Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item Factors influencing the adoption of solar PV technology by South African householders(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Zondi, Lucky; Keratiloe, MogotsiSouth Africa is endowed with one of the best solar resources in the world. Yet South African households are experiencing load shedding or rolling blackouts due to poor performance of coal-fired power stations that are operated by the national power utility, Eskom. One of the options to reduce the impact of load shedding for households is to generate and supply their own electricity from rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. This study was aimed at developing an understanding of motivational and control factors that influence decision-making in the adoption of rooftop solar PV technology by South African households. The framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was applied to investigate the extent to which attitude, perceived social pressure and subjective knowledge influence the intention of households to purchase and install rooftop solar PV systems. This study expands the body of knowledge that can inform marketing activities and government policymaking aimed at improving the uptake of rooftop solar PV systems in South Africa. The study targeted a population of post-graduate students through an online survey that yielded 239 respondents. The data and results were analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this study established that South African households had a positive attitude towards rooftop solar PV technology. But the attitude had an inconclusive association with the intention to purchase a rooftop solar PV system. Both the perceived social pressure and subjective knowledge had a positive association with the intention of households to purchase a rooftop solar PV system. It was recommended that marketers should disseminate relevant information to communities, and policymakers should develop policies and incentives that support the adoption of solar PV technology in South Africa. Future research was recommended to examine the household attitude construct in a larger sample, including other factors that may affect the household intention to purchase rooftop solar PV systemItem Consumer perceptions of the transition from coal to renewable energy in South Africa: Consumer perception toward the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy technology for electricity generation in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sebothoma, Captain; Hildebrandt, Diane; Bruce, YoungThe South African government has announced investments in renewable energy technology initiatives to address the electricity supply gap created by loadshedding and inefficiencies at Eskom, the country's power utility. However, a few studies on public acceptance on renewable energy technology have been undertaken in many countries, including one conducted in Nigeria by Rosemary Nike Wojuola, which found that the public always has some opposing thoughts on the deployment of such technologies. The purpose of the study was to understand the consumer's perceptions on the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy technology for electricity generation in South Africa, and it will assist to improve policies that encourage consumers to embrace and learn about electricity generated by renewable energy sources. The “technology acceptance model’ and ‘theory of reasoned action” are used to evaluate the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions concerning renewable energy technology in relation to sustainable behaviour. A quantitative approach (survey) was employed in this study to investigate South African electricity consumers' awareness of sustainable development (including knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes). Statistical software (IBM SPSS Statistics version 28) was used to conduct inferential and descriptive statistical analysis on the collected data, allowing the researcher to derive predictions (or "inferences") from the data. The majority of participants, according to the data, had high levels of education (at least a graduate degree), which means that the sample does not represent the South African population as a whole. Based on the study findings, participant’s generally have an average level of knowledge regarding renewable energy technology, with females scoring lower than males. The results of a regression study between attitude calculated and behavioural intention of the consumers to adopt renewable energy technology were F=15.378 and p=0.001. This means that the research model fit the data and there was a positive association between the two variables (attitude calculated and behavioural intention). Lack of information, affordability, and unknown benefits of renewable energy technologies were the main barriers to participants' willingness to install renewables in their homes. Additionally, the study revealed that consumers depend on the government to speed up the development of renewable vi energy technologies for the production of electricity; however, there is evidence that the current administration is failing to maintain the existing fossil fuel infrastructure to ensure that the public has access to reliable electricity. The findings also show that the consumer's perception or attitude toward renewable energy technology is influenced by the perceived usefulness and ease of use, as well as the participants knowledge and beliefs about the technology. Thus, there is a need for renewable energy technology education that is sufficient to foster a favourable impression of renewable energy technologies among the general public. To foster a sustainable culture driven by the adoption of renewable energy technology for electricity generation across the country, sustainability should also be covered in education programs at all educational levelsItem The influence of user experience and trust on online shopping acceptance by South African consumers(2023) Msibi, Fungile Phindile GabisileOver the years, developing countries like South Africa have seen a sharp rise in the acceptance of online shopping. The growth rate in e-commerce, like the e-commerce penetration rate are attributed to the increase in access to the internet and internet enabled devices that allow South Africans to engage with online retailers and take advantage of the benefits of online shopping. However, the ecommerce penetration in developing countries like South Africa is slower than that of developed countries like China, Germany and the United States of America. This stems from internet and telecommunications infrastructure limitations, lack of online shopping skill, negative online shopping user experiences, scepticism, distrust, and limitations in academic literature understanding the acceptance of online shopping in South Africa. Developed countries have embarked in research efforts in understanding how these barriers in online shopping acceptance can be fixed. Therefore, there was an opportunity for this to be done for a developing country like South Africa. This research report aimed to contribute to understanding the factors that affect the acceptance of online shopping by South Africans. Additionally, investigating the influence of user experience and trust on online shopping acceptance by South African consumers. These were the primary and secondary research objectives of this research report. The research study was underpinned by the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-2), user experience and trust. It also employed the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to determine the relationships between the UTAUT-2 constructs, user experience, trust and behavioural intention (online shopping acceptance). The research study findings indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy and interaction of the online retailing platform’s user experience influence the acceptance of online shopping by South Africans. Furthermore, the outcomes also indicate that the sample population’s responses to measured factors were positive, indicating that there is a level of online shopping skill and positivity towards online shopping acceptance. However, some of the independent constructs were rejected and therefore excluded as factors that influence online shopping acceptance by South Africans. Specifically, facilitating conditions, social influence, price value, habit, hedonic motivation, trust and the presentation, content and functionality of online retailing platform’s user experience do not influence online shopping acceptance by South Africans. As part of the discussion, findings were compared and juxtaposed against literature that guided the literature review. Managerial suggestions were given with a thorough integration with the guiding literature, and practical managerial implications were proposed. The limitations of the current research study and suggestions for future research studies in developing countries like South Africa were also highlighted and proposed.