Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37875

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Factors influencing cyber insurance adoption in South Africa industry
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Mbatha, Nkosinathi Sphiwe
Organisations are benefiting from the use of emerging digital technologies for improved efficiencies. These technologies are vulnerable to cyber-attacks resulting in breaches on organisational assets. Cyber-attacks necessitates boards and top management to strategically rethink their cybersecurity approaches to managing cyber risks. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors influencing cyber insurance adoption in the South African industry. The study adapted Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) theoretical framework to investigate cyber insurance adoption relevant to the South African context. The review of literature focused on the cybersecurity, cyber risk management, and cyber insurance phenomenon to understand the global and developing world landscape. The research design followed the systemic collection of qualitative data through semi-structured interview questions on the purposefully selected sample of professionals in the public and private sectors of the South African industry. The analysis and interpretation through categorisation of patterns of data collected enabled presentation and discussion of emerging themes resulting in findings. The key findings relate to effective cybersecurity awareness, organisational approach to managing cyber risks, as well as the nature of industry and compliance with legislation. The study established that the combination of effective cybersecurity awareness, the relationship between the strategic organisational approach to cybersecurity and top management support towards cyber risk management as well as compliance with legislation are the factors influencing cyber insurance adoption in the South African industry. In order to meet the research objectives, various conclusions were made. The study concluded that effective cybersecurity awareness must be viewed as a strategic imperative to enable organisations to operate securely. The study also concluded that organisations must proactively approach cybersecurity strategically thereby ensuring effective top management buy-in. The study concluded that the POPI Act is the primary driver of cyber insurance adoption in the South African industry.
Determinants of credit risk on residential mortgage loans in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Mbulana, Alikho; Mthanti, Thanti
Residential mortgages are an important asset class for banks as these assets provide the majority of bank’s income. By the nature of issuing loans to customers, this asset class also presents the greatest risk to the banks and as a result, banks need to constantly evaluate and review credit risk in order to ensure dynamic response strategies that curb losses and achieve sustainable profits. This study aims to investigate factors influencing credit risk on residential mortgage loans in South Africa. A regression analysis was conducted to capture the influence of both macroeconomic and bank specific factors on loans that have been in arrears for less than 89 days and on loans that have been in default for more than 90 days; using monthly data from an undisclosed bank over a period of eight years, 2010 to 2018. The results show that Housing Price Index, Unemployment, Household Disposable Income, Bank’s Capitalization and Operational Efficiency are the only significant determinants for non-performing residential mortgage loans that are less than 89 days. Credit Quality, Inflation, Unemployment, Household Disposable Income, Bank’s Capitalization, Operational Efficiency and are the main determinants of the non-performing residential mortgage loans greater than 90 days
The Role of Leadership in the Implementation of Strategic Projects in a Commercial Bank in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Mutshinya, Phathutshedzo; Wotela, Kambidima; Matshabaphala , Johnny
This research highlighted the role of leadership in the delivery of strategic projects in a commercial bank setting. The research followed a quantitative research strategy whereby a sample of a commercial bank was approached to gather their insights and perceptions of the leadership role in the implementation of strategic projects. The views of commercial bank employees were analyzed to identify gaps that existed in the leadership behaviours and traits currently adopted in the banks. Findings from this research confirmed that there are indeed gaps in the leadership role that leave room for improvement for a more successful outcome of the strategic project implementation. The study highlighted that leaders in a commercial bank should lean towards agility to guide and support towards a more successfully implementation of strategic projects
User resistance to the access review component of sailpoint identityiq by managers: a South African bank case study
(2022) Mudzunga, Hangani
The purpose of this study was to examine and explain why bank managers resist using the access review component of SailPoint IdentityIQ and explain the factors that influence bank managers to resist the access review component of SailPoint IdentityIQ. Moreover, the study also explained the managers’ resistance behaviour. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm and followed an inductive approach. Withing the broader scope of interpretive paradigm, the study adopted an explanatory research design. The case study strategy was employed by the study. Furthermore, the study employed a qualitative research method because its aim was not to generalise the research findings. The time horizon for the study was cross-sectional, and the sources of the data for the study was the primary data source. This study's primary data collection method was interviews. Thematic analysis process was followed to analyse the data collected for the study. The case study site was one of the South African banks, referred to in this study as ABC Bank. The research findings suggest that some bank managers at ABC bank do not perform access reviews mainly when their initial condition(s) and object(s) of resistance interact, they perceive something that leads them to behave in a resistant manner. Their perceptions are mostly on 1) whether they think they are doing something wrong, 2) ease of use, 3) consequences, 4) and value. These perceptions are developed by managers due to various factors such as fear of error, lack of perceived ease of use, lack of perceived consequences, and lack of perceived value. The study contributed theoretically by following a different research methodology to explain user resistance in a different setting from that used previously in Lapointe and Rivard (2005) and Selander and Henfridsson (2012). The study followed a crosssectional time horizon instead of a longitudinal time horizon, and it did so in a certain bank in South African. The study also tested the applicability of the Lapointe & Rivard (2005) framework in a South African bank following a qualitative methodology and cross-sectional time horizon. The study modified the Lapointe & Rivard (2005) framework to follow a qualitative methodology and cross-sectional time horizon to help answer the primary research question. The adaption of the framework proved to be helpful for the study. The study also contributed to the user resistance, identity governance and administration body of knowledge in the information systems research because there is limited academic literature on subjects relating to the enterprise identity governance and administration systems. Practically, the study contributes by providing some explanation on why some managers resist using the access review component of SailPoint IdentityIQ. The study also contributes by providing factors that influence managers not to perform access reviews on SailPoint IIQ. However, the author advises practitioners to generalise the findings of this study with caution. Moreover, the description reveals to practitioners that user resistance must be managed carefully by understanding the context as there is no 'silver bullet' strategy to mitigate user resistance.
Antecedents and consequences of consumer ethnocentrism in an emerging market: uncovering implicit attitudes using the implicit association test
(2022) Till, Darren Stewart
With an increase in globalization, and a simultaneous decline in industry growth, South African brand managers in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector need to consider appropriate marketing strategies to remain competitive against the ever-encroaching multinational conglomerates. Fortunately, international marketing may have a solution in the form of consumer ethnocentrism – a socio-psychological trait that manifests as a general preference for local products, as opposed to those imported. Despite a distinct dearth of research in Africa, the predominant consensus within the field is that consumer ethnocentric tendencies (CET) are linked to a nation’s economic prosperity, and that consumers in developing countries generally prefer foreign products. However, research has begun to emerge which brings the validity of such an assumption into question. It is on this premise that the current research enquiry attempts to address the inconsistencies of the extant body of research, which has primarily operationalized traditional market research techniques that are fraught with response biases and other methodological shortfalls. Thus, by employing a combination of implicit (non-direct) and explicit (self-report) survey techniques this study attempts to uncover consumers’ true, nonconscious attitudes towards domestic and imported consumer packaged goods. To this end, a cohort of n=500 Generation Z individuals (between the ages of 18 and 26 years old) were surveyed using a bespoke online questionnaire on the CloudArmy Reactor platform. The subsequent data output was systematically analysed with structural equation modelling (SEM) and metric invariant group difference analyses, which were all carried out on IBM SPSS and Amos version 27. The results of this analysis suggest that the socio-psychological predisposition of patriotism is a highly significant driver of consumer ethnocentric tendencies (CET) in this particular generational cohort. Additionally, the centrality dimension of materialism was observed to exert a converse, negative influence on CET. Willingness to buy, on the other hand, is significantly influenced by both consumer ethnocentrism and implicit attitudes. Most notably, the former relationship was positive, whereas, the latter is negative, suggesting a level of cognitive dissonance as purported by the dual attitude model. Finally, none of the demographic variables were found to moderate the model, with only one path (between financial satisfaction and CET) indicating significant moderation by gender. Importantly, a number of theoretical implications can be gleaned from this study. Most notably, the paper sheds light on many inconsistencies in the extant literature by confirming the nascent conceptualisation of implicit consumer ethnocentrism (ICE). Additionally, it expands on the previously observed moderating variables and highlights the need to examine the effect of materialism’s three sub-dimensions separately. In terms of specific managerial implications, these findings reiterate the value of incorporating patriotic themes into marketing efforts, so as to heighten CET behaviour in South African consumers. As an extension, local practitioners are well advised to use consumer ethnocentrism as a predictable psychographic identifier and driver towards prosocial buying behaviour. In toto, this paper culminates in several other key managerial and theoretical implications which may assist local brand managers guard against the encroaching threat posed by globalisation and heightened competition in the South African FMCG marketplace.
A case study investigating the effects of an Entrepreneurial Development Programme on the business sustainability of its beneficiaries’ pre- and post-Covid-19
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Lobetti, Francesca Maria; Robert, Venter
Entrepreneurship in South Africa is complex and multi-faceted. This statement refers specifically to the operational aspects that are indicative of both economic growth and development. This case study investigated the impact of one hotel group’s entrepreneurial development programme on the businesses of its beneficiaries in South Africa. The impact was examined across three primary themes, these being: economic success, employment generation capabilities and long-term business sustainability on the existing businesses of entrepreneurs who have successfully completed the programme. The value of this study was to determine if this particular entrepreneurial development programme has proved valuable to the beneficiaries in growing and sustaining their businesses and creating employment opportunities. As the hotel group’s entrepreneurial development programme provides the fundamental business operational knowledge to the beneficiaries, one aim of the study was to identify the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the businesses of the beneficiaries and what measures were put in place to ensure that the businesses were resilient and survived. To date and in the English literature, the impact of this programme had not been properly investigated. The study followed a mixed methods approach and research data was collected using both questionnaires and interviews. The study population consisted of 49 beneficiaries from the hotel group’s entrepreneurial development programme actively operating in different business sectors who had completed the programme between 2005 and 2018, allowing the 2018 beneficiaries to develop their businesses for a two-year period post completion of the programme. The questionnaire data was analyzed with measures of central tendency and presented with graphs and tables. Interview data was analyzed through content and thematic analysis and was also presented with the use graphs and tables. The information gathered in the interview process provided a degree of context to the questionnaire data, which also allowed for complementary analysis where conclusions were drawn between the two data types. The findings indicate that post completion of the programme, a majority of the businesses were on track to be sustainable with the possibility of business growth and expansion. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the same conclusions cannot be drawn. The entrepreneurial development programme will need to refocus their main goals and objectives to be more aligned with businesses in the post Covid-19 environment. The ramifications of the effects that the virus has had on the economy will continue to be present and businesses may need to adapt their operations to the new ‘normal’. These changes are expanded upon in this study and recommendations for the hotel group’s entrepreneurial development programme are discussed
Determinants of mobile commerce adoption by consumers in South Africa: a UTAUT2 and TPB Perspective
(2022) Ndebele, Nomusah
The proliferation of mobile device use, greatly influenced by high internet permeation, has strongly encouraged mobile commerce adoption in developed nations. However, the lag in mobile commerce adoption in developing nations is deeply concerning; extant literature has shown that most African nations are yet to adopt or fully utilise the trillion-dollar mobile commerce market. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors influencing m-commerce adoption in South Africa. Previous studies on m-commerce adoption, in an African context, appear to be scant. The novelty of this research is that mobile commerce adoption is studied from a South African consumer perspective using constructs that measure behavioural intention. Open-ended questions were also used to obtain additional factors from consumers. A conceptual model made of UTAUT2 and TPB constructs, and two additional constructs (i.e. perceived financial resources and institution-based trust) was used to investigate adoption. Twelve hypothesis statements from the model’s constructs were proposed, under a positivist research paradigm. An online survey was used to obtain data from 358 people (random sample) living in South Africa. The data was analysed using the IBM SPSS. The number of people who are using or have used the technology was used to determine adoption. The conceptual model and hypotheses were evaluated using multiple regression and correlation analysis, respectively. Performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions, perceived behavioural control, attitude towards behaviour and perceived financial resources were shown to positively and significantly influence m-commerce adoption. Additional factors (e.g. delivery to remote areas, reliable shipping, shopping convenience, data and device access, product variety and product availability) influencing m-commerce adoption in South Africa were also identified from the qualitative data analysis. Perceived risk was identified as a barrier to adoption. This study contributes to theory and practice by identifying the UTAUT2 and TPB factors that significantly influence m-commerce adoption in a South African context. In addition, additional factors that influence m-commerce adoption, as well as mcommerce marketplaces in South Africa, were identified.
Factors affecting the adoption of online share trading in South Africa
(2022) Matsena, Tshwantsho J
This research study aims to explore the adoption of online share trading in South Africa. Online share trading is a function of stock market participation, through a technology-based platform. The platform can be offered by traditional stockbrokers or by financial technology-based service providers.
Website characteristics that influence consumers’ online purchase intention within the fast-food industry
(2022) Pillay, Gabrielle
The fundamental goal and purpose of this study is to examine the website characteristics that influence consumers’ online purchase intention within the fast food industry. While reviewing prior literature, it was indicated that investigations around website characteristics focused mainly on the banking sector and commercial industries. This study contributes to literature by focusing on the fast food industry. This study examined the following website characteristics: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, trust, security, visual and audio elements, interaction and involvement, time-saving orientation, website quality, relative advantage, and service factors. The results indicated that (a) perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, security, time-saving orientation, and relative advantage had a positive relationship with online purchase intention; (b) interaction and involvement, website quality, and service factors had a significant relationship with online purchase intention within the fast food industry. This study has applied a quantitative approach to investigate the website characteristics that influence consumers’ online purchase intention of fast food. The study used a 5-point Likert Scale adapting questions from previous literature. The researcher collected a total of 204 responses, however, only 202 responses were viable. These responses were collected through an online survey due to COVID-19. This current academic study intended to develop and contribute to literature regarding the website characteristics that influence online purchase intention of fast food as well as extend the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Flow to the fast food industry. This study also intended to inform and assist marketing managers within the fast-food industry by providing them with research and evidence regarding the website characteristics which motivate consumers’ online purchase intention of fast food.
A framework for South African university students' online learning: social presence, digital skills and competencies
(2022) Lubisi, Ntombizethu
Over the years, institutions of higher learning across the world have embraced the use of digital technology to facilitate learning. University students require digital skills and digital competencies to take full advantage of online learning. Additionally, one of the most important factors of students’ learning experience in an online environment is the sense of belonging. Students engaging in online learning geographically separated from their instructors and peers often feel isolated. The purpose of the study was to explore digital skills, digital competencies and social presence necessary for an effective South African university online learning. The study used the General Technology Competency and Use (GTCU) framework and the Social Presence Theory as a lens to explore the digital skills, digital competencies and social presence necessary for South African university online learning. A case study approach was used to study in-house first-year students in a South African university learning online. A mixed method research was selected due to its fitness to answer the proposed research questions. The data was collected via an online questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Johannesburg. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings from the study indicated that the social-economic background does play an important role in in-house students learning online. The interaction was a challenge, participants felt isolated from their instructors which impacted their online learning experience. They did not feel a sense of belonging to their courses. The study will contribute to policies such as the South African National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 with the focus on lifelong learning, the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 2030 goal 4. It will also contribute to the university learning and teaching policies where online learning is concerned as well as assist University improve their online learning offering. Our study links to information systems and online learning at universities.
Assessing the readiness to adopt technologies of the fourth industrial revolution as a means to improve knowledge management practices in academic institutions
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ankonkwa, Judith B.; Moodley, Althea
Today's world is being transformed by technological advances in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). In the education sector, the technological personalities of the academic staff associated with the acceptance of 4IR technologies play a crucial role in learning and teaching. This study assessed the readiness of academic staff to adopt the technologies of the 4IR to improve Knowledge Management (KM) practices. The study used the technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM). This framework combines two models, the Technologies Readiness Index (TRI) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TRI has four factors, optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity. In the TAM model, the intention to use new technology is affected by two constructs, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. This study adopted a mixed method. The research was conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand South Africa in the school of Commerce, Law and Management (CLM). One hundred thirteen questionnaires (113) were sent to academic staff in CLM; only 90 questionnaires were completed, and one was discarded. The remaining 89 questionnaires represented a 78,7% response rate. The questionnaire had two sections, a section with closed-ended questions designed to collect quantitative data and a section with open-ended questions devised to collect qualitative data. Seven hypotheses were developed and tested following the research objectives of the study. These hypotheses were analyzed using multiple regression analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) via IBM SPSS statistics version 28. Thematic analysis was also used to assess qualitative data. The study's findings revealed that only optimism significantly affected the perceived usefulness of 4IR technologies. Furthermore, only innovativeness significantly positively affected the perceived ease of use of 4IR technologies. In addition, the results showed no significant effect between perceived ease of use and the intention to use 4IR technologies. Finally, the findings indicated that perceived usefulness and ease of use are instrumental in determining the academic staff's intention to use 4IR technologies. CLM WITS 2023 Abstract iii Today’s world is being transformed by the advance of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution(4IR). In the education sector, the technological personalities of academic staff associated to the acceptance of 4IR technologies plays a crucial role in the way learning and teaching is done
The Application of Robotics in Deep Level Mining in South Africa and its Influence on Health and Safety
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Gaokgorwe, Tebogo; Gobind, Jenika
Application of robotics in mining operations particularly in deep mining is considered to be challenging when factoring the impact of health and safety in day to day operations. Majority of the employees in South Africa’s mining industry have low training levels, unskilled work content as well as large figures of underground employees labouring for survival at lower-end cost curves and excessive exposure to deprived underground conditions. The rising demand for mineral products is compelling mining companies to go deeper in mines even where such increase in the depth results in higher costs, risks, and a further decline in the conditions of working. This paper examines the current application of robotics in deep level mining, discusses the challenges in robotics adoption and their influence in health and safety. Trusting on the qualitative content analysis methodology the study adopted to interview participants and collect data from the mining journals for sampling and data collection. The findings suggest that although deep-level mines have embraced an increase in robotics and extensive methods due to global competition and the need for better access to mineral reserves trends in productivity in the gold mining industry remains unchanged for a long period and mining labour remains impacted by slow technological advancement. Inadequate application of robotics and developed control policies and measures for dealing with occurring mining disasters are some of the key challenges with the robotics adoption. The application of robotics will allow all safety experts to plan for exploration, extraction, optimisation of operations and worker monitoring as well as protection. The limitations of the study is that there are few current publications peer reviewed articles and the prevailing literature is old for the current research. The study concludes that there is a gradual advancement of technical capacities in deep-level mining. The main technical challenges to the application of robotics is the availability, reliability as well as fail-safe operations of robotics. Lastly robotics will improve exploration, mapping of mining operations as well as worker equipment. The study recommends future studies on comprehensive approaches to the socio-economic effect of robotics mechanisation and application in deep-level mining
A model for the acceptance and use of mHealth in South Africa: A UTAUT and TTF perspective
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Livhuwani Grace, Mongwe; Hughes, Mitchell; Kekwaletswe, Ray
Scaling up high impact community based mHealth interventions is one of the agenda items mentioned in the National Digital Health Strategy of South Africa for the period 2019 -2024. Although many mHealth interventions have been explored, many of them end up in the pilot phase and do not reach full implementation. A common theme which was found as a possible driver of scalability is designing an mHealth application that considers usability and acceptability by users. The purpose of this study was to synthesize a model for the acceptance and use of mHealth in the South African health sector. A positivist research approach was used to test the adoption factors using the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Seven factors that could potentially impact the adoption of mHealth technology in South Africa were tested. The data for the study was collected through an online survey questionnaire which was shared through social media platforms. Results of this study were used to answer questions related to factors that have an impact on the adoption of mHealth applications in the health sector in South Africa. The study found that when adoption factors were combined into the UTAUT and TTF model, the only factor that was significant was facilitating conditions. The study findings in this regard were not consistent with other studies and it is therefore recommend that other scholars explore the reasons for these differences. The other factors were found to be significant when bivariate regression was used to compare the factors to the dependant variable of user acceptance and use of mHealth technology. The study further found that the combined model of Task Technology Fit has a positive impact on the adoption of mHealth technology in South Africa. The implication of the finding is that mHealth designers should build the functionalities of the innovation with the idea of making the task that the innovation supports easier to perform
Effect of Technical Competencies of Women in Core Mining Activities on Team Operational Performance in South Africa
(2023) Munilal, Suneshnee; Ndaba, Zanele
The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between the technicalcompetencies of women in the core mining activities and team operationalperformance in the South African mining industry.A gold-mining company in South Africa was selected for this study and 15 interviewparticipants were chosen based on their discipline being a core mining activity.Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data and the common themeswere concluded.The findings of this study highlighted that the issue of inclusion of women in the coremining activities is not a matter of the technical competencies of women, but ratherthe lack of exposure of women in the technical environment, which disadvantageswomen from having the technical competencies required for team operationalperformance. Women have the technical competencies to thrive in the mining industryand the technical competencies of women are comparable to those of their malecounterparts.The lack of inclusion of women in the mining industry is also due to prehistoricmisconceptions of women in a technical environment, and this social exclusion ofwomen can be resolved by leaders in the mining industry making a deliberate effort togive recognition to women who are keen to succeed in the harsh mining industry.Women who have the technical competencies in the core mining activities should beselected for technical roles based on their identified technical competencies.The technical competencies required to thrive in any core mining activity are problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, delegation of tasks, listening and communicationand knowledge of risk and safety management, planning, task scheduling, peoplemanagement, and team collaboration and cohesion.It was found from this study that women are more risk averse than men and women-led teams in the mining industry have been found to have improved safety statistics
Bancassurance on commercial banks and life insurance in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mapena, Thabang; Hoohlo, Mphekeleli
The increase in competition and the scramble for customers in the financial industry has led to the convergence of banking and insurance to form what is known as Bancassurance. Bancassurance, as the name suggests is the distribution of insurance products using bank platforms. Although two parties get into the bancassurance agreement in search of some mutual gains, it comes with unintended consequences which among other things affect the banking efficiency of banks. This study assesses the efficiency changes brought about by Bancassurance in the SADC commercial banks. Using Data Envelopment analysis with the return to scale, an analysis was done on 21 banks with active insurance income on a case and control methodology. The results showed insurance income having no impact on the regional banks’ efficiencies. The income insurance however had an impact on some banks’ returns to scale
Privacy concerns about data-usage for South African retail loyalty programs
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Dearden, Alexandra Cameron; Zulu, Melissa; Anning, Thomas Dorson
Data usage has arisen as a growing topic for researchers and practitioners in South Africa. This is particularly true for Loyalty Programs, where increased personalisation and consumer data usage are being used to fuel business decisions. However, the consumer perspective on data- related privacy concerns provides room to be explored, alongside the investigation of culture, trust, personalisation and the privacy paradox. In this investigation into privacy concerns, the relevance of culture comes into place for its influence on such South African privacy related behaviour and perceptions. This study, therefore, explores privacy concerns and data usage in retail Loyalty programs, to better understand South African consumers' perceptions of data privacy, and their intention to engage with the program. This was done through a multi- theoretical analysis, utilizing the Privacy Calculus Theory (PCT), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and the Customer Relationship Management Theory (CRM). This study achieved its objectives through a quantitative research method utilising surveys distributed online. South African consumers above the age for 18 were used as the sample for the research for data collection, of which a non-probability sampling technique was used, and a total of 277 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was utiliseutilised to analyse the data through partial least squares regression (Smart-PLS) to evaluate the relationship between the constructs. Here, the results indicated that privacy concerns exist and are positively influenced by Awareness, Data Breach and Attitude. Furthermore, these concerns were negatively influenced by Intention, Trust, and Culture; and, therefore, a privacy paradox was not confirmed. Furthermore, Personalisation was shown to have no bearing on Privacy Concerns. However, Personalisation had a negative relationship with Attitude, while Trust had a positive one. Perceived Risk was also found to have a negative relationship with Intention. Moreover, this study revealed the existence and South African consumer perspective of privacy concerns and provides benefits for marketers and scholars in the retail industry, such as fueling trust through the recognition of consumer privacy.
Adoption of Big Data analytics tools by accountants practicing in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sithole, Bongiwe; Ramsaroop, Neetu
This quantitative research paper investigates what drives accountants practicing in South Africa towards adoption of Big Data Analytics (BDA)tools. The study applies the unified theory of acceptance and use 2 (UTAUT2) model with an added construct namely, perceived threat of professional threat of obsolescence. 57 responds were deemed usable and analysed using SmartPLS and SPSS. Results from the sample suggest that the influence of effort expectancy on behavioural intention (BI) is stronger for younger accountants; social influence on BI is stronger for males; facilitating conditions on BI is stronger for the older group and hedonic motivation on BI is stronger for older males. Unmoderated results show social influence and hedonic motivation as key drivers towards adoptions. The findings of this study contribute theoretically by adding to body of work available on the subject of adoption of BDA tool by SA accountants; and practically by highlighting the importance of developing tools that pleasurable to us
Factors affecting the adoption of business intelligence solutions in a public sector organisation
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Tshehla, Modiketse
Business Intelligence Solutions (BIS) continue to play a significant role in organisations and businesses in today’s information age. The adoption of BIS enables an organisation to gain a competitive advantage, generate accurate and faster data reporting, improve customer service, and increase revenue. The benefits of BIS have been realised in private sector organisations. However, the South African public sector is yet to release the benefits of adopting business intelligence solutions. The factors that affect the adoption of business intelligence solutions in a South African public sector organisation have not been fully investigated. This study explores factors that division managers perceive to be salient in influencing the adoption of a visualisation and data exploration BIS available in a public sector organisation in South Africa. The study was underpinned by Tomatzky and Fleischer’s Technology Organisation Environment (TOE) framework which was applied previously in the adoption of information system (IS) at the organisation level.The framework provided the lens from which adoption was studied by considering influences from the technological context, the organisational context and the environmental context. The following main research question guiding the study was addressed: What aspects of the visualisation and data exploration BIS are perceived to influence the adoption of the BIS in the public sector organisation. The organisation in the study provides training and development to public sector employees of the South African government. The study interviewed 10 senior managers with at least three years’ experience in the organisation. It was found that expected benefits from the technology and its compatibility are important for the adoption of BIS. Within the public sector organisation studied, stakeholder engagement; organisational culture; and available financial resources were also found to be important and supported by the literature. While service provider support was found to be crucial in the BIS adoption from the environmental context, the size of the organisation and the government regulations were found not to be influential in the adoption of BIS in a public sector organisation. The stimulation of employee interest and the importance of data quality were discovered to be the most important reasons the BIS was adopted. This research contributed to the improvement of theory by extending IS literature on BIS adoption and by testing the TOE theoretical framework in the South African public sector context. This study adds to the body of knowledge by extending the use of the TOE framework as a suitable tool for the study of BIS adoption. Furthermore, the study contributed by uncovering factors that influence the adoption of BIS in the South African public sector context. The results may help the South African and other countries’ public sector organisations to become more aware of the factors that influence the adoption of BIS. Practitioners and managers could be better prepared and minimise the BIS adoption risks by considering these factors
Performance of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as a growth catalyst of small medium enterprises
(2023) Maluleka, Julia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seek equity financing through stock exchanges to fund future growth opportunities, acquisitions, existing projects, and investment opportunities. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and Alternative exchange (AltX) provide a platform for SMEs to list and raise capital. In this paper, we investigate the impact that the AltX and JSE has on the growth, operating performance, and market performance of listed SMEs. The panel regression model is used to investigate this relationship. We used revenue growth as a proxy for growth, earnings per share (EPS) as a proxy for operating performance and share price as a proxy for market performance. Our independent variables were small businesses characteristics (age, size, leverage, dual listing, and industry) and stock market indicators (market liquidity, stock market capitalisation, volume, capital raised, and IPO ratio). GDP growth was included as a control variable. The panel data used in this study were collected from 2007 to 2020, and the estimation sample consists of 34 companies listed on AltX and 49 companies listed on the JSE mainboard. The empirical findings show that leverage, market liquidity and the industrials industry have an impact on the revenue growth of listed SMEs. The results of the impact of listing on the operating performance of listed small businesses using EPS as a proxy show that company age, size, dual listing, capital raised, and industries such as industrials, technology, consumer services, and healthcare influence the EPS of small businesses listed on the JSE and AltX. Our findings on SMEs market performance indicate that company size, age, leverage, dual listing, IPO ratio and industries such as consumer services, financials, industrials, technology, and telecommunications all have a significant impact on the share price of listed SMEs. We also found that the JSE and AltX have a differential impact on listed small businesses.
Business process management and innovation dynamics in a South African Bank
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Chang, Kai-Ruin; Mzyece, Mjumo
Innovation has been a topical focus for banks in achieving strategic value through new products development, efficient processes and improved services. Whilstdriving innovation, banks are however faced with barriers such as inertia exerted by legacy systems, unsupportive organisation structures and restrictive mindsets that are too risk avoidant. Thus, how innovation is managed by banks has become critical in overcoming these barriers. Despite business process management (BPM) having an overlapping objective to that of innovation management in achieving efficiency and lowering costs for an organisation, it has developed as a separate discipline to that of innovation management. The purpose of this study is the exploration of integrating BPM principles in innovation management in banks to overcome barriers and provide practical recommendations. The study further aims to contribute to the gap that exists between the body of academic knowledge and what innovation managers are aware of in a South Africa bank context. In this study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with senior employees within a South African bank. The data were further analysed using a qualitative research method to identify and interpret themes based on interviews with subject matter experts and managers in the South African bank. The study has identified the key layers from the total innovation management paradigm and BPM principles that can enable the innovation performance for a bank and raises further areas that can be explored