Explore publications.

This paper aims to establish the uptake of Internet of Things (IoT) by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the digital era in emerging economies. This study aims to 1) determine adoption of IoT by SMEs during digital era in emerging economies, 2) establish challenges faced by SMEs in implementing IoT in emerging economies, and 3) develop a framework for digital transformation for SMEs in digital era in emerging economies. Systematic literature review approach was used. Articles from Scopus database ranging from 2018 to 2023 was used. 57 articles were shortlisted out of 153 articles. PRISMA framework was therefore used to perform systematic review analysis. Results demonstrate that in emerging economies, SMEs do not or are slowly adopting IoT concepts, making them less competitive. The results also determine that although IoT has great promise in SMEs, the key constraint is a lack of strategic implementation frameworks for its deployment and widespread adoption. This study was therefore carried out to develop a framework that supports digital transformation for SMEs in the digital era for emerging economies. Results have significant managerial and practical implications as they offer some insights to SME managers on how they can improve on the uptake and adoption of internet of things in digital era.

The objective of this review was to look at the impact of agricultural value chain financing on the profitability of edible oil in South Africa. A historical review's aim is to find all narrative evidence which fits the pre-specified eligibility requirements to respond to a particular study question or hypothesis. The research used a historical narrative review as its analysis method. This included compiling and analysing more than 60 online resources relating to various and relevant the value chain financing on profitability from several past research.  The research concentrates on some papers that looked at the impact of agricultural value chain financing on profitability, both nationally and internationally. Exploratory studies on the agricultural value chain financing, published from 2012 to 2022, were evaluated. According to the findings, just one paper failed to demonstrate an important association between agricultural value chain financing and profitability, whilst the others showed that agricultural value chain financing had a substantial effect on profitability. However, none specifically addressed the oil industry, indicating the necessity for narrative research to examine the link among agricultural funding and the profitability of the South African edible oil industry.

Sustainability of the rice production and farmers’ income in Nigeria raises a serious concern due to the rising costs of production inputs and other factors beyond farmers’ control. As a result, the study compared the cost and returns of rice production in North central, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 387 rice farmers in the study area. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and seeming unrelated regression were used to analyze the dataset collected. The findings revealed that most of the rice farmers were male, averagely young and have at least 9 family members in their respectively households. Results from Kwara State showed that total cost is higher among the upland rice farmers compared to their lowland counterparts, but reverse was the case in term of net profit, as this favoured the lowland rice farmers. For Niger State and pooled data, the lowland rice farmers had higher net profit than the upland rice farmers. Seemingly unrelated regression estimates indicated that costs associated with fertilizer, herbicide, seed, pesticide and labour used were significant and influencing factors affecting the revenue of rice farmers in the study area. While inaccessibility to cheap farm inputs was the major constraint affecting the rice farmers, other challenges include lack of storage, inadequate rainfall and inadequate credit facilities.  The study recommended seamless access to improved rice varieties by the farmers as this can scale up adoption of improved technologies, boost production and ultimately the net revenue of rice farmers. Farmers are also advised to join and/or form a registered occupational groups through which credit facilities can easily be accessed, to expand the farming operations because of the positive and complementary role of social group and access to credit.

Economics of business and increased focus on operating efficiencies are leading mobile telecom service providers to outsource non-core business process elements, infrastructure systems, and customer service, although the trade-off on the influence of business process outsourcing (BPO) on the firm’s productivity is still inconclusive. Few empirical studies or research have been conducted to analyze the influence of BPO on the firm’s productivity levels in the mobile telecom operators of Southern African developing countries. This research tries to redress the existing knowledge gap and the limited body of literature by providing both descriptive and empirical evidence on the influence of BPO on the firm‘s productivity levels of mobile telecom operators. A structured closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect raw data from 210 employees. Descriptive and chi-square tests were conducted to establish the statistically significant relationship between business process outsourcing and the firm’s productivity levels. The results reflect a statistically significant relationship between the implementation of BPO and the firm’s productivity. The study has practical implications for service and industrial practitioners, managers, scholars, and government policymakers in that they can strategically plan their BPO practices and link those practices to the organizations' productivity performance. Further research can be conducted in other industries in order to do comparison studies confirming lessons gained across industries on the effect of BPO on a firm’s productivity levels.

The growth of the economy has occasioned a shift in consumption patterns in the South African luxury markets. This study aims to investigate the purchasing behaviour of emerging market consumers as regards luxury clothing. A survey was conducted and data was collected online from 300 emerging market consumers in SA by means of a survey questionnaire. The results of the study demonstrated that status, quality, and materialism all influence the purchase intention of emerging market consumers as regards luxury clothing. Status had the strongest effect on purchase intention for luxury clothing, followed by quality and materialism. Consumer intention to purchase luxury products was found to influence such consumers’ purchase behaviour. This study is significant for retail stores in South Africa selling luxury clothing, as well as those intending to enter the SA luxury clothing market. The study findings shed light on factors influencing purchase behaviour by emerging market consumers as regards to luxury clothing.

Company operations and global trade necessitate storage. Warehouse management is essential for meeting customer expectations, ensuring product availability, and delivering globally swiftly and affordably. A company's international competitiveness can suffer from warehouse instability. This study assesses warehouse performance for competitive advantage. The report also explores top management's disregard for warehouse management's impact on manufacturing competitiveness. This paper reviews warehouse management system research from several industries. Reviewing literature for gaps and flaws. Quantitative methods include industrial specialized surveys. Three varied South African manufacturing enterprises will be case-studied. Deduction is used to analyze industry expert consultation data. Due to its accessibility and data collection suitability, convenience sampling was employed to choose participants. This study discovered many warehouse management issues in South African industrial firms. Integration and automation are lacking in current systems, hampering global competitiveness. Warehouse movements and infrastructure damage increased without zone selection. Technology-illiterate warehouse workers slowed operations. The study offers zone picking, warehouse training, and warehouse system integration and automation to address these difficulties. South African industrial firms should strengthen warehouse management systems, according to this study. These organizations can enhance operational efficiency, save money, and compete globally with the suggested changes. Zone picking, warehouse system integration, and worker technical training can alleviate challenges and provide companies an edge. This study highlights warehouse management's often overlooked significance in manufacturing competitiveness. International organizations can do better by studying warehouse management system problems and solutions. Practical warehouse management advice from this study increases South African industry competitiveness.

This research offers a comprehensive examination of immigrant entrepreneurship within Eastern Cape Province towns, with a specific focus on Sterkspruit and Aliwal-North The purpose of this was to investigate the opportunities and challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs within towns in the Eastern Cape Province. The qualitative research approach which followed a phenomenological research philosophy was adopted. The non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to select 10 immigrant entrepreneurs. Thereafter, in-depth interviews were employed in gathering primary data from the selected sample which is African and Asian immigrant entrepreneurs operating in the selected towns (Aliwal-North and Sterkspruit) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The results of the study indicate that immigrant entrepreneurs enjoy some opportunities and also are faced with challenges in doing business in these towns. The results furthermore indicate that immigrant entrepreneurs know the causes of their challenges as they explain them. The results also indicate the possible ways the challenges can be managed or overcome. The study, therefore, concluded that some of the opportunities and challenges identified by the interviewed participants were of South African government policies and regulations. It was therefore recommended that as a way of improving the handling of business engagement, immigrant entrepreneurs attend business workshops and exposes.  

Designing tailored services is critical to enhancing client satisfaction for private and public services such as road traffic. Among the factors associated with car accidents are traffic violations of established rules and regulations. Indeed, driving skills and practice have become crucial in a complex and dynamic road environment. The study’s objective was to advise traffic department managers on how to customize their service for drivers regarding their experience. A questionnaire assessing their expectations and perceived performance with regard to six traffic service quality dimensions, namely tangibility, reliability, promptitude, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, was self-administered to 886 motorists chosen using a simple random sampling technique in the Philippines and South Africa. Data collected were analyzed using ANOVA and Post Hoc Tuckey HSD. Results indicate that less experienced drivers had a better appreciation of traffic service quality provided by traffic departments and officers. Therefore, more focus should be placed on experienced drivers to raise their level of satisfaction.

This paper systematically reviews literature with the aim of conceptualizing a change management framework for the effective use of the Examination Administration System (EAS). Information systems (IS) change management factors in the implementation and the post-implementation phases are systematically reviewed to identify 37 reports between 2015 and 2023 and content was analyzed. Post-acceptance phase poses many challenges that often result in resistance from the user community thus relinquishing the expected gains. This paper explains change management factors in the post-implementation phase of information systems as they are not adequately addressed in existing literature. The conceptualization of the change management framework draws on the integration of the Unified Theory of Acceptance, Use of Technology and Effective Use Theory and nine change management factors as facilitating conditions. The paper concludes that effective use of EAS is realized through change management factors (i.e., user training, top management support activities, information flow, planning EAS as a change, change shared vision, performance measurement, user involvement and change recognition, user satisfaction and effective communication). This study further adds the indirect mechanisms (i.e., technology use and IS adaptive use) through which the change management factors can impact effective use. The study provides a useful guide to the practitioners and researchers to explain the change management strategies for the effective use of information systems and improve it. This paper also proposes that future studies adapt and/or empirically test conceptual change management apparatus for effective use to ascertain its validity within various contexts.

In South Africa, like many developing countries, procurement is seen and used as a strategic tool to promote socioeconomic development, including the promotion of competition, among other objectives. The South African commuter bus industry is structured to procure – through competitive tendering – SMMEs within the industry’s mainstream. These contracts are subsidized by the government – their origins date back to the 1940s – to ease the financial burden on black African communities. However, since its establishment, some challenges are hindering the effective procurement of these services, thus affecting the provision of these services. This paper highlights the challenges faced by Gauteng Province in the procurement of subsidised commuter services. The paper employs a mixed-methods research approach, and the research instrument was a face-to-face semi-structured interview questionnaire. Based on the findings of the study, Gauteng commuter bus industry operations are challenged with poor policy implementation, a lack of funds to support the industry’s operational needs, and a deficiency in administrative skills, among other challenges. The paper recommends that the Gauteng government revisit the guiding policies for the establishment of the industry and employ the best procurement practice(s) for this industry, considering the complex nature of South Africa (being influenced by the apartheid era and the government is faced with maintaining a balance between the blacks and the whites among citizens).

Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have an important role to play in promoting sustainable development and social responsibility in their communities. In the eThekwini Municipality of South Africa, there are many opportunities for SMEs to engage in social responsibility activities. A validation approach can be used to assess the effectiveness of these activities and ensure that they are meeting the needs of the community. This study sought to investigate the Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in eThekwini municipality in South Africa. Data collection from 210 small business owners or managers in the eThekwini Municipality revealed a significant relationship between community involvement, environmental awareness, and community upliftment in the quest to build long-term relationships with communities.  The primary objective for the study was to determine and establish the CSR activities of SMEs in the eThekwini Municipality.

Various studies have been carried out to establish the key drivers impacting small enterprise sustainable performance in developing countries. Despite many policy-oriented studies to uncover the factors influencing SME resilience in emerging markets, these firms continue to register high failure rate, which has been further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Guided by a history of linear- and log-linear econometric model estimation that ignores potential network effects, our study extends the literature by implicating SMME resilience as a production network. Utilising data from both incubated and non-incubated SMMEs, marking a departure from traditional linear econometric models, radial basis function artificial neural network algorithm was invoked to establish the drivers of SMME resilience during Covid-19 regime. The study extends the literature by implicating eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) methods. Specifically, optimal SHapley Additive Explanations values (SHAP values) were computed to enhance the prediction output from the machine learning algorithm. The XAI analytics provide insightful findings on the key drivers which influenced the resilience of SMMEs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The importance of innovation through introduction of new products, company age and higher number of marketing mediums is confirmed however total assets, analytics, educational level and number of workers surfaced as a threat to these enterprises’ sustainable performance. The study recommends that both the government and SMEs should leverage XAI to identify their heterogeneous attributes and inform intelligent decision-making which necessities their resilient performance.

The article evaluates stakeholders’ perceptions of the functionality and sustainability of selected industrial development zones (IDZs) in South Africa, including the COEGA IDZ, the country’s largest, and the East London IDZ, the country’s most productive. The study followed a qualitative research design with structured interviews with IDZ stakeholders in the Eastern and Western Cape. The findings lean towards relatively positive perceptions but highlighted the need for more government support to ensure sustainable economic contributions. Challenges such as limited electricity supply (load shedding), lack of public service delivery, and inadequate government management must be addressed for the sustainability of existing IDZs and the establishment of new ones. The study also raises concerns about IDZs’ links to local businesses and their ability to meet local community needs through employment opportunities. The findings provide valuable insights into IDZs in a developing country, serving as a basis to enhance industrialisation in Africa through the efficient management of such zones.

The study sought to investigate the effect of foreign aid and capital flow on real economic growth for the SADC region. Eleven member states of the SADC region are selected for analysis based on data availability. In the study, foreign aid is represented by official development assistance (ODA), external debt (EXTD), and debt service cost (DSC) while the inflow of foreign direct investment represents capital flow (FDI). Annual percentage growth of per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDPpc) is used as a proxy of real economic growth. Trade balance (TRO) is included in the model regression as a control variable. The study employed panel econometric models.  The results of panel ARDL indicate that ODA and FDI were found to have a negligible effect on real growth in the short run but contribute positively and significantly in the long run. This revelation supports the view that ODA and FDI are essential determinants of growth. On the other hand, EXTD together with its associated costs was found to have a detrimental effect both in the short run and long run. Based on the results of the study, the authors put forward the following policy recommendations for the SADC region: most importantly, there ought to be effective management of external debt by SADC countries to reduce their overdependency on external debt for their domestic needs. Given the positive effect of FDI in the region, the SADC region needs to intensify its efforts in devising measures that will attract foreign investors to the region which among others include pursuing inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Lastly, there is a need for effective management and official development aid to ensure sustainable growth.

Africa is experiencing rapid urbanization, making it one of the most urbanized continents in the world. This trend is particularly evident in the Southern African regional block. With the ongoing push for enhanced regional integration, it is anticipated that there would be a rise in the migration of individuals within the region. The escalating pace of urbanization calls for a reassessment of future cities and the implications of the rural-urban split on the establishment of sustainable human settlements. This article initially analyzes the patterns of migration within the Southern Africa Development Community. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the factors that contribute to the significant internal migration inside member states. Furthermore, the article examines the connection between migration and urbanization in the region once again. The article employs qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine the consequences of migration and urbanization on both the locations from which people migrate and the areas where they settle. The primary factors contributing to migration include the pursuit of economic opportunity, political instability, access to education, and climate-induced disasters. Migration and urbanization have both gotten worse in the SADC region at the same time, as shown by empirical literature, official migration documents, and quantitative time series data from the World Development Indicators. This suggests that migration causes more people to move to cities. The rise in population has led to inadequate housing, resulting in an increase in slums that surpasses the projected capacity of cities. This article suggests promoting infrastructure development that facilitates employment creation in the nations or districts of origin in order to prevent a one-way movement of migrants. Consequently, a rise in job prospects, salaries, and health conditions will result in a reduction in migration rates and alleviate the strain on numerous cities in the area.

The article aims to promote financial literacy among youngsters from low-income backgrounds, encouraging them to engage in cost-effective investments that will enable them to accumulate wealth in the future. The article outlines a novel approach in life skills that entails shifting away from relying on uncertain grants and supports. Instead, it proposes utilizing a straightforward and practical mathematical model to generate money starting from a young age. The authors demonstrate that by utilizing a highly efficient investing option, young children have the ability to generate substantial wealth. To exemplify, we demonstrate the suggested methodology utilizing sequences and summations. Our method/proposal facilitates the enhancement of boundless wealth generation by enabling those who can invest more than the minimum requirement to accumulate greater wealth. The efficacy assessment of the new method is validated through the computation of the smallest investment, which is merely symbolic, yet yields boundless financial outcomes. The study findings, which have the potential to enhance governmental decision-making, can also be utilized for personal betterment. This work is innovative as it presents an alternative approach that imparts discipline, consistency, and honesty. It allows individuals to easily adopt the model with appropriate adjustments, hence facilitating the creation of wealth.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a new phase of company operations. The advent of digital transformation (DT) has fundamentally transformed the global business landscape. Despite the global prevalence of this phenomenon, there is limited understanding of digital transformation (DT) in the context of COVID-19 and its impact on private sector organizations in developing nations. This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on the process of digital transformation in privately owned companies located in underdeveloped nations. To accomplish this objective, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA (2020) principles, resulting in a selection of 26 studies. This study employs an inductive methodology, where pertinent topics are identified as they arise from the literature throughout the analysis stage. The technology-organization-environment framework (TOE) was subsequently employed to provide a contextual framework for these issues. The research findings suggest that the presence of resources, both financial and technological, is a crucial determinant in the adoption of digital transformation. The adoption of DT has been significantly influenced by various factors, including the role of governments, competitive forces, security, and other relevant considerations. Although organizations in underdeveloped nations encountered numerous hurdles, it was found that digital transformation progressed rapidly in all areas. Companies underwent substantial transformations to embrace digital transformation (DT), including the use of digital business models to facilitate remote operations and heightened investment in education, skills, and innovative digital tactics. Given the recent emergence of COVID-19, there remain numerous uncertainties regarding the enduring impacts that COVID-19 has had on organizations.

Curriculum transformation in South African universities strives to revive disadvantaged communities to change existing Eurocentric and Westernized curriculums to be Afrocentric.  However, there are debates on whether there should be the adoption of fully Africanized curriculums or infusing African values into the Eurocentric epistemologies. The study sought to bring out the roles of entrepreneurial skills in curriculum transformation in one university in the Eastern Cape. The study adopted a qualitative approach, where university students and lecturers were the key informants. To collect data interviews were used where the interview schedule is attached. It was found that universities are challenged by organizational culture, lack of resources, the existence of colonial systems, and a colonial-caged mentality. The paper illustrated that decolonizing curriculums is useful in resource-constrained institutions if resources are pumped in and if the curriculum transformation works in an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Therefore, the university should invest more resources into the curriculum transformation and African and European epistemology should be fused to come up with strong and vibrant knowledge that will positively change societies. Additionally, for a university entrepreneurship ecosystem, there should be staff empowerment on entrepreneurship education in the curriculum across disciplines. 

Financial literacy (FL) is a crucial skill set that police officers must possess, particularly in managing their funds during their tenure in the police force and as they approach retirement from their service. The extent of an individual's FL will directly impact the extent of their financial planning knowledge and budgeting abilities required as a police officer, commencing from the initial stages of their career. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the level of FL within the police force, with a particular emphasis on the factors of financial knowledge, attitude, and behaviour. The study employed a simple random sampling technique to gather data from a sample of 68 law enforcement employees stationed in Vosman and Klipfointein. The data was acquired through survey questionnaires. The data were descriptively analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of the study suggest that police officers often possess low to moderate levels of FL. However, there is a positive correlation observed between the variables under investigation. The recommendation proposes that the government should implement ongoing training and short-term interventions focused on FL, with a particular emphasis on tailoring these initiatives to individuals' income levels and lifestyles. This study utilized intervention and transformational learning theory to support law enforcement professionals in enhancing their financial planning both prior to and following their employment, by means of financial education.

The demands of raising education at a classroom level to international standards require a nuanced analytical lens involving multiple perspectives to contribute to the best practices. Most classroom research adopts a singular perspective, usually from researchers who are familiar with the nuances of the classroom context under study. In other words, published studies involving classroom observations are often analyzed by insiders who already have the insight to understand the situated dynamics of the classroom interactions they analyze. While this is an important analytical orientation, this stance may overlook important insights about teaching and learning that outsiders’ perspectives may be able to identify. The study employed a qualitative approach. Which was guided by the dialogic interactive theory. The methodological approach in Japan was face-to-face semi-structured interviews while in the South African context, virtual data generation methods were employed to interview teachers on the classroom interactions with students. The study population was English students, while in South Africa it was health course teachers who taught students from various health professions. A total of eight teachers were purposively recruited in South Africa with one student participant in Japan. Findings revealed similarities and differences in dialogic interactions and the interpretation of such interactions. Participants from both contexts had deliberate silence and reluctance to speak which was interpreted differently by the teachers, and lack of reciprocal and purposive engagements by students. Based on the dialogic interactive theory, it can be concluded that the aspirations to achieve an inclusive quality of education can best be achieved when teachers are transparent about the expected interactions for all the tenets of the dialogic theory to be achieved. It is therefore recommended that broader conversations about the analysis of situated dynamics of classroom interaction be encouraged to yield critical insights for education towards the attainment of inclusive quality education.