4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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    Examining the role of AI ethics in establishing Human-AI Workplace Coexistence in a selected Telecommunications Organisation in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Muir, Elmarie
    Artificial Intelligence technologies reinvent how we live, work, and organise our daily lives and social interactions. It brings about operational efficiencies, customer service enhancements, and organisational innovations for organisations, redefining the future landscape that will open new dimensions beyond distance, distortion, and space. Despite these benefits, using AI raises enormous concerns for telecommunication organisations beyond data protection and security vulnerabilities, including introducing ethical dilemmas due to the technology's accountability, transparency, algorithmic bias, explainability issues, and the potentially dire ramifications for employment. These issues inherent in AI technology and its concerns make it necessary to explore the ethical considerations and the role of AI ethics in establishing a harmonious human-AI workplace coexistence in the telecommunications workplace. A qualitative methodology was undertaken with purposively selected participants based on their telecommunications industry experience and exposure to AI technologies in the organisation, which allowed participants to be interviewed to gain insights into their perspectives. The research findings show that employees have real job insecurities for their future and their technological readiness to work alongside this technology. Key themes highlighted ethical AI practices, with participants advocating for transparency and accountability. Trust in the organisation and trust in AI technology, with proactive engagement with employees and stakeholders, are pivotal to mitigating their concerns and creating a conducive environment for successful integration. Furthermore, upskilling is vital for establishing trust in AI. In conclusion, the consensus is that although ethical guidelines are essential, more than ethics alone may be required to establish human-AI workplace coexistence. Instead, the organisation should cultivate an organisational culture iii that supports ethical AI practices with a robust governance framework to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines is followed and responsible use of AI. Furthermore, leaders must ensure openness and transparency about their intentions to adopt AI, foster trust in the organisation that AI strategies are not designed to replace workers and develop the necessary technological competencies through targeted skill development to build trust in the technology. This will allow the organisation to be successful in their AI adoption journey and establish collaborative intelligence for harmonious human-AI workplace coexistence.
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    Is it fair to limit access to free human papillomavirus vaccinations to only girls in public schools in South Africa?
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Scheepers, Vanessa Christina
    Gender-neutral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs, covering girls and boys, are necessary to combat the global rise in HPV-related cancers and escalating treatment costs. HPV vaccination is the primary preventative intervention for both men and women. In South Africa, it is freely available to adolescent girls in public schools, excluding girls in private schools and boys. This exclusion deprives them of the benefits of free HPV vaccination, potentially exposing them to a greater risk of cancer, and incurring more costs to society in the end. I apply Kantian ethics and rule utilitarianism to evaluate and argue that the current South African school-based HPV program is unfair and morally unjustified in limiting free access to HPV vaccination to only girls in public schools. I specifically examine Kant’s Formula of Humanity and the Formula of Universal Law to evaluate the ethical dimensions of the policy and show that the policy has significant shortcomings in terms of equality, autonomy, and universality from a Kantian perspective. I further demonstrate that a policy excluding certain groups based on gender and socio-economic status is not aligned with the principles of rule utilitarianism because it fails to maximise overall well-being, perpetuates inequalities, hinders optimal vaccine coverage, and neglects the potential benefits of gender-neutral vaccination. I address potential counterarguments that proponents of the current policy might present from both a Kantian and a utilitarian viewpoint. I advocate for a more just and ethical approach and recommend a revision of the HPV vaccination policy to align with Kantian and utilitarian principles. I show that both Kantian ethics and rule utilitarianism support a gender-neutral HPV vaccination strategy in the South African context. Gender- neutral coverage of HPV vaccination ensures free and equitable access to all adolescents who can benefit from it, irrespective of sex, gender, school type, or socio-economic circumstances. A gender-neutral approach to HPV vaccination is more aligned with the South African Constitution
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    The impact of ethics on the organisational culture of a government department in South Africa
    (niversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Perumal, Gonasagrie Munsami; Wotela, Kambidima; Mokhohlane, Daniel
    South Africa has witnessed an increase in corruption in recent years, despite the President’s commitment to “building an ethical state in which there is no place for corruption”. This study sought to determine the factors that contribute to unethical behaviour, the attitudes and behaviours to unethical behaviour, and the impact thereof on the organisational culture. The research paper deliberated on whether leadership encouraged ethical behaviour. The study was carried out in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). A sample of 12 respondents who have worked at the dtic for longer than a year was selected using a cross-sectional selection sample. A qualitative research methodology was employed, using semi- structured interviews to obtain the information, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the information. The main study findings were that there were many opportunities for unethical behaviour, exacerbated by lack of trust in leadership and inconsistent, irrational and sometimes non-transparent decision-making. Attitudes and behaviour of leadership to unethical behaviour and consequences for unethical behaviours applied only to junior staff and not management, creating an environment of distrust. Leadership generally did not encourage ethical behaviour, the mechanisms were insufficient to prevent unethical behaviour, and such unethical behaviours impacted on the culture of the organisation, hence ethics and mainly unethical behaviour has a direct impact on the organisational culture.
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    An institutional and stakeholder perspective of governance, ethics and trust in State Operated Enterprises
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Manda, More Ickson
    State-Operated Enterprises (SOEs) in South Africa continue to face significant challenges impacting their performance. Governance and other ethical concerns have been identified as factors that have impacted the performance of SOEs. Consequently, trust in SOEs among stakeholders such as the state, business, civil society, and citizens has been eroded. This study explores corporate governance in SOEs using an institutional and stakeholder perspective to examine the relationship between trust, corporate governance, and ethics in institutions. The study is a quantitative study that uses a survey as its primary method of collecting data. Findings were triangulated with evidence from documents and literature. The study was conducted in South Africa, a middle-income developing country and young democracy confronted by many challenges, such as corruption, decreasing public trust and investor and businessconfidence. This has spotlighted theoretical and practical issues such as corporate governance. The study proposed a framework for strengthening trust and corporate governance to restore legitimacy in institutions, an essential factor in building strong, responsible, and capable institutions that deliver value to shareholders and stakeholders. The study also made practical recommendations for strengthening ethics, governance, and trust
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    A multidimensional analysis of the professional accountant’s ethical judgement and behavioural intentions
    (2019-02) Subramanian, Kaveshan
    Orientation: The professional accountant’s ability regarding ethical decision-making has come under increased scrutiny within recent times. This is particularly relevant within the South African accountancy environment given the recent accounting scandals that surfaced during 2017 and 2018. For professional accountants to achieve the goal of serving the public interest, they are required to have a mindset that fosters ethical-decision making. Research aim: The primary aim of this study was to explore the different factors which influence ethical judgement and behavioural intentions of professional accountants and to investigate which are significant factors which influence ethical-decision making. Ethical judgment involves the ability of the participant to recognise the seriousness of an ethical conflict whereas ethical behavioural intentions focus on the willingness of the participant to behave ethically. The secondary aim of the study was to explore the effect of demographical characteristics on ethical decision-making. Motivation for study: From a South African perspective, it is critical to ensure that professional bodies who are tasked with developing the accounting profession as well as serving the public interest gain a better understanding of the different factors which influence ethical judgment and behavioural intentions of professional accountants. Research approach and method: This study used a multidimensional ethics scale (MES) to measure the significant considerations of professional accountants when faced with an ethical dilemma. A quantitative research approach was followed and a questionnaire based upon the MES and three tax related ethical dilemmas was used to gather data. To address the research aims of the study, two research questions were answered through hypothesis testing which involved both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Main results: The primary results indicated that factors such as morality, fairness, justice and acceptability to one’s family play the most significant role in influencing the ethical judgement of professional accountants. In addition, it was found that egoism which prioritises the long-term self-interest of the professional accountant significantly influences their ethical behavioural intentions. Lastly, the secondary results indicated that demographical characteristics such as rank and highest qualification attained by professional accountants play an important role in influencing the mind of the professional accountant when faced with an ethical dilemma. Application: This study contributes to the existing body of research involving ethical decision-making of professional accountants. This is an important topic in the current discourse on accounting and amongst accounting professionals. Furthermore, the results of this study can also form the basis of a mechanism for change within professional accounting bodies (PAO’s). The results of this study can be applied to assist in re-aligning continuous professional development (CPD) programmes. Based on the results, professional bodies can shift their focus in terms of CPD’s towards prioritising public interest as a key consideration for current and future accountants. To this end, PAO’s and higher education institutions can use this contribution when designing a new syllabus which addresses the issues that arise around ethical decision-making. Contributions: Key conclusions of this study contribute to the understanding of professional accountants’ ethical judgment and behavioural intentions. The topic under investigation is in direct response to calls for increased research on ethical judgement and behavioural intentions of professional accountants. The results also contribute towards a better understanding of the effects of gender, rank and professional qualifications on ethical decision-making.