in research on TMP in the context of South African law firms and whether such practices enhance their competitiveness. The objective of this study was to ascertain the relationship between TMP and organisational competitiveness in South African law firms operating within the Gauteng province. A quantitative study was undertaken, with statistics gathered from employees of law firms located in Gauteng, South Africa. A random sampling technique was used and data was collected from 56 participants using a semi-structured survey questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. The empirical findings indicated that all constructs associated with TMP, namely talent attraction, talent development, talent retention and reasons for using these practices, were positively correlated with organisational competitiveness. However, statistically, talent development increased an organisations competitiveness. The findings thus indicate that talent attraction, talent development and talent retention are important and have an impact on organisational competitiveness. These findings will enable law firms to apply talent development towards continuous organisational competitiveness, which further aids the sustainability of the organisation
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    How SMEs in South Africa can implement robotics to increase competitiveness
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mpungose, Senzo Calvin; Totowa, Jacques
    Orientation: South African SMEs face technology adoption challenges. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies are no exception. However, SMEs need to gain knowledge on how these technologies affect them. More specifically, how can they benefit from the technologies. Research Purpose: This article investigates the impact of robotics and automation on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It seeks to identify ways in which the technology could be adopted and with its adoption, improve SME competitiveness. Motivation: The technologies identified as the driving forces behind the 4IR have largely been identified so based on their impact on business and industry. They have led to market convergence which has enabled businesses to operate outside of their industries and markets, thereby increasing market competition. There has been low uptake of robotics and automation in South African SMEs compared to international counterparts and even with the technology viewed as capable of improving business operations, lowering costs and driving competitiveness. Research Design, Approach and Method: A narrative design with interpretivist philosophy utilizing the semi-structured interview schedule to collect data and narrate the views and experiences of participants so as to extrpolate findings was used. Knowledge in this kind of study is subjectively relative to the SMEs being analysed and hence a relativism epistemological stance was taken. The inductive qualitative approach was used to identify patterns from interviews and develop explanations for those patterns. A sample with a fair representation of SMEs that have and have not adopted robotics and automation was interviewed. The interview schedule had nine questions aimed at answering the research questions. Main Findings: The primary reason SMEs adopt robotics and automation is to drive production efficiency, reduce operational costs and increase capacity. SMEs face adoption challenges that include financing, skills shortages and information scarcity. Strategies to overcome these challenges were identified and include finding alternative forms of financing, upskilling existing labour and information dissemination through planned programs. Practical/managerial implications and Contribution/value-add: The study has developed a model that can be used to adopt robotics and automation as well as other 4IR technologies. Strategies that SMEs can use to increase competitivity through the adoption of robotics have been provided alongside strategies to adopt robotics and automation.