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The purpose of the study was to investigate the roles of entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized businesses in fostering local economic development. Based on this assumption, this conceptual study attempts to investigate the function of small and medium-sized firms in LED. According to studies, the entrepreneurial spirit of the SME owner is a significant determinant of a SME's ability to surmount survival challenges and achieve sustainable growth. The article also attempts to locate and establish the purpose of the study by identifying the barriers that small and medium-sized businesses encounter in their efforts to contribute to economic growth and offering potential solutions to these barriers. Due to inadequate infrastructure development and a lack of the fundamental capabilities to control and influence local economic growth, the study concludes that exceptional measures are necessary to overcome obstacles such as finance and service. The purpose of this study is to answer the research question of whether the emphasis should be placed on creating competent entrepreneurs, particularly among previously disadvantaged individuals, if the government's goal to leverage the SMME sector is to have any significant success. It was noted that the LED is essential but has not been utilized frequently. Using a qualitative thematic analysis approach, the study accessed data on both private and public spaces primarily through secondary sources. The qualitative investigation accessed the foundational literature via a sophisticated search. According to the study, small and medium-sized enterprises play a crucial role in the promotion of LED. The study concluded, among other things, that the local level of governance in South African municipalities is incapable of providing basic services and the necessary infrastructure.

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) are reflexivity, fast, versatile wireless networks that are particularly useful when traditional radio infrastructure is unavailable, such as during outdoor events, natural disasters, and military operations. Security may be the weakest link in a network due to its dynamic topology, which leaves it susceptible to eavesdropping, rerouting, and application modifications. More security problems with MANET exist than with its service Quality of Service (QoS). Therefore, intrusion detection, which controls the system to find further security issues, is strongly suggested. Keeping an eye out for intrusions is essential to forestall future attacks and beef up security. If a mobile node loses its power supply, it may be unable to continue forwarding packets, which depends on the structure's condition. The proposed study presents a security of trust and optimization that conserves energy methods for MANETs based on integrating the K means algorithm and Bacteria Foraging Optimization Algorithm (KBFOA). This work proposes a method for quickly and accurately determining which nodes should serve as Cluster Heads (CHs) by K means algorithm. This approach aims to choose a node with a high Sustainable Cell (SC) rate as the Header of a Cluster (HC). Each node will calculate its SC according to its unique factors, such as energy consumption, degree, remaining energy, mobility, and distance from the HC and base stations. The security of MANETs is improved by the inclusion of an algorithm in the proposed approach that detects and eliminates rogue nodes. This suggested approach will increase network stability and performance using a high-sustainable cluster head. The proposed approach will be achieved the highest reliability of clustering rate of 97%. The intended research will be accomplished Maximum security measures rate will be accomplished by 96%, the maximum rate of data transmission will be obtained of 96%, and greater efficient detection of malicious nodes ratio will be enhanced by 95%, lower energy consumption rate will be achieved by 0.09 m joules.

An entrepreneurial approach is being highlighted by an increasing number of recent studies. The relationship between green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) and environmental performance (EP) has been studied in the past, and it includes a number of apparatuses. The research's inconsistent findings are likely caused by the absence of the mediating and moderating effects of green competitive advantage (GCA) and green innovation (GI). This study investigates how GEO influences EP Johannesburg municipality in the Gauteng province: the role of GCA and GI. The data was collected form 424 respondents across the Johannesburg municipality. The data was analysed using SmartPLS 4.0. The empirical findings of this study show that there is a significant positive relationship between GEO and the EP of SMEs. The study further shows that the relationship between GEO and EP is partially mediated by GCA and the relationship is also moderated by GI at an average weight. This paper fills a gap in the literature by exploring external business variables mediating and moderating the relationship between GEO and EP and contributes to the discussion on the contradictory results regarding the relationship between GEO and EP. The study suggests some recommendations on how the managers of SMEs can improve GEO. These include the provision of training and development workshops on environmental strategy for management and employees.

The development of the child consumer market has often been criticised as the commercialisation of childhood. Marketers have been accused of targeting children and grooming them for a lifetime of consumerism. The maelstrom of marketing activities aimed directly at children has led to their being more active than ever in the consumer culture space. An unfortunate consequence of this has been children becoming materialistic because of the commercial pressures of modern childhood. This study sought to determine whether South African tweens are materialistic. Existing studies on child materialism have largely excluded African children, hence the need for the current study. Data were collected through a survey of 192 schoolchildren, aged 10-14 (tween cohort), using an adapted short material values scale (MVS-c). The results of the study revealed that while South African tweens are active in consumer culture, they are largely not materialistic. This research furthers the academic inquiry into children as consumers and active participants within consumer culture. It also addresses the paucity of research on African children within the consumer culture space. The results of the study have implications for marketers with regard to responsible marketing to child consumers, as well as for researchers with regard to acknowledging African children as a non-negotiable part of the study of consumption. The study also provides recommendations for further research on child consumers.

The research identified instances were the English version of sworn statements was an inaccurate translation of the indigenous statement provided by a witness or complainant. The inaccurate translation of indigenous witness statements is a global phenomenon that manifests against the backdrop of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This study was conducted to explore police experiences of taking indigenous witness statements, and to establish their perceptions of the digitisation of witness statements. Purposive sampling was used for sampling. Interview schedules were administered to eighteen (18) South African Police Service (SAPS) members from nine Community Service Centres (CSC) in Soweto, a township in the Gauteng province. Ethical consideration, measures of trustworthiness and the Theory of Performance (ToP) were applied. The ToP provides that a person’s level of performance is dependent on the interaction of various contextual factors. Thematic content analysis was conducted using Atlas ti resulting in five dominant themes or impact factors namely “skills”, “collaboration”, “resources”, “duration” and “language”. Results showed that a majority of the SAPS members perceived that witness statements should be digitised to address language challenges experienced and improve their level of performance. Furthermore, they perceived the usefulness of technology in modernising outdated resources in the SAPS.

The increased use of the internet raises concerns about the security of data and other resources shared in cyberspace. Although efforts to improve data security are visible, the need to continuously explore other avenues for preventing and mitigating cyberattacks is apparent. Swarm intelligence models have, in the past, been considered in cybersecurity though there was no formal representation of the swarm intelligence knowledge domain that defines how these models fit into the cybersecurity body of knowledge. This article reviews the aspects of three swarm intelligence models that may inspire the design of the desired swarm intelligence ontology. The algorithms are particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization, and the artificial bee colony model. In each case, we investigate the main driving features of the model, the causal aspects, and the effects of those causal aspects on the resolution of the cybersecurity problem. We also investigate how these features can be recommended as the building blocks of the desired swarm intelligence ontology. Investigations indicate that the artificial bee colony model has three outstanding aspects considered for the design of the swarm intelligence ontology and that is the quality, popularity, and communication. Foraging through pheromone deposits is an outstanding component of ant colony optimization that aids in locating threats sources more quickly by using the shortest route or tracks with high pheromone deposits. The particle swarm optimization model, on the other hand, adds alignment, cohesion, and collision avoidance aspects to the ontology to augment the ant colony and artificial bee colony algorithms.  In our view, although intrusion detection is a complex problem in cybersecurity, the power of integrated swarm intelligence models is more than the sum of the individual capabilities of each swarm intelligence model individually. The article, therefore, proposes a swarm intelligence ontology that will potentially bring us closer to resolving the general cybersecurity problem.

This study examined feedback in South African university first-year accounting classes. Teachers' complex approaches are based on their subject matter and pedagogical competence and their views about learning. Among the many approaches is feedback teaching. Feedback is providing performance-related information during or after class sessions or tasks. Feedback improves teachers and students and restructures knowledge. Accounting education found cognitively determined feedback strategies that promote information retention. Cognitivism underpins this paper. Cognitivism and accounting education share intellectualism, critical thinking, deep learning and information retention, long-term memory, and complicated problem-solving. Accounting feedback improves fundamentals. Cognitivism dominates accounting education. This work used exploratory qualitative research. This study selected three first-year accounting professors from different campuses. Participants' feedback knowledge, practices, and challenges were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participant reactions validated the findings. Thematically evaluated data. The study examined feedback comprehension, implementation techniques, and challenges. Accounting professors use feedback differently, which affects teaching and learning. Participants also listed many challenges to their practice.

Leaders are vital for organizations and have a significant impact on the success or failure of a business. Although there have been studies investigating the question “what makes a good leader”, few studies have explicitly focused on the retail sector. The study's primary objective is to identify the qualities and characteristics a good leader should possess, in the context of the retail industry in RSA.  A total of 107 respondents were interviewed and the results showed that “charisma” and “inspiration” are the most important characteristics, while “a character for integrity and honesty” and “knowledgeable and experienced” are the most important qualities of a good leader.

This discursive study examined the use of the learning management system (LMS) Moodle in rural South African universities. Moodle, a popular online programme, can be used to deliver learning activities, as well as online learning evaluations. The authors discuss LMS usage and adoption in higher education. LMS is a global online platform used in higher education institutions in developed countries across the globe, for decades. It has improved the education system in these developed countries by providing diverse students with learning opportunities, in their comfort zones. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, most developed nations adopted online methods, like LMS, for teaching and learning. Unfortunately, the pandemic lockdown in many developing nations, like South Africa, severely disrupted curriculum and educational activities for months. The South African Department of Higher Education and Training reviewed curriculum delivery approaches, to save academic activities due to COVID-19. Thus, it deemed online learning a higher education alternative to face-to-face curriculum instruction, during the lockdown to salvage the academic calendar, with LMS used as ideal online learning for student engagement.

The IAF assists organizations in achieving accountability and integrity, enhancing the implementation of organizational programs, fostering public confidence, and mitigating the risk of mismanagement of public funds. Even though the significance of internal audit functions has been acknowledged and recognized in South Africa, the South African public sector is plagued by numerous issues resulting from the IAF's poor performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the efficacy of the internal audit function (IAF) within the Department of Defense (DoD). The investigation employed a qualitative methodology. Twenty-five professionals were interviewed in-depth, and the data were subjected to thematic analysis. Five factors have been identified as affecting the performance of the IAF within the DoD: limited resources, outmoded data collection techniques, a lack of automated data analytics software, the inaccessibility of audit records, and a lack of support from senior management. This article suggests that upper management invests in hiring competent and qualified personnel to automate its data collection and in purchasing data analysis software such as iAuditor, SAP, and TeamMate. It is recommended that audit records be well managed and securely stored and that internal auditors have complete access to information for conducting audits in all DoD sectors. The budget of the IAF within the DoD must be increased.

South Africa and the world at large continue to experience storms of natural disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic which pose a great negative impact on people’s livelihood such as loss of lives. To mitigate such negative effects and respond effectively to natural disasters, there is a need for legislative frameworks and policies that must guide the process. In South Africa for instance, disaster legislations were used by the government to inform and guide their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is from this background that the researcher developed a hunch to analyse the South African natural disaster and related legislations that were applicable to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. This study adopted the non-empirical research method wherein existing literature was reviewed. The researcher reviewed and analysed documents on the South African disaster legislation from search engines such as EBSCOhost, google scholar and ProQuest. The inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to analyse the collected data. The primary finding of this study revealed that legislation played an important role in guiding the COVID-19 response of the South African government. The underlined conclusion suggests that disaster legislation, programs and policies should focus on effective prevention, effective reduction, promotion of well-being, and harmless responses to individuals.

Mobile telecommunications service providers outsource various activities like logistics, assembly operations, manufacturing and design. However, little research has been conducted in Southern Africa to establish the actual drivers triggering mobile telecommunication companies to implement business process outsourcing (BPO) and the risks associated with implementation. This research aims to redress the existing knowledge gap and the limited body of literature by conducting research to establish the drivers and risks of implementing BPO. A structured, closed-ended questionnaire collected raw data from 210 employees. Descriptive statistics were conducted to establish the drivers triggering mobile telecommunication companies to implement BPO. Overall, the results concluded that some of the key drivers of implementing BPO by the telecom operators are reduction in capital investment, thereby freeing up limited capital funds more available for core areas, and the company can have access to unique resources skills and talents. The results also indicated that the risks of BPO implementation include the potential loss of control over critical functions and the difficulty of ensuring service quality and consistency from the service provider. The results will help the corporate management to make decisions about outsourcing based on quantifiable results instead of managerial estimates. While the study confined itself to the mobile telecommunications companies, more research can be conducted in other South African industries, most notably banks and learning institutions that are also important BPO hubs worthy of further examination.

Several business failures culminated in the necessity to improve overall risk management for different corporates. Educational organisations also began to realise the exigency for efficient risk management in the sector and embarked on tracking Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) related advances in the corporate world and seeking ways to apply these for higher education. This study sought to assess the involvement of internal auditors in ERM in Zimbabwean public universities. This study is quantitative and employed a survey to collect data from heads of internal audit sections in public universities. The main findings of the study indicated that 64.78 percent of the internal auditors were performing their core and permissible roles as promulgated by the Institute of Internal Audit in risk management while 35.22 percent were performing some prohibited roles. The study recommends engaging qualified internal auditors who are aware of their specific roles in risk management or providing some training for the officers in the internal audit sections. The study further recommends that these universities should institute risk management sections headed by qualified Chief Risk officers to complement internal auditors’ efforts and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of ERM in Zimbabwean public universities. Chief Risk officers should become champions of risk management in these institutions to avoid tempering the internal auditors’ objectivity.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has profoundly impacted education systems globally, including in Africa. However, there is a dearth of research on Education 4.0 in Africa. To fill this gap, a bibliometric analysis of Scopus database data was conducted, with VOSviewer used to analyze the data. The study found that African research outputs on Education 4.0 have increased linearly between 2015 and 2022, but most are published outside Africa. Limited collaboration among African institutions and academics was observed, with African authors citing more academics outside Africa than within. E-learning, machine learning, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence were the most frequently researched areas. This study provides crucial information to researchers and policymakers, allowing them to map out future research and policies on Education 4.0.

The successful training of preservice teachers in South African universities will be incomplete without the intervention of high school teachers, principals, and other stakeholders in education. It has been discovered that preservice teachers who teach Business Studies (BS) as one of the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) subjects during teaching practice (TP) do not get enough assistance from their mentor teachers as they ought to because they are overloaded with much teaching work at this time. Therefore, the study aims to explore the different trajectories that preservice teachers take in their preparation for teaching Business Studies, the challenges 4th-year preservice teachers who specialise in EMS subjects encounter, how they overcome them, and how these trajectories impact their teaching practice experience. Overall, the study seeks to improve the quality of Business Studies education in South Africa by providing insights into the preparation and experiences of preservice teachers. Six fourth-year preservice teachers who taught Business Studies in Grades 10 and 12 were selected for the study to reflect on their experiences during teaching practice; hence, reflection was used as the data source for the study. Experiential learning theory was used as the lens of the study. At the same time, the interpretivism paradigm was adopted to understand individual preservice experiences. A case study was used as the design, and thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data generated. The study found that preservice teachers who teach BS during TP face challenges such as a lack of Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM), being assigned too much work to do, and the fact that BS has too much content to teach. Despite the challenges, these preservice teachers were creative enough to develop solutions, like designing posters without teaching resources and using practical examples to explain content for better understanding and parental involvement in class decisions such as discipline.

This study sought to close this gap by exploring the xenophobic experiences of illegal migrant youths in Musina town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Nine illegal migrant youths were purposively and conveniently selected to participate in this study. Data was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically through the assistance of the Nvivo software. The objective of this study was achieved through the guidance of narrative theory. The findings of the study reveal that illegal migrant youth in Musina Town experience violent attacks and derogatory name-calling from the local citizens. The findings further reveal that illegal migrant youths are experiencing blame-shifting by the local citizens. Harassment in healthcare facilities and employment places is also revealed as xenophobic experiences of illegal migrant youths in South Africa. It is recommended that the South African government should develop educative and awareness campaigns to respond to xenophobia in the country. It is also recommended that the security at the border gates need to be tightened to mitigate the influx of illegal migrants into the country.

The paper analytically examines literature to elucidate the origin and evolution of management accounting buoyed on by the surge in appetite on its use especially during the last two decades. The paper further critically examines the wide critics on the “loss of relevance” of management accounting in enhancing performance explicitly in a modern rapidly changing business environment. A further attempt is made by this paper to better apprehend the concomitant application of traditional and contemporary management accounting practices. It further analysed the current level of appetite on the use of management accounting practices in both developed and developing countries. A critical review of related literature revealed that the history of management accounting can be traced back to the industrial revolution of the 1900s. The study also revealed that management accounting continues to evolve as companies meet new problems that need to be solved and management accounting practices that were used in the early 1900s are still applicable even today. The “loss relevance of management accounting” school of thought was dismissed as traditional MAPs that were used in the 1900s are still applicable even today. The study recommends the use of management accounting as it improves competitive edge and creates value for the organisation.

In a decentralised system, energy-producing facilities are located closer to the location of energy consumption. A Decentralized Energy system decreases the need for fossil fuels, boosts eco-efficiency, and enables the best possible use of renewable energy sources and combined heat and power. The world is moving closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, yet many countries in the developing world continue to face mounting power challenges resulting in constant load-shedding. This is despite the fact that energy efficiency is on the verge of advancing and renewable energy is making significant progress in the electricity industry. This study seeks to determine the role and significance of a transition to a Decentralized Energy system in achieving sustainable development goal number 7. The study found that Decentralized Energy system provides a plethora of benefits to communities, for instance, local communities under decentralised energy system have an alternative that is less expensive than the centralized national grid, and they can assist generate employment opportunities in the community. The paper concludes that even though microgrids powered by renewable energy have significantly increased access to clean energy in developing world, maintaining the microgrids' capacity to operate sustainably remains a challenge.  

The dynamics of investing in stock markets have changed considerably over the past twenty years. The value and growth investing concept has drawn much attention and continues to dominate portfolio management. Factor investing is an approach that aims at quantifying particular characteristics through matrixes of quality, value, momentum, and growth to improve the returns of a portfolio. Although the three-factor style of investing has gained widespread acceptance, the five-factor continues to be a source of disagreement among academics and industry practitioners. This study aimed to review the merits of five-factor investing critically. A critical literature review was used to review prior literature. The narratives from the literature reveal that the five-factor investing style will result in multiple sources of expected return. Hence, using five factors in portfolio formation has merits and will significantly improve the returns and most likely outperform the market portfolio. Factor premiums have proven to be drivers of asset return. Therefore, market participants and investment managers can intentionally assume additional exposures to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns compared to the market with the five-factor investing style. According to the author's knowledge, this is the first study to objectively analyze the literature on five-factor investing and propose that active managers can earn positive alphas on a risk-adjusted basis through factor exposures.

This study investigates the total rewards (TR) and employee retention (ER) to understand whether better remuneration leads to retention among the employees of First Aluminum of Nigeria. It further emphasizes and reviews the findings of previous articles and journals conducted by various researchers to establish rewards' efficacy in attracting and retaining employees in any given organisation. The study aimed to explore the total reward instruments to attract and retain employees in an organisation. A quantitative design using a sample of 270 employees working in the First Aluminum of Nigeria is adopted. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to employees as respondents for data collection. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and tables and figures were used to present data. Arising from the empirical findings and comparison with the concept of this study, a discussion on the differences and similarities is made. This study reveals weight and ascertains various kinds of rewards, such as extrinsic, intrinsic, and total rewards, to attract and retain employees at the organization. Thus, this study summarised the results of existing literature on the factors influencing ER at FAN, such as salary; benefits package; compensation; developmental opportunities and quality supervision; compensation and appreciation of work done; promotion, and development opportunities.   It is, therefore, contextualized that growth and advancement opportunities do not influence the ER as a monetary reward does.