Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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    The effects of COVID 19 on consumer mobile and online purchase behaviour
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Chanetsa, Edphan Peter; Saini, Yvonne K.
    There obtains an acute paucity of research on the how Covid-19 impacted consumer online and mobile application purchase behaviour in South Africa. Much of the work done on the impact of the pandemic on consumer behaviour has primarily focused on one aspect: online purchase behaviour. This study sought to assess the effects of the restrictions of the novel Covid-19 virus on consumer mobile and online purchase behaviour. The main objective was to understand the impact of Covid-19 related restrictions on mobile application purchase intention in grocery shopping. Similarly, the study also sought to understand the impact of Covid-19 related restrictions on online (desktop/laptop) purchase intention in grocery shopping. An online survey was conducted wherein 345 responses were obtained. The study employed a mixed methodology approach with the primary analysis being done quantitatively employing path analysis to establish the existence of causal links between Covid-19 restrictions and consumer behaviour in terms of both direction and magnitude. Regression analysis was further carried out to corroborate the findings of the path analysis. The qualitative aspect of the analysis was primarily employed to buttress the results of the quantitative analysis. The results showed that Covid-19 had a significant and positive impact on mobile and online consumer behaviour in South Africa. The advent of the pandemic caused an increase in the uptake of alternative means of making grocery purchases. Specifically, the institution of Covid-19 restrictions produced a substitution effect wherein digital purchase platforms were preferred to in-store purchases of groceries. Consequently, all the hypotheses developed by the study proved to be robust as they were confirmed by the results
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    Implementation of Employee Wellness Programmes within the SMEs in Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Siweya, Langutela; Matshabaphala, Manamela
    This research study gained momentum following the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges experienced by most firms and their employees. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of implementing employee wellness services within the SMEs looking at various factors that influence the adoption of such services. The assessment results were then used to assess whether such recommendations would make business sense by developing a business proposal. The research drew on a literature review to build the research questions and hypothesis. Literature review was key to this study as it looked at the feasibility of the employee wellness programmeme and its foundation. The literature also identified gaps and recommendations from previous research done in the employee wellness space and SMEs in general. Following a quantitative approach with a survey questionnaire design method, the study was divided into two groups to examine various factors and testing quantitative variables for firms with wellness services and firms without wellness service. An average Cronbach alpha of .891 was achieved which emphasises the reliability of data. Although the research was conducted during the national lockdown level-3 period which had strict regulations, the research results were achieved from the limited sample size. The research found that there is indeed an intervention required to successfully implement wellness services within the SMEs. Although cost remained the biggest challenge in the SME space, most SMEs believed that such services would benefit their firms and employees at large. The research concludes by emphasising that service providers for employee wellness need to demonstrate value for money and detailed benefits when proposing a new offering.
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    Job satisfaction of healthcare professionals in two East London public hospitals in South Africa in the context of Covid-19
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Dlodlo, Nkosilathi; Magida, Ayanda
    Introduction: Job satisfaction of healthcare workers is important to provide better patient care and with the prediction by the World Health Organization (WHO) that there would be a shortage of healthcare workers by 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic affected healthcare workers differently and hence the reason for the study. The aim is to explore and understand healthcare workers’ job satisfaction during the Covid 19 pandemic and make recommendations for human resource management to keep healthcare workers satisfied. Methodology: data collection was done from the 10th of October 2022 to the 5th of January 2023, with 203 participants from Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) and Frere Hospital (FH). Convenience sampling was done through an online survey that compromised of demographic and modified job satisfaction survey questions (JSS). Results: 82% of the participants were dissatisfied with the pay and remuneration; 76% were dissatisfied with supervision from the hospital management, and 83% were dissatisfied with contingent rewards. The healthcare workers were only moderately satisfied with their relationships with co-workers, which had a 41% satisfaction level. Conclusion: there is a need to improve on financial and non-financial components that would then motivate the healthcare workers and inevitably lead to better job satisfaction levels through regular assessment and improved policies that meet the needs of the healthcare workers
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    Assessing the impact of digital transformation on business performance in South Africa’s banking industry
    (University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Melamane, Siphokazi
    Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic have created a strong interest in digital transformation. Organisations have been focused on advancing their technological capabilities, thus increasing their IT investment capabilities. In the banking sector, the implementation of digital technologies has introduced the existence of digital banks and other non-financial organizations that have tapped into the financial services, such as fintech and retailer organisations. This has been gradually leading to a diluted market share, which was previously dominated by South Africa’s traditional banks. Digitising has therefore become an important aspect of organisations’ growth strategy. Purpose: This research study aims to investigate the impact of digital transformation on the financial performance of the traditional South African banks. Methodology: This study uses the quantitative research method where financial performance, is measured by return on assets (ROA) and digital technology (data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things). The data was collected using secondary data accessed from the traditional South African banks, namely; ABSA, Standard Bank, FNB, and Nedbank’s annual reports and full-year consolidated financial statements, from the year 2014-2021. Findings: Findings from this research study indicate that there is a strong relationship between digital technology and business performance, meaning that digital transformation does have an impact on the business performance of the traditional South African banks. Further, the relationship between the variables, digital technology and business performance is negative. This has been found by previous literature to be due to the initial costs of investment in digital technology. Research limitations/implications: Digital transformation is an important concept that continues to be explored by researchers and organisations. Therefore this research is relevant to many industries in the market, which presents an opportunity for it to be expanded to other industries. The impact of digital transformation on other performance factors such as operational performance can be studieS
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    The significance of key constructs on consumer purchase intention in online retail in a Covid-19 climate
    (2021) Pillay, Eden
    The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the complexity of an already changing world due to its unexpected, rapid, and fatal impact. Countries, industries, businesses, societies, and individuals were not able to predict or plan for such an event. However, an unintended consequence of the pandemic is its impact on online retail, both electronic and mobile commerce. In South African, the online retail market is in its infancy, with a significantly lower online retail to total retail share than global markets. Therefore, there is an opportunity for businesses to capitalise in the current environment to increase activity and transactions in online retail. This study aims to conduct a quantitative analysis to identify the significance of key constructs associated with online retail consumer purchase intention (PI) in South Africa (SA) in a Covid-19 environment. The extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-2 (UTAUT2) model were used as a basis of the study. The key constructs in these models are risk, trust, Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), price value (PV), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The models were adapted further by including Covid-19, a situational factor, as a key construct in determining consumer PI in online retail. The moderation impact of Covid-19 on risk, trust, PU, PEOU, PV, and FC on consumer online PI was also tested in this research. The research employed a quantitative statistical modelling technique. An online survey using the Qualtrics platform was conducted with a sample size of 368 adult participants with online shopping experience based in SA. The main structural equation model was tested using maximum likelihood covariancebased modelling. This study shows that the most significant constructs in determining consumers’ online retail PI in the current environment in SA are Covid-19 and PEOU. In addition, online shopping experience was an additional factor with a significant impact. This factor was initially included as a control variable and ultimately in the iii final model. The moderation impact of Covid-19 was significant on risk, trust, PU, PEOU, and PV. The implications of this study provide many opportunities for businesses to focus on to become agile and innovative to drive their online sales. The key constructs that businesses can focus on in the short term are exploiting the opportunities presented by Covid-19, placing emphasis on consumers PEOU, and encouraging consumers to gain online retail experience. This needs to be done without overlooking the hygiene factors of trust, risk, PU, PV, and FC, which still need to be in place. The results of following such an approach will provide new sales, repeat purchases, and growth of the customer base. The role of SA’s Government is just as critical as that of businesses in driving online retail. If anything Government can be the catalyst that can ignite businesses to become innovative and drive the online retail sector. This can be done by improving the FC of online retail through infrastructure, regulation and promotion of e-services, thereby providing digital access to consumers and increasing their online experience. The concerted effort by both the private and public sector will result in lasting social and economic benefits for business, consumers and the country
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    The significance of key constructs on consumer purchase intention in online retail in a Covid-19 climate
    (2021) Pillay, Eden
    The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the complexity of an already changing world due to its unexpected, rapid, and fatal impact. Countries, industries, businesses, societies, and individuals were not able to predict or plan for such an event. However, an unintended consequence of the pandemic is its impact on online retail, both electronic and mobile commerce. In South African, the online retail market is in its infancy, with a significantly lower online retail to total retail share than global markets. Therefore, there is an opportunity for businesses to capitalise in the current environment to increase activity and transactions in online retail. This study aims to conduct a quantitative analysis to identify the significance of key constructs associated with online retail consumer purchase intention (PI) in South Africa (SA) in a Covid-19 environment. The extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-2 (UTAUT2) model were used as a basis of the study. The key constructs in these models are risk, trust, Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), price value (PV),and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The models were adapted further by including Covid-19, a situational factor, as a key construct in determining consumer PI in online retail. The moderation impact of Covid-19 on risk, trust, PU, PEOU, PV, and FC on consumer online PI was also tested in this research. The research employed a quantitative statistical modelling technique. An online survey using the Qualtrics platform was conducted with a sample size of 368 adult participants with online shopping experience based in SA. The main structural equation model was tested using maximum likelihood covariance-based modelling. This study shows that the most significant constructs in determining consumers’ online retail PI in the current environment in SA are Covid-19 and PEOU. In addition, online shopping experience was an additional factor with a significant impact. This factor was initially included as a control variable and ultimately in the final model. The moderation impact of Covid-19 was significant on risk, trust, PU, PEOU, and PV. The implications of this study provide many opportunities for businesses to focus on to become agile and innovative to drive their online sales. The key constructs that businesses can focus on in the short term are exploiting the opportunities presented by Covid-19, placing emphasis on consumers PEOU, and encouraging consumers to gain online retail experience. This needs to be done without overlooking the hygiene factors of trust, risk, PU,PV, and FC, which still need to be in place. The results of following such an approach will provide new sales, repeat purchases, and growth of the customer base. The role of SA’s Government is just as critical as that of businesses in driving online retail. If anything Government can be the catalyst that can ignite businesses to become innovative and drive the online retail sector. This can be done by improving the FC of online retail through infrastructure, regulation and promotion of e-services, thereby providing digital access to consumers and increasing their online experience. The concerted effort by both the private and public sector will result in lasting social and economic benefits for business, consumers and the country