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This study investigated the factors influencing consumer repurchase intentions of beauty and haircare products on e-commerce platforms in South Africa. With the growing trend of online shopping, understanding the determinants of repurchase intention became essential for businesses looking to retain customers. The purpose of the study was to explore how various factors such as brand trust, security risk perception, ease of use, customer readiness, and loyalty impact consumer repurchase behaviour. A quantitative research design was employed, using an online questionnaire to collect data from 164 respondents who had previously purchased beauty and haircare products on an online shopping site for cosmetics in South Africa. The study utilised multiple regression analysis to assess the relationships among the identified factors and their influence on repurchase intentions. The findings revealed that brand trust, ease of use, and customer loyalty were significant positive predictors of repurchase intentions, while security risk perception had a negative impact. Readiness did not show a significant relationship with repurchase intentions. Based on these results, the study recommends that e-commerce businesses in the beauty sector focus on building trust, enhancing user-friendly interfaces, and fostering customer loyalty programs to encourage repeat purchases.  

A collage of environmental challenges in South Africa have stimulated the growing interest for greener practices. Notwithstanding the generic antecedents of green practices in the existing literature, little is known if water and energy consumption matter to investors who are going green. Thus, we seek to investigate if water and energy consumption influences investors’ green practices in South Africa. We adopt a positivist stance and employ a quantitative research approach to achieve the set objective. We draw archival data from companies that constitute the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index given their environmental impact. We generate a short panel data set of 19 FTSE/JSE RII companies with a six-year period resulting in 114 observations to statistically conduct the analysis. Given stationarity of all endogenous variables at I(1), we adopt first differenced econometric models namely Panel Vector Autoregression Model (PVAR) for Random Effects Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression and Random Effects Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) to generate more robust results generalisable to the entire population. We find a statistically significant negative effect of water and energy consumption on investor share ownership. Thus, we posit that corporate water and energy consumption may not be the primary antecedents of investors’ sustainability practices in South Africa. This paper agitates for future research studies to pursue the same enquiry using sustainability variables other than water and energy consumption.

This paper aims to examine the effects of public sector procurement practices on public sector service delivery in Ghana’s technical universities, while also assessing the influence of institutional leadership and stakeholder pressure as mediating mechanisms within this relationship. In this paper, it is also aimed to evaluate how internal governance conditions shape the effectiveness of procurement reforms in higher education institutions. The study employed the positivist research paradigm, a quantitative research approach and an explanatory research design, using structural equation modelling (SEM) to validate the measurement model and test the structural relationships. Primary data were collected from 235 staff across selected technical universities through a simple random sampling technique using a structured questionnaire. The main findings demonstrate that: (i) procurement practices do not have a significant direct effect on service delivery, indicating that technical interventions alone are insufficient to drive performance improvements; (ii) institutional leadership exerts a strong and positive influence on service delivery, highlighting the importance of strategic direction, governance competence and managerial oversight in shaping public sector outcomes; and finally, (iii) stakeholder pressure substantially enhances service delivery and serves as a critical channel through which procurement practices exert their influence. The results further reveal that both institutional leadership and stakeholder pressure significantly mediate the relationship between procurement practices and service delivery, suggesting that procurement reforms achieve their intended outcomes only when supported by robust institutional environments. These findings provide practical insights for policymakers and higher education managers, emphasising the need for governance-focused interventions alongside procurement reforms to achieve sustainable improvements in service delivery within Ghana’s technical universities.

This study aims to assess the public sector procurement practices implemented in technical universities in Ghana and to examine their influence on public sector service delivery within these institutions. Guided by a positivist philosophy, the study employed a quantitative research approach and an explanatory research design to test the hypothesised relationship between procurement practices and service delivery outcomes. The study employed the positivist research paradigm, a quantitative research approach, an explanatory research design and structural equation modelling (SEM) to validate the measurement model and test the structural relationships. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 235 employees across management, procurement, finance, stores and audit departments in three technical universities, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Sunyani through the help of simple random sampling technique. Using SmartPLS and structural equation modelling, the study evaluated the reliability and validity of the measurement model, assessed model fit and estimated the structural relationships between variables. The main findings demonstrate that (i) public sector procurement practices are implemented at a moderate level across the technical universities, with higher performance in supplier evaluation, contract negotiation and payment processing, (ii) procurement practices did not significantly influence service delivery, despite a positive but statistically insignificant path coefficient, indicating that procurement alone may not be a strong driver of service delivery outcomes within the higher education context, and (iii) the factors affecting service delivery in technical universities may be broader and more complex, potentially involving governance structures, resource availability, institutional capacity and administrative efficiency. These results contribute new empirical evidence to the procurement literature by highlighting sector-specific dynamics in higher education and suggest the need for more integrated institutional reforms, enhanced procurement monitoring and further research exploring mediating and moderating variables that may influence service delivery performance in Ghana’s technical universities.

This study examined the effect of entertainment benefits on the confirmation of application-based loyalty programmes among retail consumers in township markets. A positivist philosophy and mono-quantitative design were adopted. Using a survey, data were collected from 516 Black consumers aged 18-65 years who used at least one retail application-based loyalty programme. Respondents were selected through simple random sampling, and validated measurement scales were adapted to the study context. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationship, with education, gender, age and income included as control variables. The findings indicate that entertainment benefits have a statistically significant, positive but modest effect on confirmation, while none of the control variables are statistically significant. From a theoretical perspective, a business ecosystem lens conceptualises entertainment benefits as engagement mechanisms within digital interaction platforms embedded in township retail ecosystems. These mechanisms shape post-adoption evaluation in resource-constrained environments. The study contributes to the literature by isolating entertainment benefits as a hedonic determinant of confirmation, thereby extending prior research that has predominantly focused on utilitarian drivers. It also provides a focused re-examination of an existing doctoral thesis relationship between entertainment benefits and confirmation, offering a more granular understanding of hedonic value in post-adoption evaluation. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of integrating entertainment-driven features into application-based loyalty programme design to strengthen retailer-consumer engagement and enhance confirmation in emerging-market digital retail environments.

This article explores accountability and strategies to improve water service delivery in South African local municipalities, focusing on Bushbuckridge Local Municipality. Public officials often struggle to implement effective measures to ensure adequate water provision. Accountability in water delivery remains weak, with municipalities widely underperforming due to unqualified personnel, lack of technical expertise, corruption, and limited financial resources. These factors hinder municipalities’ ability to uphold Section 27 of the 1996 Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to clean water. Using a qualitative approach, the study reviews scholarly literature, government reports, and policy documents to assess performance and challenges. Findings reveal that mismanagement of municipal funds and employment of unqualified technical staff are key causes of poor water service delivery. The study also highlights that increasing water boreholes could reduce waterborne diseases and lower living costs for local residents. However, successful investment in borehole infrastructure requires parallel efforts to develop managerial and financial skills among community members and leaders of community-based organisations (CBOs). Strengthening collaboration between municipalities, CBOs, and communities is vital to enhance participation, promote accountability, and achieve sustainable water service delivery in Bushbuckridge and other South African municipalities.

Globally, small businesses are recognized as key contributors to employment creation and economic development, particularly within local and regional economies. In South Africa, Small to Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) play an important role in inclusive growth; however, their performance is often constrained by limited education levels and business skills among owners and managers. A quantitative research approach was employed, drawing on survey data collected from a random sample of 332 SMTE owners and managers operating within the province in order to understand the factors that contribute towards business performance. The findings underscore that the education levels and business-related competencies are significantly associated with improved business performance. Conversely, the findings demonstrate that deficiencies in managerial and operational skills negatively affect enterprise efficiency and growth potential. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of targeted skills development and education initiatives for SMTE owners and managers and underscores the role of government and support agencies in strengthening training programmes to enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of the tourism sector. Overall, the study makes a significant contribution to the under researched area of tourism entrepreneurship by demonstrating the critical role of human capital in strengthening SMTE performance within a developing economy context. The findings of the study lay a solid foundation for future interventions to enhance business performance within the small business sector. Moreover, this study provides a foundation for further research and longitudinal studies in the area of small business performance.

Organisations in emerging markets, particularly on the African continent, are transitioning from linear value chains towards complex platform ecosystems, and Generative Artificial Intelligence is accelerating this shift. GenAI introduces new skill demands, hybrid human-machine roles, and the need for adaptive continuous learning. In the African context, leaders must navigate this alongside infrastructural brittleness, institutional voids, and the need for contextually grounded governance. This study explored how senior leaders in an African financial institution make sense of and navigate GenAI-enabled transformation. The study adopted a qualitative, exploratory, and constructivist case design, involving the purposive sampling of seven senior leaders from a financial institution, who were interviewed. Data was thematically analysed. The findings reveal that in some African emerging economies, financial institutions face transformational challenges stemming from strategic misalignment, capability fragmentation, and tensions between global technological pressures and locally rooted ethical expectations. The study provides a contextually grounded account of how senior leaders in an African financial institution interpret GenAI-enabled transformation amid infrastructural fragility and institutional voids, guiding executives and policymakers in creating sustainable value within GenAI-driven digital ecosystems. The value-add of the article lies in challenging the applicability of canonical Western-centric models to African contexts and in advancing a contextually grounded understanding of leadership sensemaking.    

The challenges faced by university students in acquiring entrepreneurship skills, knowledge, and training necessitate consideration. This study identifies the profile and business information of student entrepreneurs, together with their skills and training requirements. The research is conducted from the viewpoint of an open distance and e-learning institution. A positivist philosophical approach was adopted, employing a quantitative survey design through an online questionnaire disseminated to students enrolled in four modules within an academic department. Descriptive statistics and contingency tables were employed to summarise the data and examine response patterns among various subgroups. Marketing, financial management, and business management are essential competencies and training requirements for entrepreneurs. They have obstacles in formalising their enterprises, possess constrained financial resources and training, and tax compliance constitutes a regulatory burden for small businesses. Entrepreneurship education programs must encompass a varied array of skills and training to guarantee business creation, growth, and sustainability. The research enhances comprehension of entrepreneurial competencies and training requirements. Insights are provided regarding entrepreneurial education and subsequent skills and training for students in entrepreneurship programs. An effective university entrepreneurship ecosystem cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset, promotes lifelong learning, and fosters innovation to meet the demands of the digital era.

Research conducted in vulnerable communities often generates valuable evidence, yet the findings do not always return to the communities, practitioners, or policymakers who could use them. This article critically examines the gap between research production, dissemination, and knowledge translation in studies involving vulnerable and marginalised communities. Using a structured desktop research design, the study reviewed academic literature, policy documents, institutional guidelines, and selected grey literature published between 2010 and 2025. A transparent search and selection process was applied across Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, ResearchGate, and institutional repositories. After screening and eligibility checks, 45 sources were retained for thematic synthesis. Data were charted using a structured extraction matrix and analysed through deductive and inductive thematic coding guided by the Knowledge-to-Action framework, Participatory Action Research, and Critical Theory. The synthesis shows that dissemination failures are produced through interlocking structural, ethical, and accessibility barriers. Academic incentive systems continue to reward journal publication more strongly than community engagement, while paywalls, technical language, digital exclusion, and limited policy-oriented formats constrain the use of findings. The review also shows that the ethical obligation to return findings is inconsistently operationalised, allowing extractive research practices to persist. Contemporary examples from South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa demonstrate that dissemination becomes more meaningful when it is dialogical, locally adapted, and embedded in partnerships from the beginning of a study. The article recommends early dissemination planning, institutional recognition of engagement work, stronger policy partnerships, and community-centred communication methods. Addressing the dissemination gap is essential for ethical, socially responsive, and impactful research.

This study explores how customer service influences consumer buying patterns among SMEs in East London, South Africa. SMEs are crucial to the local economy, yet many face challenges in retaining customers due to inconsistent service quality and limited resources. The research examines how service factors such as staff professionalism, communication, complaint handling, and responsiveness impact customer satisfaction, loyalty, and purchasing choices. Using the SERVQUAL model, Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory, and Relationship Marketing Theory, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data from 100 consumers who recently interacted with East London’s SMEs indicate that customer service is the top factor influencing purchasing decisions, surpassing price, product quality, and convenience. Friendly, helpful staff, strong after-sales support, and effective communication are key to fostering loyalty and repeat business. Although perceptions of service quality are generally positive, 25% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction due to delays, poor communication, and a lack of product knowledge. These issues underscore the need for targeted initiatives, including staff training, digital engagement, and loyalty programs. The study highlights the growing role of digital platforms in improving service delivery, especially for younger, tech-savvy consumers. Overall, the study recommends that SMEs should focus on regular training programs centered on customer engagement, product knowledge, and complaint handling. This will enhance service consistency and professionalism, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The head of departments in educational institutions is pivotal in bridging the gap between administrative directives and classroom realities. This study delves into the strategies adopted by Head of Departments (department heads) who are expected to balance their managerial responsibilities and teaching obligations, and sheds light on these strategies and the impact of this delicate balance on both their professional lives and the educational institutions they serve. An interpretive qualitative case study research approach was adopted to conduct this study in one South African university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants, and the data were analysed using narrative analysis. The study findings revealed many challenges, including time constraints, negative future career prospects, and the need to maintain teaching excellence and administrative efficiency. Despite these challenges, the research highlights several effective strategies adopted by department heads. These strategies encompass effective time management, task prioritisation, delegation, fostering a supportive work environment, and continuous professional development. The study highlights the importance of institutional support, professional development opportunities, and a conducive work environment to enable heads of departments to perform their functions effectively.

Job satisfaction is essential in hospitals for professional nurses to provide quality healthcare services. Job satisfaction of professional nurses contributes to their retention in public hospitals. This study assessed the job satisfaction of professional nurses in public hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A qualitative case study approach was utilised, collecting data through a combination of in-depth interviews with management and shop stewards, and focus group discussions with professional nurses across three public hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The interviews and focus group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data was analysed thematically. The following three themes emerged from the focus group discussions and interviews: passion for their jobs or profession, professional development opportunities, and a sense of appreciation and satisfaction that influenced professional nurses to continue working in public hospitals. The study further revealed that professional nurses were dissatisfied due to inadequate resources and working conditions, which prevented them from providing high-quality, comprehensive patient care. Job satisfaction is detrimental to staff retention and the provision of quality healthcare services in the South African public healthcare system. It is therefore essential that appropriate mechanisms are put in place to improve professional nurses' job satisfaction in public hospitals, as failure to do so will have a detrimental effect. Authorities should listen to and address professional nurses’ concerns to improve the quality of care in public hospitals.

How users perceive and respond to cybersecurity warning messages under cognitively demanding conditions can result in unintended cybersecurity failures. Digital banking environments can create cognitively demanding conditions, as users are required to make quick decisions while managing many other routine tasks. This can lead to cognitive overload and pressure to comply with cybersecurity warning messages. This study examined how cybersecurity messages are framed and how this framing could influence behavioural responses under cognitively demanding conditions. The study draws on behavioural and psychological perspectives, including the Cognitive Bias Theory, the Framing Effect, and the Cognitive Load Theory, offering critical insights into compliance cybersecurity behaviour. A quantitative survey was administered to 267 South African users in digital banking environments. Path analysis, an extension of multiple regression analysis, was used to examine the relationships among message framing, mental load, and familiarity bias, and how these factors influence behaviour, thereby impacting digital banking resilience. Findings showed that, for organisations in digital banking to be cybersecurity resilient, such resilience is largely shaped by message framing and cognitive processing load. This means message framing is a central behavioural mechanism that shapes behaviour and an organisation's overall cybersecurity posture. Similarly, mental load affects behaviour change, meaning that concerted cognitive pressures will influence users’ ability to engage with cybersecurity warnings. Familiarity bias was negatively associated with desired behaviour change, highlighting a risk of habitual reliance on familiar cybersecurity messages. The study contributes to ongoing cybersecurity research on aligning cybersecurity communication with users’ cognitive capacity, prompting institutions to rethink and redesign clear, cognitively efficient security messages that support decision-making under pressure.

Despite the rapid expansion of remote work, traditional human resource practices remain largely designed for office-based environments and are insufficiently aligned with the unique demands of remote work.  Furthermore, existing theoretical approaches do not clearly explain how HR practices can be systematically designed as organisational resources that mitigate remote work demands and enhance employee engagement and performance. This conceptual paper proposes a multi-dimensional framework to enhance employee engagement and performance in a remote work environment. Thes study seeks to bridge the gap in human resource practices by offering practices suitable for remote workers. Guided by the Job Demand-Resources model and the Ability, Motivation and Opportunity framework, this study employed a conceptual methodology that combined theory adaption and model-building. A systematic literature review using Boolean operators was conducted across Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Scopus.  Twenty-five peer-reviewed studies published 2020 and 2026 were identified and thematically analysed.  Furthermore, the review revealed five job demands: social isolation, blurred work-life balance, communication complexity, technological strain, and performance visibility.  Consequently, these job demands can be mitigated by implementing strategic human resources practices such as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, compensation, and work-life balance.  By proposing a human resource management framework that may enable efficient remote work practices, promote sustainable development and the evolving business ecosystem.  The framework contributes to SDG 3 and by promoting employee well-being and productive work practices. The study also offer useful information for business looking to create robust HRM plans that maintain worker performance and engagement is digitally connected business ecosystem.

The study explored the challenges faced by principals in implementing policies with a focus on the Policy on the South African Standard for Principalship. The implementation of policies globally and in South Africa has experienced a high rate of failure. The problem is that in many organisations' implementing policies, policy implementers are not concerned with challenges that employees face when implementing policies. This lack of focus on challenges has often resulted in policy implementation failure. This article focuses on the perceptions of principals regarding challenges they encounter in implementing policies using a qualitative approach. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with fifteen principals from schools in Mopani East district, Limpopo province, and used a qualitative inductive analysis. The study revealed that principals encounter challenges that are both systemic DBE-based (Department of Basic Education) and school-based. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education should focus on mediating the challenges using effective strategies to enhance the chances of policy success. 

Rural public service delivery is difficult due to poor healthcare, education, clean water, and infrastructure. In underdeveloped countries, resource limits and governance issues can impede progress. Old infrastructure, financial mismanagement, and governance challenges in King Sabata Dalindyebo hinder rural residents' access to electricity, water, and sanitation. The study assessed public service delivery, identified difficulties, and suggested sustainable improvements. This study uses service delivery theory to frame rural development in King Sabata Dalindyebo. The study conducted qualitative research to determine how rural local governments might improve public service delivery, concentrating on KSD. Due to case study approach, this study focuses on KSD. This study collected data using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling. Data was examined thematically. Electrification and infrastructure have improved, but unequal service distribution, illegal electrical connections, and a lack of long-term investment remain. Sustainable service delivery requires community involvement, but existing efforts to engage the community, especially vulnerable groups like youth, are insufficient. The paper advises increasing electrification funds and using renewable energy to fill service shortages. Stakeholder engagement and digital communication can improve public service delivery. This study adds to the literature by using a rural case from KSD Municipality to demonstrate how local governance flaws, uneven electrification, and narrow community inclusion affect service delivery. It offers grounded qualitative evidence from a rural Eastern Cape municipality and emphasises the necessity of integrating governing arrangements to inhabitants' lived experiences in judging municipal service delivery. 

The study’s pertinence lies in its focus on the performance of green bond markets in addressing environmental concerns. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if current issuances of high credit ratings by credit rating agencies can be considered safe by investors, through the consideration of the margin of safety, amidst the prevailing high credit growth.  A quantitative research methodology determining the margin of safety of issuers, using operating incomes and interest expense, derived from annual financial statements of 30 randomly selected companies, which are considered adequate for inferential purposes, from the Climate Bond Initiative database is undertaken. The decline in EBIT before the balance after interest expense is paid becomes zero is ascertained in conjunction with the allocated credit rating.  A sampled mean of a margin of safety of 58.79 % leads to an estimated population mean results of a margin of safety above or equal 48% and below or equal to 68.41%, at 95% confidence level and a standard deviation of 27.41%. The corresponding investment credit ratings reflect a 77% in relative frequency of which 3.3% is assigned the highest AAA rating. The results demonstrate that it takes close to a minimum of 50% and a maximum of 68% deterioration in operating income before balances after interest expense are wiped out. Hence the study concludes that the prevailing credit ratings being issued by credit rating agencies can be trusted by green bond investors based on the substantive margin of safety figures of issuers.

Financial pressures in South Africa’s public sector have increased efforts to control the wage bill, raising concerns about the long-term effects of stagnant remuneration on employee performance, retention, and service delivery. Although the link between pay and motivation is well known, less attention has been given to how prolonged salary stagnation, within a constrained fiscal environment, affects both employees and service delivery outcomes. This paper addresses this gap by examining the effects of stagnant remuneration in the South African public service. The paper used a qualitative narrative review of secondary data, including academic literature, government reports, and policy documents. Sources were selected based on their relevance to remuneration, employee performance, and service delivery, and were analysed thematically. The findings show that stagnant remuneration is not only a Human Resource issue but also a service delivery issue, as it directly affects employee motivation and institutional capacity. Guided by Equity Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the paper’s conceptual model, the results indicate that perceived unfairness and rising living costs reduce motivation, increase turnover, and weaken organisational capacity, especially in sectors such as health, education, and local government. This creates a tension between fiscal sustainability and workforce effectiveness, which ultimately affects service quality. The paper contributes by linking remuneration challenges to service delivery outcomes and indicates the need for a balanced approach to managing the public sector wage bill.

The global rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has positioned digital transformation as a key strategy for improving efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness in public service delivery. In South Africa, however, persistent service delivery protests, limited institutional capacity, and resource constraints continue to undermine effective governance, raising critical questions about the readiness and effectiveness of AI and ICT adoption in the public sector. This paper, therefore, examines the impact of AI and ICT on public service transformation in South Africa, with a focus on their potential to improve service delivery and the barriers limiting their effective implementation. Methodologically, the paper adopts a qualitative research approach based on secondary data, drawing on peer-reviewed literature, government reports, and relevant case studies on digital transformation in public administration. Through thematic synthesis, the paper analyses patterns of adoption, impact, and implementation challenges across key public service domains. The findings reveal that AI and ICT have contributed to improved e-government services, enhanced administrative efficiency, and greater transparency in selected areas of public service delivery. However, these benefits remain uneven and fragmented due to persistent challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited financial and human resources, resistance to change, regulatory constraints, low levels of digital literacy, and outdated legacy systems. These barriers collectively slow down system-wide digital transformation and limit the scalability of technological innovations. The paper contributes by providing a consolidated and updated synthesis of fragmented evidence on AI and ICT adoption in South Africa’s public sector, offering a clearer understanding of both progress and persistent structural constraints. It further indicates that digital transformation is not solely a technological issue but also an institutional and governance challenge. The paper recommends prioritised investment in modern ICT infrastructure, strengthened digital skills development for public servants, and the establishment of a coherent national digital transformation strategy. It further recommends simplifying procurement processes, fostering an innovation-oriented public sector culture, and strengthening regulatory and ethical governance frameworks to ensure accountability, inclusivity, and sustainable digital transformation in public service delivery.