4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item The underrepresentation of women with STEM backgrounds in African TechCos(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mufahothe, Mabedi; Magida, AyandaThe global phenomenon of digital transformation is expected to continue into the foreseeable future, forcing companies to ramp up their digital skills to avoid being disrupted by new entrants to the market. However, a digital skills crisis looms, particularly regarding women and girls in the workforce. There is a significant underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, disciplines critical to meeting companies' needs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There has been a call for action from several governments and civil society to address the gender gap in STEM, which is seen as not just a social issue but an economic priority as well. This research explored the barriers to entry and retention of women with STEM backgrounds in African TechCos. The study aimed to identify factors that motivate and enable women to enter STEM fields, particularly in the technology industry, as well as identify barriers to entry and retention for women in these sectors. The research was conducted through in-depth interviews with eight women with STEM backgrounds working in TechCos across several African countries. The findings of the study revealed that the primary motivators for women to enter and persist in STEM fields are societal perceptions and impressive financial prospects. The study discovered that the lack of visible, successful women in STEM that girls and young women can look up to during their school days reduces their willingness or eagerness to enter and stay in STEM careers. The study concludes that bridging the gender gap in STEM requires first addressing the root cause of the issue, i.e. the traditional parenting practices that do not expose girls to STEM-related activities from a young age. The study recommends the adoption of collaborative efforts by relevant stakeholders to implement transformational processes to address the low female representation in STEM.Item Investigating the determinants of Digital Financial Inclusion in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Betha, Tshegofatso; Ndlovu, C.Digital Financial Inclusion has emerged as a prominent global agenda, necessitating an exploration of the transformative influence of technology on financial service accessibility. Previous research has attempted to uncover the true factors that impact Digital Financial Inclusion, however, there is further opportunity to better understand the underlying factors. To contribute to the body of knowledge, this study seeks to uncover factors of successful Digital Financial Inclusion that may contribute towards the implementation of key strategies. To achieve this goal, the study employs a multidimensional financial inclusion framework that explores the impact of access, barriers, and usage on Digital Financial Inclusion. Additionally, it expands the framework to include digital readiness and financial literacy, enhancing the depth of the investigation. Utilising a quantitative approach, data for the study was obtained through a self- administered online survey, yielding 231 valid responses for analysis. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to investigate the relationship between user readiness, financial literacy, barriers, access, usage, and Digital Financial Inclusion. The findings indicate insufficient statistical evidence to suggest a significant relationship between user readiness, access and barriers, and Digital Financial Inclusion. However, the study underscores that financial literacy and usage have a positive and significant influence on Digital Financial Inclusion. To enhance Digital Financial Inclusion, financial literacy and usage should be leveraged as key drivers for adoption. Additionally, policy makers, financial service providers and technology developers need to focus on targeted interventions, and inclusive regulatory frameworksItem Construction Professionals’ Awareness of Automation and Robotics in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mbhalati, Kurisani Luther; Jenika, GobindIn South Africa, the construction sector, which accounts for approximately 3% of the GDP, is essential for economic growth but struggles with issues such as falling productivity, quality concerns, and safety risks. The adoption of robotics and automation could address these challenges, offering more reliable and precise quality, boosting productivity, cutting costs, and increasing safety by automating dangerous tasks. This cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the awareness of automation and robotics among South African construction professionals through a quantitative survey. Additionally, the research sought to capture the professionals' opinions on the benefits these technologies could offer to construction projects and identify the barriers to their wider adoption as perceived by these professionals. Findings indicated a varied level of awareness among construction professionals, with high familiarity in technologies like Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and lower awareness in emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR). Moreover, the professionals acknowledged the benefits of adopting these technologies, notably highlighting increased productivity and safety as key benefits. They also identified significant barriers to adoption, citing high acquisition costs and socio-economic concerns over job displacement as major obstacles, particularly in a context of high unemployment rates. Considering the construction industry's role in economic growth and recognizing the dip in productivity, alongside the industry's reluctance towards innovation, the study recommends focused educational initiatives and promotional activities for robotics and automation. It further stresses the need for policy changes to ensure the safe and efficient implementation of these technologies. Moreover, from a governmental standpoint, the study suggests providing incentives to businesses to encourage the adoption of robotics and automation in the construction industryItem Understanding SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Soweto, South Africa: A qualitative study(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Zungu, Zwile; Myburgh, NellieThe study focused on understanding SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Soweto, South Africa. Pregnant women are at a greater risk of experiencing COVID-19 complications during pregnancy if infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Vaccination uptake remains low in the population at large. This is a qualitative exploratory study approach using key-informant interviews. A total of sixteen key informant interviews with vaccinated pregnant women, unvaccinated pregnant women, healthcare workers and alternative healers were conducted. This study took place in Soweto townships, South Africa. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to construct themes in NVivo, where the gathered data was reviewed and analysed. The study found that pregnant women experience barriers and motivations that determine their decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Motivators to vaccinate health concerns, monetary benefit and structural motivators such as employment, travelling and education. Barriers included vaccine related fears were the main reason for poor vaccine uptake. The lack of knowledge, healthcare system barriers, misinformation, and lack of trust in the government were some reasons for vaccine hesitancy. The study's findings show that pregnant women's decisions to get vaccinated are significantly influenced by several barriers, perceptions and the motivators they haveItem Factors contributing to uncontrolled high blood pressure in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg: the community health workers’ perspectives(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dawood, Zaheerah; Sekome, KganetsoBackground: Uncontrolled high blood pressure has become a concern in underserved communities of South Africa due to its consequence resulting in rising cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Community health workers at a primary care level offer door to door services for patients with chronic diseases and are often key in health education, health promotion, and disease monitoring. Understanding the voice of the community health workers regarding factors that contributes to uncontrolled high blood pressure for their patients can provide insight on strategies for future intervention programme from a systems, patient, and community perspectives. Aim: To explore community health workers' perceptions on factors that contribute to uncontrolled high blood pressure in adults living in Ekurhuleni South sub-district, Johannesburg. Methods: A descriptive, qualitative study design was used for this study. In-depth face-to- face interviews were conducted with 22 community health workers from four communities within the South sub-district in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The interviews focused on: the community health workers knowledge on measures used to control high blood pressure, the community health workers opinions on barriers and facilitators contributing to uncontrolled high blood pressure for their patients, and lastly their perceptions on strategies which can be used to improve the control of high blood pressure. Data analysis following thematic analysis was used in this study. An inductive approach was used to generate codes, themes, categories and to analyse the data. Results: Analysis of the qualitative data revealed six themes. Community health workers possessed knowledge regarding the symptoms, causes and complications of uncontrolled high blood pressure however, they didn’t fully comprehend the physiological concept of blood pressure and uncontrolled high blood pressure. It can be noted that the type of advises and education which community health workers provided their patients with are generally very contextualized and simple. Multiple barriers included financial, personal, social, system, medication and cultural and traditional issues. Facilitators included government and health workforce assistance, improvement of clinic accessibility, inter and intra collaboration from multiple sources such as media, other health professionals as well as patient centred approaches. Strategies to improve control of high blood pressure included improved team work, awareness creation, holistic healthcare, improved access to clinic facilities, system related improvements and patient initiatives. Conclusion: Community health workers in this study have knowledge regarding the causes, symptoms and complications of uncontrolled HBP. Multiple barriers to controlling high blood pressure included financial, social system, personal, cultural and patient barriers. The facilitators which were identified required a multidisciplinary approach. Interventions which the community health workers provide to patients are reported to be easy to follow and usually contextualized to the patient needs. Strategies required to improve the control of high blood pressure in this community are easy to implement with less assistance required from the health care systemItem Challenges faced by women in obtaining leadership roles in South African Higher Learning Institutions(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Qwelane, Nomsa; Koech, RoselynThe role of women in leadership positions in the South African Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) is crucial. It is inclusive to women from different ethnic groups, ages, abilities, socioeconomic status, and various other women who face marginalization due to their different walks of life. South Africa is formed of diverse societies; hence, HLI should enrol women from diverse backgrounds; however, the policy is not inclusive of women’s leadership roles. This has a negative impact on their work performance. Therefore, this study is inquisitive to understand whether the barriers are identifiable in policies of HLI. This study aimed to identify and characterise opportunities for growth for women in higher education institutions. Eleven adult females in senior administrative positions between the ages of 25 and 65 participated in the study. A phenomenological approach, including The Glass Cliff Theory, was used to ground the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and further analysed thematically. Results showed that the executive management had played a pivotal role in implementing diversity policy, such as removing these barriers. However, the participants have noted the fundamental challenge of the policies was not its framework but rather the speed at which it was implemented.Item Teachers’ experiences of giving support and implementing inclusive education in a township school in Kimberley, Northern Cape(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Yeboah, Adu; Charamba, Erasmos; Aloka, PeterImplementation of an inclusive education policy in South African schools was a major milestone because it corresponded with the advancement of the theory of Ubuntu, which is at the heart of South Africa's educational framework. The policy's implementation in schools was also consistent with the right to education for all, as enshrined in the Republic of South Africa's Constitution of 1996. However, despite the initiatives on inclusive education, the level of implementation is still below expected standards. The study aimed at examining the experiences of teachers in giving support and implementing inclusive education in a selected mainstream township public secondary school in the Frances Baard education district of Kimberley, Northern Cape. The study adopted a case study design within the qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used for the selection of 12 teacher participants from one mainstream public secondary school in the township of the Frances Baard education district of Kimberley. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from the 12 teacher participants, and the collected data was thematically analysed. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory and Social Model of Disability guided the studies. According to the findings of the study, teachers implemented a variety of inclusive practises; however, teachers perceive inclusive practises differently, and how they are implemented varies. Furthermore, the findings revealed that some teachers are unable to implement the inclusive education policy due to barriers related to the teachers themselves, barriers within the school system, and barriers emanating from the community in which a school is located. It was also revealed that teachers used a variety of support strategies to assist students, such as changing seating arrangements, implementing remedial lessons, and allocating extra reading time to struggling students. In contrast, some teachers prefer to work collaboratively with learners' parents to provide needed support, whereas others prefer to work alone. The study concludes that, in terms of implementing inclusive education in South Africa, there is a mismatch between what is happening on the ground and what is supposed to happen in the classroom. Despite this, pockets of success have been recorded in the implementation process. The study recommends that the Department of Education consider retooling teachers, instituting teacher training programmes, raising awareness, investing in the policy, and adopting a collaborative approach.Item Implementation of Knowledge Management to improve performance in national government departments in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Kwadjo, Mittah Lebogang; Stacey, AnthonyGovernment Departments are still lagging behind in implementing Knowledge Management. Managing knowledge is critical to the success and longevity of any business. Whilst the private sector is gaining traction in this management practice, government is still behind. The benefits of knowledge management are improved decision making, increased innovation and business efficiency. The unique barriers to implementing Knowledge Management in government departments warrant investigation. The purpose of this research was to identify barriers to implementing knowledge management processes and systems in national government departments in South Africa and to rate the extent of significance to knowledge management implementation. Methodology used to collect data was an online survey questionnaire. The sample was taken from the population of National Department of Transport employees, and results generalised to all national government departments. Thirty-five (35) statements on a 7-point Likert scale were used. Using Principal Component Analysis, 6 components were extracted and analysed. The 6 components were 1) strength of knowledge management leadership 2) departmental support of knowledge management, 3) level of employee interaction, 4) use of technology, 5) accessibility of technology and 6) level of team work. Seventy-five (75) participants, who were managers, senior managers and knowledge experts responded to the questionnaire. The study found that the barriers to knowledge management were strength of knowledge management leadership, level of employee interaction, departmental support, and use of technology. The study also identified the most significant barriers in implementing knowledge management in government departments were the “strength of knowledge management leadership” and the “level of employee interaction”. A further study on leadership in government departments in implementing knowledge management in recommended. Future research examining the level of interaction among government employees related to increased sharing of tacit knowledge is also recommendedItem Customer resistance of self-service kiosks in the South African fast-food industry(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Anderson, Samantha; Magida, AyandaSelf Service Kiosks (SSKs) have recently been introduced into the fast-food service setting in South Africa. They provide customers with a different method of service delivery where customers can place fast-food orders without the need to interact with a cashier. Customers however continue to resist using SSKs despite businesses investing in such technology. Businesses do not invest in technology with the intention that it will not be used. This study explored why customers resist SSKs at fast-food outlets in South Africa and whether there are context specific reasons for such resistance. Although innovation resistance research is gaining more attention than it previously has, in a South African context such research is scarce. Innovation resistance in respect of SSKs has also not received significant research attention. A majority of the SSK research is focused on adoption. A qualitative research design that was exploratory in nature was adopted for this study. A qualitative approached allowed for a deeper understanding of why customers resist SSKs and provided an opportunity to gather new information in a South African context. Data was collected at a singular level, being that of fast-food customers only. Multiple methods were adopted to recruit participants and included posting on social media and utilising the snowballing approach. All research participants were selected according to a purposive sampling method. To be eligible to participate in the research they had to have chosen not to use a SSK in a fast-food outlet in South Africa. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. Most of the interviews were conducted online. The interviews were recorded, and transcribed, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that customers resist SSKs for a variety of reasons and that resistance and adoption can co-exist. Further to this, the findings also confirmed that resistance can occur in many forms and does not always result in rejection. For instance, customers may be opposed to using the SSKs but still have to use it where they have no other alternative but to use it. The reasons for SSK resistance that were identified, fall into groups that relate to SSK iii characteristics, customer characteristics, situational factors, and social factors. With reference to the SSK literature, similar groupings of reasons are considered for innovation adoption thus highlighting the complex relationship between resistance and adoptionItem The Role of Leadership in Driving Digital Transformation in the South African Financial Services Sector(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ngxola, Nomonde; Gobind, JenikaThe purpose of the research is to provide an all-encompassing definition of Digital Transformation (DT) amid a sea of definitions and propose drivers that leaders operating in the South African Financial Services Sector can use to drive Digital Transformation within their respective organisations, not only as a mere project but also being mindful of the personal influence their role as leaders has on the success of a DT process (Bordeaux, 2019). From a systematic review of 100 peer-reviewed articles, the literature suggests there are seven common and key drivers of the Digital Transformation process. These were identified as digital business strategy, a review or augmentation of the organisations business model, big data-driven processes, process automation, customer centricity, digital competency, and culture (Bhardwaj et al., 2013). The literature also reflects the influential role that leaders play in the DT process through their traits and abilities (Kaidalova, Sandkuhl & Seigerroth, 2018). A close examination was made of the evolution of leadership theories: The Great Man Theory being the starting point, was premised on the leader’s abilities resting solely upon leader themself, believed to be born with a set of traits and behaviour that automatically deemed them leadership worthy (Cherry, 2019). During this era, the notion of leader development and training was not given thought (Hartl & Hess, 2017). The leader was according to this theory born and carried their own innate talents and capabilities to lead devoid any form of development and advancing. The paper seeks to explore the evolution of leadership theories that evolved from the trait and behavioural theories to that of transformational leadership, which looks specifically at leaders in relation to their subordinates to the latest DT theories to test for similarities, plus outliers when considered with respect to the methodological finding Additionally, the research incorporated notable barriers to the digital transformation process as noted by the leaders that were interviewed in the study. Themes of digital denialism, deflation and discomfort surfaced and were explored at length. vi The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach compromising of qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews using creative methods of extraction. The population sampled consisted of a group of Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Digital Heads of Business.