Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Digital technologies

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    The impact of digital technologies on SME business performance in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mdhluli, Mfanasibili Emmanuel
    In the era of digital transformation and digital technologies, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face an ever-changing operating environment where being digitally savvy is critical for success. Therefore, adopting and using digital technology may prove to be an important decision that may lead to SMEs continuing to operate as going concerns, growing and being sustainable well into the future. This research delves into the impact of SMEs using digital technologies on business performance. While a myriad of business performance metrics can be tested, for this research, revenue, profit, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, innovation, risk management and the economic indicator of job creation are analysed. The challenges faced by SMEs are well documented, but there seems to be a lack of research on the benefits and impact of using digital technologies. Faced with limited resources, SMEs must make strategic decisions to drive their businesses forward and investing in digital technologies is one of them. This study seeks to understand the rationale of deciding to use digital technologies utilising the extended technology adoption model (TAM2) coupled with business measures. A quantitative electronic survey was used to collect the data from a sample of 84 South African SMEs. The findings reveal that using digital technologies has a positive impact on SME business performance, thus making it imperative for SMEs to adopt and use digital technologies as part of their business models. The findings elucidate that using digital technologies is not merely an operational imperative, but is also transformative, unlocking sustained competitiveness. The study adds to the literature on the understanding of the impact of using digital technologies on SME business performance, especially from a South African context
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    The factors affecting the growth of SMEs in the Polokwane municipality
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Letsoalo, Maite Evelyn; Mosenogi, Marumo
    Small and medium-sized businesses are an essential component of the national economy, as they have been regarded as the sector that determines the country's economic growth rate and contributes significantly to the structure of the gross national product. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a critical role in driving economic growth, particularly in regions like Polokwane Municipality, located in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study began by outlining the backdrop of SMEs in the national and global economy, emphasising their pivotal role in job creation and GDP contribution. Despite their importance, SMEs faced various challenges hindering their growth and sustainability, particularly in South Africa. The research problem addressed the stagnation and decline of SMEs in South Africa, contrasting with the growth observed in other African nations. This study aimed to fill the gap in understanding the specific impact of SMEs on the South African economy, particularly within Polokwane Municipality. Through a series of research questions, the study aimed to identify key drivers of SMEs, analyse their impact on local economic development, assess the effectiveness of support mechanisms, and explore the influence of digital technologies on SME growth. The research adopted a qualitative approach, utilising interpretivism as the paradigm to understand the phenomena within the context of the local economy. An exploratory research design was employed to delve into the complexities of SME growth in Polokwane Municipality. The population of the study comprised managers and owners of SMEs within the municipality. Through data collection and analysis, the study provided insights into the diverse landscape of SMEs in the region, highlighting their contributions to job creation, economic resilience, and cultural preservation. The findings underscored the indispensable role of SMEs in driving inclusive and sustainable development. Despite facing challenges such as financial constraints and regulatory complexities, SMEs remained vital agents of change, shaping socio-economic landscapes and fostering resilient, inclusive communities. Overall, this research contributed to a deeper understanding of the impact of SMEs on local economic development, offering valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and the academic community.
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    The use of digital technologies by financial institutions to offer personalised offerings and bespoke customer experience in Gauteng
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Mgoza, Zanele; Godspower-Akpomiemie, Euphemia
    Personalisation has become a crucial marketing strategy in the digital age. As a result, companies need to quickly adapt their tactics to include hyper- personalization and customer experience metrics. The use of digital technologies, such as Big Data Analytics and AI, ultimately determines the success of personalisation efforts. This study aims to outline how banks use these digital technologies to map out customer journeys and personas, allowing them to deliver personalised messages to customers
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    Organisational, training and operational strategies for the development of digital skills in insurance SMEs in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Masvaure, Tendai; Magida, Ayanda
    Many organizations and institutions have been driving the development of digital skills worldwide. This study explored the organizational and training strategies for developing of digital skills in insurance SMEs in South Africa. Despite the call by many organisations and government actions, many small to medium organizations still find it difficult to adopt digital skills. The literature review indicated that, indeed, there are various degrees of relations between digital skills development and organizational strategies. However, the applicability of these studies was limited because most of them were carried out in other industries and, in most cases, outside South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach to deduce the impact of organisational and training strategies on digital skills development. Data was collected using interviews and a detailed interview guide from 12 interviews. The data was collected from small to medium insurance companies chosen to be part of the study using purposive sampling. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to group the data into major themes. The findings showed that management strategies are critical for developing digital skills in the insurance sector due to their ability to control all aspects of the organization. In addition, training strategies used impact digital skills development, as do operational strategies used in SMEs. The significant findings point out that costs, management strategies, and compliance requirements influence digital skills in the sector. The study closed off by recommending that the government enact policies that make it less costly for SMEs to equip their employees, in addition, private organizations are advised to invest more in digital skills since they make operations more efficient. Lastly, the study recommends further studies be carried out on the role of digital skills on the performance of SMEs in the insurance sector.
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    ICT priorities influencing policy directions in a South African telecommunications company
    (2022) Ntsini, Nonkosi
    COVID-19 facilitated the adoption of ICT and digital platforms as businesses utilised virtual alternatives for business continuity, education to online learning, and health to digital-enabled systems. This increased the amount of data shared between connected entities and thus the demand for telecommunications networks, presenting an opportunity for telecommunications operators to respond by leveraging data analytics and digital technologies in their processes. It became imperative to implement policies that could leverage the effectiveness of digital technologies as governance structures were not moving as fast during disruptions. So, this research explores policy directions of a telecommunications company in responding to COVID-19 disruptions. The research adopted a qualitative research approach through semi-structured virtual interviews. This approach was supplemented by secondary data collection where various information sources were used. Data were collected from 12 participants and transcribed for analysis using thematic analysis approach to identify patterns in the data. Organisation policies are not adaptive during disruptions and misalignments exist between policies of the different business units (BUs). Organisation policies were amended during COVID-19 because of different factors such as changes in operating model and regulation. A gap within organisation policies was identified, where some policies were implemented across the organisation before sign-off for approval was received. Policy compliance is a reactive approach where compliance is particularly enforced post violations. Digital technologies can be integrated in organisation policy processes. Policies must be agile and adaptive to effectively govern dynamic environments and disruptions.
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    The influence of incubation hub services on the post-graduation business performance of digital technology SMEs in South Africa
    (2021) Govind, Hasheel
    Digital technologies are disruptive technologies implemented across various sectors to improve business models, customer experiences, and value propositions. South African digital technology-focused SMEs arising through incubation programmes therefore have a meaningful role to play during this revolutionary period. Incubation programmes play a key role in providing services to SMEs with the objective of supporting the SME to become a financially sustainable entity after graduating from the incubation programme. The performance of an incubation programme is usually considered from the perspective of the incubation hub and not the SME, creating a lack of clarity in relation to the services that result in the business performance of the SME post-graduation. Thus, an investigation into the influence of the services provided by incubation programmes, with a specific focus on training and network development, on the post-incubation performance of the graduate digital technology SME is imperative, and was conducted through this study. The study was conducted from the perspective of the post-incubation graduate digital technology SME. This quantitative study utilised cross-sectional data collected from 130 digital technology SMEs, who participated and graduated from their respective incubation programmes. After performing hierarchical multiple linear regression, together with moderation analysis, the data was analysed. When performing the regression analysis with the predictor variables of network development and training and the dependent variable of financial capital raised, the value of Rsquare was 0.014, implying that the model was a poor fit. When the model was run with the same predictor variables of network development and training and the dependent variable of turnover growth, a R-square value of 0.43 was achieved implying that the model was good. Following the examination and interpretation of the data, it was found that the service of training provided by the incubation programme had a significant positive influence on the post-graduate digital technology SME’s turnover growth, but did not influence the financial capital raised by the digital technology SME post-incubation graduation. It was also found that the service of network development had a significant positive influence on the post-incubation graduate digital technology SME’s turnover growth, but did not influence the financial capital raised by the digital technology SME post-incubation graduation. It is therefore recommended that incubation hubs offer services that better equip digital technology SMEs with raising of financial capital post-graduation. This may be a contributing factor that assists with SME survival post-incubation.
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    Assessing the entrepreneurial ecosystem readiness to support high-growth digital startups in South Africa
    (2021) Pardesi, Sabica
    There has been a prevalence of studies that suggest that high-growth startups are an important determinant of national economic growth. Furthermore, with both the transition into the digital economy and the emergence of digital technologies, entrepreneurs and new ventures are increasing at an exponential rate globally. This has led to a rise in ‘entrepreneurial ecosystem’ studies that aim to understand how to establish environments that can best assist these new ventures. The focus of this qualitative study was to explore and assess how the entrepreneurial ecosystem supports venture growth for high-growth digital startups in South Africa. In contrast to popularised local studies that focus on the material manifestation of the ecosystem, this study honed into the narratives of twelve founders within the framework of a dynamic capabilities model in order to explore how they identified, captured, and redeployed resources and opportunities as well as the role that location played in supporting their venture growth. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using an exploratory approach. The contributions underline the dynamic relationship that digital startup founders have with other ecosystem actors. The first key finding revealed that the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem is primarily led by entrepreneurs who had developed advanced sensing capabilities, i.e., the ability to recognise opportunities within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The second key finding revealed that all of the interviewed founders took on significant personal and financial risk when starting their businesses. South African stakeholders show increasing concerns about the high-failure rate of startups. It was concluded that there needs to be two differentiated strategies to support high-growth entrepreneurship; one that supports experienced entrepreneurs, and one that is focused on nurturing younger inexperienced entrepreneurs. Linked to this, risk appetite should be viewed as an independent determinant for ecosystem growth; it is the missing glue required to promote innovative entrepreneurship. Lastly, recommendations were made for both ecosystem stakeholders and technology-based entrepreneurs looking to scale in the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem