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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.

This systematic literature review is aimed at determining the predominance of existing studies conducted in HRIS as it relates to HRM, HRH, workforce management and the use of Information Systems (IS) and technology within the health sector. The main findings of the study demonstrate that HRIS benefits are the most researched at 11.8% with a) impact: implementation and IS in healthcare:10.5%; b) effectiveness: motivation, competence, workforce IS and adoption: 9.2%; c) workforce retention and migration: 7.9% d) HRIS and EHRM for decisions 5.3%, e) HRIS in HRM and digital records 2.6%; f) IT in the healthcare setting standing at 1.3%.

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

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.

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.

Financial inclusion has become a topic of discussion in emerging and developing nations since the majority of people continue to lack access to either formal or informal financial services. In many countries, the post office is seen as a vehicle for financial inclusion due to its extensive network. In addition, with the decline in sales of their core business, traditional mail has exacerbated the need for the post office to venture into financial services whilst simultaneously answering the call to bridge the gap in society, especially for the un-banked and under-banked communities. Moreover, there is a need for post-offices to protect their long-term vitality as a business. This paper provides a theoretical perspective of financial inclusion, the role that the post office can play and the challenges preventing an effective rollout of financial services. This review can help postal managers, governments and policy-makers to understand how they can effectively use the post office to serve the un-banked communities. In addition, the study has enriched the academic discourse by providing literature on postal financial services and financial inclusion.

Independent retailers face many challenges that influence their growth and development. Independent retailers are small businesses facing competition from major retailers in South Africa (SA) that have penetrated the townships and rural areas. The purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges that influence the development of independent retailers in SA. A survey was conducted among small independent retailers in SA. The convenience sampling method was adopted for the study due to the inaccessibility of a database on independent retailers in SA. Existing literature was used to design a questionnaire, targeted at small independent retailers, to investigate the challenges that influence their business performance. The findings of the study revealed that finance and marketing are the major challenges influencing the operations of small, independent retailers. Business-related challenges are the least challenging aspects for small independent retailers in SA. Independent retailers need to manage their businesses appropriately in order to survive and sustain their businesses. Independent retailers buy products from wholesalers while a few of them buy directly from manufacturers.

Brand choice has historically played an important role in a wide range of industries, particularly in the private sector, where billions of Rands are invested to entice potential customers. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of brand awareness and brand image on first-year student selection of a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal. The objectives of the study were to establish and identify the brand preference and image attributes that entice first-year students’ selection of a University of Technology (UoT). The study also examined the biographic variables of those students. To accomplish these objectives, an exploratory study using a quantitative research approach was conducted, in which questionnaires were administered to 500 first-year students at the selected Universities of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal. The study revealed that topics such as investments in brand awareness and brand image, safety and security, the caliber of staff, delays in academic programmes, student-lecturer relationships, and service delivery were identified as factors that influenced the participants' selection and willingness to recommend their institutions to potential students. Thus, the study recommends that UoTs should pay more attention to branding strategies as an agendum to ensuring institutional profitability and viability, relationship management, and human resource.  Finally, the findings of this study are limited to KwaZulu-Natal and should not be extrapolated outside this region.

Green marketing has evolved, although the market share of green products remains considerably low. Green products are part of comprehensive green marketing, and this sort of marketing has progressed to the point that practically every consumer is aware of it. The study focuses on the factors that influence the adoption and consumption patterns of green goods in the greater Durban area. The study used a quantitative, non-probability, and random sampling strategy to discover consumers' sentiments toward the purchase of green products. The data was collected through the use of questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS.  The sample size was 384 customers from retail malls in selected Durban suburbs, representing a wide demographic and cultural background. The study's findings revealed that customers in the greater Durban area are aware of green products. Green products, on the other hand, are regarded as affluent due to their high pricing. This means that companies developing green products will have to look for ways to cut their pricing. The survey also reveals that when customers must pick between green and non-green items, pricing is a crucial factor. The study's findings are limited to the confines of the wider Durban area and cannot be extrapolated.

This study examines the effects of challenge-based and activity-based learning approaches on technical college students’ achievement, interest and retention in woodwork technology. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The study constituted a total number of 122 subjects, 63 for Challenge-based learning, while 59 were for activity-based learning. The study revealed that students who taught woodwork using the challenge-based learning instructional approach had a higher mean score than students taught using the activity-based learning teaching method in cognitive achievement tests, psychomotor achievement tests and tests for retention of learning.  Consequently, the research recommended that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) should consider a review of the Woodwork work curriculum for Technical Colleges with a view to incorporating the challenge-based learning instructional approach into the teaching of the woodwork.