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Internet-Based ICT Usage By South African SMEs: The Barriers Faced By SMEs
Get PDFPrevious research estimates that 8 out of 10 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not operate for more three years (Mason 2015). According to OECD ([sa]), the major problems encountered by SMEs relate to financing and regulatory burdens. However, with information technology, SMEs are able to narrow the information gap, which leads to improved strategies and decision making (OECD [sa]). In today’s competitive world, information communication technology (ICT) is recognized as a crucial success factor for SMEs. ICT refers to the accessing and communication of information using various technologies such as the internet, wireless networks and cellphones (TechTerms 2010). This research study investigates SMEs’ perception of the barriers in adopting ICT in the South African context. The objective of this paper is to determine ICT adoption and the perceived barriers associated with it among South African SMEs. A review of ICT within an SME context is examined. Through judgement sampling, a questionnaire was distributed to gather the responses of 90 SMEs. The most important barriers that were highlighted by the results of the study are the high cost of ICT systems as well as the lack of knowledge to maintain and use ICT. The challenge is to ensure that South African SMEs continue to increase the adoption of ICT. It is envisaged that by determining the barriers they face and providing recommendations as to how they can overcome these barriers, this research will assist SMEs to become more successful, as they play a vital role in the South African economy
The Challenge Of Botsourcing
Get PDFBotsourcing is the augmentation or replacement of human jobs by robots or other computing systems. This practice is growing in popularity for reasons both economic and technical. Botsourcing will seriously challenge the human workforce, and in some cases humans will find themselves working alongside robots or other “intelligent’ computer systems. In other cases, botsourcing will eliminate jobs and will force impacted humans to retrain. This paper discusses the nature and appeal of botsourcing, as well as the challenge to human employment
Integrating Data Cleansing With Popular Culture: A Novel SQL Character Data Tutorial
Get PDFBig data and data science have experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. The big data market continues to exhibit strong momentum as countless businesses transform into data-driven companies. From salary surges to incredible growth in the number of positions, data science is one of the hottest areas in the job market. Significant demand and limited supply of professionals with data competencies has greatly affected the hiring market and this demand/supply imbalance will likely continue in the future. A major key in supplying the market with qualified big data professionals, is bridging the gap from traditional Information Systems (IS) learning outcomes to those outcomes requisite in this emerging field. The purpose of this paper is to share an SQL Character Data Tutorial. Utilizing the 5E Instructional Model, this tutorial helps students (a) become familiar with SQL code, (b) learn when and how to use SQL string functions, (c) understand and apply the concept of data cleansing, (d) gain problem solving skills in the context of typical string manipulations, and (e) gain an understanding of typical needs related to string queries. The tutorial utilizes common, recognizable quotes from popular culture to engage students in the learning process and enhance understanding. This tutorial should prove helpful to educators who seek to provide a rigorous, practical, and relevant big data experience in their courses
ABC Analysis For Inventory Management: Bridging The Gap Between Research And Classroom
Get PDFABC analysis is a well-established categorization technique based on the Pareto Principle for determining which items should get priority in the management of a company’s inventory. In discussing this topic, today’s operations management and supply chain textbooks focus on dollar volume as the sole criterion for performing the categorization. The authors argue that today’s businesses and supply chains operate in a world where the ability to deliver the right products rapidly to very specific markets is key to survival. With suppliers, intermediaries, and customers all over the globe, and product lives decreasing rapidly, this focus on a single criterion is misplaced. The large body of research was summarized based on multiple criteria ABC analysis that has accumulated since the 1980s and recommend that textbooks incorporate their key findings and methods into their discussions of this topic. Suggestions are offered on how this discussion might be structured.
Creating And Working With Control Charts In Excel
Get PDFWith the growth in distance education offerings, instructors who now teach quantitative material via the web have been faced with many challenges. Foremost has been the need to develop appropriate methods for teaching such material to students who are not physically in the classroom. Methodologies that have traditionally been taught in a highly interactive mode in the classroom must now be presented effectively in a far more asynchronous environment. Tutorials and detailed handouts are one way to accomplish this. We present a written tutorial for creating quality control charts using Excel. The tutorial guides students through the process of creating X-bar and R charts in such a way as to reinforce the theoretical basis of quality control already taught. Students apply their knowledge in hands-on activity, learn how to improve Excel’s default charts to create visually effective control charts, and learn to reuse/recycle their work to easily create additional charts for different sets of problem data
The Death Of High Performance Programs: Transferring Knowledge In The New Millennial
Get PDFThe “Opportunity Gap” and the “Skills Gap” have been the focus of conferences this year. Solutions have been proposed, but none has aligned technology with the cultural capital that exists within an organization to close the gaps. Cultural capital is the accumulation of symbols, language, political knowledge and expertise that senior leaders use to get the job done daily within an organization. Emerging leaders who have not been immersed in this cultural capital, particularly diverse candidates, struggle to identify or find the resources and develop the skills necessary to succeed in an organization. Frequently training dollars are allocated to high-potential candidates who often are able to assimilate these skills quickly, but rarely if ever are they, when at the managerial level, tested on their ability to transfer these skills to others. This inability of high-potential mangers to transfer cultural capital between the different layers of an organization is a real cause of the skills and opportunity gap.In 2012, at a larger retailer in the southern US, we began testing a pilot program for a practical management training in the form of a Licensed Online Open Course (modeled after the MOOC) to determine if managers with access to a structured and disciplined curriculum could have an impact on human capital productivity and increase retention among managers and their followers. The LOOC and its content were created by the Donohue Mentoring System™ (DMS).We concluded that on-the-job training, using the DMS LOOC delivery and mentoring, fosters cultural capital, increased job motivation and satisfaction, and subsequently increased output (productivity) by 10%. Using a survey comprised of 19 questions, we were also able to determine that trust in superior officers increased by 10% and self-assessed value of work increased by 10%. These increases resulted in a reduced employee churn of 50%. As we carried on pilots in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with other large corporations, not for profit and a government, we were surprised to find that the system delivered the same noteworthy results each time. We found that when managers are presented with a technology solution that allows them to train candidates (mentees) and transfer knowledge to their mentees, leadership magic happens, and people engage with each other. What surprised us the most was that no matter the size of the pilot program, mentees for the most part surpassed their mentors’ knowledge pre-program.
Is It Possible To Govern Foreign Investments? Balancing Between Klondike And Poltava
Get PDFFDI (foreign direct investment) of Swedbank in Ukraine is an example of unsuccessful investment in transition economies. The Case Study is presented in relation with Swedbank’s internationalization strategy and rapidly changing investment environment in transition economies and globally. Learning objectives include helping students to develop analytical skills in order to understand how political, economic, financial and social factors effect internalization strategy through FDI. The Case Study should help students to understand the importance of an appropriate long-term strategy of a firm entering transition economies, understand the investment environment of a foreign country and choose the best course of action for a distressed firm considering alternative scenarios. Lessons learned from the Case Study can be beneficial for students studying international business, but also for future decision-makers that would be acting in complex environments under rapidly changing situations. The author developed the Case from secondary sources: Swedbank’s annual reports and press-releases, information published by multilateral organizations and government agencies, research from investment banking houses and reputable news agencies. This Case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to analyze successful or unsuccessful internalization strategy through FDI in transition economies.
A Qualitative Inquiry Of Generation Y Consumers’ Selection Attributes In The Case Of Organic Products
Get PDFThe primary objective of the study was to explore which attributes of organic products inform Generation Y consumers’ purchase decisions. The study, which was grounded in qualitative research design, utilised data generated from sixteen in-depth interviews carried out in 2014 with Generation Y consumers in Southern Gauteng, South Africa. Thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the collected data. The study identified price, quality, convenience, availability, trust and performance as the main selection attributes that influence Generation Y consumers’ choice of organic products. The findings of the study are important for marketing managers intending to formulate effective green marketing mix strategies and future initiatives focused on stimulating sustainable consumption.
Exploring The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of Employment Policy Program For Vulnerable People
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between efficiency and effectiveness of employment policy programs for vulnerable people. The study conducted both qualitative and quantitative research. For qualitative research, in-depth interviews were conducted in order to examine the insights of experts in the field regarding the needs, expectations and attitudes of vulnerable people towards jobs. Quantitative research is designed for the efficiency and effectiveness of main functions including analyzing and defining targets; setting program plans; operating and delivering service; and program improvement. The results of the study indicate that the appropriate selection of target beneficiaries; attractiveness of hiring entities, well-prepared program content; funding; campaign; counselling; training; and tailored and integrated services are relevant to the efficiencies of the major functions of the program. The study provides policy implications for the application of innovative welfare service delivery and the creation of eligible labor markets for vulnerable people
The Determinants Of Household Savings In South Africa: A Panel Data Approach
Get PDFThis study employs panel data estimation models to investigate the determinants of household savings in South Africa over the period 2008 – 2012. The novelty of some panel data models is their power to overcome the problems of endogeneity bias, in addition to controlling for unobserved heterogeneity across households. The study used the three waves of the new unique and rich first national representative longitudinal survey, the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), which tracks changes in individuals’ livelihoods over time. The distinctiveness of NIDS data is that it is available in a panel format and can be used to investigate the structure and impact of different aspects of socio-economic factors on household savings. The results of this study reveal that household savings in South Africa are strongly driven by income, age structure, education achievement and employment status. Yet the causal nexus between savings and the household size was found to be negative, a sign that larger families compromise households savings prospects.