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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%.

An organisation's performance suffers when employees are not adequately skilled in certain job areas.  This article sought to investigate whether training and development affected the delivery of citizen-centric services in a government department in South Africa. The study adopted a mixed research methodology and a non-experimental research design. The data was collected via 20 open-ended interviews and 130 structured questionnaires. The study results indicated that shifting the government's focus to citizen-centricity would improve efficiency and service delivery. One of the significant findings suggests that training in service delivery requirements awareness could positively improve and motivate public officials' performance to remain relevant to the needs of citizens.

Retracted Paper This paper aims to evaluate students’ feedback on the impediments to developing critical thinking in the classroom. Interpretative phenomenological analysis techniques were used to obtain data from postgraduate and undergraduate students of an Internal Auditing department in a South African university. The students identified several barriers to developing critical thinking in the classroom some of which are (1) the lecturers who are most times not knowledgeable in the field of critical thinking, (2) the students themselves who are simply not interested, (3) finally the educational system, according to the students who all argued that critical thinking is not ingrained in the country's educational institutions. According to the students, their lack of knowledge of critical thinking including the lecturers’ seeming insufficient knowledge of critical thinking calls for urgent intervention in the form of re-curriculation and training of lecturers. The findings of this research could have important implications for the auditing profession, as lecturers are often challenged to identify innovative ways to assist students in improving their critical thinking skills.

This paper explores stakeholder engagement in the strategic management process for service delivery in government. The main objective is to determine the factors influencing insufficient stakeholder engagement of strategic management processes for service delivery by a government department. The four moments of translation concept of Actor Network Theory (ANT) was utilised as a theoretical framework to understand and explain the interplay between the initiator of the network of service delivery and other actors in the network in aligning diverse interests to achieve service delivery goals. The assumption was that the phenomenon was ontologically subjective and that it was appropriate, epistemologically, to adopt an interpretive paradigm as the leading research philosophy, using a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative elements wherein quantitative data was used to test the reliability of the qualitative data. Using the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) as a case study, a sample of 26 participants included 11 managers of WCED and 15 Khayelitsha Education Forum (KEF) members representing the community, school governing bodies and school principals and educators of 64 schools around Khayelitsha township. The study revealed that stakeholder engagement could address non-service delivery during service delivery strategy formulation and implementation. The findings suggest that a network of aligned interests should be established for continuous engagement in implementing strategic plans and service delivery in line with the mandate of Government departments and entities. The results imply intense arrangements and relationship building between government departments and citizens are needed to improve stakeholder relationships and alignment of service delivery expectations to reduce service delivery challenges.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, grants all official languages parity of esteem and equal treatment. The Constitution also recognises injustices of the past and historical diminished use of indigenous (African) languages. It is against this backdrop that this democratic constitution calls-upon the national and provincial government to take practical and positive measures in encouraging the use and elevation of the status of African languages. In advocating for these languages, the Constitution declares that a minimum of two official languages be used by the government in executing government activities. Contrastingly, the heads of court resolutions in 2017 declared English a lingua franca in South African courts. In a diverse country such as South Africa with twelve official languages, this raises critical concerns in terms of the country’s diversity, inclusivity, and multilingualism policies. With a distinct focus on Eastern Cape legal courts, this study examines the constitutional linguistic rights on the use of English as a lingua franca in South African courts system. The study adopted a qualitative research approach embedded within the exploratory-explanatory research design. The data was obtained from secondary sources, which in this context are judicial precedents. To analyse the collected data, close-reading and thematic content analysis techniques were adopted. The findings of the study exhibit English as a language of power and access in law, this positions African languages at the periphery, limiting their development and incorporation in legalese. Also, the use of English as a lingua franca in the Eastern Cape courts contravenes the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This study submits that legal practitioners and linguists should critically explore, language studies to bridge the knowledge gap.  Additionally, the government should create channels which allow the practical use of African languages in the court of law.                                                                                                                                             

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted traditional Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) practices in South African Universities of Technology (UoTs), necessitating rapid adaptation to virtual, hybrid, and project-based learning models. This study investigates post-COVID WIL practices, stakeholder perceptions, curriculum impacts, and the effectiveness of newly implemented strategies. Situated within an interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative approach was adopted to explore the meanings participants ascribe to WIL experiences. An exploratory multiple case-study design enabled in-depth insights across six UoTs. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 27 participants; including lecturers, WIL coordinators, and document analysis to capture diverse perspectives and institutional artefacts. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and managed in NVivo; thematic analysis combining deductive and inductive coding was applied to generate categories, subthemes, and overarching themes aligned to the research objectives. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching dimensions: (1) current WIL practices, including communication strategy development, traditional placements, project-based learning, and collaborative mentorship; (2) stakeholders’ perceptions, highlighting opportunities and constraints in transitioning to online and hybrid modalities; (3) curriculum impacts, reflecting both enhanced work-readiness and systemic limitations such as misaligned placements, insufficient exposure, and financial inequities; and (4) a balanced assessment of WIL strategies, emphasizing the integration of virtual approaches, simulation technologies, traditional placements, and industry partnerships. The main findings demonstrate that hybrid, adaptive WIL models supported by structured mentorship, formalised industry collaboration, and reflective practices optimally cultivate employable, competent, and resilient graduates. The study underscores the need for strategic planning, institutional capacity building, and equity-focused interventions to sustain WIL effectiveness in post-pandemic higher education

Maize serves as South Africa's principal staple crop; yet, smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape encounter persistent obstacles, such as low productivity and restricted market access. Cooperatives are often advocated to enhance livelihoods and facilitate farmers' integration into global value chains, however their efficacy remains contentious. This study investigates the impact of cooperative membership on maize market participation. A multi-stage stratified random sample of 200 farmers, comprising both cooperative members and non-members, was drawn from towns having functioning maize cooperatives. Data were collected via pre-tested questionnaires and analysed using a probit logistic regression model that accounts for socioeconomic and institutional variables. The findings demonstrate that cooperative participation exerts a substantial influence (β = 1.485, p = 0.102). Nonetheless, it lacks statistical significance at conventional thresholds. This indicates that although cooperative membership may enhance the probability of participating in formal markets, it does not ensure substantial involvement independently. Conversely, variables such as education, income, and employment position serve as more robust markers of engagement. The study indicates that while cooperatives promote collective action, it is essential to enhance governance, digital inclusion, and institutional support to enable effective integration into global value chains.

Smallholder agriculture is crucial for sustaining rural livelihoods across South Africa; nevertheless, involvement in global value chains (GVCs) is still restricted. This study examines the socio-economic determinants affecting the incorporation of smallholder maize farmers into global value chains in the Eastern Cape, a region marked by significant rural poverty and dependence on agriculture. The study evaluates the engagement levels of 200 farmers by a cross-sectional survey and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Findings indicate that elevated education levels and income substantially enhance the probability of moderate involvement in value chains; yet, no farmers attained complete participation owing to institutional impediments, including the absence of export permits. These findings indicate that human characteristics alone are inadequate; structural barriers are also essential. The report advocates for structural reforms, particularly those aimed at enhancing education, broadening market access, and eliminating licensing obstacles, to foster inclusive and sustainable participation of smallholder farmers in global value chains.

The study examines RDM practices implemented at universities by specifically focussing on RDM services provided by academic libraries, highlighting how the research data lifecycle informs the design of these services, which in turn shape the jobs, roles, skills and competencies required, while also emphasising the need for ongoing skills development as RDM practices evolve. It pursues an interpretivist philosophy and takes a qualitative approach by conducting a systematic literature review. The reviewer used the Scopus and Web of Science databases from 2020 to 2024 and applied specific pre-defined search terms, inclusion/exclusion criteria and the PRISMA 2020 flowchart to maintain methodological standards.  The findings identified 40 RDM services and classified them thematically based on how often they occurred, providing a guide for institutions to design, prioritise, and coordinate their service offerings. The analysis highlighted low RDM professional competencies and skills, training, and RDM professional training programs, which can guide professional development to build capacity. Also, some lifecycles of RDM were criticized, and changes to the Research Data Lifecycle were proposed, supporting better integration of RDM services alignment.  This research offers a detailed and practical breakdown of RDM activities and their people requirements, which furthers the discussion on RDM service provision. The research also fills the gap in RDM capacity development discourse by clarifying an institutional approach. It focuses on developing skills and adopting best practices in RDM in academic libraries. It also proposes additions to the research data lifecycle.