Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item The implication of AI-generated music on the industry's business model(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Lothe, NkosinathiThis research report explores how AI-generated music is changing the traditional music industry model. The study uses qualitative research to examine how AI technology affects music creation, distribution, and consumption. It uncovers the challenges and opportunities AI-generated music brings to different music industry players. The research gives insights into how music production is evolving in the digital age by analysing user views, legal frameworks, and economic impacts. Stakeholders can adapt to the changing industry landscape by understanding how AI impacts music. The study shows how AI reshapes music creation and distribution, offering new possibilities for artists and businesses. As technology continues to influence the music industry, grasping the implications of AI- generated music is crucial for staying relevant and innovative in this dynamic environmentItem The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the future of jobs in the South African automotive sector(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Setati, PortiaThis report attempted to provide insights on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the future of work in the automotive industry. The aim of this paper was to identify the potential benefits and challenges of AI adoption in the automotive sector and to develop strategies to maximize the benefits while mitigating the risks. South Africa, a significant player in the global automotive market, faces unique challenges and opportunities as AI integration progresses.The study employed a qualitative method approach and conducted semi-structured interviews to gather data. By examining current trends and future projections, the research interprets how AI technologies are reshaping traditional automotive manufacturing processes and workforce dynamics.Findings suggest that while AI adoption promises enhanced productivity, efficiency, and product quality, it also poses challenges in terms of workforce displacement, skill gaps,and job redefinition. The South African automotive industry, characterized by a diverse workforce and socio-economic disparities, must navigate these changes with a strategic approach to ensure inclusive growth and equitable distribution of opportunities.This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the transformative impact of AI on the future of work in the South African automotive industry, offering insights into the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and proposing strategies for harnessing AI's potential for inclusive and sustainable growthItem Sustainability and performance of the South African mining industry in supply chain management post Covid-19(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Malebana, Marakeng; Totowa, JacquesThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global supply chains, disrupted operations, and caused delays across various industries. The mining industry in South Africa was not immune to some of these problems. Gradually, restrictions eased, businesses reopened, and supply chain performance slowly improved. However, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of building resilience in supply chains to prepare for future disruptions. Mining firms in South Africa should re-evaluate their supply chain strategies, looking to diversify suppliers, shorten lead times, and increase transparency to mitigate risks. Moreover, adopting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, Blockchain, and the Internet of Things should assist firms in managing their supply chains better, improving visibility, and enhancing overall performance. This study examined the post-COVID-19 supply chain management performance in the mining industry. This was quantitative research, and the population of the study was 319 and 175 respondents across five mining companies in South Africa. The study developed and empirically tested hypotheses to determine the influence of supply chain network design, information systems, organizational structure, and supply chain strategy on supply chain finance and performance. The research suggests that mining firms in South Africa must radically improve their supply chain design, organization structure, and strategy and deploy information systems such as blockchain, machine learning, AI, and ERP to enhance industry performance. The current supply chain challenges in the industry require building capabilities and sharing resources among firms to alleviate the cost and other problems in logistics. The study contributes to the body of knowledge in supply chain management and offers a proposition to management on how to resolve the bottleneck in industry support to improve industry performanceItem The role of personalisation in digital advertising on consumer decision making in the South African context.(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Jansen, Bareile; Ndlela, ThubelihleThe surge in digital advertising has redefined the consumer landscape, profoundly impacting decision-making processes related to brand and product choices, which has ultimately led to digital brand saturation (Agrawani, 2022). Digital brand saturation could potentially lead to consumer decision making frustration, unnecessary marketing to the wrong audience, costly expenses related to that, and an increase in the need for personalisation (Agrawani, 2022). Despite extensive research on digital advertising's impact on consumer decisions, there is a lack of studies focusing on the effects of personalisation on consumer behaviour in South Africa. This study employs a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews analysed via thematic analysis, with convenience sampling to select the 20 participants for this study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). This method was practical for gathering data efficiently within the study’s constraints. The findings of the study highlight the critical role of relevant advertising in engaging consumers and underscore the importance of ethical data practices to build consumer trust Drawing upon foundational literature in consumer behaviour, marketing ethics, and cross-cultural studies, this study seeked to inform decision-making and promote ethical practices in personalised advertising. The conclusions emphasise the critical importance of relevance, transparency, and consumer autonomy in developing effective advertising strategies and building trust in brand-consumer relationships. By integrating these elements, the study underscores the need for aligning advertising practices with ethical standards to foster meaningful and trustworthy interactions between brands and consumers.Item Investigate the role of skills development hubs in equipping disadvantaged communities in South Africa to gain competencies required for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Desai, Mohsin; Sibanda, TonderaiSouth Africa’s participation in the global trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), has grown to include almost every business segment and is set to influence every conceivable aspect of all industries. This 4IR era, which is blurring the lines between the digital, physical, and biological spheres, began as an initiative to combat challenges faced by the manufacturing sector. Today, however, it is characterized by a blend of technologies and can be somewhat daunting to many organisations, not to mention individuals in general. South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) highlights the fact that together with social development, there is a dire need for bridging the gap of skills shortages, especially in disadvantaged communities (Kraak, 2004). This social entrepreneurship research investigates the extent that skills development hubs in disadvantaged communities can assist in the alleviation of poverty, by bridging the gap of skills in 4IR areas that will be essential for equipping Africans to be at the forefront of technological advancements. The research focused on the development of Africa 4IR training hubs, targeting initially, the main economic hubs of Gauteng province and then expanding throughout South Africa. Technological skills are deemed to be in short supply in South Africa and filling this skills gap could invariably alleviate unemployment and poverty, especially amongst disadvantaged communities. The projections and proposal for the need of training hubs through this research is based on findings drawn from existing literature and from interviewing young professionals, university students, corporate managers and entrepreneurs. Using institutional theory as a lens, this research aimed at investigating the role of skills development hubs in equipping disadvantaged communities in South Africa. Additionally, it provided a suitable collaborative framework that involved all relevant stakeholders from the context of social entrepreneurship. Also, to start low cost training hubs and develop competencies required in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through public-private partnershipsItem The perceived impact of Emerging Technologies on Cybersecurity in the South African financial sector(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Philips, Denzil; Pillay, KiluThis study is based on the investigation of what is the perceived impact of emerging technologies on cybersecurity in South African financial institutions. New and emerging technologies have made significant advancements in many industries that can be very disruptive in nature, and the majority of these technologies have changed the cyber threat landscape as well. These include, among other things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The study offers insight into how these emerging technologies affect the cybersecurity of financial institutions in South Africa. The study consisted of Information technology risk and cybersecurity individuals. The sample size of 11 individuals was seen as sufficient based on the spread across the financial sector and the experience within the various industries. The individuals were from banks, insurers and market infrastructures within the South African financial sector. The sample focused on key financial institutions specifically banks, insurers, and market infrastructures, based in different provinces in South Africa such as Johannesburg and Cape Town where the impact could be systemic in the country. A qualitative study was adopted by the researcher based on systems theory to determine the relationship between the adoption of emerging or new technologies and the impact it has on cybersecurity. There were various responses from the different institutions, focusing on the adoption of emerging technologies, the effects of this adoption on the cybersecurity environment, the risk and vulnerability management processes, and the ability to adapt and respond to new cybersecurity risks introduced by emerging technologies. The results of the study found that there is a clear link between the adoption of emerging technologies and the increase in cybersecurity requirements with emerging technologies significantly impacting the cybersecurity domain/functioItem Use of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Autonomous Technologies in Mining Industry, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Nong, Setshaba; Sethibe, TebogoThe mining industry plays a convincing role globally in driving various industries and contributing to economic prosperity. Locally, South Africa is known for having some of the largest minerals reserves in the world, although it is burdened with challenges inhibiting its progress and competitiveness. It is, however, expected that with application of AI, ML and AT will be able to revolutionise the industry, changing its fortunes, which will increase its competitiveness globally in the process attract investment and contribute to its longevity. As a result of these benefits, this research sought to investigate implication of AI, ML, AT technologies implementation in the mining industry of South Africa. The technologies are considered novel, especially in the mining industry, making employing qualitative study appropriate to assess how the implementation is received by the industry including perceptions and its potential impacts. Key findings of the study indicate that these technologies have the capacity to change the trajectory of the South African mining industry by dealing with issues of safety, costs, labour and efficiency. There is also an opportunity to pursue additional resources locked in pillars, by depth and dangerous working conditions due to geological complexities. However, capital costs, the nature of narrow tabular ore bodies and variability of various conditions are found to be some of the inhibiting factors for implementations of these technologies. As a result, there is no mine that has implemented any of these technologies as a primary means of production. This research will measure current perceptions of industry stakeholders and insights, role of government, mining companies, and equipment manufacturing response. The research highlight areas of impact and challenges that will contribute to strategy development in the process contributing to its sustainability. It is important to consider application of theory of constraint which is a detailed analysis which can assist mining companies in identification of inherent challenges so as to be able to respond appropriately with solutions offered by AI, ML and ATItem The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Change Management within Organisations in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Manamela, Mamaphala Meriam; Gobind, JenikaOrganisations are changing their work to align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Customers’ needs have adjusted to conform to ever-changing technologies. These pressure organisations to implement technology alterations simultaneously to ensure transformation within the organisations and keep their existing customers. Moreover, technological changes require organisations to refocus their strategies and assess the capacity of Change Management to support the 4IR amid challenges brought by the change. Currently, no technologies have been instituted to implement Change Management activities. Presently, Change Management processes are not digitally implemented within organisations. instead, they are implemented manually. This leads to a lack of performance in Change Management and an inability to evaluate successes and failures. Artificial Intelligence (AI), as a proposed technology to digitalise Change Management activities, will ensure the proper Change Management impact through the data flow, ensure the data is accurate and reliable, and improve performance. This study explored the role of AI in implementing Change Management within organisations in Johannesburg. It considers how AI can be utilised in Change Management activities, such as ensuring governance and planning of Change Management activities using the relevant data to predict the impact, communicate, and converse with stakeholders through AI technologies. Furthermore, learning and development, automatic problem solving, and speech recognition be used to implement Change Management. This research was conducted with the intention of comprehending participants’ experience, knowledge and involvement in Change Management. A triangulated qualitative research design was followed to gather data from sources that included nine one- on-one interviews and five participants for the first focus group session, seven participants for the second focus group session, and five participants for the third focus session. The participants, coming from different levels and positions, included executive management, senior management, change managers and Change Management specialists, and were interviewed using MS Teams or face-Item Factors Influencing Artificial Intelligence Adoption in South African Organisations: A Technology, Organisation, Environment (TOE) Framework(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Hoosen, Kaneez Fathima; Cohen, JasonArtificial intelligence (AI) refers to the formation of machines that mimic human intelligence and encompasses various technologies. AI technology is changing the landscape for South African organisations and how they operate. Using current literature and other online reports by auditing firms, the study aimed to identify a suite of AI technologies used by South African organisations. Technologies such as robotic process automation, image and speech recognition, machine learning and chatbots were defined. In addition, this research paper investigated the factors influencing AI technology adoption by South African organisations. The technology, organisation and environment factors of the TOE framework were examined to understand adoption decisions. It was important to close this gap as lack of understanding of how factors influence AI decisions, and an undefined suite of AI technologies could impact adoption decisions. A cross sectional relational research design was chosen for the study. A survey instrument was used and administered through a web-survey to 252 IT decision makers or IT leaders from South African organisations who served as key informants for their organisations. Responses were received from 55 organisations. Reliability and validity tests were used to evaluate the consistency and reliability of the data and to evaluate whether measures correctly represent the variables that they intend to measure. Correlation analysis, stepwise and multiple regression were used to test the hypotheses of the conceptual model. It was found that of the suite of AI technologies, robotics process automation followed by machine learning and image recognition had the highest levels of adoption. Results showed that data availability and top management support were supported as the most significant technology, organization, environment (TOE) factors influencing AI technology adoption in South African organisations. It was found that perceived technology benefits, IT infrastructure, resource capability and normative pressure were also strongly correlated to AI technology adoption. Financial resources and competitive pressure were not supported as determinants. Artificial intelligence is receiving much attention in both practice and research. This study addresses the gap in the current body of knowledge on AI adoption in South Africa by making use of the TOE framework to study adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in organisations. Useful insights are provided to South African organisations so that they can benchmark their adoption against other industry players and manage their response to those factors most significant for AI adoptionItem Artificial Intelligence-driven transformation of risk management function in the South African Telecommunications Industry(2022) Ramatar, NiteshCurrent Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions focus on improving business operational processes and specific applications within the risk management fraternity. AI enables organisations to accelerate processes rapidly. However, this fast pace introduces new risk exposures that require proactive risk management. Therefore, this study explored whether AI should be utilised within the risk function of a telecommunications company, to make the function proactive. The research adopted an exploratory approach that involved conducting face-to-face interviews with risk management professionals within the telecommunications environment. The respondents’ feedback was consolidated to identify and analyse findings. Findings noted that risk functions should adopt AI to help them transition from a reactive to a proactive function. However, key challenges, such as budget constraints, poor stakeholder buy-in, and limited access to AI skills and appropriate use cases, prevent risk functions from adopting AI. Establishing change management initiatives is recommended to create a culture that can overcome these challenges.