Doctoral Degrees (Graduate School of Business and Leadership)
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Development of an inter-generational business sustainability framework for family-owned passenger bus companies in Zimbabwe.(2023) Chipere, Tawanda Finias.; Mutambara, Emmanuel.; Chikandiwa, Christopher Tarisayi.Family businesses being the predominant form of business organization, and estimated in the range of 60-98% of all firms worldwide, contribute immensely to world economies. It is however deplorable that throughout the world they are victims of intergenerational demise, failing to sustain themselves over multiple generations, emanating from a plethora of challenges that seed them into total collapse. Their very low survival rates are a matter of concern. Zimbabwe’s passenger transport sector is typical, with glaringly overwhelming cases of failure. Evidence abound in Zimbabwe of family-owned passenger bus companies (FOPBCs) that have folded, following the passing on of their founders. The sibling and consortium generations succeeding the founders have plunged the businesses into extinction. Despite a tremendous surge in family business research due to their global importance, the totality of studies focused on Africa is small. Notwithstanding their prevalence there exists absence of in-depth knowledge on their operations, including in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, this study focussed on investigating the determinants for business sustainability of FOPBCs in Zimbabwe. Drawing from various business theories, models and literature, the research utilized a pragmatic paradigm that adopted the exploratory sequential mixed method design (Qual – Quan research) to investigate the factors influencing the survival of Zimbabwe’s FOPBCs. The qualitative research component undertook ten (10) interviews based on nonprobability sampling techniques, to derive relevant themes based on NVivo 2020, that were then employed to design a questionnaire. The follow-up questionnaire was deployed on a census of one hundred and fifty-three (153) FOPBCs in Zimbabwe as the study population. The resultant quantitative data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) through the application of principal components analysis (PCA), to determine the factors influencing the survival of Zimbabwe’s FOPBCs. The key outputs are methodological, contextual and intergenerational business sustainability framework contributions. The study revealed that succession planning, leadership, total capital, management, family entrepreneurship, strategy, governance, and external environmental factors bear strongly on cross generational sustainability. These factors form the intergenerational business sustainability framework for the FOPBCs. Imperatively, leaders of such companies, policy makers and scholars must pay devout attention to addressing the challenges in logistics and passenger transport management.Item Towards a customer engagement framework to enhance organisational change communication and customer satisfaction at Absa bank in the greater Durban area.(2023) Chitamba, Anos.; Mutambara, Emmanuel.Events that have unfolded in the past decade — the ease of new entrants into the banking sector, uncertain economic outlook, the 2008 global financial crisis, competition within the South African banking sector, have changed the banking sector in South Africa. Retail banks are under tremendous pressure to realign their business models to meet these challenges and changes. Conforming to the mounting pressure in the South African banking sector, Barclays bank PLC a major shareholder in Barclays Africa Group announced its departure from Barclays Africa Group. A move that will make Barclays Africa Group lose its strategic partner with over 100 years of experience working in Africa. The departure was received mixed reactions in the banking sector including Absa customers. In the South African banking sector context with reference to Absa bank, research on customer engagement is still in its infancy and a model that can be adopted during organisational change did not exist. To address this research gap, this study developed a customer engagement framework that is linked to organisational change communication and customer satisfaction. The research design adopted was the quantitative paradigm with a pre-coded structured closed ended questionnaire comprising the 5 Point Likert Scale that was used to administer the instrument to the selected sample respondents. The questionnaire comprised of 4 Sections, each under a specific main theme. The target population comprised of 650 000 Absa bank customers in the greater Durban area. Sekaran statistical table was used to for the sample selection. The sample of 384 customers was selected using convenience sampling a non-probability sampling technique. The analysis of the data involved the use of robust parametric and non-parametric tests for the empirical analyses using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 for Windows. A variety of non-parametric tests were also used to test hypotheses formulated for the various sections and components of the study. Some significant findings emerged from the comprehensive statistical analyses which were also corroborated by national and international studies conducted by various researchers who also showed their concordance or discordance with the current findings and were referenced accordingly.Item IT governance implementation framework for South African companies: a corporate governance perspective.(2017) Ako-Nai, Sonny Anyetei Moses.; Singh, Anesh Maniraj.In the past, information technology (IT) management and governance was a departmental or management level responsibility. However, of recent, it has become an integral part of organisations and its optimal function has also become critical for the attainment of organisational strategic objectives. Organisations continuous investment in and dependency on IT has increased their risk exposure and thus necessitated the need for IT oversight. This need for oversight has prompted the incorporation of IT governance into corporate governance practices and codes. It has also prompted the elevation of IT governance to the highest level of control and leadership of the organisation which is the board. The objective of this study was to establish how JSE listed companies govern IT at the board level. A conceptual board level IT governance framework was derived through a combined review of governance models, corporate governance codes, and IT governance frameworks. The framework was tested using qualitative and quantitative data obtained through semistructured interviews and a survey respectively. The combined qualitative, quantitative and literature findings were analysed to achieve triangulation. The resultant findings indicated the following: an organisation with a well-developed IT governance framework positively improves its board level IT governance effectiveness; board level IT governance effectiveness is improved where IT leadership is engaged with the board; and effective board level IT governance oversight improves overall organisational performance. The unique contribution of this study is that it presents a corporate governance perspective to IT governance at the board level. It provides boards with factors on which to focus to improve their IT governance oversight effectiveness. The study found that IT governance oversight effectiveness is improved if the board focuses on decision making rather than technical and managerial IT-related matters. In addition, the study found that overall organisational performance is influenced by the organisation’s board level IT governance effectiveness. It is recommended that boards of organisations understand the broad domains of IT governance and the impact thereof on business operations, using platforms like board orientation and directorship programmes and courses where applicable. A sample questionnaire developed to guide the board on what aspects of IT governance issues to focus on is proposed and recommended.Item A study of Majuba college’s approaches to understanding its local environmental needs, using systemic tools.(2017) Lakhan, Renesh.; Hardman, Stanley George.Majuba College is a public, multi-campus, technical and vocational, education and training (TVET) college in northern KZN, South Africa, under the auspices of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The research question sought to find to what extent Majuba College understands its environment and in what ways has the college aligned with its perceived local markets. The objectives were to determine how the college understands its environment, what would constitute a ‘fair’ understanding of its environment, and to critically examine the college’s understanding of its environment against a ‘fair’ understanding thereof. Further objectives of the study were to determine to what extent the college is aligned with its perceived markets, and make conclusions and recommendations by reflecting on the findings. The research question is important because a college that understands the knowledge and skills required in the environment, may use its resources effectively to educate and train students to meet those needs. The literature review provided a reference of how organisations understand their environments, drawing upon environmental scanning theory, across corporate and educational environments, within local and international settings. The strategic value of environmental scanning in higher educational settings was reflected in case studies and practices. A qualitative, practitioner-based research approach was used. Focus groups included key internal and external stakeholders. Critical systemic practice was adopted, specifically Creative Holism, wherein the principles of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) and the Viable System Model (VSM), were applied to explore the research question. The research revealed the College’s lack of a sustained and structured approach to environmental scanning and its disconnect with the its organisational strategy. Related factors such as leadership challenges and the conflict of marketing roles, are relevant. Recommendations included that the College’s environmental scanning be a sustained, strategic activity that feeds into the organisational strategy. A significant recommendation is the use of a Viable System Model used in the design mode, to restructure the college systemically to meet the challenges of the external environment.Item The effective management of information overload within shipping companies in South Africa.(2017) Mungly, Mohamud Irshad.; Singh, Anesh Maniraj.For time immemorial, humans have shared information – from cave wall paintings to modern computing devices. The medium and channels of communication have evolved and improved. The ever-growing number of information sources coupled with the development of the Internet and other electronic communication technologies has resulted in escalating amounts of data and information that users need to process. This has resulted in a situation commonly known as information overload. Information overload can be described as a situation where people are inundated with more information than they are able to usefully use. The overall aim of this study was to establish whether information overload exists in South African shipping companies and if it is being formally managed. Although a growing body of empirical research has assessed the impact of information overload in organisations, little is known about its effect on shipping companies. To fully understand the problem, the impact of information overload was assessed in 12 shipping organisations located in Durban. Quantitative data was gathered using an online questionnaire from a sample of 491 employees in the 12 organisations. Twelve decision makers, one in each organisation, were interviewed by means of semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data showed that employees are overloaded with information and the level of information overload varies across the different organisations. Qualitative data from the interviews showed that the decision makers are overloaded and admit that their staff are also overloaded. Furthermore, none of the companies had specific initiatives in place to help staff who were overloaded with information. Several countermeasures to reduce information overload have been suggested in the literature; however, none of them have been proven to eliminate the problem. By integrating the findings from the literature review, quantitative data and qualitative data, this study suggests some guidelines of good practice for managing information overload which includes information management training, information personal management system, good office ergonomics practices, technology, external service providers, correct communication technologies and monitoring of information.Item Advancing gross fixed capital formation (investment) paradigm in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa: historical trends and prospects.(2018) Yalezo, Bhasela.; Bokana, Koye Gerry.Current rates of investment in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa are insufficient to drive substantial economic growth. These rates have not changed significantly from 1995 to date. This study examined the reasons for low investment rates in the Eastern Cape Province in the post-democratic era by both the private and public sectors and explored the hindrances to attracting investment. Its examination of trends and prospects informed the study’s recommendations to address the current situation. A mixed methods research methodology that incorporated econometrics was employed to calculate the investment gap and the investment required to close this gap. The quantitative research analysis results indicated that; there is an investment gap, low investment and a dire lack of infrastructure, which discourages investment in rural and urban areas in the Eastern Cape. The qualitative research analysis results indicated that: the province lacks adequate infrastructure, an integrated investment model and strategy as well as poor political leadership at provincial and local levels were significant contributors to low investment rates. The econometrics analysis, indicated that an investment rate of 11.05% of the province’s Gross Domestic Product is required to close the current investment gap. Some policy implications of these three results are that in advancing investment in the province, the foremost priority should be infrastructure investment which must be underpinned by intelligent public sector investment. Amongst other priorities there is an urgent need to strengthen the province’s political leadership and administration.Item Understanding the causes for a low success rate of technology- prompted change: a case study of Toyota South Africa.(2016) Ramsunder, Suven Mohanlal.; Zondi, Wellington Bonginkosi.Technological advancements are inevitable if a business wants to remain competitive, however, in addition to the multiple benefits there are also numerous difficulties associated with the implementation of new technology and automation. This study delves into the perspective of the semi to low-skilled workers, with the viewpoints of management being investigated to draw a comparison. The research was carried out at Toyota South Africa Manufacturing in Durban, with the respondents comprising of 315 semi to low-skilled workers, and six managers. The semi to low-skilled workers were issued questionnaires, while the managers were interviewed, hence a mixed methodology was used. The literature review provides the basis of the study, which outlines the factors affecting resistance to change. Firstly, the acceptance of technology was assessed to ensure that the respondents were indeed receptive to new technology. Once this was established, the next step was to look at the factors affecting the resistance to change, such as, fear, trust, job wellbeing and self-acceptance. The status quo bias was adopted to bring these factors together to show that, even though the respondents were open to using new technology, if it was not administered correctly the initiatives would fail. The study not only developed a framework that could be incorporated when applying new technology, it also found certain improvements that could be incorporated. Amongst other recommendations, this study put forth the notion that the semi to lowskilled workers should be incorporated into the change process from the inception of the technological advancement processes, with diverse forms of communication being used so as to ensure that the different groups that exist within the company would have a proper understanding of the processes. It also highlighted the perceptions that management had of the employees and the actual insight of the workers. The study concludes with limitations of the study and future research that could be done to enhance the findings.Item Forage seed production as a business in smallholder systems of Zimbabwe: a value chain approach.(2017) Chakoma, Irenie Chirariro.; Chummun, Bibi Zaheenah.The demand for forage seed in Zimbabwe is set to increase as a result of increased demand for high yielding and quality fodder for livestock. There is a projected increase in demand for livestock products, even though livestock productivity has declined due to factors including shortages and reduced quality of feed particularly during the dry season and worsened by frequent droughts. There is need to develop alternative feed resources that would improve livestock productivity at lower costs. Forages have been highlighted as an alternative to livestock feed supply. However, unavailability of forage seed has been a major drawback, especially in Zimbabwe. The forage seed industry has been underdeveloped, coupled with the absence of forage germplasm, efficient seed suppliers and support services. The study focused on developing a model for forage seed production as a business among smallholder farmers. This was built up from investigating forage seed production, challenges faced and opportunities along the seed value chain, actors involved and characterizing factors that could enhance competitiveness of forage seed production in smallholder systems. For data collection, a household survey was conducted to 414 households, 4 Focus Group Discussions and 10 key informant interviews. Multi stage sampling involving purposive sampling of districts and wards, and random sampling techniques were employed during the study. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS version 21, economic analysis (Gross margin and sensitivity analysis) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), whilst qualitative data, NVivo 10 and UCINET for social network analysis were employed. Farmers owned an average of 2.2 ha of land and 63.0 % of this is put under crop and forage production. Forage seed yields were at 89 kg ha-1 and 753 kg ha-1 for lablab and mucuna respectively with gross margin of US$70.89 for lablab and US$611.61 for mucuna. Challenges included lack of knowledge and information, limited land, lack of forage market, lack of ready market for forage seed, lack of knowledge on planting and marketing of forage seed and poorly resourced extension staff to out-scale forage seed production. Opportunities identified include climatic conditions that are conducive for seed production, even without irrigation facilities, availability of extension staff who would be willing to assist farmers and give technical advice, viable seed industry where forage seed can ride on, willingness of private companies to engage farmers in seed production. Actors that interact with farmers along the value chain include researchers, extension personnel, farmer unions and agro-dealers. The Structural Equation Modelling revealed that household gender, level of education, land size and inputs availability positively influenced farmers to adopt forage seed production interventions. Recommendations include intensification of production, investment in irrigation infrastructure, stakeholder engagements and trainings that support farmers along the whole forage seed value chain. The research generated information that farmers could tap into to improve livelihoods. Policy and decision makers could utilize the research findings to develop forage seed-based income generating and livestock improvement interventions that are adaptable to smallholder systems. There have been contributions to knowledge in forage seed production in Zimbabwe and this would inform future forage seed initiatives.Item An application of systems methodologies to investigate social complexity at the Felixton Mill area.(2014) Proches, Cecile Naomi Gerwel.; Bodhanya, Shamim.Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is one type of systems methodology that was developed in response to the limitations of the systems engineering approach. It uses a flexible, yet organised process to bring about action to improve problematical situations. This research employed SSM and systems science, in combination with standard qualitative methods, towards comprehending social complexity in the context of the Felixton Mill area, an important component of the South African sugar industry. This context is characterised by diverse stakeholders who have multiple and often competing objectives. This research formed part of a larger multi-disciplinary research project, which was aimed at finding improvement processes for use in the sugar cane supply and processing system. Data were collected mainly through in-depth semi-structured interviews and SSM workshops which were held with growers, hauliers, the miller, and industry stakeholders, and processed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that critical factors such as haulier inefficiencies, cane supply, and cane quality, were affecting the sustainability of the Felixton Mill area. The diverse goals of the stakeholders were found to be characteristic of a purposeful system, as is the case with social systems, but were identified as a potential source of conflict. The research highlighted the value of applying SSM to comprehend social complexity in this type of context. Critical factors such as starting conditions, time allocated, grouping of participants, and prompts by the facilitator, were found to play a role in the SSM process. The study contributed to social complexity theory through the development of a model to illustrate the role of power, organisational culture, decision-making, and value systems in complex social systems. Methodological lessons were provided, and an SSM facilitation model developed, to guide SSM practitioners who intend to facilitate change. Conceptual models were also developed to assist with navigating complexity in multi-stakeholder engagements. The study finally proposes a novel multi-stakeholder leadership model applicable in this and other contexts.Item The effect of print media publicity on the performance of the Zimbabwe tourism destination brand.(2017) Chigora, Farai.; Ndlovu, Joram.The aim of the study is to examine the effect of print media publicity on the performance of Zimbabwean tourism brand. The study sought to analyse the role of print media in destination branding and assess its effect on brand equity with particular focus on how information can be managed to project a positive image of the destination. The main objective was to establish the extent to which the print media can either build or destroy a destination. Furthermore, the study sought to identify the strategies that can be used by Destination Marketing Organisations to minimise the negative impact of the media whilst improving the image and brand equity of the destination. A mixed method approach was used for the study, where both qualitative and quantitative research designs were implemented. A total of 544 survey questionnaires were distributed to various stakeholders with a response rate of 83.9% from tourism and print media organisations and 80.7% tourists. The participants were selected from the tourism sector namely, the accommodation, travel and resorts, print media, tourists and government. Four (4) interviews were conducted with key informants. The results showed that the print media has a direct impact on destination brand awareness, perceived brand quality and brand association. The study also revealed other types of media, besides print, which proved to have a direct influence on brand image and brand loyalty. They were other factors that were found to have a positive effect on destination brand performance, including hospitable people, attractions and local culture. For the destination brand to remain competitive, the study recommends a continuous improvement on stakeholder consultation, development of partnerships and resource mobilisation.Item The analysis of the leadership governance in South African universities.(2018) Jali, Lulu Fortunate.; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele.The concepts of good leadership and governance have been topics of great interest to scholars, where most of the studies in this respect were confined to large corporations and businesses, and not focused on the education landscape. Due to changes in government funding criteria for higher education institutions, they are now operating using business-like practices to cope with and to survive competition in the global market place. A literature review reveals that poor leadership governance is a major problem facing South African institutions today. The literature indicates that poor leadership governance leads to high levels of dropouts and low levels of throughput in universities. Some researchers point out that there is a lack of leadership with the vision to push the agenda for open access to publishing to accredited journals. Those universities with resource problems can assist those which are lacking. The literature reviewed further indicates that leadership involves good relationships with others in order to ensure unity and cohesion in decision-making. Transformation has been discussed as an important aspect of leadership governance for universities to enable them to tap into the micro-environmental behaviours of their stakeholders. This study therefore aimed to investigate the problem of leadership and governance and suggest solutions. The aim of this study was to assess and examine critical leadership governance styles, and identify contributing factors that might influence the leadership governance of all universities in South Africa. In addition, it proposes procedures to be adopted for leadership governance within these universities. The study answered questions on the role of leadership governance at universities, and to what extent leadership governance influences policies implemented within universities. The targeted population were members of senates from the traditional universities and universities of technology in South Africa. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data. Questionnaires were delivered to prospective respondents from all universities in South Africa. Research officers and registrars for institutions were approached to obtain permission to conduct research at their universities. With the assistance of the research officers and registrars, the link to a Survey Monkey questionnaire was e-mailed for distribution to the participants. Statistical analysis was employed, and quantitative data was descriptively analyzed, with results presented using various types of graphs. The data was analyzed using the SPSS Version 24.0 statistical software programme. The qualitative data was analyzed through inductive approach using research themes. The empirical findings indicate that there is a strong relationship between the type of universities and the process of reviewing policies and procedures. The main conclusion drawn from this study is the need for inclusion of diverse stakeholders in leadership governance and the consideration of their contributions. This study recommends further research to be conducted with other targeted populations from universities.Item A conceptual model for the improvement of service quality in the South African short-term insurance industry in KwaZulu-Natal.(2016) Mbonambi, Thamsanqa Patrick.; Nzimakwe, Thokozani Ian.This study investigated service quality in short-term insurance companies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. South Africa. The study is triggered by the high level of complaints from customers received by the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance (OSTI Annual Report). Both an exploratory research design and a quantitative research method were used respectively. The study involved responses from policyholders from three short-term insurance companies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The stratified sampling method was used to select respondents. Data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program Version Windows 22.1 in particular descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that, generally, there was a gap between clients’ expectations and their experiences. The findings show that gender influenced both expectations and experiences of clients while age and income only had influence on experiences while race had no influence on either clients’ expectations or experiences of service quality. Therefore, it is recommended that, in order to understand and address the gap between clients’ expectations and experiences of service quality, short-term insurance companies and researchers should pay particular attention to reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness and to their clients’ relationships, gender, age, and income because these factors have an influence on service quality. In addition, the study found that race has no influence on service quality expectation or experience. The service quality conceptual model developed in this study may help to both understand and enhance the effectiveness of short-term insurance companies’ service quality efforts.Item Supply chain management practices in the petroleum industry of Zimbabwe.(2017) Bimha, Happyson.; Hoque, Muhammad Ehsanul.; Munapo, Elias.Supply chain management is one of the contemporary management philosophies recommended to companies that seek to improve competitiveness. Supply chain management focuses on cost efficiency, customer satisfaction and systems thinking. This study analyses supply chain management practices in the Zimbabwe petroleum industry. Supply chain management is a nascent concept in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean petroleum companies are uncompetitive because they have not embraced the supply chain management philosophy or the philosophy is not properly implemented among other reasons. The study analyses the Zimbabwe petroleum industry players based on how they manage supply chain managent activities such as procurement, inventory, logistics, information technology and customer service. It also analyses the industry‟s environment, supply chain strategies, industry structure and challenges. The study uses the robust convergent parallel mixed methods research design to simultaneously and independently collect data aimed to achieve a wider and detailed indepth understanding of factors leading to the Zimbabwe petroleum industry‟s uncompetitiveness. In-depth interviews were hel with six executives from Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority and National Oil Iinfrastructure Company of Zimbabwe. Quantitative data was collected through objective questionnaires from fifty seven managers with supply chain management responsibilities in petroleum companies. A regression analysis on supply chain performance establishes that developing effective supply chain management strategies and staff motivation, training and development are the two determinants of supply chain management performance.The results further reveal existence of supply chain management challenges owing to an unfavourable business environment, lack of clear supply chain strategy, lack of foreign currency, weak industry structure, high cost of product, the country‟s poor policy framework, and lack of communication and cooperation among supply chain members. The study recommends that authorities craft and market a supply chain strategy that takes advantage of the country‟s potential to become a regional hub for fuel distribution to countries like Botswana, Zambia and DRC. Government must fix environmental factors that keep investors at bay and threaten de-industrialisation. Industry captains must de-bottle their planning processes; encourage teamwork and strategic alliances among supply chain members. However, the small sample size, data based on one petroleum company and its distributorship and difficulty in generalising results of the study, are some of the study‟s limitations.Item Developing marketing strategies to enhance the use of banking services for the unbanked in Ethiopia.(2017) Wakene, Dinkisa Keno.; Munapo, Elias.; Adeyeye, OlufemI Patrick.Nowadays, banking the unbanked has become critical for developing countries, as most of the households do not hold bank accounts with banks. Currently, only 21.8 percent of the population (age 15+) have an account in financial institutions in Ethiopia. As a result, a huge amount of money circulates outside the banking system, which limits the role of the banks. As a result, this study aims to investigate factors affecting intention of the unbanked to use banking services and propose possible marketing strategies for banking them. The study captured three regions of Ethiopia, using multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Questionnaires were distributed and collected from 384 unbanked respondents and 153 bank managers in the selected regions. For the analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to test associations of the data set. Measures to facilitate evaluation and interpretation of data include percentage, mean, standard deviation, ANOVA and t-test respectively. Moreover, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to propose and test the structural equation model (SEM). The study found that the marketing strategy employed by banks are limited to traditional banking system, while the use of electronic banking to reach the untapped area to create bank services accessibility is poor. Hence, the degree of awareness of both conventional and e-banking services by the unbanked individuals is significantly very low. It also identified that the unbanked demographic factors (level of education and occupation), perceived ease of use, social influence and personal factor significantly affect their intention to use banking services; whereas, the effect of culture and social support are insignificant. Therefore, Ethiopian banking sector should consider these factors while taking measures to bring the unbanked into the banking system and adopt the strategy of banking beyond bank branches to make accessible their services to a wide geographical area. The study makes an investigative effort to point out where banking institutions should stress in order to successfully bring the unbanked to the banking system and, as a result, harvest its possible benefits. Furthermore, it tests empirically factors affecting the unbanked intention to use banking services, thus providing additional understanding for practitioners and academics.Item An assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of service delivery: a case study of eDumbe municipality.(2017) Zwane, Zwelithini Michael.; Nzimakwe, Thokozani Ian.This study’s purpose was to investigate the extent to which the eDumbe municipality had progressed in providing service delivery effectively with the intention of strengthening good governance. In post-apartheid South Africa, the government is compelled to respond to global and economic changes by investing more on resources that can improve the lives of the people. To respond to these changes, government-formulated policies and legislation as mechanisms to assist local government; to carry out its developmental mandate aim to improve the status of communities and improve lives of the people. This study argues that the initiatives and intervention of local government to out carry its mandate has made limited progress in as far as the provision of service delivery and in upholding the principles of good governance at the eDumbe municipality are concerned. There is a great need to fast-track service delivery at local government level. These initiatives include: community satisfaction surveys; operation clean audit and back-to-basics. This study adopted a mixed methodology, that is, a combination of both the qualitative and quantitative methods and did an assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of service delivery: A case study of the eDumbe Municipality. A mixed-method-approach means synthesising quantitative and qualitative data. This was seen as suitable for this study because the main purpose of the study was to assess how management of resources influences the effectiveness and efficiency at the eDumbe Municipality. The study commenced with the review of relevant literature, then presented a model developed for factors influencing efficient and effective service delivery and assesses the management of resources against this model. It also interpreted data that had been collected from the respondents. Findings of this study revealed the municipality had poor administrative capacity and infrastructure to carry out its mandate. This was as a result of inadequate financial resource (low tax base) as the municipality relied on a government grant. It is recommended that the managers should be visible to the community they serve and that the municipality must make it its obligation to inform the community about the availability of the financial statements.Item Entrepreneurial culture in a South African higher education institution.(2017) Gumede, Smangele Evidence.; Hoque, Muhammad Ehsanul.Entrepreneurial culture in most of the countries plays vital role towards uplifting of country’s economy. This is achieved through an integrated approach amongst tertiary institutions, business sector, and government. This study expanded the three-alliance integrated approach through integration of students’ self-efficacy that should be driven with employment business plan competitions, technology competitions and experiential opportunities. The purpose of the study is to unleash within students, the potential of creating manpower through establishment of business from small to medium size and other job opportunities incorporated with risk management and uncertainty bearing information when managing their businesses. This study has been conducted using the mixed method approach. The data collection process employed is concurrent mixed method data collection strategy. The purpose for employing this strategy is to validate one form of data with the other data form. The researcher employed both closed questions and open-ended questions with the rationale of ensuring fair intuitiveness for participants. Two hundred and sixty-three students responded out of two hundred and seventy using Likert scale closed questions. Six total numbers of Heads of Departments, Management and Deans responded for open ended Questions. Study initially targeted 286 participants with 270 students who were expected to respond, and 16 totals Number of Heads of Departments, Management and Dean were expected to respond but only 6 of them in total responded which is 38% and only 263 students responded which is 97%. Sample procedure was stratified sampling procedure. Non-respondents came from Management and Head of departments. A total response rate was 94, 05% and non-response rate was 5, 95% for both students and staff. Findings revealed extensive importance of instilled entrepreneurial culture in a South African institution to contribute towards minimizing high level of unemployed graduate and to help reduce the only employability mind-set and promote entrepreneurial mind-set.Item Unlocking informal small-to-medium enterprises’ potential in an African economy. a case study of the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe.(2017) Matsongoni, Herrison.; Mutambara, Emmanuel.Entrepreneurship in Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which include informal and micro business globally remains innovative and perform to the extent where the economies of countries resolve around the employment and income that the above sector provides. The study aimed to formulate a suitable and innovative business model for unlocking the potential of the informal manufacturing SMEs in Zimbabwe, Africa against a background of the various challenges faced by the informal manufacturing SMEs and a shrinking formal economy. It extends the literature on the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of informality in an African context with specific reference to Zimbabwe, a developing country. The study adopted a mixed-method research design since usage of both qualitative and quantitative methods research enriches the strength of one method while complementing the weaknesses of the other. The study population entailed informal manufacturing SMEs in food, bakery and confectionery processing, toiletry making, textile and garment making, leather and rubber production, engineering and metal fabrication, timber and furniture making and representatives from the various informal business associations. A total of one thousand (1000) questionnaires were administered to respondents in the informal manufacturing SMEs in the five (5) cities of Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo and Mutare in Zimbabwe, and 832 questionnaires were returned indicating an 83.2% response rate. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used for the quantitative research to ensure that at least one observation was picked from each stratum. For qualitative research purposive random sampling was used to ensure that there was a fair representation of all the informal manufacturing SMEs in this study. Five (5) focus group interviews were also done in the above cities. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 22.0 while qualitative data was analysed using Microsoft Word and Excel. The results revealed that there are more male entrepreneurs (56.15%) than female (48.85%) involved in the informal manufacturing SMEs sector in Zimbabwe. Most of the participants have at least achieved a diploma (41.7%) and had an average revenue of between US$10 001-US$30 000 per annum and employed an average of between 1-20 employees and are involved in the food, bakery and confectionery processing (25.2%) industries. The findings also indicated that there is a statistically significant agreement that accessibility to finance is the greatest challenge (M=4.2568); that there is significant disagreement that government-initiated programmes have been effective in informal manufacturing SMEs development (M=2.9357). Recommendations include that government through the relevant Ministry/Departments should consider the establishment of an SME Development Bank; that institutional legal and regulatory frameworks reforms need to be done, and the government should consider the formation of business and inter-firm linkages. In conclusion, the study was driven by the desire to formalise the informal manufacturing sector and have it under the ambit of the formal economy and formal banking institutions.Item Influence of psychological factors, political environment and information awareness on entrepreneurial behaviour among youths in Mpumalanga province.(2018) Sowole, Oluseyi Emmanuel.; Hoque, Muhammad Ehsanul.; Adeyeye, Olufemi Patrick.Determining the Influence of Psychological factors, political environment and information awareness on youth’s entrepreneurial behaviour in Mpumalanga province is important to foster effective entrepreneurial interest. Although there are many investigations into youths seemingly lack of interest in entrepreneurial participation; however the level of influence of these constructs on entrepreneurial behaviour has not been extensively researched. It is on this premise that this study investigated these constructs to determine its influence on entrepreneurial behaviour and also seek to provide suggestions that can assist government effect paradigm shift in Mpumalanga youths interest in entrepreneurial activities thereby reducing the social vices that comes with high unemployment rate in the province. Adopting pragmatic philosophy and mono-method approach to collect quantitative data to find answers to the research questions with 355 questionnaires administered among unemployed youths in three districts of Mpumalanga province, South Africa. A simple random sampling technique was adopted to draw samples from each of the three major districts and descriptive, inferential analysis was used to analyse data. Regression analysis finds causal relationship between the independent variables (psychological factors, political environment and information awareness) and dependent variable (entrepreneurial behaviour) to see the level of influence on the constructs. The study found a statistical significant relationship between psychological factors and entrepreneurial behaviour, with home stressors and community stressors showing significant statistical agreement to the construct. So also, do political environment and information awareness have significant influence on Mpumalanga youths entrepreneurial behaviour. While psychological factors and information awareness has significant influence on entrepreneurial behaviour; political environment is the main influencer of Mpumalanga youths’ entrepreneurial behaviour. To sum up, the results of the study enabled constructive suggestions that can assist government effect paradigm shift in Mpumalanga youths interest in entrepreneurial activities thereby reducing the social vices that comes with high unemployment rate in the province. Finally, the study outspreads the limits of knowledge in the field of business administration by offering- a four- stage approach suggestion to influence Mpumalanga youth’s entrepreneurial behaviour which includes (a) communication, training and entertainment, (b) Carrot and stick system, (c) Reward mechanism to foster entrepreneurial behaviour (d) Teach-back and feedback system.Item Examining strategic management processes in public organisations: a case study of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs.(2018) Sibiya, Collen Bongani.; Subban, Mogesperie.South Africa’s democratic dispensation has for the past 23 years focused on progressive policies to enhance service delivery with policy development culminating in various legislation. Given socio-economic and political realities, the policy development phase had not produced the desired output and outcomes. The South African Government therefore, through National Treasury, introduced the strategic planning framework as part of its business management approach to provide efficient and effective management of planning key service delivery decisions that a public organisation must get right in order to realise its legal mandates in the next several years. A key question raised in the research study is: what are the organisational factors related to effective strategy execution at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environment affairs (KZNDAE)? Hence, the thesis assesses how the concerns apply ‘innovatively’ from the public sector organizational perspective, with an empirical study that was undertaken to explore strategy execution and management of organisational factors, as was the case in the KZNDAE. The study was theorized within the 5C Protocol of policy management and the South African Excellence Model focusing on performance excellence, as the thrust of the theoretical framework for enhancing both performance and strategic management practices. A total of 200 questionnaires through a purposive sampling strategy were distributed and a feedback of 180 yielded a 90% response rate, and 20 interviews undertaken through a qualitative study leaning on the mixed methods research for the primary data. Secondary information was also obtained from policy documents, strategic frameworks, Auditor General’s reports and other literature reviews undertaken. The empirical aspect from Cronbach’s Alpha values revealed that respondents from employees, management and users of KZNDAE services have similar views regarding most organisational factors (leadership impact on strategy execution for enhancement of service delivery, detracting and contributory organisational factors and stakeholder support during strategy execution). Again, the study through Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (KMO) and Bartlett's Test proved that there are strong relations amongst the three organisational factors, which was also in some instances corroborated by the thematic and content analysis of the interviews undertaken. The study proposed the Six ‘Rights’ Strategy Execution Model that could facilitate effective and efficient service delivery and organizational performance of the pre-determined strategy objectives as part of its ‘business’ management approach to fulfilling its Constitutional mandate in the current era and beyond. Finally, the department is encouraged to increase its allocation to operation plans in order to curb the problem of budgetary constraints hindering strategy execution and management.Item The use of the systems thinking approaches to develop a holistic model to improve stakeholder management in the eThekwini Water and Sanitation unit (EWS)(2022) Zondi, Gloria Nokuphiwa.; Proches, Cecile Naomi Gerwel.; Green, Paul Edmund.Challenges faced by the eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit (EWS) in implementing water and sanitation projects include competing interests among various stakeholder groups who see water services from different perspectives and have varying expectations from infrastructure project execution. Soft issues, including stakeholder relationships, communication, and community participation, have been ignored. The study places more attention on soft issues and relationship management since it sees project stakeholder management in the water service as a complicated and messy system. This study employed qualitative research, together with soft systems methodology (SSM), for data collection and analysis. SSM was chosen because of its flexible, but systematized, process that is useful in clarifying the issues in a problematic situation. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in this qualitative research. A total of thirty-four participants were involved in this study. This involved conducting intensive individual interviews with fourteen participants to explore their perspectives on stakeholder management in the EWS infrastructure projects. The other twenty participants, divided into four focus groups, participated in the SSM workshop. Data was analysed using NVivo 12, which assisted the researcher in thematic analysis. The combination of qualitative methodology and SSM facilitated a meaningful interaction between the researcher and the study participants, by providing a chance for participants to understand each other’s perspectives, challenges and opportunities, in infrastructure projects. The study found that there is a lack of proper communication between the EWS officials and project stakeholders, as well as the fragmentation of social facilitation systems within the unit. This was confirmed by the findings from the SSM workshop. Stakeholder management was also identified as a crucial soft issue and the lack thereof hinders the progress and sustainability of infrastructure projects. The study, therefore, recommends the implementation of the developed holistic model and formalisation of systems. This model consists of the implementation process, which includes identifying stakeholders prior to project implementation; communicating project boundaries with stakeholders; and ensuring that project stakeholder committees are in place to enforce consistency and improve relationships; as well as ensuring that risk mitigation is prioritised.