African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
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Drivers to Promote the Adoption of Green Information Communication Technology in South African SMEs
Get PDFDespite the numerous benefits of green information and communication technology (GICT), the adoption rate among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa remains low. Limited financial resources, lack of awareness, inadequate technical skills and insufficient government support hinder effective implementation and integration of GICT. The objective is to identify the most prominent drivers for enhancing the adoption of GICT after which recommendations can be made. By understanding these drivers, SMEs can be encouraged to adopt GICT practices to benefit from them. The identified drivers, drawn from existing literature, were incorporated into a measurement tool. Data was gathered through an electronic survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The respondents’ perceptions regarding the drivers of GICT adoption were examined. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the most prominent drivers for enhancing GICT adoption are eco-friendliness, environmental conditions, cost, and competitive advantage. It is recommended that SMEs adopt a proactive approach to integrating GICT initiatives into their business strategies. By fostering collaborations with other businesses, industry stakeholders, and policymakers, SMEs can lead the way in establishing robust environmental certification practices. The study concludes that these types of partnerships will not only enhance sustainability efforts but also position SMEs as leaders in the transition to greener, more efficient operations
Contemporary Trends in African Elections (2013-2023)
Get PDFThe paper investigates recent trends in African elections over the past decade and their implications for democracy and political stability. It utilises qualitative research methods and thematic analysis from secondary sources covering a decade spanning from 2013 to 2023. This period is of particular interest due to significant transformation in Africa's electoral processes. Within this period, Africa experienced increased deployment of technology in elections and greater youth political participation through social media and online tools. These factors spurred African people and societies to demand greater transparency and accountability in their electoral systems. To achieve its objectives, the paper employed a simple random selection technique to assess elections in various African countries and identify emerging trends. Based on identified trends, our conclusion reveals a complex landscape shaped by emerging realities of Africa’s social, political and economic dynamics. These new trends in Africa’s elections include constitutional coups, military resurgence, increasing women participation, youth renaissance, and populism, which underscore the current challenges being faced and emergent opportunities. The paper recommends a multi-stakeholder approach involving, among others, government institutions, civil society organisations, and international partners as paramount for ensuring more credible elections to deepen democracy in Africa
An Existential Phenomenological Approach on Folklore as South Africa’s Wealth in Context
Get PDFSouth African folklore is engulfed with several challenges that persist as a result of post-colonial and post-apartheid effects. These challenges continue to undermine South Africa’s folkloristic conventions such as indigenous healing and medicinal practices, among others. Over and above this reality, these challenges denote South Africa’s folklore as a subordinated component of history, thereupon regarding it as a subordinate discipline and subject unworthy of expressing critical consciousness, intellectuality, and epistemology. In view of this fact, this article uses existential phenomenology as a qualitative research technique and applies a sociological perspective as a theoretical framework to underscore the wealth that is profoundly interwoven in South African folklore. It must be underlined that the employment of these research methodologies is not necessarily to compare or contrast their strengths and weaknesses, but to form a balanced and triangulated scholarly discourse. The aim is to underscore how and why South African folklore ought to be accepted as a quintessential discipline and subject while denouncing imperialist ideologies that seek to subjugate and discredit this discipline. Some of the notable findings are indicative of the historical consciousness and memory that is acutely interwoven in South African folklore while its contemporary relevance could be observed. It is anticipated that other scholars may potentially continue this discourse in an attempt to highlight the fertility that is embedded in South Africa’s folklore
Benefits and Challenges of Research Commercialisation in South Africa: A Systemic Review
Get PDFIn developing countries, there is an increased emphasis on encouraging the commercialisation of research at universities. This triggers universities to adopt a culture of innovation and technological learning at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The focus of this review article is to highlight the benefits and challenges faced by researchers in the field of synthetic biology products, biotechnology, agribusiness, Biofuels and phytomedicine in commercialisation. The methodological approach was informed by a selection of electronic databases with a high chance of the selected field in relation to the commercialisation of the research outputs. Google Scholar, PubMed, and Higher Education and Science Technology South Africa Reports for entrepreneurial universities were searched, focusing on 2007 to 2023. The years proved to have played a role in furthering discussions and policy in research on commercialisation in South Africa, the benefits of research commercialisation, challenges of research commercialisation, its determinants, and its impact on academics, universities, and other stakeholders. The review findings suggest that the commercialisation of research is a challenging and complex task to execute, as there are very few cases in South Africa to have a successful academic intellectual property creation, licensing, academic entrepreneurship, and start-up of research. This is placed into context by the fact that the market for high-end products and processes is highly uncertain
Challenges Facing Street Vendors in Durban and the Role of The Law: A Means to Empowering Women
Get PDFAs a vulnerable group in South Africa, women have been the primary victims of unemployment, the lack of access to income generation opportunities and barriers to sustainable livelihoods in general. Street vendors are a significant part of the economy, and their income supports several families and sustains their livelihoods. However, such vendors, particularly women, are faced with severe problems that interfere with their daily operations, as well as challenges relating to the law. Their low literacy levels mean they have an inadequate understanding of the laws and by-laws that regulate street vending. Even though the South African Constitution guarantees equal rights and protection, as well as the freedom to choose one's own occupation, trade or profession, street vendors, especially female vendors, are not adequately protected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges faced by street vendors in the Durban area and to examine the role of the law in contributing to such challenges, as well as addressing them. Through a quantitative study using a survey, data was collected from street vendors in Durban. The study’s findings indicate that vendors lacked knowledge of their rights and faced poor working conditions, harassment by the police, evictions, impounding of goods and a lack of access to permits
Wrestling with the Present to Re-Imagine the Future of Social Entrepreneurship in Social Work: A South African Context
Get PDFSouth Africa faces many problems that require the attention of social workers. It wrestles with youth unemployment, and social work graduates are not immune to this plight. Despite the profession’s mandate of promoting social change, empowerment and liberation, the social work curriculum fails to prepare graduates for entrepreneurial opportunities. Moreover, there is a dearth of research on how the current curriculum transforms and empowers graduates to explore the untapped space of social entrepreneurship in curbing unemployment. This article utilises the Focused Mapping Review and Synthesis method to explore how unemployed social work graduates can re-imagine the future through social entrepreneurship. The review confirms that little is known on how social work graduates could apply entrepreneurship to reduce unemployment. The authors argue that the current social work curriculum must incorporate social entrepreneurship as a model for graduates to respond to the country’s unemployment crisis. This is significant since institutions of higher learning strive for transformation in developing innovative, long-term solutions to persistent social problems
Speaking Truth or Power? Issues in Translation of South African Children’s Picture Books
Get PDFChildren’s books communicate responsibilities and obligations such as good manners or how to overcome personal challenges. Through these stories, children learn how their society expects them to look and behave. Using a sample of bilingual picture books from the Nal’ibali reading campaign in South Africa, this research investigates the naturalised meanings projected to young readers by English stories and their Afrikaans translations. The visual symmetry of the English and Afrikaans versions of the story on a page may lead readers to think that these are direct translations or that the children are accessing similar meanings. The research questions ask whether the English readers are exposed to the same norms as the Afrikaans readers. Using a systemic functional linguistic framework to code evaluations of the books’ characters, we foreground the differences in interpersonal meaning between the English and Afrikaans translations and why these are ideologically significant. Findings show that the Afrikaans translations prioritise a young girl’s looks above her creativity, but they also construe a dedicated father who spends time with his child. Despite the small corpus, these preliminary findings indicate a need for a wider study of translation in children’s books to investigate the congruency of their translations
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Financial Performance in a Selected Medium-Sized Clothing Manufacturing Organization in South Africa
Get PDFCorporate Social responsibilities (CSR) is an established idea that urges corporations to incorporate environmental and social responsibilities into their operations. It enables businesses to be socially responsible to stakeholders and the public. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have received international recognition for their contributions to social and economic development. This study investigates the impact of CSR on financial performance at a medium-sized clothing manufacturing company in the eThekwini District Municipality of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The study was designed to be conclusive. It employs a quantitative approach, examining the experiences of an organization that has implemented CSR. The study's objective was met by gathering pre- and post-quarterly data on profitability and production costs. The data was analysed using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings show that CSR can boost financial performance by minimising business-related risks and compliance expenses, which leads to increased profitability and lower production costs. Any rise in profitability boosts the organization's financial performance, while any drop in production costs improves the company's financial performance. This study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of CSR in relation to financial performance in the selected medium-sized manufacturing business in South Africa
Internal Migration: An Analysis of Associated Risks and Vulnerabilities of Women and Youth in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThe abolition of the apartheid regime and the democratic process of 1994 led to the freedom of movement within South Africa. According to data, KwaZulu-Natal Province has had the second-highest rate of migration since 2000. The labour market and the provision of services are significantly impacted by these migration patterns. This paper analyses the migration patterns of women and youth in KwaZulu-Natal Province, as it examines the associated risks and vulnerabilities. The primary data for the study was obtained from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development and International Organization for Migration, unpublished report based on research it commissioned in 2014. The target population of this study comprises women and youth between the ages of 15-39 years old from all 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal as they are more likely to migrate. Multi-stage sampling was used to select the clusters, households and ultimately the individuals to be surveyed. A cross-sectional survey of 1783 respondents were selected from various households in KwaZulu-Natal. Findings indicated that most of the women and young people who migrated did so for economic reasons. Findings also indicated that the migrants were exposed to health risks, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, contracting and spreading the human immunodeficiency virus as well as exposure to danger to life and property. The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of migration patterns and their implications within the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The theoretical framework guiding this study is the "Push and Pull theory", which helps to elucidate the factors motivating and influencing migration decisions among young people in the region
Editorial - Advancing African Women in Academia: Charting Modern Solutions
Get PDFThere is a gross underrepresentation of women in teaching, research, and leadership in higher education institutions (HEIs) globally. Despite the fact that a few studies have reported some gains in gender balance in HEIs, there are still glaring inequities of women in higher education, particularly in Africa. These challenges include but are not limited to, barriers to academic progression and career development, intersections of race, gender and motherhood, and identity and belonging. While several authors have revealed these gender gaps, it is valuable to understand the lived experiences of woman in academia on the African continent. African women encounter multifaceted challenges in academia. Structural barriers such as limited access to education, gender bias, and cultural norms that prioritise domestic responsibilities over career pursuits hinder their advancement (Founou et al., 2023). Additionally, the scarcity of female role models and mentors exacerbates feelings of isolation and imposter syndrome, further deterring women from pursuing academic careers. These challenges contribute to the underrepresentation of African women in leadership positions and fields traditionally dominated by men