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The paper focuses on a scantly researched phenomenon, namely, the extent to which financial inclusion is influenced by corporate governance practices. The question that normally arises is whether corporate governance practices are tailored to supporting the financial inclusion mandate. The other question is whether there are certain corporate governance practices that advance financial inclusion. This paper reviews extant empirical literature on these matters with a view of stimulating debate on the subject. Cognisant that institutions that advance financial inclusion are largely financial institutions, the starting point is relating to contemporary corporate governance practice in financial institutions. We know that financial institutions belong to a specific class of corporations whose failure affects society at large because of the financial services they provide. As a result, they are heavily regulated and their corporate governance structures are bound to differ from those of conventional firms. Similarly, we know that financial inclusion institutions are special types of financial institutions with mandates to provide financial services to underserved population segments which equally require special treatment. The scant literature available shows, albeit not conclusive, some evidence of a positive relationship between sound corporate governance and financial inclusion. However, more research on how corporate governance affects different dimensions of financial inclusion is recommended.

The paper seeks to highlight the challenges faced by women street vendors in Zimbabwe. The paper provides an overview of the brutal attitudes displayed toward women and young girl vendors by law enforcement agencies in Zimbabwe. Street vending is an important source of income for the poor in the developing world. Street vending activities contribute to the livelihoods of millions of people and to national wellbeing at large, especially in developing countries. Secondary sources including journals, newspapers and online news articles were used in the compilation of this study. These sources were analysed for any insights into women street vendors’ socio-economic status, police treatment of street vendors and working conditions. Street vendors experience arbitrary arrests, harassment, and confiscation of their wares and the government continues to move them out of the town and cities structures despite the unavailability of alternative accommodation. is a need for the government of Zimbabwe to see economic and social rights as a priority and the government should also protect women and girls from police brutality. Without the state’s protection, women and young girls who ply their trade in the street will remain in a state of harassment, beatings and arbitrary arrest by the police.

In recent years, scholars have begun to dedicate their attention to destructive relationships as a critical component of organizational life. Prior research has approached it from various points of view, such as trust and partnering, project management, and relational coordination. The purpose of this research is to explore organizational level antecedents of value co-destruction in Lisbon, Portugal within the hospitality sector. The research was quantitative in nature, adopting the survey method. To measure the proposed hypotheses, a unique conceptual model was developed with leadership support, supportive organizational climate, value co-destruction, and commitment to value co-creation as constructs. Data was collected from the hospitality sector of Lisbon, Portugal where 600 responses were obtained for analysis. All participants were employees from the hospitality sector. Key findings revealed that leadership support was dominant in comparison to the other constructs based on how high it loaded as a factor. In addition, a high perception of a supportive organizational climate among service employees will result in a low occurrence of value co-destruction in their organization. Further research direction on the subject is proposed.

The purpose of this article was to assess the impact of financial market liquidity on international capital flows in emerging markets. Specifically, the research investigates the effect of bond market liquidity and stock market liquidity on foreign portfolio investments using data for five emerging African countries, being Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa, for the period 2000 to 2020. The data was sourced from the Bloomberg and World Bank (WDI) databases. Panel data analysis (fixed effects model) was undertaken using three different liquidity measures: the effective spread; Amihud’s (2002) illiquidity measure; and market impact as measured by trading volume. Our findings revealed mixed results. It was found that stock market liquidity attracted foreign portfolio investments. Although bond market liquidity, as measured by the volume of trade, promoted foreign portfolio investment, it was different for the effective spread, as the higher the effective spread, the higher the inward FPI flows, and vice versa. Results on the effects of the bond effective spread on FPI show that as long as the bonds are above the investable grade, investors are not discouraged by the cost of trading. Our findings thus confirm that FPI inflows are predisposed on liquid and efficient host country financial markets. Further, the entrance of foreign investors in the host country’s domestic financial markets, leads to the enhancing of liquidity in the local market, thus increasing risk sharing between local and foreign investors.

No organisation is ever static. For several reasons, each organisation reviews its aims and objectives from time to time. These reasons may be internally or externally driven. They could also be politically, economically and or socially motivated. Research has established that most of the attempts at bringing about change are based on the needs of employees and customers. Essentially, for the purposes of better management of employees and customers, human resource information systems (HRIS) are touted as the panacea for effective and efficient health sector service delivery. Focusing on South Africa, this paper used the descriptive literature review method to determine HRIS adoption issues within the health sector of South Africa. As an important sector in any growing economy, the health sector in our view benefits from a constant review of its mission. Within the context of South Africa, substantial emphasis is yet to be placed on health sector effectiveness. Elsewhere, in other regions and continents, research on HRIS adoption within the health sector suggests that its adoption is problematic but useful. The South African health sector is yet to fully embrace this technology and as a result is suffering from employee dissatisfaction, brain drain, and general maladministration. Investment in HRIS research is therefore instructive especially within the context of South Africa. What we have found through this review is that investing in HRIS is crucial; however, it requires thorough consideration for its funding, infrastructural support, and skilled manpower among others.

The internet and online space have created numerous platforms for users to communicate and interact, where each platform provides access to different sources of information. The purpose of the study was to investigate the online ideal self and its influence on brand attitude and attachment towards consumer purchase intention. A unique conceptual model was developed to test the proposed hypotheses of the study. Social media is one of the leading communication platforms that have emerged in the online space. Social media allows consumers and brands to interact in an informal manner from anywhere in the world. The study adopted a quantitative approach utilizing the survey method. Data was collected from 300 consumers. The data was then processed in SPSS 24 for descriptive statistics and AMOS 24 for hypotheses testing. A key finding suggests that social media consumers’ attachment is considerably dependent on their attitudes towards those brands. Brands can use social media to receive real-time feedback from customers as well as track this feedback. Implications emerged from the findings and further research direction is proposed.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) migrated to inflation targeting in 2000 and has since embarked on a trajectory of transparency. This has taken the shape of releasing Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements other forms of communication. This paper examines SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment between 2000 and 2021 using the Besigye-Segawa’s TextBlob polarity and subjectivity calculator which measures central bank communication tone and sentiment using the Loughran-McDonald dictionary’s word classification to gauge polarity and subjectivity. The study goes on to explore causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on inflation expectation results from the Bureau of Economic (BER) results survey. The systematic analysis shows a causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on succeeding BER’s inflation expectations results therein justifying the need for effective communication as SARB’s MPC communications’ polarity and subjectivity ultimately have a causal effect on inflation expectations. therein justifying the need for effective communication. As central bank tone and sentiment studies are only emerging in many emerging and frontier markets, this study lays a foundation for future exploration of effects of central bank communication on the expectations channel.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the suitable arbitrage-free term-structure model that might be able to fit the South African inflation-indexed spot-rate curve. The instrument has relatively less tradability in the market, which then translates into a lack of adequate data for bond valuation/pricing. Pricing deviations might give inflated/deflated projections on the value of government debt; consequently, higher estimated interest cost to be paid. A proper valuation of these instruments is mandatory as they form part of government funding/borrowing and the country’s budgeting processes in the medium term. The performance of newly developed non-linear multifactor models that follows the Nelson-Siegel (1987) framework was compared to the arbitrage-free Vasicek (1977) model and linear parametric models to assess any significant deviations in forecasting the real spot-rate curve over a short period. Models with constant parameters (i.e. linear parametric, cubic splines, Nelson-Siegel (1987) and Svensson (1994)) gave a perfect fit, they proved to marginally lose fitting capabilities during periods of higher volatility. Therefore, it could be concluded that the application of either Nelson-Siegel (1987) model or Svensson (1994) model on forecasting South African real spot-rate curve gave a perfect fit. However, for a solid conclusion to be derived, it is imperative to explore the performance of these models over a period of stressed market and economic conditions.

Averting the risk of falling short on the expected profitability of a bank requires the knowledge of the underlying determinants. Knowledge of long-run underlying determinants of profitability assists banks in comprehensive planning. In this backdrop, the paper seeks to identify the long-term fundamental risk factors and their impacts on their profitability. The FM-OLS regression method is employed using annual data on the components of profitability as well as internal and external determinants of profitability of Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA) bank from 1998 to 2014. The study is particularly importance since bank-specific studies aimed at identifying long-run fundamental factors of profitability has not been given much attention in literature. Evidence from the study indicates that profitability of ABSA is cointegrated with its determinants. It is further observed that, with the exception of inflation and GDP, all the determinants have significant long-term impact on profitability. However, although size has significant impact on net interest margins, its impact on return on equity is insignificant. The results further suggest that capital and stock market capitalization pose risk to aggregate profitability of ABSA. It is therefore recommended that in future, ABSA should resort to optimal equity financing to maximize its expected profitability.

Corruption in public institutions is a significant problem that stifles economic, social and environmental development worldwide. This predominates when there is a lack of transparency, inadequate record-keeping, and low public accountability. Accordingly, the questions this paper intends to provide answers to are two-fold. Firstly, what are the recurring patterns of procurement corruption in the South Africa (SA) public sector? Secondly, how can digital technology deployment assist in checking this trend? The desktop method was adopted through literature examination of studies relating to corruption, procurement, blockchain and digitization. We conclude by proposing a model/framework for adopting and using blockchain technology in public institutions to minimise corruption and the time taken for contract document preparation and acceptance. This study contributed to knowledge by evaluating the issues associated with public procurement and how blockchain and digitization can be adopted to help stern the tide of corruption in public institutions.

The purpose of the study is aimed at determining the financial socialisation of accounting students at South African universities and the factors that influence financial socialisation. The research used statistical techniques such as the structural equation modelling methodology to identify financial socialisation influencers and regression analysis to analyse associations between financial socialisation and socio-demographic variables among 1582 students. The study's results indicate that financial socialisation agents such as relatives, friends, and social media have little impact on most students' financial decisions. The majority of accounting students are often found to be financially socialised by their immediate family members rather than peers or social media factors. The regression analysis results confirmed this observation, revealing a statistically significant association between the parents' level of education and the students' financial socialisation. This study recommends that financial socialisation can be greatly improved by raising parents' educational levels and instilling financial education in university students' curricula, especially in South Africa.

Globally, digital disruption has accelerated in the last few years. It is argued that this technological revolution would fundamentally alter our interactions with one another, our work, and our lives. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can blur the boundaries between the physical and biological worlds. Although the extent of the effect is unclear, many anticipate massive changes in the economic and educational spheres. Given the close relationship between the economy and the drivers of entrepreneurship in universities, the survival of entrepreneurial universities remains contingent on the influence and preparedness of the 4IR. This review aimed to ascertain South African entrepreneurial universities’ readiness for the 4IR. Systematic literature analysis was adopted for this study; it draws on journal articles, books as wells as online publications relating to disruptive innovation, entrepreneurial universities, and 4IR. The paper argues that there is a need for a radical overhaul of the current curriculum, as retraining lecturers to prepare for 4IR disruptions.

The higher education sector has evolved over the past decade due to the ever-changing needs of students who are its primary customers. As a result, most students have to deal with unmet expectations which subsequently lead to service failure. Even though service failure cannot be eliminated, higher education institutions are expected to provide an effective complaints management system to resolve student problems and service failure incidents. This study analyzed service failure and complaints management in higher education institutions. A quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was undertaken using 430 full-time students across three public universities in South Africa. The findings of this study showed that students encounter various forms of service failures in institutions of higher learning with the majority experiencing service failures in respect of funding and academic registration. Also, most of the students were generally satisfied with the complaints management system. Thus, this study can help institutional managers to understand service failure incidents confronting the sector. Furthermore, the study provides an opportunity for institutional managers to assess the effectiveness of the complaints management system and make improvements to ensure a better student experience

This study is motivated by threats faced by Somalia and other countries in fighting terrorism. Although several studies have attempted to explain the rise and dynamics of terrorism groups particularly al-Shabaab, this work is predicated more on how the terrorist activities threaten Africa and beyond informed by how these operations are sustained. This study aims to investigate threats to the continent and beyond by Al-Shabab and Fundamental Terrorism in Somalia.  In this study, a content analysis was used on quantitative and qualitative data obtained from publicly available datasets and secondary sources of research work on terrorism. The main contribution of this study is that, terrorism by the al-Shabaab is highly organized and that by skirting direct combat, the group has the potential for sustained fighting episodes despite waged campaigns to deter its spread. This is exacerbated by the reluctance to deploy many infantry forces from conventional armies to deal with the situation. The study may be useful to policymakers, terrorism experts, and scholars in accelerating measures of counter-terrorism.  

Since independence, Burundi has endured civil war episodes, five successful and two unsuccessful coup d’états. The instability resulted in the collapse of the economy despite the consummation of the Arusha Agreement. This study moves away from the propensity to only view the security challenges as pitting Tutsis and Hutus.  Such an analytical tendency generates distortions. This study was qualitative and employed a systematic review research methodology in identifying relevant texts. Document analysis was then used to interpret meaning from documents giving them voice over the study area. The main findings were hinged on conflict causes, key assumptions, violence and instability in the past, impunity and governance, the approach to political realism, truth and reconciliation constraints. This study concludes that although power-sharing could be a necessary move as a measure of building confidence, sharing power is not an adequate condition for sustainable development and peace.

This research empirically investigates consumers’ perception of real-time marketing as a marketing tool that is increasingly being used by businesses. Based on the review of literature, the paper aims to delve into real-time marketing and explore the elements of real-time marketing that influence consumers' perception of RTM campaigns. This study adopted a quantitative methodology. A total of 201 consumers completed an online survey in Gauteng, South Africa. To identify underlying factors that influence the consumer's perception of various real-time marketing campaigns, exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Descriptive statistic was used to provide a further summary of the basic characteristics of the sample. The research findings indicate that consumers value real-time marketing communication campaigns that offer value. Consumers' perception of value includes any real-time marketing campaign that offers some financial gain in the form of immediate and personalized discounts. This research provides retailers with a greater understanding of what consumers perceive as valuable and what they regard as clutter when it comes to real-time marketing campaigns

<p>The key to long-term success in banking is consistent improvement and delivering of quality product and or value-added service that conform to the expectations of customers. IT-innovative products/services and processes (technological innovation) facilitate these key elements of customer satisfaction and critical factors for retaining valued customers. The objective of this paper is to explore the effects of technological innovation on service consistency and the consequential effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty covering seven universal banks in Ghana. The results of the empirically tested model reveal new/improved product/process functionalities, service consistency and innovative product/process satisfaction contribute significantly to customer loyalty (<em>p < 0.001</em>). Service consistency has a marginal higher impact (<em>β </em>= .373) on customer loyalty than the others. Product/process quality contributes significantly (with <em>β</em> ranging from .345 to .742 and <em>p < 0.001</em>) to each of the above three antecedents than all other items.</p>

This paper investigates the administrative and managerial pattern on the Road to Health Chart (RtHC) among clinics in the Makhado municipality. Retrospective observations of the processes of recordings the nurses performed on the RtHC (?=36) were carried out to collect data. A checklist was used to aid the observations. Furthermore, face-to-face interviews were administered on participant nurses in collaboration with document review. The results of this paper revealed considerable omissions on the administration and management of the RtHC instrument. Crucial information was also incorrectly recorded while some was never recorded at all. Clinic managers should continuously monitor the nurses on the administration and management of the RtHC to ensure quality.

This paper investigates constraints and complexities affecting entrepreneurial and Agri-business small-scale communal cattle farming success and sustainability in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The respondent entrepreneur farmers were randomly selected (n=55) amongst 183 other farmers for primary data collection. A semi-structured cross-language (English-Tshivenda) questionnaire was employed to gather the data. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were also employed. The results of this paper revealed that the entrepreneur farmers’ formal school educational levels and basic literacy skills in addition; subtraction; multiplication and division were reasonably higher while technological skills in farm risk management and production, and managerial competence in business financial skills; budgeting and marketing were low amongst the farmers. Government extension service could be employed to improve some of these deficient skills through skills training programmes for the farmers. Institutions of higher learning such as the University of Venda and Madzivhandila Agricultural College could be utilized for the trainings. 

Since Sub-Saharan Africa's first independence in Ghana, the region has experienced massive and costly political and bureaucratic corruption within public service and administration. The causes of the corruption, its nature and form are wide and intertwined. In Sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to curb corruption have failed to discard it. The paper focused on the period from Nkruma in Ghana to Mutharika the 2nd in Malawi. This paper reviewed existing literature on political and bureaucratic corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa while on the other hand the paper employed key informant interviews to gather the required data to investigate, analyse and profile the genesis and evolution of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa. The key informant interviews were employed to solicit public views and opinion from nineteen key informant participants (n=19) selected from 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper found that corruption is legendary; has entrenched itself to becoming some sort of culture in the region, and has become the most difficult socio-economic challenge to resolve in the region despite the various anti-corruption efforts employed by stakeholders to curb it. It emerged through the study that law-enforcement efforts against corruption need some reinforcement in order to be effective and eficient in uprooting corruption in the region. If Sub-Saharan Africa fails to address its corruption challenge, its development prospects would seriously curtailed.