Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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    The adoption of multi-sided market platforms within the South African creative economy
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Magwebu, Yoyisani Gcisa; Chalomba, Nakuze
    This study aimed to explore the adoption of multisided marketplace platforms (MSMPs) within the South African creative economy, given the limited evidence of their adoption, explicitly focusing on the visual art domain participants. By applying a phenomenological design, the study aimed to understand how the phenomenon of marketplace platform adoption can create value for all stakeholders within the visual art ecosystem and develop a conceptual framework which addresses the unique needs of the visual art sector whilst providing valuable insights for future researchers to expand. A qualitative research approach was used to gather data from semi-structured interviews with ten visual art value chain members. Participants included actors representing the primary market, secondary market, support services and reception of the visual art ecosystem. The interview data were examined using thematic analysis, including inductive and deductive analysis. The study findings highlight the potential MSMPs have in creating value for all ecosystem actors within the South African visual art value chain. The research suggests that implementing appropriate platform policies and governance and positive experiences through platform features, functionality, design, layout, and social influence can increase adoption and retention with ecosystem members. Furthermore, the study suggests that co-creation impacts the adoption and sustained usage of MSMPs
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    The adoption of digital innovation in the South African oil and gas industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mokgoto, Tshepo; Schaling, Eric
    The ability to effectively adopt digital technology innovations such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Digital Twin, and cloud computing is crucial for any’s organization's continued growth and success. As much as innovation promises substantial value for organizations, not much is known about the attributes or factors that facilitate or impede innovation adoption. In addition, less is also known about how these attributes and factors influence adoption. There isn't much empirical data to support the growing significance of innovation through digital technologies in enabling the transformation of oil and gas organizations in South Africa, even though innovation globally is a growing phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of digital technology innovation in the oil and gas industry in South Africa. The literature showed that there are number of factors that influence the rate of digital technology adoption and out of these the most prevalent ones were investigated for applicability in the oil and gas in South Africa. This study explored factors that were more prevalent in the oil and gas and grouped them into two categories, namely, knowledge and persuasion factors. The DOI theory was used as lens to explore the factors that influence the adoption of digital technology innovation. The theory has helped in categorizing and grouping the factors. Data for this study was collected through survey questionnaires sent digital innovation subject matter experts from multiple companies in the oil and gas in South Africa. Trends in the data was observed through descriptive analysis and regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between the rate of adoption and the influential factors. The relationships were observed and the related extent of the relationships, if existed. A statistically significant positive relationship was found to exist between the rate of innovation adoption and two main factors, Know-How knowledge and motivation. In order to accelerate the rate of digital technology adoption in the oil and gas industry it is recommended that organizations should invest and prioritize building hands-on digital technology and leadership skills. Organizations should also focus on change management activities aimed at motivating current employees showing them benefits and opportunities brough about by digital technology adoption. This will serve as an incentive to ensure that they support and champion the initiatives. Digital technology initiatives should be made visible for awareness purposes and showing the transformation achieved and value unlocked
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    The adoption of Blockchain among the SMEs in Gauteng, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Motea, Mosa; Wotela, Kambidima
    This study investigates factors that influence the adoption of Blockchain technology among small to medium enterprises (SMEs) within Gauteng, South Africa, through the lens of the challenges they face. The adoption of Blockchain in the SME sector is lagging as compared to other counterparts in emerging economies. It is evident, based on the literature review that SMEs face numerous business problems, and this creates severe challenges hindering the adoption of new technologies. The Technology- Organisational-Environment (TOE) framework was utilised as a theoretical framework and used for this study to analyse the adoption of technology among SMEs. A qualitative research approach was considered the most appropriate for this study. Primary data was collected from six SMEs comprising of owners and directors or senior managers using semi-structured interviews. A purposive sampling technique was chosen to select the participants. The interview question guide developed from insights gained from the literature review section, and other questions were added depending on the respondents' feedback. The author adopted Bryman's four-stage thematic coding for data analysis. The findings of this study offer’s knowledge and practical enlightenment on the factors that drive the adoption of technologies among the SME sector
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    Factors influencing online shopping in South Africa – a post-lockdown context
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mohamed, Raeesa; Budree, Adhees
    Purpose – To evaluate the factors that have influenced the use of online shopping in South Africa during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the role of perceived risk and trust in online shopping and how customers’ online shopping behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 381 South African consumers responded to an online survey based on the UTAUT2 model, which was extended to include perceived risk and trust as factors. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the measurement model followed by a structural equation model to identify the significance of the factors and the strength of the relationship to the dependent variable, behavioural intention. Findings – The research shows that consumers have changed their online shopping behaviour, they have increased their usage of online shopping since COVID-19 and plan to continue to shop online. Additionally, all nine variables are significant to varying extents and the hypothesis is supported for each of them. The strongest correlations were found to be with effort expectancy, performance expectancy, hedonic motivationand habit. Research limitations/implications – The research provides an overall view of eCommerce in South Africa during the COVID-19 lockdown period. To provide further insight, age and gender could be tested as moderators. Moreover, the use of stratified random sampling could create a more generalised view in future studies. Practical implications – The insights from this research can help SMME businesses understand which elements are most important to customers when shopping online and where they should prioritise their limited resources to better serve their clients. Originality/value – This study provides valuable insights into South African consumers’ behaviour as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since this topic has not been extensively researched as yet, this study can benefit SMME businesses to understand the influences that drive consumer adoption of online shopping to enable them to be on a digital transformation journey
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    Exploration of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence within traditional recruitment and selection processes among South African Universities
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Murerwa, Godwin
    Industries across the world are investing in and embracing artificial intelligence in their recruitment and selection strategies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in talent acquisition, fuelled through technological innovation has disrupted traditional recruitment and selection processes. Within South Africa, adoption of AI has been reported to be slow with most organisations still at a pilot stage. An organisation competitive advantage is generated from the people it employs. Due to increased globalisation and interlinked economies, companies rely on their highly talented employees for sustainable competitiveness. It is critical in a world where there is scarcity of skills, talent and resources to use an intelligent system in staffing. Traditional techniques of managing entities are being contested globally. Traditionally, recruitment and selection was a laboriously administrative, mundane and manual process susceptible to prejudices and biases of the practitioner. This research explored the factors influencing Artificial Intelligence adoption in the traditional recruitment and selection practices among South African universities. The main objectives of the study were to establish factors influencing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in recruitment and selection processes among South African universities and consequently recommend feasible strategies of adopting such technology within the talent acquisition practices of the universities. The study utilised a quantitative research approach through a survey design. For data collection, the research instrument was an online self-completion questionnaire. The study employed non-probability sampling, purposive sampling in particular. This enabled the research to focus on the characteristics and attributes consistent with the study objectives. A total of ninety-five participants from nine South African universities completed the online questionnaire. The findings demonstrated the potential benefits of AI adoption to the hiring processes of South African universities. The benefits of AI adoption seem to be mostly in perceived accuracy and speed in which it curtails tedious tasks in recruitment and selection. There are however significant challenges that should be addressed. Issues to do with ethics
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    How SMEs in South Africa can implement robotics to increase competitiveness
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mpungose, Senzo Calvin; Totowa, Jacques
    Orientation: South African SMEs face technology adoption challenges. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies are no exception. However, SMEs need to gain knowledge on how these technologies affect them. More specifically, how can they benefit from the technologies. Research Purpose: This article investigates the impact of robotics and automation on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It seeks to identify ways in which the technology could be adopted and with its adoption, improve SME competitiveness. Motivation: The technologies identified as the driving forces behind the 4IR have largely been identified so based on their impact on business and industry. They have led to market convergence which has enabled businesses to operate outside of their industries and markets, thereby increasing market competition. There has been low uptake of robotics and automation in South African SMEs compared to international counterparts and even with the technology viewed as capable of improving business operations, lowering costs and driving competitiveness. Research Design, Approach and Method: A narrative design with interpretivist philosophy utilizing the semi-structured interview schedule to collect data and narrate the views and experiences of participants so as to extrpolate findings was used. Knowledge in this kind of study is subjectively relative to the SMEs being analysed and hence a relativism epistemological stance was taken. The inductive qualitative approach was used to identify patterns from interviews and develop explanations for those patterns. A sample with a fair representation of SMEs that have and have not adopted robotics and automation was interviewed. The interview schedule had nine questions aimed at answering the research questions. Main Findings: The primary reason SMEs adopt robotics and automation is to drive production efficiency, reduce operational costs and increase capacity. SMEs face adoption challenges that include financing, skills shortages and information scarcity. Strategies to overcome these challenges were identified and include finding alternative forms of financing, upskilling existing labour and information dissemination through planned programs. Practical/managerial implications and Contribution/value-add: The study has developed a model that can be used to adopt robotics and automation as well as other 4IR technologies. Strategies that SMEs can use to increase competitivity through the adoption of robotics have been provided alongside strategies to adopt robotics and automation.
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    Factors influencing the adoption of big data analytics in the South African financial services industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mthethwa, Siyabonga
    The rapid expansion of big data analytics (BDA) presents significant prospects for organizations across industries, including the financial services sector. This research investigated the factors that influence the adoption of BDA within the South African financial services industry, examining their impact on investment decision-making and the evaluation of post-implementation value. A comprehensive research framework is employed to accomplish these objectives, combining the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) framework with the BDA Adoption model. The TOE framework provides a contextual understanding of technological, organisational, and environmental factors, while the BDA Adoption model specifically focuses on moderating factors such as paradigm shift and organisation’s complexity tolerance for big data analytics adoption. Data is gathered from diverse stakeholders in the South African financial services industry through a qualitative approach encompassing semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis method was used to analyse the data gathered from the interviews. The findings of this study indicate that organizations characterized by a higher tolerance for complexity are more prone to achieving a seamless transition from the intention of adopting BDA to its successful deployment. This study also found that a combination of factors such as top management support, relative advantage, trialability, human resource, regulatory environment and vendor support did influence investment decision-making collectively. Also, the push from the regulators and the need by financial organisations to improve customer experience led to an acceleration of BDA adoption, which ultimately led to investment decisions being made to meet these objectives. The outcomes of this research will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on BDA adoption by offering unique insights into the factors specific to the South African financial services industry. Furthermore, the findings will assist organizations operating within this sector in making well-informed decisions iii regarding BDA adoption, optimizing their investments, and maximizing the value obtained from the implementation of BDA technologies
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    The Factors inhibiting the adoption of digital platforms in a South African Corporate bank
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Masango, Mpho
    Almost a decade ago, Absa considered changing their branding to regain their position in the market and consequently, change how they are perceived by their clients andcustomers. The change was driven by the executive decision by both Barclays and Absa to end their standing partnership and pursue different strategic directions. Absa saw this as an opportunity to go digital, which would mean revising their current internal systems to align with this new vision This result was a response to the internal factors uncovered when the organisation assessed the current structure and business operations within, with a later consideration to external influencing macro factors considered thereafter. Absa made the call to end reliance on legacy systems, but instead, moved to build a completely new interface system for its staff and clients to use in accessing the bank’s working platform, products and services through a single sign on. However, now that the bank is in the process of gaining momentum and the necessary buy-in from their corporate clients to drive the adoption of the digital platforms, there seems to be a disconnect between the system’s perceived value and real benefit. As a result, the adoption of the Absa platform, named Absa Access, has not taken off as originally planned. The aim of the research was to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of digital platforms in a South African corporate bank. The results of this study presented the various factors that drive such adoption, as well as highlighted the roles of the different stakeholders responsible to drive this adoption. Although the digital platform is in its infant stages and has implemented a phased approach to go live, the research is focused on understanding the role of the different business leaders in influencing adoption, and how this is then migrated down to the rest of the team, and consequently, the customers. A case study approach was employed for this research. Internal surveys were used to assess Absa’s brand position from the customer’s perspective, and to assess the consumption of the legacy platform against the newer, more strategic Absa Access. The study had found that It is important for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the adoption of digital platforms is successful. Communication, training, change management, and testing are all critical factors that must be considered to facilitate adoption and ensure that 3 the platform meets the needs of clients. Although the platform is in its infancy stage, Absa has an opportunity to correct their approach to ensure the drive for adoption
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    Consumer acceptance and adoption of metaverse environments in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Malebana-Metsing, Sekete; Alagbaoso, Manessah
    This research focuses on the acceptance and adoption drivers of metaverse (virtual world) environments in South Africa. In particular, it explores the influence of enabling technology, digital identity, access to economic resources in the form of virtual currencies and alternative digital payment capabilities as motivators of metaverse acceptance. The effect of an individual’s social circle is also examined in detail. The theoretical model used in this research is the Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study used a cross-sectional, quantitative methodology that followed a positivist approach. Primary data was collected from a sample of adult individuals residing in South Africa through a self-administered online questionnaire. Data analysis included correlation analysis, item reduction, exploratory factor analysis, moderation variable analysis and multiple regression analysis for the constructs represented in UTAUT. The findings indicate that enabling technology, digital identity, social influence and access to economic resources (virtual currencies) are strong predictors of individual behavioural intention and usage behaviour regarding the metaverse technology. The current state of the metaverse technology in the country is considered nascent, although there is wider acceptance of console and personal computing gaming in virtual world games such as Second Life, Roblox Minecraft, World of Warcraft and Fortnite. This indicates that immersive virtual reality technology is yet to mature to the point where it can meet the needs of consumers.
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    The factors influencing the adoption of mobile banking in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Choeu, Thobeng; Ndlovu, Chiedza
    The research study investigated the factors that influence mobile banking adoption in relation to the Extended Living Standards Measure in South Africa. The research was focused on the five big banks in South Africa, constituting around 80% of bank account penetration. Despite South Africa having the highest penetration of mobile connections and highest number of users with bank accounts, the level of mobile banking adoption is still not satisfactory. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 300 respondents with a bank account, and only 203 responses were found suitable for this study. The study adopted the UTAUT model to determine whether Social Influence, Effort Expectancy, Utilitarian Performance Expectancy, Hedonic Performance Expectancy, Self-Efficacy, Facilitating Conditions, Attitude, Risk, Security and Trust influence mobile banking adoption. The findings of the study suggest that only four variables, namely, Hedonic Performance, Self-Efficacy, Attitude and Risk, are significant and influence the adoption of mobile banking in South Africa. The demographic profiling of respondents falls within ELSM 8 and higher groups in the South African context. Age, Income and Education also significantly influences the adoption of mobile banking. Self-Efficacy is the most important factor that influences the adoption of mobile banking. The research findings suggest that more theories or variables must be considered to fully understand the influence of mobile banking in this country. The findings from the study are not entirely consistent with the UTAUT model and suggested an updated model be used to further assess the adoption of mobile banking