Ounongo Repository (Namibia Univ. of Science and Technology)
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Change management strategies for an effective enterprise resource planning implementation: A case study of Government Institutions Pension Fund
No full textMini-thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Leadership and Change Management in the Harold Pupkewitz School of Business, NUST.This study is about information system research. It is an information systems research case study on GIPF ERP Implementation. The management replaced the Accountmate system with Oracle E-Business suite in 2009, as the best Enterprise Resource Planning solution.
Research has shown that large IT projects such as ERP sometimes don’t meet expectations.
Therefore, the GIPF CEO then commissioned a post- implementation review by
Ernst & Young which found in 2012 that the business processes were not aligned to the
system.
The objectives of this research is to critically assess and understand the change management approach undertaken to implement the ERP at GIPF, to uncover the critical
success factors that facilitates the implementation of the ERP system and to trace important mechanisms leading towards how ERP systems can be implemented effectively.
A qualitative approach was applied using an interview guide on a purposefully selected
sample of 10 core team members that were directly engaged with the ERP implementation.
Half the sample was from the SILNAM consulting company.
The results were that affirming the Ernst & Young review, there were change management
strategies and critical success factors that were not efficiently managed throughout
the implementation.
It is recommended that proper training on system functionality should be given on similar projects; Proper BPR should be mapped on system business processes; a proper help desk system was needed; top management should support the process; organisational culture should be evaluated for positive change and conduct an organisation readiness assessment before commencement in all instances.
Further studies need to be done on ERP to replicate similar case studies, for contribution towards knowledge.Supervisor: Prof. Frank Wit
An investigation of performance and motivational challenges affecting service delivery in the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Namibia.
No full textMini-thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in International Business, in the Harold Pupkewitz School of Business, NUST.This study investigates the performance and motivational challenges affecting the service
delivery in the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in Namibia. A questionnaire was designed to collect primary data on factor affecting services delivery in the MoHSS. Literature was done on best practices that motivate employees to increase organisational performance. The overall results reveal different factors that affect performance and motivation of employees in the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Identified factors affecting performance and motivation of employees in the MoHSS include Organisational Culture, Leadership Style, Staff Adequacy, Reward System, Mismatch of Qualifications and Positions, Poor Budget Control and Lack of Skills in Contract Management. The research recommends interventions to address the identified factors that affect service delivery in the ministry and suggests that more research should be conducted from the clients
point of view.Furthermore research can be conducted on the operational staff of the Ministry in different regions.Supervisor: Prof. Grafton Whyte. Co-supervisor: Ms. K. Nabot
Investigating the determinants of commercial banks credit by the business sector in Namibia: A co-integration analysis.
No full textEconomists have long recognised that several factors are usually at work, when it comes to the determinants of bank credits in modern economies. Indeed, this subject has recently been reawakened by various scholars in the context of both the developing and developed countries, and Namibia is not an exception to this discussion. This study aims at addressing two key questions. Firstly, the driving factors that push the business sector in Namibia to demand for credit facilities are identified and analysed. Secondly, the neoclassical theory that postulates that there is an inverse and significant relationship between the real interest rate and investment growth is tested for Namibia. The study relied upon co-integration and error correction procedures in carrying out the investigation.
Additionally, annual time series data for the period running from 1993 to 2010 was used in the study. The key findings arising from this study are the following. Firstly, the demand for bank credit in Namibia responds more to factors other than real interest rate. Secondly, the neoclassical theory, which postulates that real interest rates have significant dampening impact on credit decisions, does not hold water in the case of Namibia. In light of these findings, specific recommendations are put forward. Finally, future direction regarding further research concerning the issue under investigation is highlighted
Assessing the usage of infant industry protection policy in selected manufacturing industries of the Namibian economy.
No full textMini-thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in International Business, in the Harold Pupkewitz School of Business, NUST.As part of its Industrial Development Policy, Namibia has made use of an Infant Industry Protection (IIP) policy to protect what are deemed as infant industries. This study investigated how effective the use of this policy has been in the Namibian
manufacturing sector, specifically the Pasta and Dairy industries. The main objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to establish whether IIP has been effective in assisting protected industries to develop and grow; and secondly, to determine whether IIP has been effective in protecting the Pasta and Dairy industries from foreign competitors. Ever since Namibia implemented IIP, no comprehensive assessment has been
conducted to evaluate its effectiveness. While this study is perceived to be a
pioneering attempt in this regard, its significant reliance on various theoretical
literature and previous case studies of industries where IIP has been implemented has
to be acknowledged. The thesis utilized both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods to achieve its objective. The quantitative analysis utilized sample data on four impact variables, namely output, exports, imports and number of jobs created. On the other hand, the data used for qualitative analysis was collected through structured interviews with experts from various public and private sector organisations located in Windhoek. The study found that the implementation of the IIP policy has resulted in increased output, exports, and job creation in both the Pasta and Dairy industries. The results also suggest that while IIP has curtailed competitive imports in the Pasta Industry, it has not succeeded to do so in the Dairy industry. On this basis, the study inferred that the policy was ineffective in reducing competitive imports in the Dairy industry.
On the basis of the quantitative and qualitative findings, the overall
conclusion of the study is that the IIP policy has helped both industries to develop but came short of curbing imports in the Dairy industry. In this light, it is recommended that stronger measures be instituted to improve the effectiveness of IIP in Namibia, particularly with regard to promoting import substitution.Supervisor: Prof. Grafton Whyt
An assessment of the role of leadership practices in successful high schools in Windhoek.
No full textMini-thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Leadership and Change Management in the Harold Pupkewitz School of Business, NUST.The researcher in this study assesses the leadership practices of headteachers in
successful secondary schools in Windhoek, specifically as it is compared to the annual
performance of grade10 learners at the participating schools. The researcher reveals the
relationship between the leadership practices of principals and their ability to be
transformational, distributed and instructional in their leadership behaviors.
The researcher further explores the characteristics of effective and successful
schools and their significant impact on the performance of grade 10 learners over three
years (2010-2012). The participants of the study are one hundred and forty-three (143)
senior secondary school teachers drawn from ten successful high schools in Windhoek.
SPSS and QCA are used to analyze data gathered for this academic endeavour.
The study confirms that the leadership behaviours of principals in successful Windhoek
high schools are compatible with transformational leadership, distributed leadership and
instructional leadership theories. Some demographic variables are also studied to
determine the impact participants’ differences in gender, their professional qualifications
and the school to which they belonged, had on the results of the study.
The relationship between the principals’ years of professional experience and
gender do not account for a significant correlation with the leadership practices principals
in the study at hand exercise at their schools. Neither the gender nor the professional
experience of principals is considered significant in this study. However, the principals
should have been part of the school during the specific years to which the study pays
particular attention. The research recommends that the Education Ministry and boards should establish
and implement programmes that help to foster transformational, distributed and
instructional leadership skills among school principals. Programmes such as seminars,
workshops and updates on school administration would be of great help.
The study also confirms that the participating schools in this research are
‘effective schools’ as their characteristics proved significant correlations with the
characteristics of effective schools enshrined in the literature review of this study. The
study recommends that principals should be leading professionals focused only on
achievement. The performance of schools under their leadership should always be
evaluated and activities efficiently organised with clear and fair disciplinary procedures.
Windhoek secondary school principals of underperforming schools are
encouraged to utilise transformational, distributed and instructional leadership practices
as effective models for ensuring cooperation and constructive partnership, characterised
by openness, trust and professionalism.
Finally, the study also endorses that the Ministry of Education should integrate
leadership practices of principals and the characteristics of effective high schools with
activities of continuous assessment and evaluation of their performance.Supervisor: Prof. Grafton Whyt
Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, syphilis, hepatitis B and C in blood donations in Namibia.
No full textBackground: Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), syphilis,
hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are infections which are common in some communities in Southern Africa. It is important to screen blood donations for these infections. Methods: This is a retrospective study which involved reviewing of previous blood donation records for the year 2012 in Namibia. The records were analyzed to determine the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B and C among blood donations with regard to gender, age and geographical region of the donors.
Results: The findings indicated a significantly low prevalence of HIV, syphilis, HBsAg and anti-Hepatitis C among the blood donations. A low infection rate of 1.3% by any of the four tested TTIs was found among the blood donations given by the donor population in Namibia in 2012.
Conclusion: The blood donations given by the donor population in Namibia has a low infection rate with the HIV, syphilis, HBsAg and anti-HCV. A strict screening regime must continue to be used as the infections are still present albeit in small numbers
A study of the determinants of mortgage interest rates in Namibia through co-integration and error correction mechanisms.
No full textDiscussions concerning interest rates, especially mortgage rates are increasingly being given a lot of attention in the literature. Indeed, in realisation of this fact, the study attempted to establish the factors that influence the behaviour of mortgage rates in Namibia, for the period 1994 to 2012. More specifically, it explored the extent to which perturbations in mortgage rates are explained by repo rate, real interest rate and risk premium. We invoked and subsequently applied co-integration and error correction mechanisms in order to investigate the issue under consideration. The result of the study suggested that approximately 68% of the systematic variation in Namibia’s mortgage rates’ swings could be attributed to changes in the three explanatory variables that were used in our econometric model. The bank rate in particular was observed to have a stronger influence on mortgage rates in Namibia. In addition, a long-run relationship was found between mortgage rates and bank rates. Therefore, the need for the Bank of Namibia to rely heavily on the use of the repo rate as a way of controlling, monitoring and influencing developments in the Namibian mortgage market cannot be overstressed
A time series analysis of determinants of savings in Namibia.
No full textThe driving objective of this article was to empirically establish the determinants of savings in Namibia through the use of co-integration and error correction mechanisms for the period running from 1991 to 2012. We made use of quarterly and annual macroeconomic data sets. The quarterly data used were derived from the annual data set that we used in this study. The article relied heavily on unit root tests, co-integration and error correction
procedures as ways of investigating the research issue under consideration. First, the time series characteristics of the variables used were ascertained with the help of the augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root procedure. Second, the long-run relationship between savings and its determinants was examined using the procedure suggested in the literature by Johansen and Juselius.
The results of the co-integration tests suggest that there is a long-run relationship between savings and the
explanatory variables used in the study. The results suggest that inflation and income have positive impact on savings, whilst population growth rate has negative effects on savings. Further, deposit rate and financial deepening have no significant effect on savings. Additionally, the results re-enforces the work of Iipumbu et al
(1999). Finally, the need to achieve a higher rate of savings in Namibia by improving upon income levels cannot
be overstretched
The effect of regulations on the efficiency of bus and taxi services in Windhoek.
No full textThis project was conducted in order to analyse the effect of regulations on the efficiency of bus and taxi services in Windhoek. As the public transport indeed plays a vital role in the economy, it is important to bring this sector to order and efficiency. Proper regulation of this sector is not only important for the income it generates to a country and its contribution to GDP, but as it has been observed elsewhere, when the transport sector goes on strike due to dissatisfaction in onearea or another, the result is chaos in public and loss of business to general members of the public. The public transport has great potential to contribute significantly to the country’s economy and it plays a vital role for the government (Ministry of Works and Transport), in ensuring good governance which is essential towards achieving efficiency. In order to successfully carry out this research and critically analyse the public transport system in Namibia, a qualitative research was conducted. This research was done in a form of face to face interviews with a sample size of 20, via simple random sampling methods. This method helped to establish a great understanding of the current situation faced by this sector. Every element of the stakeholders in the Namibia Transport sector had a chance to be part of this research, responses were analysed to draw results for the study. A great deal of work still needs to be done for the public transport sector to improve, in order for efficiencies to be evident. The outcome of this research indicated that the majority of operators and users of public transport feel that a regulatory safety and cooperation body, needs to be established in order to achieve an efficient public transport sector. Therefore, this study has a opportunity of providing the Namibian government, especially the Ministry of Works and Transport an chance to review the regulation and operators of the public transport in Namibia, in order to bring about order through proper regulation and greater awareness. Consistency should be implemented, in order to cement the regulations for all stakeholders to become more aware
An analysis of the obstacles to effective emergency medical rescue services in Namibia: A case study of Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and Ministry of Health and Social Services bases.
No full textThesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Leadership and Change Management , in the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business, at the NUSTThe study used quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate the quality of service delivery by the MVA Fund and MoHSS through EMRS bases in Namibia. The
positivist research strategy was used for the quantitative non-experimental research
survey that includes the gathering and analysis of quantitative data. The sample of the study consisted of 20 respondents, of which 10 were from the EMRS bases (Windhoek,
Omuthiya and Usakos bases) and 10 were key informants, representing different key
institutions (MVA Fund, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibian Police,
National Road Safety Council and Roads Authority). The study focused on the analysis
of the quality of service delivery by EMRS bases in Namibia. The study also attempted to
determine whether there are factors that negatively affect service delivery by the MVA
Fund. The study also analysed the current management strategies and policies of the
MVA fund in a bid to determine alternative management strategies needed to mitigate the
current service delivery challenges. The independent variable used in this study was service delivery and the critical dependent variables that affect service delivery were analysed. The responses to all items were classified and tabulated in different categories using the IBM SPSS 21 software.
The coded data were analysed by means of the One-Way Anova at the 5% level of
significance in order to determine the relationships among the variables. Significant relationships were identified and interpreted accordingly. In addition, the results of the study were compared with the findings established through literature analysis in order to find out if the current results are in line with what theory says.
The major findings indicate that there is much that needs to be done by MVA Fund and
MoHSS in the management of EMRS basis so as to improve service delivery. The study
concluded that lack of key pieces of legislation reduces confidence when providing
services to clients, hence this may lead to poor service delivery. The study also
established that the delays experienced in getting patients to medical facilities also
indicate poor service delivery and this negatively affects customer satisfaction.
The research recommends that more needs to be done in order to improve service
delivery by MVA Fund. It also recommends that further research should be carried out to determine the other variables that were not covered in this study, but which may be
relevant for the achievement of the objectives of MVA Fund.Supervisor: Dr. Lovemore Matipir