4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item Financial inclusion in South Africa: An analysis of the financial sector regulatory framework and proposals for reform(2018-09) Duma, Amanda; Kawadza, HerbertAbstract Not Available.Item External Factors Influencing the Sustainability of Social Entrepreneurial Ventures in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Govender, Ramona; Murimbika, McEdwardSocial entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a solution in addressing some of the social ills in the world. However, in order for the social enterprises to be more effective there is a need for them to be sustainable, particularly in terms of financial sustainability. Social enterprises that are financially sustainable are usually better able to create social value. The study sought to investigate the contributing factors towards social enterprise (SE) venture sustainability in South Africa using Cape Town as a case study. In doing so, quantitative research was conducted, with data being collected from the sampled social enterprises using an online survey. In this research it was found that, while government assistance was important, it was not significant in determining a social enterprise’s performance. The research also found that high social innovation improves a social enterprise’s access to philanthropic venture capital. In this regard, high social innovation was also seen to have a positive effect on social enterprise performance. The research thus concludes that social innovation is an important contributor to the sustainability of a social enterprise. The study offers updated information and adds to the theory on social enterprises in South Africa which is useful to prospective social entrepreneurs seeking to structure such organizations. In addition to this, the new knowledge and new insights will help government and civil society policy makers to formulate policies that can encourage social entrepreneurship in the country, especially with regards to funding. The study also offers useful insights on social innovation and emphasises its importance within the social enterprise context.Item The impact of digital ecosystems on customer loyalty in South African life insurance companies: A customer’s perspective(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Muthama, Georginah M.; Nyamajiwa, Michael T.The concept of life insurance has been in existence for thousands of years, with a business model that has remained relatively the same. Persistency or customer retention in South African life insurance companies is an ongoing concern. Advancement in technology has provided new opportunities to life insurance companies, such as online sales, improvement in service offering, and the increase in brand awareness. The literature indicates that digital ecosystems offer a new value proposition for life insurance companies to create loyal customers. This study was motivated by the high number of policy cancellations, unmet premiums and lapsed policies experienced across the insurance industry in South Africa. The study proposed that customer loyalty can be increased with the implementation of digital ecosystems, specifically in terms of the value propositions related to ease of doing business, loyalty programs and digital platforms. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the value proposition provided by digital ecosystems can create loyal customers. A quantitative research approach was used in this study. Data was collected using surveys whereby the respondents gave their responses on a structured-self-completion questionnaire that were distributed via email and WhatsApp. A random sample of n=57 was achieved. The Cronbach’s Alpha test showed there was good internal consistency reliability for the independent variables, but the dependent variable has poor internal consistency. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted and the factor loadings higher than 0.40 indicate that the constructs were valid. Multiple regression was applied to test the four research hypotheses. The results indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between digital ecosystems and customer loyalty. Regarding individual value proposition items of digital ecosystems, ease of doing business does not have a significant relationship with customer loyalty, nor does digital platforms. Loyalty iv programs has a significant relationship with customer loyalty. The final conclusion of this research is thus that digital ecosystems do provide a value proposition which can increase customer loyalty. When a digital ecosystem consists of different value propositions, in this case, ease of doing business, loyalty programs and digital platforms, loyal customers can be created.Item Proposing the establishment of a tourist-generated-video library for destination marketing by tourism organisations(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Lehutjo, TshepoTourist-generated media content is a phenomenon that has become increasingly popular in recent years on social media platforms; to a point where many travel bloggers have even taken it on as a full-time occupation to meet the growing customer/tourist demand for it. On the other hand, tourism organisations and the industry at large have not been at the ready to take advantage of these technological developments. The prevailing explanation for this contrast is that tourism organisations do not have the know-how nor the time to invest in these technologies as they are typically staffed by small, specialised teams. As a result, entrepreneurs may investigate this identified gap to assist tourism organisations in meeting customer demands for: authentic tourist-generated videos while these customers are in the discovery and decision- making process of before their travel journey. Data was gathered remotely through publicly available platforms on the Internet, using a close-ended questionnaire to capture responses. The responses were then processed to generate descriptive statistics to elaborate on the following: the proportion of South African tourism organisations currently using the Facebook platform was determined to gauge the size of the market. Further, the extent of video use and other factors on the platform was determined, within the attraction and engagement constructs of the Digital Marketing Framework. This was done to understand how and when tourist-generated videos are used, if at all, and what other methods tourism organisations apply to attract or engage customers. Based off the findings, which show that South African tourism organisations have a low social media engagement rate with tourists and make very little use of video (which is proven to be more engaging and better for sales conversion) as a form of media content – be it tourist generated or not. This research thus proposes the use of a tourist-generated-video library that tourism organisations will pay to access so that they may use such videos to market destinations on their social media profiles and websites.Item The influence of Entrepreneurial Capital on the performance of subcontracting SMMEs in Gauteng, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2019-03) Rampa, Mmatsatsi; Galawe, JabulileThis study explores the prospect of entrepreneurial capital in stimulating SMME performance. It seeks to investigate the use of non-financial capital (entrepreneurial capital) in SMMEs registered under the CIDB, in the general building sector, and its influence on SMME performance. It unpacks the two dimensions of entrepreneurial capital which are entrepreneurial commitment and entrepreneurial competence. This study is a quantitative research, based on a positivism research paradigm. The survey structured research instrument was collected using Qualtrics. The primary data, with a sample size of 377, was distributed using emails and was consolidated via Qualtrics. The data analysis and interpretation was based on descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, exploratory analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The study was initially designed to analyse the two dimensions (entrepreneurial competence and commitment) collectively with their antecedents (opportunity, relationship, conceptual, organising and strategic competencies); and (normative, continuous and affective commitment) respectively. The survey findings could not converge into a clear multi-dimensional factor structure for each construct. Hence the analysis could only be undertaken at the dimensions level without breaking them down any further into their sub-sets. Entrepreneurial competence was the only one of the two that emerged as the statistically significant predictor of SMME performance. However, both dimensions had a positive influence with business performance, though entrepreneurial commitments’ influence was weak and not statistically significant. SMME owners/managers should continuously advance and assess their specific entrepreneurial competence in order to positively influence their business performance. Policy makers, training and support programmes should align content to specific entrepreneurial competence.Item Impact of financial intermediaries on economic growth(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Ayodele, Ademola EmmanualThis study investigates the impact of financial intermediaries on economic growth in Nigeria between 1986 and 2017. The study uses Gross Domestic Product as the dependent variable and also used Money Supply (MS), Credit to Private Sector, Lending Rate (LR) and Total Credit (TC) as independent variables coupled with the use of Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model as method of analysis. The result revealed that only money supply is statistically significant with economic growth in both the short run and long run. However, Credit to Private Sector, Lending Rate and Total Credit assert a negative effect on economic growth while money supply has positive effect on economic growth. Also, the granger causality test shows a unidirectional causality from GDP to both CPS and TC also from MS to GDP. Meanwhile, the direction of causality is inconclusive between LR and GDP. Hence, through the preponderance of empirical proofs from various places around the world and the findings of this study, it can be inferred that financial intermediaries have a significant impact on economic growth. The study therefore, recommends that the financial intermediaries should properly monitor credit provide to sectors in the economy in other to ensure that these sectors profitably use such credit to boost the economy.Item Racial-based Impression Management, Sense of Belonging and Work Engagement among Black Professionals in South African Organisations(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Ledwaba, Khensane Amanda; Kock, Ruwayne; Donald, FionaDespite the increasing prevalence of diversity in many organisations in South Africa, the lack of inclusivity is an issue that most of these organisations are still challenged with. This is evidenced by the racial-based impression management (RIM) strategies that are still used by Black professionals to manage aspects of their racial identities and to navigate multiracial dynamics in workplaces in South Africa. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how RIM strategies (avoidance, affiliation, racial humour, enhancement) relates to work engagement (vigour, dedication, absorption) of Black professionals in organisations in South Africa and, whether this proposed relationship is mediated by the sense of belonging at work. A cross-sectional, correlational design with purposive sampling and snowballing was used. 206 Black professionals in a sample of various organisations in South Africa completed a self- developed demographic questionnaire, Schaufeli et al.’s (2002) Utrecht work engagement scale, Roberts et al.’s (2014) adapted RIM scale and Hagerty and Patusky’s (1995) sense of belonging instrument. The results indicated that racial humour was used least and affiliation most amongst the RIM strategies. There were weak to moderate correlations between the RIM strategies of affiliation, racial humour and enhancement with work engagement, none for avoidance. Similarly, there were weak and moderate correlations between sense of belonging at work and work engagement and RIM strategies of affiliation, racial humour, none for avoidance and enhancement. Sense of belonging acted as a mediator only between RIM (affiliation, racial humour) and work engagement, with an exception of avoidance and enhancement. The results suggest that the use of RIM strategies seems to be successful in so far as they might ‘free’ Black professionals up in organisations in South Africa to engage in their work. The mediating role of sense of belonging at work indicates the importance of allowing employees to feel like valued ‘insiders’ and the need for organisations to prioritise and strive to create working environments that are inclusive for all versus expecting assimilation.Item Consumption, Femininity and the City in the Real Housewives of Johannesburg: A Content Analysis of a Franchise(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Hellberg, Tessa; Iqani, MehitaThe following study explores how consumption, femininity and theorizations of the city are presented to the audience in The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. While the Real Housewives franchise is a global text with numerous iterations in a range of countries, The Real Housewives of Johannesburg is the first South African (and African) version of the programme. The study begins with an outline of the ways in which the city is represented, before moving to define the ‘spirit’ of Johannesburg. As will be demonstrated through the findings of a quantitative content analysis, this is inherently tied to automobility. By way of a subsequent textual analysis, challenges to automobility are also discussed, along with an analysis of luxury consumption in Johannesburg, and the ways in which it is racialized. This research then considers how the postfeminist undertones for which the Real Housewives is known translate into a South African context. Issues like sexual respectability are explored in-depth, as is the concept of being the ‘perfect’ hostess. The thesis concludes with a note concerning how The Real Housewives of Johannesburg highlight local South African cultures through glocalization of a global media text.Item YouTube: Video Commercialization, Value Creation and Identity(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021-12) Dlamini, Gabby Sipho; White, HyltonSocial media has been blamed for promoting unrealistic flashy lifestyles and an increase in influencer brand marketing. The outcome of this is said to put extreme pressure on individuals to maintain a certain lifestyle to the detriment of their self, promoting a performance of life rather than real life experiences, resulting in the breakdown of social bonds. Yet social media platforms such YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and many others are growing at considerable rates, despite all the critiques. The thesis overall questions how YouTube vloggers turn the intangible value of activities in everyday life into monetary income by attracting online audiences to their vlogs. The research is located as part of transformations taking place in late capitalism, that used to characterise the organisation of labour and, therefore, society in nineteenth and twentieth-century iterations of modern capitalist society; and the changing concepts of “private” and “public” that are described as part of the technological development and integration into our everyday lives. This thesis traces the changing structures and relationships between YouTube, YouTubers and viewers as the economy of YouTube has continued to grow. Whilst influencer brand marketing and social media reach are popularly viewed as detrimental to the individual and society, this thesis argues against this general view. Instead, I argue that in the wake of influencer marketing and the financial economies, embedded within YouTube and other social media, new ways of being and belonging are being negotiated. This thesis, using ethnographic data, focuses on these new ways of being and belonging by explaining how ideas of value, suspicion, affect, and digital footprint are factors in creating online community ties and online identities that continue inside and outside of the online space.Item Bicultural Life Experiences and Career Orientation of South African Indian Women Engineers(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Pillay, Vanishree Nundagopaul; Ndaba, ZaneleThe purpose of this research is to explore the bicultural life experiences of South African Indian women engineers and from this, understand how identity experiences in their bicultural context inform their decision to remain in the profession. A review of the relevant literature offered biculturalism within the discourse of Identity Theory, and social cognition stemming from Social Cognitive Career Theory, as the main concepts to guide the trajectory of this investigation. The study is exploratory in nature with a qualitative design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 South African Indian women engineers from the public and private domains. Non-probability sampling strategy was adopted and effected through a snowballing technique to purposively secure candidates fitting the eligibility criteria. A narrative analysis of the transcripts was executed in a two-step process. First, by means of a three-part approach consisting of personal, social and temporal dimensions; life stories were unearthed from the interview transcripts in a deductive manner and formulated into a narrative. Secondly, narratives were inductively analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that support from family, coupled with the transformed application of an Indian androcentric cultural value system within the home, positively influenced participants’ socialisation process. This triggered optimistic social cognition that informed high levels of self-efficacy and progressive decision-making. The limited organisational support reported by participants pointed to ubiquitous gender challenges: these negatively impacted professional opportunities and growth. Also clearly evident were perceptions and bias about women in the profession, strongly premised on gender identity, as opposed to racial identity. Motivation to remain an engineer was predicated on: (a) passion for the discipline; (b) career growth and opportunities; and (c) financial independence/empowerment. The findings, and their implications, offer higher education institutions and engineering bodies a point of departure that can inform strategies to motivate female engineers to remain in the profession. The study contributes to the evolving body of knowledge on biculturalism through the bicultural life stories presented by a sample of ethnic minority women who are absent from the literature pertaining to biculturalism. The research offers an assimilated version of Lent and Hackett’s Social Cognitive Career model, represented in a Bicultural Social Career Trajectory, as an understanding of the interplay between identity tags, context, cognitive processing and action behaviour. The sample’s location and nationality impose certain limitations on this study. Participants were South African- born Indian women engineers from three of the country’s nine provinces. Hence, the findings cannot be generalised to South African Indian women engineers from the remaining six provinces, nor to foreign nationals of Indian descent. These limitations offer an opportunity for future research on ethnic minority women of Indian descent, regardless of nationality. This would entail an extended geographical reach to include countries that have a population of Indian womenengineers. Such a study could potentially unearth interesting nuances regarding the bicultural life experiences and career orientation of Indian women engineers on a global scale.