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Business intelligence (BI) can assist businesses with the analysis of information to make better decisions to improve business performance; however, a lack of research with respect to the adoption of BI tools specifically in the SMME apparel sector has been observed. Developments in information technology (IT) have led to an increase in competitiveness among providers, resulting in a plethora of offerings for customers to choose from. As such, businesses are operating in evolving and complex environments where business intelligence systems (BIS) have become essential. The aim of this study was to establish the factors that influence the adoption of BI by micro-small apparel retailers in KwaZulu-Natal. The study was a cross-sectional survey that sampled 132 apparel business owners who were selected using purposive sampling. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 13.0. This study found that the main inhibitors to the adoption of BI systems among small apparel retailers are cost-related. However, an interesting finding was that although cost had a negative relationship to adoption in the results, most of the respondents still indicated that they were able to make financial plans to adopt BI. The study recommends that small apparel business owners prioritize the adoption of BI as a tool for business operations. The adoption of such tools would have a net positive effect on the operations of such businesses.

To date, there are many myths surrounding security selection and fundamental analysis due to the notion that all available information is perfectly priced in security. However, fundamental analysis is still very useful in determining the financial health of security, which is much needed for long-term investing. The aim of this study was to perform a valuation analysis of international stock markets so as to recommend buy or sell signals suitable for investment decisions. This study made use of the coefficients of a multiple regression analysis and value drivers for the S&P 500, Nasdaq, JSE, DAX, Nikkei 225, BIST 100, FTSE, and SSE as of January 23, 2023. The findings revealed that the JSE, DAX, Nikkei 225, and FTSE are undervalued, which translates to a buy signal, while the S&P 500, Nasdaq, BIST 100, and SSE are overvalued. These findings imply that investing in the JSE, DAX, Nikkei 225, and FTSE will produce decent capital gains on a risk-adjusted basis.

In the dynamic world of financial markets, the prices of assets can exhibit dramatic fluctuations, sometimes soaring to dizzying heights or plummeting to alarming lows. However, amidst the chaos, a fascinating phenomenon emerges: a tendency for prices to revert back to their long-term average or mean level. This concept known as mean reversion has intrigued traders, investors, and researchers for decades. Understanding mean reversion provides valuable insights into market dynamics, investor behavior, and the potential for profitable trading strategies. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate mean reversion in financial markets. This study employed a Hurst model for a sample of five financial markets from June 1, 2018 to June 1, 2023. The findings revealed that four out of the five sampled financial markets exhibit mean reversion, which challenges the efficient market hypothesis concept. Therefore, portfolio managers and active market participants can utilize long-term memory to optimize asset allocation decisions by considering the persistent effects of past returns and adjusting portfolio weights to take advantage of potential return predictability and manage risk.

Stock return modeling is essential for active investors and market players. Value and risk analysis benefit from these simulations. Despite extensive study on stock price modeling, little is understood about how internal and external shocks affect stock market returns. Therefore, this study sought to fill this gap. A sample of five international financial markets from December 1, 2007, to June 30, 2009 and January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021, the 2007-2008 financial crisis and most recent COVID-19 pandemic, were tested using a Cramer-von Mises and Watson test. Research showed that internal market volatility is more damaging than external shocks. During financial instability driven by external shocks, portfolio managers should expect two to three standard deviations of volatility. However, financial system shocks should cause a greater range of volatility. The authors believe this is the first study to predict stock market returns in reaction to regulatory announcements from market shocks.

From scholarly research, Africa's position on the planet and historical constituents especially minerals expropriation and labour made the continent a strategic partner to most world powers. This was understood during the voyages of the Dutch Indian Company to India.  Even during the Cold War, powerful countries were eager to promote multilateral relationships with some countries in Africa and that strongly impacted the war as well as African politics. This practice did not end with the Cold War but continued and presently Africa is still being influenced by the Cold War proceeds. Through a qualitative method of research, the paper highlights the impact of the cold war and ideology its time on African philosophy as well as the shift in African political dynamics. Hence, the paper investigated how these relationships affected African thought and destabilized Africa as a habitat for culture and African norms especially in the midst of the Ukraine-Russian war. Ukraine-Russian war is of paramount importance in revealing how African states maintain their non-alignment stance on either side while being careful to preserve their long rich history with the former Soviet Union. The further paper noted the advantages or disadvantages that the erstwhile Cold War brought to the African worldview. This culminated in the obliteration of culture and other notions like ubuntu which are the cornerstone of Africanism. The paper concludes by bringing out a strategy that can be utilized to restore African thought post-Cold War era.

“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” is a bestselling memoir that was written by Trevor Noah, a South African-born comedian of global acclaim. In the book, Noah relives his upbringing in South Africa, when apartheid policies and legislation were designed and harshly implemented to keep the country’s citizens apart based on race and ethnicity. Yet, in relieving this oppressive and traumatic period and proceeding to the 1994 democratic era, Noah applies humor as a storytelling strategy to downplay this harsh period. Hence, this paper adopts the incongruity theory to present the juxtaposition that is evident in the form of surprises and tensions in the narrative, which the readers may find humorous. In addition, the paper draws on Apartheid Studies and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical frameworks to conduct this qualitative study. CDA is used as a research tool to indicate how a text authored by a comedian from the global south is used to humorously resist political and social power relations. It is found that Noah manages to criticize the segregation that was there in a subtle manner and to educate the audience through humor about socio-economic challenges in the country. Even though his writing is mainly in a language of the global north for possible economic reasons, he draws from the languages of the global south to correctly represent the culture of the South African people he is part of.

The gender wage gap exists in South Africa because men outnumber women. Women's standing compared to men shows this. Gender equality requires equal opportunities and resources for women and men. Sustainable Development Goal 5 addresses gender equality. This article examines social, economic, political, institutional, and other factors that hinder SDG 5's implementation in South Africa to highlight gender inequality's challenges. The study employed qualitative desktop analysis to acquire data. To learn about gender and related terminology, the literature was reviewed. The literature review required reading journal articles, books, research papers, newspapers, websites, government documents, and acts. The results show that institutional and legal frameworks have been used to address gender equality in the nation. Despite equal prospects for men and women, prejudice against women exists, especially in the workplace. Uneven opportunity, underrepresentation, and gender bias are examples. The findings show that gender equality in South African national, provincial, and municipal institutions requires political, financial, institutional, and capacity-building resources. The essay offers SDG-5 strategies.

Principals as crucial change agents are required to ensure that education changes are successfully implemented and that school improvement takes place. This paper focuses on the challenges that principals experience regarding aspects within the education system. The qualitative approach and phenomenological design were utilized, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposely selected participants (13 principals). As a national department, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa is strategically structured to service and support all the entities within the education system. The DBE places enormous pressure on principals to ensure that academic standards are met, quality teaching and learning takes place, and that continuous education changes are implemented successfully. The importance of the education districts and Circuit Managers within the DBE to give continuous and relevant support is accentuated. This paper emphasizes that the challenges mentioned by the participants are ironically associated with aspects within the education system – the system that is supposed to support principals. Recommendations are made to the DBE to implement relevant strategies and planning through education districts and Circuit Managers to improve the indispensable support to principals.

The South African taxi industry has a negative image that is associated with violence and disrespect for its clients. This has led to it losing many of its clients to other industry players leading to more violence as taxi owners lose profits. The issue of communication as a possible solution to the challenges the taxi industry experiences, from the perspectives of the taxi drivers, has not been explored. Hence, this paper sought to gather the views of drivers on the role of improved communication to bringing about peace and good relations with passengers. A qualitative approach was adopted as a form of data collection in which 12 participants were interviewed in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. The participants were selected among the taxi drivers who were asked to share their communication challenges and strategies. The findings revealed that poor communication skills and language can be a barrier to communication between drivers and passengers and between taxi associations. Effective communication strategies can contribute to economic freedom and peace. A further finding from the study is that taxi drivers, acting on their own agency, can tackle communication challenges in the eThekwini taxi industry and contribute to change.

Various existing studies have established the multi-faceted nature of social inequalities in South Africa. The social inequalities also segregate schools into urban and rural schools, with adequate or lack of infrastructure influencing learners' performances in various South African schools. Hence, school principals are expected to manage the available resources to attain curriculum delivery and the whole school's performance. This qualitative study explored principals' perspectives on managing uneven school resources to achieve the goals and objectives of the education system. This study adopted an interpretive paradigm to understand the voices of 20 rural school principals in semi-structured interviews. The principals were purposively selected from 20 rural schools in King Cetshwayo district in KwaZulu-Natal. The audio-recorded interviews were thematically analysed to generate themes for findings and discussion. Findings revealed that most rural schools need more adequate school resources, and the principals need more support to attain quality curriculum delivery in schools adequately. The principals also lamented the high expectations placed on their schools for the academic excellence of their learners. Thus, the contents of each subject curriculum could not be efficiently unpacked and delivered to learners. The study, therefore, recommends improvement in resource provision to rural schools. At the same time, principals should be capacitated on effectively managing available school resources to achieve desired and efficient curriculum implementation in rural schools.

The progress and sustainability of a nation's economy are attributed to its human capital, and a country lacking competent, knowledgeable, and productive manpower will struggle to thrive due to a dearth of talented individuals in the job market. To enhance the quality of skilled manpower in industries, the South African government is promoting digital literacy among its youth. This research aims to investigate the use of ICTs skills and competencies as an enabler for promoting sustainable advancement of youth employability in South Africa, as the country's youth unemployment rate for the 15-34 age group was 55.2% in the 1st quarter of 2019. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era has exacerbated job scarcity and inequality due to the scarcity of advanced ICT skills. As a result, South Africa has chosen to increase ICT usage to enhance economic activity and job creation. A critical literature review was conducted to support the research inquiry through a systematic literature review (SLR) as the research methodology since the contents are based on existing literature studies in identifying research needs and gaps, collecting or gathering lines of thoughts Memon et al. (2020) and views in relation to ICT skills and competences as an enabler for sustainable advancement of youth employability in South Africa. The approach was supported using the Sustainable Livelihood Theory as the research framework to support the findings.

The constantly evolving technology landscape inevitably calls for technological integration in learning and education. It is essential in the world we live in today for every learning method to include the use of new technologies. The study's primary goal is to examine strategies to integrate modern technologies into teaching in South Africa. The paper strives to understand the state of education in South Africa; the government’s contribution to education so far; teachers’ attitudes and competencies; as well as, and the benefits that new technologies can offer the education system in South Africa. A systematic review of literature that relates to the infusion of conventional technologies into educational settings has been adopted. The research conducted in this paper demonstrated that integrating technology into the teaching-learning process can be a useful strategy for training educators and learners for improved learning and educational outcomes in South Africa. Furthermore, the study's findings revealed that many South African instructors have a negative attitude regarding the usage of modern technologies for teaching. The paper recommended that the government should prioritizes funding for education; and concluded that blended learning is best used as the instructional strategy in South African classes.

This paper examines the narrative about gender influence in students' career choices and professions is something that needs to be reconsidered to remain relevant in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and a society that is always evolving. The 4IR has resulted in disruptive innovation globally, wherefore, the technological innovation that includes artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. These disruptions, however, may be creative in that as some jobs are lost due to the development of artificial intelligence, new ones are created. Hence, a positive impact on key industries and sectors, like business, health, and education as the globe rapidly moves toward a more digital economy, many low- and middle-income countries face difficulties finding competent workers to fill crucial Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professions in growing markets. The fourth industrial revolution, which involves more than just technological transformation, is drawing attention around the globe. This shortfall is made worse by the underrepresentation of women in ICT-related fields. The demand for ICT professionals/ workers and the supply of job seekers with the necessary technical skills threaten the ability of the country (South Africa) to take part in a powerful driver of growth in the fourth industrial revolution. This paper is a systematic literature review supported by the theory of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and expectancy-value theory (EVT). The findings revealed that gender disparity, inadequate career guidance, and educational career ambition play an enormous role amongst male and female students when choosing ICT as a career choice.

This conceptual paper attempts to demonstrate its strength by first accepting that the (p)ublic (a)dministration's loci-foci is within the jurisdiction of the executive branch amongst the two remaining branches of government, namely, the Legislature and the Judiciary. In the executive, the administration of the state is observed. Secondly, this paper argues that while p. a. may be with the executive arm, there is however its place beyond just the said administration of the executive arm. This paper employs the use of public-private partnerships that emanated from the New Public Management Paradigm as well as monitoring and evaluation theory and practice in the public sector to argue its assertion that public administration is being practiced beyond the executive branch. The development programs and projects initiated by the government and handed to the service providers need to be monitored and evaluated to ensure value for money and meet public expectations. As a result, the expectation of quality service from the service provider should be the norm of the day. It is therefore, through the cooperative trajectory between the government and the private sector, that this paper proposes that public administration can be associated with the executive branch but not necessarily limited to the said branch of government. This paper employed desktop research and the existing relevant literature to support its argument and contribution to the discipline of public administration.

The year 2020 witnessed a paradigm shift commonly referred to as the "new normal" because to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which had a profound impact on the lives of several students across the globe. The significant transformation posed a perplexing situation for freshmen at higher education institutions. The implementation of COVID-19 limits precipitated an abrupt digital transformation for students, necessitating the surmounting of significant obstacles. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of first-year students enrolled at a private postsecondary institution in the context of online learning. The study additionally aimed to ascertain the difficulties encountered by individuals while accessing online learning amidst the current tumultuous circumstances. The study employed a qualitative methodology in response to its inherent character. A sample size of six students was chosen from a cohort of first-year students, while three lecturers who teach first-year students were picked using random selection techniques. The data was gathered through various methods, including face-to-face interviews, focus group talks, and questionnaires. Subsequently, the data was subjected to analysis utilizing the Nvivo program. The findings derived from the research indicate that it is imperative to comprehend the experiences, computer literacy skills, and perspectives of first-year students in order to offer suitable assistance to forthcoming first-year students engaging in online learning and ultimately enhance lecturers' online instructional methodologies. The findings additionally indicate that students encountered difficulties not only in adapting to online learning but also in dealing with various social and emotional elements that had an impact on their learning experience, hence exacerbating the issues they faced.

The South African educational system relies on school management. The link between good management and academic success is well-established. This study examined establishing participatory school management as part of secondary school reform in South Africa. The study sampled schools in KwaZulu-Natal's King Cetshwayo area. The relationship between participatory management and school reform was quantified. The study investigated school participatory management literature. Primary data was also collected from 25 school principals from 25 schools in King Cetshwayo's Nkandla, Richards Bay, uMlalazi, and uMthonjaneni circuits. The research suggests that most schools need participatory management to transform. Principals without participatory management methods may confront problems when administering their schools. Principals should promote this unique school management strategy. Thus, South African school principals should include other stakeholders in school management.

This article provides comprehensive coverage of the concept of employee health, examining its connection to employees' overall performance and the ideal workplace culture and environment necessary for achieving success. This passage provides a concise overview of the difficulties encountered by employees in achieving a harmonious equilibrium between their professional and personal lives, as well as the subsequent impact on their general well-being. The primary inquiry of utmost significance is to the requisite organizational measures that must be undertaken to foster employee welfare within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath, with the ultimate aim of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Three. This study employs a qualitative approach by doing a desktop analysis of material through a comprehensive examination of existing literature. The data is subjected to conceptual analysis. The study examines the utilization of employee wellness programs (EWPs) as organizational frameworks to ensure employee satisfaction and productivity. These programs are grounded in the notion that employee health is interconnected with employee performance and external factors. Furthermore, this study provides recommendations that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of Employee Wellness Programs (EWPs) in order to achieve the objectives outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and enhance employee performance.

With the recent surge of mob justice in South Africa, this paper investigates whether recourse to mob justice serves a legitimate purpose and especially whether it serves justice or falls within the conceptual meaning of justice. In so doing, the paper undertook a literature review in view first to identify the possible causes of mob justice and whether or not mob justice serves a legitimate purpose in society. The literature reveals that mob justice aims to ensure security and maintain social order due to state inefficiency to provide security to its citizens. Mob justice becomes a mechanism of social control, policing, and society’s expression that the criminal justice system has failed. However, the paper could not find any related literature on the question whether mob justice falls within the philosophical concept of justice. It finds that the current discourse on mob justice literature focuses on the social and economic aspects of mob justice, delving into the possible reasons behind the attacks, or the legal aspects of mob justice. The paper is therefore relevant as its objective is to determine whether mob justice meets the conceptual meaning of justice and if there is a place for such conduct within a constitutional society. The paper found that mob justice falls short of the philosophical understanding of justice and is no more than injustice. It recommends a policy shift in the form of community involvement in policing.

This study intended to investigate how the Lephalale Local Municipality's small and medium companies (SMEs) are hampered by a lack of government support. This study also aims to demonstrate how SMEs face difficulties in surviving as a result of problems in the business environment. Consequently, the government of South Africa has programs to assist SMEs. The growth of SMEs is important for advancing innovation, wealth distribution, and employment. The majority of SMEs launch and maintain their businesses with their own money. By using a qualitative research approach and semi-structured in-person, phone, and email interviews to collect data, the goals of this study were met. There were 318 registered SMEs in the area. Using purposive sampling methods, data from operational enterprises with a lifespan of 0 to 5 years were gathered. Atlas TI 8 was used to evaluate the data. The primary conclusions of this study show that (i) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) find it difficult to maintain their operations because they lack access to capital and business equipment. This fails if SMEs are not given the proper support. Because they lack the resources to compete with big companies, SMEs find it challenging. (ii) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should think about enrolling in bookkeeping training and sending their staff to business training in order to network for the survival of the company. In order to assist SMEs in fulfilling the requirements for maintaining their enterprises, this study advises the government to examine present standards. With the right assistance, SMEs can create business plans and maintain operations, which will result in the creation of jobs, particularly for local communities. The government ought to think about mentoring and overseeing sponsored SMEs.

In recent years, there has been a drive to recruit more women into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. However, a perceived lack of interest by girl learners in STEM subjects and careers presents a challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons that encourage high school girls to choose STEM subjects and careers. A qualitative design that adopted the case study approach using the interpretivist paradigm was chosen for this study. The data were collected using a focus group with a novel sample of girls taking technical subjects at a technical high school in a rural area. The study identified four facilitating factors that steer girl learners towards choosing STEM subjects and STEM-related careers. These factors were primary school experience, parental influence, prosperity through employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, breaking stereotypes, and being a role model. The insights gained from this study could be beneficial to the government, businesses, social activists, schools, teachers, and other relevant stakeholders in encouraging girl learners to choose STEM-related and related careers.