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Assessment of the implementation of risk management in Eastern Cape provincial departments
Get PDFIn recent years, due to COVID-19, provincial departments have faced financial constraints and had to provide services with limited resources. To assist in ensuring that departmental resources are used prudently, risk management plays a vital role as it is the practice of detecting, assessing and controlling threats to an organisation's capital and earnings. The aim of this study was to identify gaps or shortfalls in the risk management processes of the Eastern Cape provincial departments and come up with recommendations on how these gaps can be addressed. The study followed a qualitative research approach with an interview schedule with predetermined questions that were carefully designed to prompt responses to ascertain the level of risk maturity of each department. The study focused on twelve provincial departments in the Eastern Cape Province, interviewing senior risk officials. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the heads of departments of Provincial Treasury as they are custodians of transversal risk management in the province. The key finding of the study is that in some departments, the Risk Management Unit is under-capacitated. Adhering to the various recommendations of the study will assist departments to achieve a higher risk maturity level.Thesis (Ma) -- Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202
Factors influencing consumers’ adoption of chatbot assisted marketing activities in the South African banking industry
Get PDFIn a world where technology is evolving at an alarming rate there have been so many advancements and developments in the marketing field and how consumers engage in accessing products and services. In general, a great body of literature on information technology shows evidence that areas such as mobile banking and organisational technology adoption have been explored. However, limited attention has been dedicated to consumer adoption or acceptance stages of technology, particularly chatbots in the South African context. Apart from that, during the peak of the Covid 19 pandemic, consumers had to adjust to mainly doing transactions online as there was a restriction in accessing banking halls. Given this backdrop, the aim of this study is to address this particular research gap through investigating factors influencing consumers’ adoption of chatbot assisted marketing activities in the South African banking industry. The research was inspired and constructed upon three research theories, namely Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), The Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoIT) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2). Based on these theories, a hypothesised model was formulated with eight independent variables, namely Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Facilitating Conditions, Price Value, Hedonic Motivation, Social Influence, Perceived Compatibility and Relative Advantage. The dependent variable was put forward as Chatbot Adoption. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were selected for this study, utilising a quantitative research methodology. In addressing the objectives of the study, secondary data was collected through the internet, magazines, newspapers, articles, journals and books to aid in completing the literature chapters and construction of the measuring instrument. Primary data was also collected through a self-administered questionnaire which was created on QuestionPro and the link was distributed to the respondents. The population under study were consumers of the banking industry products and services in South Africa. The target respondents consisted of consumers who hold valid bank account and have used or experienced online activities within the banking sector. A non-probability vii sampling method through convenience and snowball sampling was adopted to recruit the respondents. Data were obtained from 151 usable survey questionnaires. The data collected from the respondents was coded and captured on a Microsoft excel spreadsheet which was then followed by analysing of data using IBM SPSS version 16. From the analysed results, all the suggested independent variables were retained as the respondents confirm in varying degrees the influence on behaviour that the factors have. The study found that the eight independent factors have practical and statistically significant correlation with consumer adoption of chatbot assisted marketing activities within the South African banking industry. In addition, the inferential ranking of the factors indicates that Relative Advantage, Perceived Usefulness and Price Value fall under one group of significant factors perceived by consumers in their decision to adopt chatbot assisted marketing activities. It can therefore be concluded that it is useful for the banking industry to implement the identified factors and recommendations offered to enhance the use of chatbots in consumers’ online banking activities as the responses obtained are in general favourable. The study thus contributes theoretically and practically to the body of knowledge particularly digital marketing through chatbots in the banking sector. Therefore, the findings can be useful for financial marketing, digital banking and the suggested model can help the marketing and artificial intelligence departments in the banking industry in the decision-making process.Thesis (Ma) -- Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202
A Comparative Analysis of Speaker and Headphone-Based Immersive Audio in VR and Gaming Applications:
No full textPrecise and accurate audio spatialization is crucial for gaming and Virtual Reality (VR) applications, as it is an essential aspect of the immersion experienced by users. When the audio of a virtual environment is synchronized with its visual sources and localized accurately, users are more likely to feel deeply engaged and suspend their disbelief. Audio Middleware software is commonly used in cooperation with game engines to meet the audio requirements of virtual environments created by game developers. This research paper presents a comparative analysis of speaker-and headphone-based immersive audio systems within the context of VR. The research findings indicate that, despite the headphone-based system offering more accurate audio localization and a higher ‘perceived audio quality’, the speaker-based system resulted in a greater sense of ‘immersion.’
Drive for show: putt for dough?: The value of performance measures for professional golfers on the Sunshine Tour and the relationship with earnings
Get PDF“Drive for show, putt for dough”. This controversial adage has been a prominent sentiment in the game of golf for decades. Empirical evidence investigating its robustness through determinant of earnings inquiries have identified that the most valuable measure of performance in golf is in fact putting. However, with the ever-perpetuating state of golf equipment and the technologies thereof, the distance debate in golf has thus gained traction. Recent investigations and evidence into the adage had identified a trend-shift with regards to the value associated with distance achievable and putting ability in golf. Therefore questioning the relevance of the adage in the modern form of the game. In conducting a determinant of earnings inquiry through the engagement of engineering “pure” performance measures as empirically identified, this investigation is aimed at recognising a similar trend in a South African perspective, on the Sunshine Tour. Utilising a generalised least square regression methodology, the analysis identifies how the value of the marginal product as-sociated with both player and non-player explanatory measures influence real earnings on the Sun-shine Tour. This determination is observed through the means of a comprehensive scenario analysis, demonstrating the effect of marginal performance differences to the degree of 1% and 5% increase in performance. A trend was therefore identified in which the value of the marginal product, and growth in real earnings associated to driving distance at the 5% level were in fact greater than the that of putting ability. The results further denote the robustness of the adage and the inherent value associated to putting vs. driving distance at the 1% level. The conclusion to this investigation demonstrates the importance of opportunistic positions player’s put themselves in within tournaments to encourage earnings accumulation. Identified through balanced return on investments for all performance measures to “drive for dough to putt for dough”.Thesis (MEcon) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economics History, 202
Phylogeography of two small owl species in South Africa: population genetics and phenotypic variation in the African Barred Owlet (Glaucidium capense) and the African Scops Owl (Otus senegalensis)
Get PDFEmbargoed. Expected release date in 2025.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology, 202
Foreign aid and Human Development Indicators: Evidence from South Africa
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to determine whether foreign aid influences the quality of life in South Africa. To do so, the study analyses the relationship between foreign aid and the human development index (HDI). HDI consists of three other indices: the index of wellbeing, the index of education, and the index of income. To measure the relationship between foreign aid and HDI, five Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models are used in estimating the effect of foreign aid on HDI as well as life expectancy, education level, unemployment, and GDP per capita from 1993 to 2019. Income, population density, and credit are given to the private sector are part of the empirical models as controlled variables. The results show that no significant relationship exists between foreign aid and HDI, education, and GDP, while aid is linked to a lower life expectancy rate and unemployment. These findings imply that aid can increase the HDI in South Africa by contributing to a decreased unemployment rate, and thus policy makers should establish concrete plans and develop economic strategies that focus on creating incentives that attract more aid, especially in the short run. This can lead to a decrease in the unemployment rate, which is often regarded as South Africa’s biggest economic issue.Thesis (Ma) -- Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202
Phytoplankton communities provide insight into ecosystem functioning of the Agulhas Current system
Get PDFAccess restricted. Embargoed until 2025.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 202
Implications of changing land use and introducing extralimital giraffe on vegetation in the subtropical thicket, South Africa
Get PDFLand use change has increased in southern Africa as many livestock farms convert to game reserves, to restore degraded and overgrazed lands. This leads to a change in herbivore communities with potential positive and negative consequences for vegetation and landscape productivity. This study aimed to look at the effect of land use change and subsequent herbivore community changes, on thicket vegetation structure, composition, and landscape productivity. To attain the study objectives, data were collected from four game reserves and their adjacent livestock farms within the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. These sites were selected because they are within the Subtropical Thicket biome (similar vegetation) and were once used for livestock farming. At each study site, vegetation composition and structure were assessed using a unique bush clump sampling technique along fence line contrasts. Six plots were sampled at each site, three plots on the game reserve lands and three plots on the adjacent livestock farmlands during the dry (July/August 2020) and wet (January/February 2021) seasons. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), in-situ leaf area index (LAI) and the fraction of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (FIPAR), were used to assess vegetation productivity between the two land use types. Additionally, diet of an extralimital herbivore, giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), was assessed during contrasting seasons (dry and wet) to infer the role this species might have on these landscapes. The diet of giraffes was assessed through field observations, recording plant species that giraffes were feeding on. Floristic results showed that there were no differences in vegetation structure, species composition and richness between the two land types. There was no difference in the overall diversity of plant species on the game reserves than in the adjacent livestock farms. The primary productivity was greater on the game reserves compared to the livestock farms. Field observations of giraffe feeding showed that they fed predominantly on Vachellia karroo followed by Searsia longispina. Their diets did not differ between the two seasons. My study provides an insight into the effects of changing land use and this information can be used to infer the extent to which these changes might have on restoration of degraded landscape and how land use changes may be effective in restoring the degraded thicket vegetation caused by overgrazing and overstocking of domestic livestock.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology, 202
The perceptions of self service checkout systems in the South African retail
Get PDFThe introduction of Self-Service Checkout Systems (SSCOs) has disrupted and continues to transform grocery retail businesses particularly in the age of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is characterised by the pervasive presence of technological innovation in multiple sectors. SSCOs have over the years made significant in-roads in the grocery retail sector, particularly in the developed world with few exceptions of implementation in the developing world. Self Service Technologies (SST) have been used across various industries for many years in order to improve customer experience, or to address business priorities, or both. SSCOs (an SST technology) within grocery retail, have been purported to increase customer convenience, efficiency and bolster the competitive advantage of various businesses, amongst other benefits. The benefits and opportunities, risk and challenges, impact on business, perceptions of customers and customer acceptance of SSCOs have been and continue to be widely studied within the retail sector of the developed and in some parts of the developing world. The understanding and implementation of SSCOs in developing countries in general and South Africa in particular are at an embryonic stage. Questions of implementation, acceptance and adoption of SSCOs in South Africa are under-researched and nascent. However, despite their vagueness within the South African grocery retail sector, there are instances where SSCOs have been implemented in South Africa. Taking into account the fact that the South African grocery retail sector is heavily influenced by the adoption of technological innovation and follows the trends from the developed world, it is only a matter of time before SSCOs become mainstream technologies in South Africa. This is more so particularly in the era of the 4IR where technology is increasingly transforming entire industries. Against this backdrop, this study addresses the question of acceptance of SSCOs within the grocery retail sector in South Africa. Whilst grocery retailers consider whether to implement SSCOs, they have to ask themselves a number of pertinent questions, not in the least whether customers would be willing to adopt the use of the technology. It is in light of this acceptability of SSCOs that the research engaged grocery retailers to investigate their perception regarding the factors that affect the acceptance of SSCOs within the South African grocery retail sector. This study followed a qualitative research design. Participants were management and owners of the SPAR retail group in South Africa. Twenty-three participants took part in the study and seventeen participant’s responses were accepted for analysis. An online open ended vi | P a g e questionnaire was used to collect data from participants and a thematic analysis was applied to the collected data in order to search for themes within the data. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) were used as frameworks to interpret the study findings. The results of the study indicate that the South African grocery retail sector is innovative and implements various technologies. Further, a number of grocery retailers are actively considering the implementation of SSCOs. A number of factors that promote that acceptance of SSCOs were identified by the study, for example, customer experience at checkout, which includes convenience and efficiency and business profitability. On the other hand, there are factors that hinder the acceptance of SSCOs, which include factors like loss of employment, poor infrastructure and the cost of implementation amongst others. Based on the results of the study a theoretical framework was developed, which was used to give recommendations to the grocery retail sector in order to offer guidance regarding the implementation of SSCOs in South Africa. Finally, areas and orientations of future research were identified. This study contributes to the literature on SSCOs in South Africa in particular and the developing world in general. In addition, this study contributes to academic theory and business practise by applying the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model to a unique context in a new way, i.e. SSCOs in the grocery retail sector in South Africa. The limitation of the study is that the participants were from one grocery retail organisation and thus probably represent a certain grocery retail outlook based on the culture of the organisation. Future research would need to be more inclusive and have a heterogeneous research sample in order to be more reflective of multiple organisations and cultures within the grocery retail sector in South Africa. The introduction of SSCOs in South Africa will transform the grocery retail sector. The understanding of the technology and its acceptance within the sector is critical to help grocery retailers develop strategies to drive business growth, improve customer experience and capitalise on the direction of transformation that technology brings to the sector.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202
Challenges and opportunities of coastal and marine tourism in Swartkops river estuary
Get PDFThis study's goal was to pinpoint the challenges and untapped opportunities associated with Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT) in the Swartkops River Estuary (SRE). CMT has become the biggest segment of the travel industry. Moreover, this form of alternative tourism is the most significant and fastest developing economic activity in the ocean. The objectives of this study were to identify the challenges that hinder the development of CMT in SRE, to determine opportunities for CMT in SRE, to evaluate NMBM’s efforts in creating and sustaining CMT in SRE and to evaluate the status of CMT in SRE in terms of CMT related development. This study fit within the interprevist paradigm and made use of a qualitative research approach and design as well as inductive reasoning. The qualitative research design consisted of data being collected through document and content analysis. Data was analysed using data analysis process of Miles and Herman (1994) as well as the coding and developing of specific themes that emerged from the data. The data in this phase was presented both in narrative format and tables. The document analysis used in this study was established based on the objectives of this study. The findings of this study revealed that key challenges that hinder the growth of CMT in Swartkops River Estuary are environmental impacts that include pollution, over-enrichment, inappropriate development, overfishing, destruction of mudflats, limited freshwater inflow, destruction of vegetation and climate change. The findings also revealed that there are opportunities for CMT in SRE such as promoting SRE as a popular ecotourism destination by developing ecotourism nodes. These include environmental education at the Aloes Nature Reserve's and the Swartkops Estuary south-east section, sustainable ecolodges and conference centres. The study recommends that the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality should organize educational xv programmes to educate local people about the significance of conserving and safeguarding the environment for future generations. These findings also posed certain challenges linked to those identified in the analysis. It is recommended that local communities are urged to take an active role in CMT and should regard CMT as a vital development sector that produces jobs. The study also recommends that the community can also develop local campaigns such clean ups, challenging the efficiency of environmental policies and participating dialogues to help alleviate the environmental impacts faced by SREThesis (Ma) -- Faculty of Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202