Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Technology Adoption

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Evaluating the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) related technologies by the Department of Home Affairs
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Molobi, Sekie Michael; Moodley, Kebashnee
    The aim of this study was to provide insights into the factors influencing the adoption of 4IR technology by the Department of Home Affairs, including the perceived impact of these technologies on general operations and client service delivery. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a period characterised by rapid technological change and digital transformations, transforming how we live, work, and interact with the world around us. 4IR presents opportunities and challenges for the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) as it attempts to meet its mandate in an ever-changing environment. To remain effective in the face of the 4IR, the DHA must adopt new technologies that can help it improve efficiency and provide better service to its customers and key stakeholders. The study is based on the Technology Organisation Environment theoretical framework. A qualitative research methodology was adopted with the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews targeted at the Department of Home Affairs senior management personnel responsible for ICT, front end application and internal business owners. The outcomes of the study indicate that despite continued support from DHA leadership in terms of the use of new technologies and increased investment in these technologies, the Department of Home Affairs has lagged in terms of technological advancement. This is attributed to employee attitude towards new technology, their skill capacity, and resources capacity to conduct and major hindrances towards adopting new technology from an internal perspective. Externally, SITA's capacity to deliver the required services is seen as a major external factor with significant potential to hinder the Department's adoption of new technology
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    Feasibility Study of a Digital Platform for sharing household equipment and resources for a fee in Gauteng
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Nkomo, Greaterman; Totowa, Jacques
    This research seeks to investigate the feasibility of a digital sharing application that connects the supply and demand for everyday household components. The research methodology that was used in this study was the qualitative methodology, using interviews. Twelve interviews were conducted via video conferencing using Zoom and Microsoft Teams and all the participants were from the Johannesburg region in Gauteng. The research findings were that the participants had some assets that were not being utilized and they are willing to list them in a sharing application to make extra income. The research revealed that the key motivation for utilizing the digital sharing application is the economic benefits associated with participating, either through saving money by renting the tools instead of purchasing every tool that they may need to complete a project or to make extra money by sharing their tools for a fee or to save money. The research shows that people are open to utilizing digital sharing applications if the application meets certain standards such as having up to date information; secure and easy to use. The household equipment that people are willing to share include garden tools; toolbox kits; laundry equipment; outdoor furniture; picnic tables and many more. Based on this research, there is a market for a digital sharing application that focuses on the everyday household components
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    Factors influencing robotic process automation adoption in the South African insurance industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Kunene, Namdipha; Lee, Gregory
    Robotic process automation (RPA) is fast becoming a key instrument in the digital transformation journey of the insurance market. This software technology presents a wide range of benefits to an insurance organisation, from driving operational efficiencies to improving customer experience. However, despite the vast use cases of RPA evidenced in the global insurance market, the South African insurance industry has proven to be a laggard in adopting RPA. In understanding the slow uptake of RPA by SA insurers, it was important to gain insights on RPA adoption from the perspective of RPA vendors as well as South African insurance professionals. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to investigate the antecedents and factors influencing RPA adoption within the South African insurance industry. This study is based on the exploration of multiple ICT adoption frameworks existing in literature, such as user acceptance models used at an individual level and diffusion theories used at an organisational level adoption. A conceptual framework integrating the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, diffusion of innovation (DOI) and technology acceptance model (TAM) was created and used to identify the factors. The empirical findings of this study were based on twelve (12) semi-structured interviews conducted with senior managers within the insurance industry and in the RPA vendor space. The study reveals that relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, management support, competition pressures and vendor support were perceived to have a positive influence on the acceptance and adoption of RPA. The study also suggests that strategy and government regulations have a non-significant influence on the adoption of RPA, whereas skills in the organisational context were perceived as a negative influence. Interestingly, two new factors emerged from the thematic analysis conducted: while perceived costs were viewed as a negative influence, change management was perceived as a significantly positive influence on the adoption of RPA within the SA insurance industry. The study provides recommendations to leaders to ensure a seamless RPA adoption process.
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    Factors that impact the adoption of online food delivery services by urban consumers in South Africa
    (2021) Capri, Talga
    Online Food Delivery is defined as the process of ordering food from a website or application for the following categories; fresh produce and groceries, ready-made meals or “take-aways or meal kits(Hirschberg, Rajko, Schumacher, & Wrulich, 2016). Online Food Delivery (OFD) services offers consumers convenience of access and time savings but not all consumers may trust OFD services and may perceive risks that can undermine OFD adoption and use. This research examined the factors influencing consumer adoption of OFD services among urban consumers in South Africa. This study followed a positivist paradigm and developed an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model comprising twelve hypotheses. A self-administered online cross-sectional survey was used to gather the data from a convenience and snowball sample of urban consumers drawn from a local University and the researcher’s professional network. A final usable sample of 180 consumers was available for analysis. The sample represented an adequate number of both male and female respondents, higher income earning groups, mainly over the age of 35, from multi-individual households with access to the requisite technologies, and who were familiar with OFD purchasing. The discriminant and convergent validity of constructs as well as the reliability of the construct measures was confirmed, except for the UTAUT2 construct of habit which was dropped from the model. Correlation and regression analysis was performed to confirm the strength and direction of the relationships between the proposed construct. Results supported performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and trust as the most significant factors driving OFD adoption. These findings have implications for practice such as strategies around 1-Click ordering, intuitive application navigation, continuous social engagement methods, rewards, loyalty programs, maintaining quality and freshness of meals and an efficient delivery service. Suggestions for future research are provided