Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37942

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    The influence of organisational learning in defining digital strategies within South African banks
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Massango, Alcinda; Alagbaoso, Manessah
    This study investigates the role of organizational learning (OL) in the formulation of digital strategies (DS) within the context of South African (SA) banks. It employs a qualitative approach and drawing upon a comprehensive literature review and empirical data collected from interviews with key stakeholders, the study examines the critical elements, challenges, and enablers inherent in integrating OL into DS formulation processes. The findings underscore the pivotal role of OL in shaping agile and responsive digital strategies that enable banks to navigate the dynamic digital landscape and drive sustainable growth. Key themes identified include the importance of clear organizational vision and strategic alignment, investment in talent development, cultivation of an agile and flexible organizational culture, and effective communication and knowledge-sharing practices. The study concludes by offering strategic recommendations for SA banks to enhance their digital capabilities and achieve strategic objectives through the effective integration of OL into DS formulation processes. Additionally, limitations encountered during the study are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented
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    The implementation of digital transformation in the South African retail industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Nkosi, Mathandi; Magida, Ayanda
    Many organisations across all industries are pressured to re-think and re-imagine theirorganisational structures, processes and business models in light of the digital era. Thisincrease has disrupted organisations, as technology is changing how organisationsoperate, and most are pressed to move from their original business models. Thistransformation of business models, processes and business outcomes enabled by anorganisation’s ability to apply new digital technologies to transform their current businessmodels and processes is referred to as Digital Transformation. Organisations withsuccessful DT implementation have recorded benefits in interacting with their customers.It also results in streamlined business processes and the creation of new business models.This study explored the current understanding, implementation drivers, and challenges ofDT implementation within the SA retail sector, focusing on those in leadership positionsand DT SMEs to gain insight into the current status quo and identify any misalignmentswithin the sector. This exploratory study examines the implementation of DigitalTransformation (DT) in the South African retail sector. Semi-structured interviews wereused to conduct this study to explore the participants’ experiences and knowledge; thestudy participants were individuals who were in leadership positions or were DT subjectmatter experts.Some of the key research findings from the study established the understating of DT inthe retail sector when participants defined DT as inclined towards process changes,process improvements, and transformation of the organisation. E-commerce emerged asa key DT trend within the retail sector
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    Promotion of inclusive insurance by a South African InsurTech company
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Nhlapo, Zanele Cynthia; Totowa, Jacques
    This study examines the strategies an insurance technology company deployed to promoteinclusivity within the insurance sector across its operational markets in South Africa,Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. This research focuses on the SouthAfrican market within the context of a multinational corporation. The name of the companyunder study is concealed for ethical reasons. Employing qualitative research, this studyexplores how an insurance technology company utilises digital technologies to offer easilyaccessible and unique insurance products such as prepaid hospital, funeral and life cover.The company focuses on aiding underserved communities and promoting financial inclusionand sustainable development. Despite a generally low insurance penetration in Africa andthe slow uptake of technological innovations among established insurers. This specificinsurance technology company stands out as a pioneer in embracing digital solutions to meetinsurance needs. The research identifies barriers to insurance adoption, analyses the use ofdigital technology in enhancing accessibility, and evaluates the company's strategies forimproving affordability and customer satisfaction. The study finds that an insurancetechnology company's innovative approaches, such as mobile technology utilisation andstrategic partnerships, have significantly increased insurance coverage and provided a safetynet for vulnerable populations, which has implications for the scalability of similar modelsin comparable markets. The research contributes to the academic discourse on insuranceinclusion, highlighting the role of InsurTech in achieving Sustainable Development Goalsset by the United Nations and providing recommendations for further enhancing the reachand impact of insurance technology initiatives. As such, the study takes its place among otherstudies in the disciplines of business leadership and management
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    The adoption of digital technologies by public high school educators in Gauteng
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Zuma, Mlungisi; Magida, Ayanda
    The prevalence of technology in society is increasing and transforming every aspect of modern-day civilization. Technology has transformed industries and will continue making inroads in every industry that technology can disrupt. In education technology has shown its effect by reforming learning and the teaching processes. Technology is argued to inspire inclusion, reinforce subject learning, boost collaboration, and play a part in increased innovation in both educators and learners. However, technology comes with a lot of challenges that create gaps in access. These gaps are concerned with the discrepancy of technology access and usage, whereby those in underprivileged environments cannot fully access technology due to the absence of infrastructure and resources. Therefore, to ensure the gap between those who have access and those who do not is decreasing, strategies and policies must be put in place to address suchinequality. Although technology use in education is increasing, what contributes to this adoption of technology by educators in the classroom has not been extensively explored in South Africa. This quantitative study aimed to investigate the factors influencing public school educators' adoption of digital technologies in the classroom, focusing on high school educators in Gauteng, South Africa. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology adoption model was utilised as the framework to observe factors influencing public school educators' adoption of digital technologies in the classroom. This study focused on a model that examines the factors influencing individuals' intention to use technology and their actual usage behaviour. The model identified three main factors that directly influence intention: social influence, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy. Additionally, it highlighted two direct factors that impact usage behaviour: facilitating conditions and intention. The associations between these factors and intention and usage behaviour are further influenced by mediating factors such as experience, voluntariness, age, and gender, as suggested by Venkatesh et al. (2003). These mediating factors play a role in shaping the relationship between the main factors and individuals ‘intentions and behaviour regarding technology usage. iii Data was collected using an online survey and the survey was sent to Gauteng educators and 104 educators responded. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Females were at 52.9% and males were at 47.1%. The location of schools where educators were based was 34.6% based in urban areas and 65.4% in townships. Most of the respondents were in the age category of 26-35 years (46.2%), the following category 46-55 years (21.2%), followed by 36-45 years (16.3%), under 25 years (10.6%) and lastly 56 and older years (5.8%). The results from this research study indicated that younger educators tend to utilise more ICT in the classroom when compared to older educators. Furthermore, the results showed that as the educator’s age increases, their frequency of using ICT decreases. Therefore, government representatives, technology leaders in education and school management should propose comprehensive ICT development courses that will equip educators of all kinds with the necessary technology skills to assist them in implementing these technologies in the classroom.
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    The factors influencing the adoption and sustainability of digital technologies by healthcare providers in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-04) Mhlauli, Luyanda; Magida, Ayanda
    Healthcare has become the most rapidly growing sector in developing and developed countries due to it being a constitutional right and its importance in maintaining the lives of citizens in South Africa. Evidence shows that the quality and access to health care in South Africa face several challenges which date back to the history of the country and the increasing burden of disease. Despite several initiatives and interventions that have been implemented, the state of the healthcare system continues to deteriorate. The effect of rapid technology change has resulted in the emergence of digital health technologies which aim to transform the industry by reducing costs, improving efficiencies, introducing new players in the healthcare value chain and empowering patient and healthcare players with information that enables improved health outcomes. Despite, recognising the benefits of digital health technologies to address the challenges that the sector experience, the successful implementation of these solutions has been limited. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors influencing the intended adoption and sustainability of digital transformation technologies in the South African Healthcare sector. The factors influencing the intended adoption and sustainability of digital technologies are uncovered by understanding the critical factors experienced by various stakeholders in the South African healthcare sector value chain which include the implementation, funding, technology partnerships, technology development, governance, research, healthcare provision, and usage of healthcare services when adopting digital health technologies The findings revealed that several digital health technologies have been implemented across South Africa, however, the focus of technologies has been on the smaller populated private sector. Data also showed that the implementations spanned across the common solutions of mHeatlh, eHealth, and telemedicine and are underpinned by AI, ML, Big Data and predictive analytics. However, the anticipated benefits are not being realised by the greater South Africa to improve health outcomes and improve the access and quality of healthcare