4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item Understanding The role of digitalisation in funeral insurance claims in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Suliman, Mohamed Ameen; Tweneboah, GeorgeThis research report studies the role of digitalisation in funeral insurance claims in South Africa. The study seeks to understand the benefits as well as the challenges faced by digitalisation in funeral insurance claims in South Africa. A qualitative research study was undertaken within a large funeral insurer based in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees of the organisation who had expert knowledge of funeral insurance claims. Inductive thematic analysis was the method of choice for understanding the results. The study's findings were that digitalisation has a role to play across multiple points in the claims journey. Benefits of digitalisation include driving efficiency of back-end processes with applications like automation of the claims process as well as supporting fraud detection with artificial intelligence. Challenges of digitalisation include the adoption of digital tools by the insurer and the customer, cybersecurity and the socio-economic dynamics of customers in rural areas. Insurers would benefit from digitalising their workflows to unlock efficiencies within their existing claims processes. Customers would benefit from these efficiencies, as well as the enhanced customer experience that digital channels can provide. The study was limited to employees within a single funeral insurer in South Africa. Further study could be to replicate the study across the broader funeral insurance industry, capturing more players within the market. Additionally, further study on the interactions between particular technologies and their effect on the claims process would be valuableItem The adoption of digital technologies in public schools in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mafikeng, Regomoditse Joey; Magida, AyandaAdopting digital technology in public schools is an important part of modern education systems. This is especially true in South Africa, where access to technology can greatly affect learning outcomes and chances. This qualitative study examines how digital tools are used in South African public schools. Its goal is to find out how complicated this process is and what effects it has on how teachers and students learn. The study looks at key themes like digital infrastructure availability, training and support mechanisms, educational implications, and contextual factors affecting adoption. It does this by using thematic analysis of interviews with School Principals. The results show a complex picture with chances and problems, such as problems with bad infrastructure and insufficient resources. The study shows how important it is to fix systemic problems and create a helpful environment so South African public schools can adopt technology successfully. In the end, South African public schools can better prepare students for the digital age's needs and ensure that everyone has equal access to a good education by using digital tools wellItem Bridging the Digital Divide: Afrocentric Approaches in the 2021 My Body My Space Online Arts Festival for Rural Emakhazeni, Mpumalanga(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Khathi, Nomfundo Linami; Ntombela, NontobekoThe attempt at online arts festival for a rural community seems to be executed in ways that do not consider issues of digital dissemination in historically marginalised spaces. Those organising events requiring internet access in rural communities overlook that rural areas are not very ‘well’ developed. The study does not reject online arts festivals for historically marginalised areas but suggests that the approach taken should take into account rural issues related to resources. The hindrances with online access for rural communities have not been adequately addressed. The theory of Afrocentrism emphasises that Africans need to make Africa the centre of their own problems and solutions, by advocating that Africans need to locate themselves historically and culturally. They need to acknowledge their context and situation so that they can provide solutions aligned with their problems. The study notices a paradigm shift in South Africa, as the MBMS festival is now being held in the rural Emakhazeni community, moving away from the ‘traditionally known’ urban festival locations. This shift includes moving from an in-person MBMS festival to an online format in 2021, which has been affected by data and internet coverage issues in rural Emakhazeni. While the festival is accessible online by anyone, its original intention was to serve the Emakhazeni rural community. Through a predominantly qualitative research approach, primary and secondary data were examined, exploring the 2021 MBMS online arts festival hosted on WhatsApp for rural Emakhazeni. The stakeholders in this study include the organisers of the MBMS festival, the Department of Arts and Culture, the Emakhazeni community members, and the performers of the festival. I engage d with multiple sources, to explore how these paradigm shifts could be envisioned or executed differently with an Afrocentric perspective. Although the MBMS online festival is curated in a way that appears to respond to the modern discourses on accessibility and audience development, it simultaneously forgets that rural areas are not very well developed in many parts of South Africa. Through an exploration of the 2021MBMS festival, I unpack the way it established online accessibility and address the implications of this for the rural Emakhazeni. This research contributes to the investigation of what was silenced during the colonial and apartheid eras in South Africa, when many individuals were marginalised and denied access. Both practical steps and policy-oriented approaches are suggested by the study.