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Enhancing financial inclusion for small and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa through digital finance
No full textThis research delves into the transformative role of digital finance in augmenting financial inclusion for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. The primary aim is to scrutinise how digital finance contributes to enhancing financial inclusion for SMEs in the South African context. Employing a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a quantitative methodology. The data collection process entails purposeful sampling of 321 SME owners from a total pool of 700, with the sample size determined using the Cochran formula. The study's results underscore the potential of digital finance to boost financial inclusion for SMEs by facilitating access to financial services, curbing transaction costs, and streamlining financial transactions. Nevertheless, persistent challenges, including limited digital infrastructure, inadequate financial literacy levels, and regulatory impediments, necessitate attention to facilitate the widespread adoption of digital finance among SMEs. In conclusion, the study recommends fostering collaboration among key stakeholders such as financial institutions, technology companies, and government agencies. This collaborative approach aims to establish a conducive ecosystem that supports the adoption of digital finance among SMEs, ultimately advancing financial inclusion in South Africa
Exploring the role of healthcare personnel in designing tuberculosis infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings : a scoping review
No full textBackground: Healthcare personnel (HCP) in high TB-burdened countries continue to be at high risk of occupational TB due to inadequate implementation of Tuberculosis Infection Prevention and Control (TB-IPC) measures and a lack of understanding of the context and relevance to local settings. Such transmission in the healthcare workplace has prompted the development and dissemination of numerous guidelines for strengthening TB-IPC for use in settings globally. However, a lack of involvement of healthcare personnel in the conceptualisation and development of guidelines and programmes seeking to improve TB-IPC in high-burden countries generally has been observed. Objectives: The aim of this review was to explore the inclusion of HCP in decision-making when designing the TB-IPC guidelines, in healthcare settings. Methods: A scoping review methodology was selected for this study to gain insight into the relevant research evidence, identifying and mapping key elements in the TB-IPC measures in relation to HCP as implementors. Results: Studies in this review refer to factors related to HCP's knowledge of TB-IPC, perception regarding occupational risks and behaviours, their role against a background of structural resource constraints, and guidelines' adherence. They report several challenges in TB-IPC implementation and adherence, particularly eliciting recommendations from HCP for improved TB-IPC practices. Conclusions: This review highlights a lack of participation in decision-making by the implementers of the policies and guidelines, yet adherence to TB-IPC measures is anticipated. Future research needs to focus more on consultations with users to understand the preferences from both within individual healthcare facilities and the communities. There is an urgent need for research on the participation of the implementers in the decision-making when developing TB-IPC policies and guidelines
Exploring the challenges and opportunities for learning during the COVID‐19 pandemic : academics’ and students’ experiences in the clinical technology undergraduate programme in South Africa
Get PDFBackground. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on all spheres of society. This influence was particularly apparent in healthcare and in the training of health professionals within an already resource-constrained country such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities for learning from the point of view of students undertaking the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) in Clinical Technology programme, which is a specialised and distinctive field, as well as the academics involved in this programme.
Objective. To explore how the clinical training practice component of the undergraduate programme was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods. A qualitative, exploratory research design was used. A non-probability purposive sampling method was selected. Students and academics were recruited and sampled. The first sample comprised 15 students from each of the 17 clinical departments where clinical training was undertaken. The second sample included 4 academics who were involved in teaching and supervising the placement of students at various healthcare institutions. Data were gathered using in-depth, semi-structured interviews on an adapted version of Gibbs’ cycle of reflection. Six questions were presented to each participant, underpinned by the findings from the literature review and modified specifically to the context of this study.
Results. Four broad themes emerged: support for teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic; impact of the pandemic on students’ mental wellbeing; transitioning to the online learning space; and finding opportunities in the time of crisis.
Conclusion. This study highlights the issues of preparedness for crisis situations by higher education institutions, academics and students and underscores the need for curricula to be more responsive to student and societal needs.
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Resources allocation for hybrid cloud-edge computing in 5G network slicing
Get PDFIn typical heterogeneous networks such as 5G and beyond, innovative technologies such as edge computing and network slicing can enhance overall network performance in terms of handling critical mission services as they often require extremely low latencies. Notably, network slicing facilitates the provisioning of virtual slices with different characteristics to serve different end-user requirements. The Network operator achieves this goal by utilizing the already existing physical wireless network
resource. Current resource provisioning schemes suffer inadequacies in scalability and flexibility Thus to support both Cloud and Edge Computing in 5G and beyond networking, the work herein proposes a novel low latency scheme that affords dynamic and intelligent allocation of multi-dimensional resources. It bases on a Hybrid Cloud-edge Network Slicing (HCENS) architecture on leveraging both Cloud and Edge Computing The proposed scheme creates a flexible, scalable as well as energy efficient
resource provisioning. Its architecture comprises both centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs). These provide storage, that in turn enhances function partitioning for various network slices. Several agent-based simulations scenarios are carried out in
evaluating the efficacy of the proposed scheme. Obtained analytical and simulation results indicate drastic reductions in network latencies for critical mission end user services. This couples with reductions in storage requirements
Transferrin levels are associated with malnutrition markers in hemodialysis patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a global phenomenon and may be contributing to the increasing size of the hemodialysis (HD) population in South Africa and is affecting morbidity and clinical outcomes. Our study assessed whether transferrin could be a possible marker for malnutrition in the HD population. METHODS: Clinical parameters (including skinfold thickness and mid-upper arm circumference [MUAC]) and laboratory markers (including transferrin and hemoglobin) were measured during a six-month period in a sample of 59 HD patients. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis showed that MUAC (p = 0.027) as well as skinfold thickness (p = 0.021) had a significant association with transferrin levels within the HD participants. There was no significant association between transferrin levels or MUAC with hemoglobin levels (p = 0.075). Furthermore, the study found that decreased transferrin levels (< 2.15 g/dL to 3.80 g/dL) were closely related to malnutrition in the malnutrition distribution groups within the study, with 97.7% of HD participants being classified in one of the malnutrition groups. CONCLUSION: Thus, transferrin levels are a valuable marker for malnutrition within the HD patient population and can be included along with clinical assessment parameters such as MUAC and skinfold thickness as primary indicators for malnutrition
Marketing mix framework as a tool to enhance women’s business viability in Limpopo, South Africa
No full textMotivated by lack of empirical research on how the marketing mix (price, place, product promotion, process, packaging, physical evidence, people, programming and partnership) directly or indirectly enhance the women’s business viability and sustainability in South Africa and elsewhere. This research empirically investigated how marketing mix can be used to enhance women’s business viability among 301 registered business owners trained in marketing and participated in the survey and answered details questions focusing on Limpopo province -South Africa. AIDA theory, diffusion of innovation theory and Marketing Mix Theory underpinned the study. Quantitative descriptive survey research strategy was adopted, Robustness analysis was entirely performed using SPSS version 28. The study’s findings were that women’s businesses in Musina and Blouberg in Limpopo province use the 10Ps. The four most used marketing strategies were, price, place promotion and product. The averagely used marketing strategies were: people, packaging, programming, physical evidence and partnership. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge and further contributes to the use of 10Ps marketing mix strategies and framework by women’s businesses. The study’s main implication is that business entities may not achieve their full financial performance potential due to little or no attention to the use of 10Ps marketing mix components and training. This study provides robust recommendations and insights into marketing practices applicable to other business entities globally.</jats:p
Teachers’ readiness towards the integration of information and communications technology into teaching and learning : a case of engineering graphics and design in uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal
No full textA dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Adult and Community Education at the Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.The infusion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into the education system has led to changes in the way teaching and learning are conducted. One of the factors is the migration of the world to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and another factor is the recent outbreak of COVID-19. This change has necessitated the need for teachers to have ICT skills that would help them integrate ICT into teaching and learning. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the state of readiness of Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) teachers in the integration of ICT in teaching and learning in uMgungundlovu secondary schools.
To carry out the objectives of this study an interpretivism paradigm was employed. The study also employed qualitative approach to collect data. The investigation comprised of 9 teachers and convenience sampling was used to select the participants. Interviews and classroom observations were used as data collection methods. These methods were adapted from the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework that was used to underpin the study. Data gathered from interviews was subjected to thematic analysis and data gathered from classroom observations was reported descriptively.
The findings of this study discovered that EGD teachers in uMgungundlovu District are ready to infuse ICT into teaching and learning as they indicated that ICT integration in EGD lessons is very essential but there are few challenges like the shortage of ICT resources that are proving to be a stumbling block.
The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should provide teachers with training so that those teachers who are technically disadvantaged can be equipped with relevant ICT skills. The study further recommends that DBE should also provide schools with equipment such as laptops, projectors, whiteboards, AutoCAD, and tablets that EGD teachers would use to incorporate ICT into teaching and learning as it has been proven that abstract concepts are best studied using technology.
Rural-urban migration patterns to enhance service delivery in KwaZulu-Natal : eThekwini municipality
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.Townships in South Africa were designed and established when apartheid was at
its peak. The challenge facing the democratic government in the developmental
local sphere of government, is inefficient service provision, due to the continuous
increase of local inhabitants, caused by an increased rate of rural-urban migration
patterns. Urban planning focuses on city and town design and how the municipality
delivers services to communities dwelling within these designed urban spaces.
Rural-urban migration is the movement of people from rural to urban areas, with the
main reason the pursuit of better opportunities to improve their socio-economic
conditions. Therefore, the pull and push factors of rural to urban migration are clearly
defined and explained in order to assist the municipal administration and academia
to improve urban service delivery. The study adopts a quantitative approach with
the sample comprising 350 respondents, purposively selected through nonprobability sampling and required to complete a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire.
The researcher assisted in terms of questionnaire administration. The completed
questionnaire provided the quantitative data for statistical analysis, using SPSS
version 28.0.
Study findings indicate that, among other factors, a strong significance exists
regarding increased crime levels in urban areas as a result of rural-urban migration
patterns, with suggestions that include more money needs to be prioritised from
government for policing and crime in cities such as eThekwini Municipality. Since
there are more informal settlements because of rural-urban migration, it is also
shown as necessary to create networked infrastructure in rural areas to improve
communication for those working from home. To identify and explain migration to
enhance service delivery at eThekwini Municipality, the study investigated the pull
and push factors in migration patterns and their influence on service delivery, as
well as examining the extent to which rural-urban migration can be used to deal with
the current state of service delivery. In addition, the study determined the role of
rural-urban migration in the overpopulation of urban areas at eThekwini Municipality,
to suggest and recommend a conceptual framework that should be employed to
improve the current state of service delivery in the municipality.
A framework to facilitate social entrepreneurship as a tool for sustainable tourism economies in Bergville, Okhahlamba Municipality
No full textSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences specialising in Tourism and Hospitality at the Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.This study investigated the role of social entrepreneurship as a tool in fostering
sustainable tourism economies in Bergville – Okhahlamba Municipality. Social
entrepreneurship (SE) was founded in the 1970s as a social movement to tackle the
matters of social unsustainability and injustice rather than profit maximization. SE is
viewed as a reactionary innovative reform, and a revolutionary movement aimed at big
structural transformations by substituting one or many large social organizations with
people leveraging combined expertise and resources to oppose or overturn what they
think is socially unviable, unjust and damaging. SE has been applied to tourism in a
number of countries globally. While the primary purpose of tourism businesses is to
maximize their financial gains, ever shifting global goals, customer demands and
stakeholder pressures force tourism businesses commit to meeting social
responsibilities as well. Tourism Social Entrepreneurship (TSE) has been hailed for
contributing to the preservation of traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous
communities; enhancement of environmental sustainability; job creation, poverty
reduction, and the overall improvement of the quality of life of especially rural
communities. In South Africa, tourism development does not seem to have worked in
addressing poverty reduction, because poverty reduction has not been placed at the
heart of the tourism agenda and propoor tourism.
The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm mixing both quantitative and qualitative
methods to data collection, analysis and interpretation. The sample was composed of
35 tourism operators found in the area of study, as well as a government representative
responsible for tourism in the area. Data were collected using a questionnaire
composed of both quantitative and qualitative questions, as well an interview
conducted with the government representative. The study found that there was a
modest adoption of TSE in the area, and a good understanding of the business model
and its potential benefits. The study also discovered that there were numerous
challenges that TSEs were facing that could be addressed through better coordination
of the actor-networks, government support, and determination of operators to
continuously improve themselves and the operations of their businesses.
Exploring the complexities of the relationship between political and administrative interface in Uthukela District Municipality : a systems’ thinking perspective
No full textSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and complexity, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.Systems theory leverages effective diagnosis and management of the complexities of politicaladministrative interface in the contemporary polycentric local governance systems. It is in that context that this research uses systems theory to evaluate the nature of the complexities of politicaladministrative interface in uThukela District Municipality and its Alfred Duma, Inkosi Langalibalele and Okhahlamba Local Municipalities. Such analysis is aimed to extract a systems model that can be adopted for diagnosing and managing such complexities not only in uThukela District Municipality, but also in the entire South African local governance system. The study is motivated by both practical deficiencies in uThukela District Municipality and its local Municipalities as well as theoretical deficiencies that characterise most of the existing studies on managing complex local governance systems. To therefore, address such practical and theoretical deficiencies, this study uses systems theory to evaluate the nature of the complexities of political-administrative interface vis-a-vis other actors in uThukela District Municipality and its local Municipalities. Through such analysis, the study aimed to identify a comprehensive systems model that can be extracted and suggested to uThukela for diagnosing and managing such complexities. The entire research process is guided by certain six critical research objectives and questions. First research objective and question evaluate and identify the critical political actors and their interactive activities in uThukela District Municipalities. Second research objective and question examine and identify the critical administrative and management actors and their interactive activities in uThukela District Municipalities. Third research objective and question assess and identify the complex networks of the other critical actors that integrate with politicaladministrative interface in uThukela District Municipalities. Fourth research objective and question analyse the complexities that arise from politicaladministrative interface vis-à-vis other actors and their impacts in uThukela District Municipalities. Fifth research objective and question examine the effectiveness of the approaches that are used for managing such complexities in uThukela District Municipalities. Sixth research objective and question sought to identify and extract a systems model that can be adopted for diagnosing and managing such complexities not only in uThukela District Municipalities, but also in the entire South African local governance system. Basing on these six critical research objectives and questions, theories revealed local governance organisations to be analogous to systems that constitute of different internal interactive subsystems and actors that also influence or are instead influenced by certain external actors. Certainly, such theoretical articulations echoed fundamental argument in this research that the use of systems approach would aid effective diagnosis and management of the complexities of politicaladministrative interface vis-à-vis other actors in uThukela District Municipality and its local Municipalities. Primary research was undertaken to analyse, compare and triangulate such theoretical articulations with empirical findings reflecting actual experiences of actual political, administrative and other actors in such complexities. Primary research was based on phenomenological ontology as the research philosophy to elicit practical views from the actual actors or participants in the political-administrative interface vis-à-vis other actors’ complexities in uThukela District Municipalities. Phenomenological ontology dictated the use of case study and exploratory research designs as well as qualitative research method. Qualitative research method entailed the use of interviews as the principal technique to elicit facts in their real natural settings and context. This aided thorough diagnosis and identifications of the points of conflicts and antagonisms in such complexities. Such research ontology, designs and methods were used to elicit views from a sample of thirty participants consisting of mayors, speakers, members executive council committees, oversight committees and all Section 54 and 56 in uThukela District Municipality and its local Municipalities. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews to permit eliciting of new insights from the participants. Obtained qualitative data from each of the thirty participants was thematically analysed. Thematic analysis was used to extract coherent common set of themes, subthemes and their associated narratives that logically and chronologically explain the critical political actors, administrative actors, other actors, such actors’ interactive activities, points of conflicts and antagonisms that induce complexities from such interactive activities. It also extracted themes and narratives on the impacts of such complexities on service delivery and the effectiveness of the approach so far used for managing such complexities. Findings imply that besides political-administrative interface, uThukela District Municipality as a “system” also constitutes of other subsystems that are reflected in the form of Alfred Duma, Inkosi Langalibalele and Okhahlamba Local Municipalities. However, as actors in such political and administrative subsystems interact with each other, they were also found to interact with certain other critical actors like certain community activists as well as business actors. To mitigate and manage these complexities of political-administrative, uThukela District Municipality was found to emphasise prohibiting political office-holders from holding municipal administrative offices and enforcement of councillors’ Code of Conduct to prevent their interference in municipal administration. Other measures were reiterated to include suggestion for abolition of speaker’s office, streamlining relationship between the mayor and municipal manager and use of relevant laws to manage collusions leading to corruption. To deal with such complexities, this study triangulated findings with theories to extract and suggest a systems model that can be adopted to comprehensively diagnose and manage the complexities of political-administrative interface vis-à-vis other actors in uThukela District and its local Municipalities. It is argued in that systems model that effective diagnosis and management of the complexities of political-administrative interface would require the application of certain six critical steps. In otherwords, the study not only suggested a systems model that can be emulated by uThukela District Municipality and its local Municipalities, but also by the entire South African local governance system. Even though through such systems model, this research enriched the existing theories on public administration and management, future studies must still assess how such a model can be scientifically tested using confirmatory factor analysis.