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End date: 2022Subject: search.filters.subject.Innovation

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 18
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    The promotion of Corporate Entrepreneurship in the South African financial services organisations
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Nhlapo, Simon; Alovokpinhou, Sedjro Aaron
    There has been a growing interest in corporate entrepreneurship in the last four decades. Corporate entrepreneurship has therefore become a necessary attribute that organisations that wish to gain competitive advantage and be market leaders should possess. This study assesses the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is promoted and encouraged in South African financial services organisations. The research study identifies and investigates organisational internal factors, which affect the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship in South African financial services organisations through administering Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment instrument (CEAI). The research results indicate that work discretion is the only construct that respondents perceived to be encouraged and promoted. This was further confirmed by higher positive responses on items relating to autonomy and freedom. Participants reflected a neutral sentiment regarding the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship irrespective of gender, age, organisational level, tenure, and overall employment tenure. The research results also suggests that management sentiment is low on time availability for the promoting entrepreneurial activities. Therefore, we conclude that the South African financial services industry still has an enormous task to create an environment conducive for corporate entrepreneurship.
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    Product innovation strategies that support an organisation’s reset business strategy
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Maithufi, Marang Norah; Mupfawa, Shungu
    Literature reveals that many organisations do not have well-communicated innovation strategies, or rarely articulate their innovation efforts to align with business strategies. In addition, research further emphasises that without innovation strategies, different parts of an organisation can find themselves pursuing conflicting priorities even in the existence of a clear business strategy. Organisation A, the case under study, has recently accounced its new refresh business strategy; in order to align itself with the changing business and consumer landscapes. The new business strategy focusses on value delivery through customer-centricity and market-focused businesses. The aim of this study is to ascertain product innovation strategies that can support Organisation A’s new business ambitions. Organisation A produces and markets a wide range of products, including chemicals; both commodity as well specialty chemicals. The products identifed for the study are polymers products, selected due to the unique challenges the products currently face; which include being commodity products at the mature stage of their product lifecycle. Parallel to this, these products have recently endured substantial environmental scrutiny relating to the increasing (polymers) plastics waste footprint in the environment and other externalities, with consumers thus demanding more environmentally sustainable product solutions. For a richer discovery, as well as uncovering perceptions which may influence how innovation is conducted at Organisation A, a qualitative single case study research strategy was pursued, via semi-structured interview schedules with Organisation A’ employees involved in and associated with the development, production, marketing, sales and support of polymers products under study. The study revealed that although innovation is widely acknowledged as important, the perceptions held within the business were that polymers product innovation was not a forefront imperative. This, according to the study participants, manifested as an environment that was unsupportive of product innovation endevours, a business that was overly risk-averse, internally focussed, and considered other categories of innovation such as manufacturing process innovations as more value creating than polymers product innovation efforts. Consequently, only incremental and sustaining product innovation activities that were perceived to not disrupt the business were embraced. Three strategies or opportunity areas are proposed, that Organisation A can explore for its polymers product innovation efforts to support the new business strategy
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    Entrepreneurial orientation and value sustenance of a South African firm during the Covid-19 pandemic
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Carim, Shakira; Murimbika, Edward
    This study's overall theoretical issues related to the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation adopted by organisations to survive the COVID-19 pandemic economically. As the world was economically thrown into upheaval and crisis, many organisations faced bankruptcy and stopped trading. The motivation of this study was to understand measures adopted by organisations by applying the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to survive the COVID-19 crisis and whether it proved fruitful. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) that relate to innovation, proactiveness, risk-taking and autonomy had impacted and helped sustain firm value, measured through business financial performance, business retention, and moderated by financial reprieve received, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted in an emerging market context and focused on organisations operating within a South African context. The focus was placed on those industries that were negatively impacted by the crisis. In an organisational setting, a quantitative empirical study was conducted based on responses of 133 participants. Service, retail, and manufacturing enterprises were included in the sample, of which the retail and manufacturing enterprises housed dedicated IT departments. Through electronically distributed questionnaires, their organisational employees were invited to participate in the study. Regression analysis was used to support the hypotheses and literature read using the SPSS v27 tool. It was established that 72% of the responses were received from the manufacturing sector, 20% from the service sector, 5% from the IT sector, and 3% from the retail sector. The main results and findings of the study are summarised below
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    Business networks and the moderating impact of innovation on business performance
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Jordaan,Brigitta; Msimango-Galawe, Jabulile
    South Africa faces frighteningly high levels of unemployment, inequality and poverty. Like many other emerging economies, the South African government has recognised the importance of entrepreneurial activity. It widely views SME's (Small or Medium- sized Enterprises) as the lynchpin to realising growth and expansion. However, a common challenge to the performance and growth of many SME's is the lack of access to resources. Additionally, as advancements in innovation have so rapidly evolved in recent years, a business's innovative capabilities have become just as crucial to its performance capabilities and sustaining a competitive advantage. This study mainly focused on investigating the extent to which networks, particularly supplier, consumer and competitor networks, moderated by innovation, impacted the financial performance of SME's in South Africa. Data collection from SME owners and managers throughout South Africa using self-administered surveys, distributed via Qualtrics. The results show that two supplier networks and consumer networks moderated by innovation significantly impact business performance. Consequently, no factors from the consumer networks construct were extracted in the EFA analysis to determine consumer networks' impact on business performance. As such, no conclusions could be determined in considering the consumer network's impact on firm performance. Findings suggest that the study be replicated with a significantly larger sample. It is also recommended that further research explores the extent to which network activities and network resources, when moderated by innovation, impacts business performance, with a view on measuring alternate performance metrics such as growth, market share and consumer and employee satisfaction and growth
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    Redesigning and applying the open innovation contest model to a South African financial firm
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Singh, Ameeth; Ahwireng-Obeng, F.
    Firms have been experimenting with various forms of innovation in order to overcome the challenges brought about by technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). One particular 4IR approach, Open Innovation (OI), allows firms to access a large crowd of individuals outside the firm and has recorded significant innovations in this way. OI has been used extensively, but some firms have used it differently to others. The Land Bank, for example, opted for internal rather than external OI, by tapping into the creativity of its employees. But, they were not as successful as those firms that used external OI. This is because employee innovation is not straightforward. It requires a different management style to managing external individuals or normal everyday employee working environments. Moreover, there is a lack of research on Open Innovation Contests (OICs) and innovation management practices to assist managers in navigating the complexities of employee innovation. This study has combined these research strands to provide management practices that are best for managing employee innovation. To do this, a qualitative study was undertaken where an interview was used to investigate employee’s experiences and expectations of innovation management. The interview was developed from theory on OICs and innovation management practices and eight employees of the Land Bank were interviewed. The research findings indicated that managing employees for innovation is quite challenging because employees view innovation as something that is out of the ordinary and they expect the firm to use specialized management techniques to inspire and motivate them. Five important themes emerged from the data collected, namely a) Role of leadership in innovation, b) Role of management in innovation, c) Learning and development for innovation, d) Rewarding innovation, and e) Robust innovation process. In the eyes of employees, the leadership team has the most amount of influence and power to make changes and must use these attributes to create a culture of innovation that will encourage creativity and risk taking among employees. Managers, on the other hand, were found to also have an important role to play in innovation. Employees want them to follow a contemporary approach to managing innovation by establishing a work environment that grants employees’ flexibility, autonomy, trust, and respect. Employees are enthusiastic about learning from their mistakes in innovation because it increases their knowledge base and motivates them to continue innovating. Receiving feedback is therefore important to them but they expect to receive feedback in a form that they can understand and incorporate into future innovations. Rewarding employees for their innovation is important to them but they do not always expect to be financially rewarded, especially if firms are experiencing financial constraints
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    Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance within the South African Minibus Taxi Industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Kier, Jessica; Urban, Boris
    The primary purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between the three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation within the South African minibus taxi industry. This industry is pivotal to the South African economic structure and landscape as a whole. The taxi industry serves as the main mode of public transport in South Africa. A survey was used to conduct an empirical research study. A sample size of 120 participants was originally selected; however, of those 120, only 95 surveys were valid and used due to missing values in the data provided in the others. This sample size is representative of the population concerning the taxi industry. The research instrument included a 7-point Likert scale. Further, the instrument included demographic coverage and sections covering the three entrepreneurial orientations’ dimensions. The aim of this study is to understand the extent to which entrepreneurial orientation enables small- to medium-enterprise growth performance within the South African taxi industry. Empirical data to support research suppositions is difficult to access within the public domain, but this research identified and provided an analysis extracted from private enterprise which fills the gap in the current research literature space. The results indicated a weak positive influence between the three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and growth performance within the industry. Due to the significance of the findings, the results are not strong enough for generalising the same findings for the entire South African minibus taxi population. This industry is the main source of public transport within the country and needs to increase its literature in order to grow and further improve. Further findings can contribute to the understanding of the complexity that surrounds the industry’s atmosphere. The value of working to formulate constructive information on the taxi industry will allow for further engagement within the field
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    Investigating alternative social funding instruments for SMMEs in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Xaba, Prudence; Sibanda, Tonderai
    Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are key drivers of economy, innovation, job creation and the biggest contributor of the GDP. In 2015 there were 2 251 821 SMMEs, with only 667 433 in the formal sector and registered, the rest operating in the informal sector. South Africa today is faced high rates of poverty, unemployment and poor education levels. The current legislative framework has been unable to transform the skewed discrimination in the economic sector. Several government strategies and interventions have not yielded any positive results. The study explored the conversion of stokvels into an alternative social funding instrument for SMMEs. Stokvel is a centralised collective savings scheme, where monthly periodic contribution are paid. Stokvels are referred to as Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROCSAs), with a membership of between 5-30 members. The study employed qualitative multi method approach, using focus groups observations, individual interviews and document analysis to collect data. Semi structured questionnaires were used for the five stokvels focus groups and three individual interviews with government executives. Data analysis was conducted using the three theories; phenomenology, ethnography and interactionism. The findings show that stokvel members are willing to convert into formal investment instruments, to manage risks and having access to better control management systems. They also stated that they would like to maintain their independence, unique identity and control of their savings. It also found that stokvels need financial training in order to make informed decisions on the available platforms. It was also found that all this is impossible without government’s intervention in transforming the sector and introduce flexible legislation accommodating stokvels. It is also stated that retail banks could hinder the introduction of progressive and flexible legislation regulatory framework as they recognise that stokvels could be disruptors in the financial sector.
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    Essays on innovations, national culture, and banking system stability
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Marfo-Yiadom, Edward; TWENEBOAH, GEORGE
    One of the crucial imperatives to safeguard the stability of macroeconomic frameworks of nations is the financial architecture. The financial system guarantees the flow of financial resources to economic agents and empowers governments to undertake investments, infrastructural development, and sustainable economic development. Nations that have advanced the culture of harnessing financial resources into productivity growth are the known to be experiencing economic affluence. It is incontrovertibly evidenced that the growth in financial resources can augment the capability of nations to promote technological innovation and eventually engender national development. However, banks have become universally susceptible to competition and demonstrate reckless intermediation behaviour. The possibility of high risk taking in the wake of a boost in liquidity can increase the level of instability in the banking infrastructure. Notwithstanding that, the culture of the societies within which banks operate can function as a catalyst for the evolution of credit into sustainable and innovative projects, which can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of banks and strengthen them to weather liquidity shocks. This thesis was setup to examine whether the culture of 107 nations can ignite the innovative tendencies of firms due to the recent intensification of credit to the private sector, advancement in technological innovations, and the amplified transparency of the financial system. The thesis employed the system Generalised Method of Moments to develop three objectives into self-contained empirical chapters. The first chapter examined whether the income level of nations, which is also a measure of technological advancement, can propel nations to use explosions in financial resources to improve the soundness of the banking system. Even though income clubs were found to be crucial in the relationship between financial innovations and economic growth, the chapter did not establish how the informal institutions that define the values, norms, aspirations, and attitudes of the territories where banks operate can affect the channels through which financial innovations affect the soundness of the banking system. The second objective, therefore, examined the role of the six dimensions of Hofstede’s national culture in the nexus of financial innovation and stability of banks. The last objective analysed the role of national culture in banking system stability. This study considered how information sharing systems, which are avenues for financial transparency and institutional innovation, can feature in the financial intermediation role of banks. The results show that financial innovation has a strong positive impact on bank stability for the 107 countries covered in this study. The positive effect of financial innovation on bank stability is even stronger from upper middle-income countries. The study did not establish any relationship between financial innovation and bank stability in high-income countries and lower-middle income countries. In terms of technological innovation, ATM coverage has positive effect on bank stability in high-income countries and upper-middle income countries. The results for financial innovation were robust even after the inclusion of period dummies. In the second chapter, the study found that the national cultural dimensions influence the relationship between financial innovation and bank stability. Indulgence, long-term orientation, and power distance were found to have strong substitution effect on the relationship between financial innovation and bank stability. This connotes that countries with high level of the three cultural tendencies can achieve banking system stability in the wake of financial expansion. Similarly, countries with above average level of uncertainty avoidance can complement the proliferation of finance into banking sector soundness. In the third chapter, it was discovered that countries with high levels of indulgence and masculinity can nurture financial transparency into banking system stability. These findings highlight the imperative for intermediation strategies of banks in host countries to incorporate the cultural orientations and technological advancement of the communities within which they operate, to guarantee the effectiveness and efficiency in directing financial resources to productivity and induce the soundness or stability of the banking system as well as strengthen the overall macroeconomic
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    Leadership and the adoption of cloud computing for enterprises in Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Lephoto, Palesa Irene; Matshabaphala, M.D.J
    Cloud computing is extensively adopted by many enterprises globally. South African enterprises have resisted the shift to cloud computing adoption despite there being extensive potential for organisations. The contribution of this study was to examine the factors that influence leadership to adopt cloud computing as part of digital transformation strategy for their enterprises in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The qualitative general research design was used to investigate the perceptions leaders have about cloud computing which translates into slow adoption of cloud computing. The data was collected through interviews from participants holding leadership positions in their respective organisations. The findings were analysed and discussed using an inductive thematic analysis approach to identify and code emergent themes within the data. The findings indicated that multiple factors influence leadership to adopt cloud computing for their enterprises. Understanding the cloud computing concept includes the drivers and barriers halting the adoption, the characteristics and traits of the leader, and the organisational factors contributing to the prospect of embracing cloud adoption. Despite the significant benefits of cloud, adoption in Johannesburg enterprises experiences challenges and the enterprise leaders still have reservations in fully adopting cloud for their organisations due to both macro and micro limitations
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    Digital adoption by small law firms in South Africa: Challenges and opportunitie
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Di Monaco, Veronica; Pellissier, René
    This qualitative study will explore the factors limiting further technological adoption (TA) by small law firms (SLF) in South Africa (SA) and identify which digital transformation (DT) principles can be deployed to surpass constraints, enabling such firms to modernize their business models for higher efficiency and effectiveness