4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item Financial inclusion through WhatsApp banking in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Miller, Jade Rowan; Balabanoff,GarthApproximately three billion people will use mobile banking by 2024. Mobile devices and widespread Internet access are helping to boost mobile banking's popularity. Retail banks can now offer their customers even more convenience with mobile banking applications like WhatsApp. Consumers and financial institutions have embraced advanced technologies, including mobile banking, in recent years. Social media, mobile banking and new ideas like WhatsApp banking have made it easier for people to do business. Mobile banking is now possible thanks to high smartphone penetration and technological advancements. The fourth industrial revolution will continue to exponentially transform the modern economy. Globalisation has forced banks to open new channels to remain competitive in today's market. Banks have had to cut costs and improve their financial position by introducing new products and services. Mobile banking has grown rapidly globally due to the rapid development of information technology. Due to multi-channel distribution, most banks now have a global presence with cross-border customers. A quantitative approach was taken to examine factors that may influence behavioural intention to use WhatsApp banking in the context of financial inclusion. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection instrument. The survey was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to people living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study adds to the body of knowledge by identifying factors that influence WhatsApp banking adoption, particularly in developing countries. The Technology Acceptance Model by Davis (1985) was used to investigate behavioural intention to use WhatsApp banking. My findings show that perceived trust, banking inclusion, perceived usefulness and awareness all play a significant role in WhatsApp banking adoption. Managers in financial institutions should focus on increasing consumer trust across all age groups to increase customer comfort with non-traditional banking platforms in general and thus increase financial inclusion. This is crucial because ix WhatsApp banking has the potential to bank the unbanked and underbanked while also increasing financial inclusion.Item The nexus between the World Governance Indicators’ scores on corruption and the financial performance of SOEs in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Mdluli, Mthokozisi XolaniSouth Africa, according to Crompton et al. (2017), is dealing with a triple threat of poverty, inequality, and unemployment. As a result, the government is faced with the task of meeting all of these urgent demands while being hampered by a tight budget and weak economic growth. Procurement is a critical component of the government's service delivery system, and it has been utilised as a policy tool to achieve the government's socioeconomic goals (Badenhorst-Weiss, 2012). Government spending is required to be thoroughly thought out on this basis before any public funds are spent. As a result, government expenditure should be monitored and evaluated as part of the architecture of all government-led projects (Crompton et al., 2017). SOEs (State-owned entities), also known as public entities, are tasked with specific responsibilities by the country's constitution in order to assist the state in fulfilling its mandate (Ovens, 2013). In line with international trends, South Africa has implemented corporatisation, or the transfer of state assets or agencies into state-owned corporations, in a number of areas to encourage more effective and efficient service delivery. Increased public procurement is the result of this. Public procurement involves a large amount of money, which has attracted corruption because of the scale at which it is carried out (Crompton et al., 2017). According to the South African Department of Commerce and Industries, government purchasing power contributed between 15% and 25% of GDP in 2016 (Makube, 2016). Makube (2016) estimates that, between 2013 and 2016, public infrastructure investment in healthcare facilities, schools, water, sanitation, housing, and electrification totalled R827 billion. As a result, the SOEs have been subjected to outside intervention, as well 2 as possible wrongdoing and corruption. According to recent media reports, the country has unacceptably high levels of corruption (Mantzaris, 2016). Understanding how this corruption affects the workings of SOEs is important if the country wants to attempt to start addressing this scourge. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the relationship that exists between a known measure of governance in a country, namely the World Governance Indicators and the financial performance of SOEs in South AfricaItem The adoption of efficient technology in emerging markets within State Owned Bank in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Malatji , Jaftha Sechube; Dladla, PholileThis study aims to explore the adoption of efficient technologies in a South African state-owned enterprise (SOE) or state-owned bank (SOB), specifically investigating the factors that affect how efficient technologies are adopted, the challenges that come during the adoption phase, and the advantages that result from successfully adopting efficient technologies. The research study applied a qualitative research design and used interviews with open-ended questions to collect data. The findings reveal a complex landscape influenced by various elements such as communication, leadership, organisational culture, and operational efficiency. The study highlights the importance of technology adoption within an SOE or SOB. Based on the findings, recommendations were formulated that can be used to enhance how the South African State-Owned Bank can manage the adoption of new technologies efficiently while reducing the risks connected with technology adoption. Despite certain limitations, the study provides valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of new technology adoption in a traditionally oriented country like South Africa.Item Leadership style and supervisory behaviour on employee wellbeing and performance at two Retail Banks in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Harris, CandyThis study investigates leadership style and supervisory behaviour on employee wellbeing and performance at two retail banks in South Africa. The study aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on management and leadership and with this, provide additional insight into the importance of wellbeing within the two banks. The concepts of motivation and supervisory behaviours were explored in relation to different styles of leadership while the importance of employee wellbeing was further investigated in relation to performance. The study was conducted and analysed using quantitative data that was collected through an online questionnaire. The sample size included 144 employees from two Retail Banks. Most of the sample included back-office managers, professional bankers and analysts which included 50% from Retail Bank A, and the other 50% were from Retail Bank B, both in Sandton, Johannesburg. The study found that democratic and transformational leadership styles were most effective at increasing employee motivation and employee performance. These two forms of leadership styles have a positive influence on productivity, job satisfaction, and overall employee performance. It was also found that the autocratic leadership style had negatively affected supervisory behaviour. Autocratic leadership style demotivated employees causing higher levels of job dissatisfaction. Relationships between supervisory behaviour and employee wellbeing together with employee performance were also identified.Item Implication of Regulated Cannabis Legalisation on Wellbeing and Economic Growth(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Quarshie, Emmanuel; Alagidede, Imhotep PaulThis is a thesis on the cost benefit analysis of cannabis legalisation, public (mis)perception about cannabis usage and cannabis users, the medical application of cannabinoids and their commercial and industrial potential in the new global political economy. The study shows that, although there are misconceptions about cannabis, there is still much to unpack about its effects on human well-being. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative cross-country dataset from Ghana and South Africa, the study employed a logit model to address the following questions: (a) What does society know about cannabis and its industrial and medical applications? (b) What is the evidence-based scientific claims of cannabis regarding human well-being? (c) What are the existing gaps between perception and knowledge? Among the contributions, this study clarifies the often-misunderstood position of cannabis in society and illuminates the blind side of the role of cannabis as an economic enabler in the post pandemic world. More importantly, while some schools of thought project cannabis as a gateway drug to the infernal realm, this study provides evidenced based on real-time practical experience from well- informed and educated users. The study provides a model for regulated cannabis legalisation, a proper guide on value-added supply chain mechanism, and guiding principles to ensure the model functions properly, based on lessons and best practices from countries that have legalized cannabis, such as the Netherlands, Canada, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. This study further establishes empirical and theoretical foundations for the key thematic subjects of cannabis use, as well as a policy direction pertaining to its regulated legalisation, prohibition, or decriminalization in Ghana and South Africa. Given the disconnect between knowledge and perception about cannabis, the study recommended knowledge enhancement and adequate advocacy on the pros and cons of cannabis for society to enhance understanding of the benefits and its side effects to provide evidence-based guidance on the medical application and industrial potentialsItem Determinants of intrapreneurial performance within the banking industry in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Govender, Thanusha; Urban, B.The ability for large corporates to remain competitive and grow ahead of the market in an era that has been defined by globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is a critical imperative for organisations to develop a new capability that equips them to navigate the turbulent global macro-economic environment and complex business markets successfully. Globally, banks have experienced severe pressure to transform their business models from capital intense businesses into revenue diversification drivers through new fee-based services. Investors are leaning towards new generation banking models that serve customers holistically, intuitively, and better by employing “new age” technology solutions, as profitability levels within global banks have slipped below the cost of shareholder equity. Coupled with the reality on the ground pre-2020, COVID-19 has become awatershed transformation moment for banks. It has accelerated many long-term banking trends that have resulted in customer shifts in relation to their needs, behaviours and expectations and has subsequently impacted their recovery performance. As such, African banks need to pivot their focus towards growth and relevance by ensuring the establishment of a fundamentally different business model that provides integrated digital ecosystem solutions that go beyond traditional banking, and offer to ensure market competitiveness. Corporate entrepreneurship is a strategic capability that enables organisations to embed innovation as a core competency and simultaneously engage in explorative and exploitative activities, which are essential thrusts in the strategic renewal of a company. This research study enriched the domain of corporate entrepreneurship by deepening the understanding of the mechanisms that underpin the corporate entrepreneurial embedment process, within a dynamic complex organisational setting. This was through the development of a core embedment capability model of corporate entrepreneurship that predicts the value drivers of corporate entrepreneurial performance and explores the contextual corporate entrepreneurship nuances attributed to banking corporations domiciled in Africa. This study importantly furthered contextual setting theory development and shed light over the heterogeneity of corporate entrepreneurship, which arose due to an idiosyncratic corporate entrepreneurship embedment process. This process consists of institutional path dependencies that resulted from gradations in the macro, meso, and micro layers. The model and theories emanating from this study not only aimed to bridge the research gap by exploring the dynamic complexity of corporate entrepreneurship, but also assessed the knowledge transfer of market intelligence into corporate entrepreneurial performance, and the significance of network ties in developing countries as an influencer of corporate entrepreneurial activity. In this research study, the levels of corporate entrepreneurship within the financial services sector of companies domiciled in South Africa were analysed to determine the quantum of influence that organisational, individual, and environmental antecedent factors have as predictors of corporate entrepreneurial performance. This was a precursor to crafting an embedment capability model that would enable financial services organisations to embed a corporate entrepreneurial ecosystem systematically, and enable effective and agile corporate entrepreneurial transformation. The research purpose was achieved by employing a three-prong approach. First, a configurational method was applied to existing literature to consolidate prevailing theories and to integrate existing models and frameworks as a basis of the proposed theoretical model. Second, the theoretical model was empirically tested using partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to validate the model and to establish causal relational influence among the three different sets of antecedent variables. This would determine their quantum of impact on corporate entrepreneurial performance. Finally, an optimal configuration was proposed as a premise to describe and predict corporate entrepreneurial performance as a function of system thinking. The empirical evidence from this study validated that the most significant transformational driver of corporate entrepreneurial activity within incumbents remained organisational antecedents and entrepreneurial corporate strategy as the bedrock of a corporate entrepreneurial embedment ecosystem. Its singular effect on corporate entrepreneurial activity was circa five times larger than any other predictor within the corporate entrepreneurial embedment ecosystem. This was flanked equally by employee enablement of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy and the execution of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy. Employee enablement consisted of two supporting predictors, namely, the decisions and behaviours of transformation leaders, and the entrepreneurial cognitive horsepower of employees to develop initiatives and formulate strategic plans that enable the delivery of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy. Strategy execution encompassed two underpinning predictors, namely, the implementation of an organic organisational structure and the deployment of novel resource recipes to build new capabilities and adjacent capabilities to a firm’s core offering. Considering the nuances in the African operating environment, both macro level antecedents and network ties were deemed non-significant direct value drivers of corporate entrepreneurial performance within African banks.Item Exploring Challenges & Support Structures for Small, Medium & Micro Enterprises in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Lephoko, Nolwazi; Banga, ChantalThe purpose of this study is to explore what are the current impediments that still face SMME’s in South Africa and whether support programs in place have been effective in mitigating these impediments that result in the observable high failure rate of this sector. The study explores the SMME sector as well as all responsible and participating stakeholders within government, NPO’s and conglomerates that aid in the progress of the sector, as a crucial vehicle in job creation in South Africa. The research uses lack of funding as a focal point and aims to critically analyze any measures and efforts made thus far to eliminate this continuous barrier, primarily in South Africa. The research method used is a qualitative approach which was deemed as an effective approach to identify impediments faced by SMME’s through semi-structured questions conducted through an interview, while also investigating efforts and strategies employed by interviewing key stakeholder within support programme initiatives in the country. The study revealed the following findings: Access to finance remains an impediment for micro and small business in South Africa; Micro and small enterprises utilize mainly non-traditional funding alternatives due to the difficulties of accessing traditional funding avenues; Informal sector transition in South Africa continues to be stalled; Lastly there have been evident changes regarding supplier diversity efforts in South Africa’s private sector owed to governments support program and incubation effortItem Factors influencing fuel retail site sales in South Africa pre- and post-COVID-19(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Kader, Junaid Abdul; Crompton, RodrickThe association between the volume of fuel sold at retail sites and predictor variables has been explored in prior research. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its height in South Africa between March 2020 and March 2022 and might have changed these associations due to restrictions on people’s movements and lifestyles during the peak of the pandemic. Understanding changes in the retail fuel industry might help Government, together with the private sector, to ensure adequate fuel supply through efficient utilisation of resources. Therefore, the association between the volume of fuel sold at retail sites and predictor variables in South Africa before and after COVID-19 was explored through this quantitative study using regression analysis and Fisher transformations. It was hypothesised that the volume of fuel sold at retail sites in South Africa was associated with the average income per adult residing within two kilometres of the fuel retail site, adult population residing within two kilometres of the fuel retail site, car ownership by people residing within two kilometres of the fuel retail site, number of competitor sites within two kilometres of the fuel retail site, saturation level, location metric, and site services. In addition, it was hypothesised that the associations did not change between 2020 and 2022. Regression analysis showed that saturation level and site services had a statistically significant association, albeit with a low R-square, with the volume of fuel sold at retail sites, while the other variables did not have a statistically significant association. In addition, Fisher transformations showed that the associations did not change between 2020 and 2022. Perhaps, there was insufficient differentiation between fuel retail competitors in South Africa to influence consumer choice. Fuel could also be regarded as a commodity by consumers and their needs were equally served at any retail site.Item Determinants of intrapreneurial performance within the banking industry in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Govender, Thanusha; B, UrbanThe ability for large corporates to remain competitive and grow ahead of the market in an era that has been defined by globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is a critical imperative for organisations to develop a new capability that equips them to navigate the turbulent global macro-economic environment and complex business markets successfully. Globally, banks have experienced severe pressure to transform their business models from capital intense businesses into revenue diversification drivers through new fee-based services. Investors are leaning towards new generation banking models that serve customers holistically, intuitively, and better by employing “new age” technology solutions, as profitability levels within global banks have slipped below the cost of shareholder equity. Coupled with the reality on the ground pre-2020, COVID-19 has become a watershed transformation moment for banks. It has accelerated many long-term banking trends that have resulted in customer shifts in relation to their needs, behaviours and expectations and has subsequently impacted their recovery performance. As such, African banks need to pivot their focus towards growth and relevance by ensuring the establishment of a fundamentally different business model that provides integrated digital ecosystem solutions that go beyond traditional banking, and offer to ensure market competitiveness. Corporate entrepreneurship is a strategic capability that enables organisations to embed innovation as a core competency and simultaneously engage in explorative and exploitative activities, which are essential thrusts in the strategic renewal of a companyItem What is ‘Black Tax’? : A Study of the Experiences and Understandings of ‘Black Tax’ amongst Young Black Professionals in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-07) Dube, Luthando Nolwazi; Ally, Shireen‘Black Tax’ is a colloquial term used to refer to a system of extended kinship support which is prevalent in Black communities in South Africa. South Africa is a country characterised by high levels of racial inequality and unemployment, due to an extended history of European colonisation, apartheid, and their long-lasting effects. In this context, Black South Africans having a regular source of income has become rare enough to be considered a ‘privilege’ and for young Black professionals in particular, it comes with the responsibility to care for their families, both immediate and extended. As a result, young Black professionals have been described as the ‘sandwich generation’, stuck between supporting both present and past generations due to greater access to education and opportunities. This study sought to explore how young Black professionals experience and understand ‘Black Tax’ in South Africa. The study looked into the different ways in which Black professionals provide support and additionally, whether there is an expectation of such support, and how it is experienced and understood by them as the givers. A qualitative research approach formed the basis of this study, based on semi-structured, non-contact telephonic interviews with eight young Black professionals identified through the snowball sampling technique. Some results from this study found that young Black professionals narrate ‘Black Tax’ both as an obligatory expectation, and also as they frame it, as an extension of Ubuntu. The study demonstrates how ‘Black Tax’ consists of mainly two things: debt and obligations of reciprocity (paying back) and thanksgiving; or the expectation as a result of having experienced similar kindness (paying forward). ‘Black Tax’ is not limited to financial contributions alone and young Black professionals have categorised their ‘Black Tax’ to include mainly shared assets, financial, non-financial, and voluntary acts and not limited to emotional support. The findings suggest that young Black professionals in this study understand the context in which ‘Black Tax’ exists in South Africa and that their experience of it is shaped by the social standing of their families, which influences the manner in which they engage in the practice of ‘Black Tax’. Furthermore, although young Black professionals experience ‘Black Tax’ in different ways, it is clear that they face the same racialised experience; they thus have a unified Black experience (shared experience).
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