International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy

This study explores the nexus between population growth and unemployment in South Africa from 2000 to 2023, a period marked by significant demographic changes and economic challenges. South Africa has experienced rising unemployment alongside rapid population growth, which has led to concerns about the country’s ability to absorb its expanding labour force. The aim of this research is to examine how population growth influences unemployment, considering additional factors like foreign direct investment (FDI), gross domestic product (GDP), and inflation. Using time series data from the World Bank, Statistics South Africa, and the South African Reserve Bank, the study employs the Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test for stationarity, Johansen cointegration for long-term relationships, and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to estimate the impact of population growth on unemployment. Key findings indicate that population growth has a positive and statistically significant relationship with unemployment, meaning higher population growth increases unemployment levels. Foreign direct investment also shows a positive effect on unemployment, while GDP and inflation exhibit negative but statistically insignificant relationships. Based on these findings, the study recommends strategic urban planning, family planning initiatives, and targeted policies to attract labour-intensive FDI. Additionally, the government should focus on economic diversification, supporting SMEs, and investing in skill development to create sustainable jobs. This research contributes to understanding the dynamics between population growth and unemployment in South Africa and offers insights for more effective policy interventions.

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is an investment strategy developed to minimize the negative socio-economic and environmental impacts of each financial investment. Inconsistent results are presented during the analysis of the absolute risk-adjusted returns of SRI funds in comparison to conventional funds, and this negatively impacts investor awareness on adopting SRI funds as a viable substitute to conventional funds during economic crises. This research paper aims to improve SRI in South Africa by increasing the awareness of investors on viable investment substitutes, considering the amendments made to regulation 28 of the Pension Fund Act of 1956. These regulatory changes have made provisions to include principles of SRI into South African retirement fund investments and will increase the demand for SRI products in South Africa. The research objective is to provide empirical evidence on the absolute risk-adjusted performance of SRI funds relative to the performance of a matched set of conventional funds, before and during an economic crisis. The results are obtained by comparing the Sharpe ratio and Coefficient of Variation (CV) of each SRI fund to each matched conventional fund. The comparative analysis using the Sharpe ratio reveals that more sampled SRI funds (60%) outperform the sampled matched conventional funds (40%) before the COVID-19 pandemic. More Sample SRI funds (70%) outperform the sampled matched conventional funds (30%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. On an absolute RA basis, using the CV to compare SRI fund performance to conventional fund performance, the sampled SRI funds (50%) and the sampled matched conventional funds (50%) equally outperform one another before the COVID-19 pandemic however, more sampled SRI funds (60%) outperform the sampled matched conventional funds (40%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that SRI funds can match and outperform conventional funds both before and during an economic crisis period and should be considered as a viable investment substitute.

Owing to women past lived experiences of gender discrimination and marginalization, public policy is among the strategies that are prioritized by the government towards the creation of gender balances in the post 1994 era. To this effect, Section 7 (1) of the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that the bill of rights is the cornerstone for affirming democratic rights, human dignity, equality and freedom of all citizens. Despite this constitutional imperative, the literature and empirical evidence in the South African local government sphere points to challenges of women exclusion and lack of empowerment opportunities. Therefore, this article seeks to examine the prohibiting factors that impedes effective implementation of the WEGEP in local government with specific reference to iMpendle Local Municipality in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. It also sought to develop strategies to assist the government to improve WEGEP implementation.  The study used qualitative methodology in which structured interviews were used to collect data from the municipal officials. A total of 30 participants were purposively identified and clustered for data collection, and 27 were available for interviews. In terms of data analysis, a mixture of content and thematic analyses were used. The study was underpinned by 5C protocol as a conceptual framework. The findings of the study indicated a slow pace of implementation of WEGEP in the municipality. This was attributed to the lack of human and financial resources. The findings also pointed to challenges in relation to the monitoring and evaluation for gender and women empowerment programmes. Furthermore, there was a lack of change management in dealing with the issues pertaining to women empowerment and gender equality in the municipality. The study contributes to the outlook of public policy, effectiveness of government programs, and strengthens the body of knowledge in the area of public policy.

E-learning tools and LMSs, such as Moodle, have been in existence for decades. However, there has been an accelerated use of such platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher Education Providers responded to ensure that education was accessible via online platforms to allow lecturers to continue their daily job functions during the pandemic. This study explores these aspects from a lecturer perspective during COVID-19, using constructs from the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT-3) theory. This study is based on the pragmatist paradigm. This methodology was deemed appropriate as this study uses a mixed methodology for collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. The objective of the study was to understand the experiences of lecturers using Moodle for e-learning in a learning journey at a Private Distance Higher Education Institution during the pandemic. The results revealed that several lecturers appeared to have adaptation challenges when using Moodle, but thereafter the system performed as expected. Overall lecturers found that Moodle promoted accessibility and performed as expected. The research further revealed that that there was insufficient training and support provided by the institution. Recommendations arising from the findings included, amongst others, upgrading internet packages and investing in backup power supplies to enhance the experience of lecturers in this learning journey. Recommendations for the institution included enhancing support and communication to lecturers especially part-time lecturers as they are not part of the formal institutional structure on a day-to-day basis.  More comprehensive training to lecturers is required to ensure lecturers are adequately equipped to improve online learning and student engagement.

The current research investigates the effect of Corporate Social Investment (CSI) on the Human Development Index in South Africa. A quantitative longitudinal study conducted over 10 years reviewed the relationship between CSI and HDI in South Africa. The survey results confirmed a negative statistical relationship between CSI and HDI in South Africa. With a 1% increase in CSI, leading to a marginal decrease in human development. An implication of the study is that CSI spending is not reaching the citizens of South Africa, possibly due to systemic corruption in South Africa. The results of the study thus have significant policy implications for the implementation and administration of CSI projects in South Africa.

E-learning tools and LMSs, such as Moodle, have been in existence for decades. However, there has been an accelerated use of such platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher Education Providers responded to ensure that education was accessible via online platforms to allow lecturers to continue their daily job functions during the pandemic. This study explores these aspects from a lecturer perspective during COVID-19, using constructs from the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT-3) theory. This study is based on the pragmatist paradigm. This methodology was deemed appropriate as this study uses a mixed methodology for collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. The objective of the study was to understand the experiences of lecturers using Moodle for e-learning in a learning journey at a Private Distance Higher Education Institution during the pandemic. The results revealed that several lecturers appeared to have adaptation challenges when using Moodle, but thereafter the system performed as expected. Overall lecturers found that Moodle promoted accessibility and performed as expected. The research further revealed that that there was insufficient training and support provided by the institution. Recommendations arising from the findings included, amongst others, upgrading internet packages and investing in backup power supplies to enhance the experience of lecturers in this learning journey. Recommendations for the institution included enhancing support and communication to lecturers especially part-time lecturers as they are not part of the formal institutional structure on a day-to-day basis.  More comprehensive training to lecturers is required to ensure lecturers are adequately equipped to improve online learning and student engagement.

The current research investigates the effect of Corporate Social Investment (CSI) on the Human Development Index in South Africa. A quantitative longitudinal study conducted over 10 years reviewed the relationship between CSI and HDI in South Africa. The survey results confirmed a negative statistical relationship between CSI and HDI in South Africa. With a 1% increase in CSI, leading to a marginal decrease in human development. An implication of the study is that CSI spending is not reaching the citizens of South Africa, possibly due to systemic corruption in South Africa. The results of the study thus have significant policy implications for the implementation and administration of CSI projects in South Africa.

The adoption of plausible strategic marketing deliverables within the sustainable agricultural ecosystem remains a challenge for small-scale growers due to scarce resources and constraint capabilities.  The prospects of expediting access to markets and points of sale, which properly established and capacitated enterprises dominate, contain the ability for small-scale growers to commercialise their hard-earned crops and produce. This study unpacks the strategic marketing techniques and tools that small-scale growers could utilize to mitigate their active participation in the complex agricultural business ecosystem. The body of literature explicated various considerations that could be integrated into an attempt to demystify the common challenges and constraints that conform the small growers from the marking mix context and perspective. A positivism-oriented philosophy of the quantitative methodology was utilized in the study to solicit the description of the variables that constitute the elucidation of the strategic phenomenon in the study. The findings revealed that various marketing tools could provide constructive and beneficial advantages for small growers if applied efficaciously and correctly. The findings further indicated that packaging the marketing mixes intervention such as channels, segmenting positioning, channel, target market, and promotion could accelerate the small growers' attainment of sustainable competitive advantage within the broader scope of commercializing their enterprises.

During the COVID-19 pandemic countries all over the world underwent hard lockdowns that limited face-to-face contact in everyday aspects of our lives. Higher Education Providers responded to ensure that education was accessible via online platforms to allow students to continue their studies during the pandemic. Due to this Learning Management Systems (LMSs) were no longer merely used for uploading or downloading content and instead was used for completing online courses including submitting assignments, conducting examinations and lectures. Thus, using an LMS became the only means of survival for many educational intuitions during the pandemic. The study used the qualitative method for collecting and analyzing data by conducting one on one interviews via MS Teams. The objective of the study was to explore which functionalities of Moodle were used for e-learning in a learning journey at a Private Distance Higher Education Institution in a COVID-19 environment and why. Based on this objective, the following research question was posed: Which functionalities of Moodle do lecturers and students use when using Moodle for e-learning in a learning journey and what are the reasons for their choice? The results revealed that despite having multiple functionalities available only limited functionalities were used by both lecturers and students. It was identified that usage on Moodle was motivated by UTAUT-3 constructs such as Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Hedonic Motivation and Facilitating Conditions. The research further revealed that students and lecturers may not have understood how to use all the functionalities available hence usage was limited.

In this study, the authors contribute to the existing literature by examining the impacts of military expenditure and corruption on inclusive growth in emerging countries. The focus is on Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) countries as a case study covering the period 1960 to 2018. The study uses using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) estimation technique subdivided under two distinct phrases of Cold war and post-Cold war eras. Data used in this study are yearly data, covering 1960 – 2018 period and further subdivided into cold war and Post war era. Using ARDL, the results indicate military expenditure has negative effect on inclusive growth during cold war period. Even during the post-cold war period, which represents a phrase of low external threats to BRICS countries, military expenditure is found to have a negative impact on inclusive growth, and the result is statistically insignificant. The study contributes to the understanding of influence of Inclusive growth on military expenditure for emerging and developed bloc economies like BRICS. This study innovates by using ARDL to find out the impact of military expenditure in attaining an apex inclusive growth in developing economies like BRICS countries.