Research Publications (Management Sciences)

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Consumer protection awareness in South Africa
(2007-01) Mason, Roger Bruce
This paper addresses the lack of knowledge about awareness of consumer protection in South Africa, especially amongst disadvantaged consumers. Literature shows that there is a high correlation between the level of economic development and the awareness of consumer rights. The more developed a country is, the more aware its people will be in terms of their consumer rights. The less developed a country is, the lower the level of consumer rights awareness consumers will have. Consumers, like any other citizens of a country, have a right to be protected by the law. Private and non-governmental organisations and the consumer councils need to ensure that the interests and rights of consumers are well protected. The study involved a literature review and an exploratory empirical study into the effect of income and education on awareness of consumer protection by a sample of Durban consumers. A strong positive relationship between consumer protection awareness and income and education was found. Recommendations for actions to improve consumer protection awareness amongst low income, poorly educated consumers are made, and further research to develop a deeper understanding of the problem is suggested
Creating economic viability in rural South Africa through water resource management in subsistence farming
(Business Perspectives, 2016) Bakre, Olayemi Rahman; Dorasamy, Nirmala
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role water resources management can play in improving subsistence farming in rural South Africa, as well as reducing poverty. The study followed a mixed research approach where attributes of qualitative and quantitative methods were used. This paper indicates that due to water scarcity experienced amongst subsistence farmers in case study area, several farmers have opted out of farming. This has a negative consequence on food security and poverty among many subsistence farmers. The paper suggests the pathways for sustainable subsistence farming aimed at creating an economically viable rural community while addressing poverty through the implementation of an efficient water resources management practice. As highlighted in this paper, development is a gradual process, and water resources management can possibly be the first step in creating an economically viable community while alleviating poverty among subsistence farmers in water scarce rural areas of South Africa. Revamping the subsistence farming, as well as improving the standard of living amongst rural subsistence farmers requires a purposeful co-ordination and exchange of ideas between experienced agricultural extension workers, researchers in the field of context, policy makers, as well as other stakeholders. Such purposeful co-ordination should have an agenda of transforming the subsistence farming to a commercialized form of farming in the long term. The resultant effect will possibly result in an economically viable community; increase in household income, as well as food security, thereby reducing poverty.
Critical analysis of entrepreneurial spirit, attitudes and perceptions of young South Africans in KwaZulu-Natal province
(Business Perspectives, 2016) Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
Positive entrepreneurial spirit, attitudes and perceptions among the communities, with specific reference to young South Africans in KwaZulu-Natal province, can improve the lives of many young people and alleviate poverty and unemployment challenges in the province. This paper intends to analyze the entrepreneurial spirit, attitudes and perceptions of young South Africans, in addition to which it will also analyze the most critical factors affecting young South Africans when embarking into business. Primary data were collected by means of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected in eThekweni Municipal areas. The sample consisted of 350 young South Africans between the ages of 18-35, both those who are working, as well as those who are unemployed, with or without tertiary qualifications. Respondents completed a five–point, Likert scale questionnaire, with the assistance of an interviewer. The results disclose that the large number of respondents indicate bank requirements to obtain a loan and financial support as major barriers to starting a business. The findings further indicate start-up capital as another constraint that demoralizes, quelling the entrepreneurial spirit among the young. The results found to be statistical significant at (p = .000*). Further research should aim to examine youth entrepreneurial training programs and entrepreneurial support skills.
Evaluating the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on the socioeconomic status of South African women
(IKENGA International Journal of Institute of African Studies, 2023-03-30) Rena, Ravinder; Mbukanma, Ifeanyi
This research was conducted to evaluate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the socioeconomic status of South African women. There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the unique circumstances and provisional assistance of effective support for women throughout the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath considering the level of impact the virus had on women. To achieve the researchobjective, a literature- based analysis was employed, which provides an in-depth analysis and evaluation of previous literature on the unprecedented nature and trend of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts on the socioeconomic status of women in South Africa. Thus, despite the limited scientific data on the most recent development of the pandemic, the findings revealed that the pandemic has escalated most variables of socioeconomic status of women in South Africa, which include high poverty rates, increased rates of unplanned pregnancy, school drop-out of schoolgirls and child labour among teenage girls, lack of income, decreased financial empowerment, reduced access to conducive healthcare, excessive maternal mortality, and growing food shortages and malnutrition. Thus, as the world continues to search for a reliable vaccine and other preventive measures for the virus, this paper recommended that policymakers and stakeholders around the globe, and most especially in South Africa, should develop coherent and strategic policies that will incorporate and attend to the socioeconomic needs of women.
The impact of educational attainment on household poverty in South Africa : a case study of Limpopo province
(Informa UK Limited, 2019-07-29) Wanka, Fru Awah; Rena, Ravinder
The provision of education in South Africa during the apartheid regime was poor, particularly for the African population and especially those living in the homelands. This has hindered those lacking the required skills from obtaining lucrative employment and earning prospects. The Income and Expenditure Survey data conducted by Statistics South Africa, for the period 1995, 2000, 2005/06 and 2010/11 were used to carry out this investigation. The official absolute income poverty lines of R3864 (lower bound) and R7116 (upper bound) per annum in 2000 prices were used. In order to establish the relationship between education and poverty status of an individual, a probit regression model was used. This model helped to determine the relationship between the head of a household’s level of education and the poverty status of the household. The results obtained reveal that there is a strong tendency for lower educational attainment to be associated with a higher prevalence of household poverty. This study aims at investigating the impact of a household head’s educational attainment level on the poverty status of the individual household in South Africa, using Limpopo province as a case study. This study seeks to establish whether education has an effect on poverty alleviation in Limpopo province.
Intrinsic motivation and business competences as predictors of small and medium growth : SME owner’s viewpoint
(2023-05-15) Zondo, Robert Walter Dumisani; Ncube, Thandukwazi Richman
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) account for a significant portion of job creation, business growth and economic activity in South Africa. Therefore, sustainable development of SMEs is important for job creation, poverty reduction and economic development. The high failure rate during the first years of SME start-up negatively affects South Africa’s economic development. Hence, this study examines the arbitrating effect of the SME owner’s intrinsic motivation factors and competences on SME growth. These factors include the utilisation of effort for business growth, finding new solutions to business problems aimed at achieving growth, growing business for recognition, the belief to produce the desired outcomes, taking responsibilities for business expansion, the need for advancement, as well as the growth aspiration that enables the business owner to take risks in order to grow the business. This study has generated multifaceted data on the effect of intrinsic motivation factors and competences of SME owner on business growth. The SSPS was used to analyse data obtained from 112 SME owners of the furniture manufacturing organisations operating in the eThekwini District Municipality. The results indicate that intrinsic motivation factors in SME start-ups influences the personality traits in SME owners for small and medium business growth. SME growth depends on the extent SME owners are equipped with business competences to establish and grow their businesses. There is a statistical significant link between business competences and the SME growth motivation. Furthermore, the results indicate that personality traits mediate the relationship between motivational variables for SME start-ups and business growth.
Local economics development : a critique of the African experience
(Unisa Press, 2012) Reddy, Purshottama; Wallis, Malcolm
About 30–40 years ago, Local Economic Development (LED) was conceptualised in developing countries and is still gaining momentum in these countries. It has been practised as a development strategy in various forms, more particularly in developed countries. In the African context, LED has been incorporated with local or community development, and these poverty alleviation strategies have focused on social goals over the short term, rather than economic goals that are more broad-based and longer term. Particular emphasis has been placed on survival strategies and remedial measures to address social problems, as opposed to sustainable development over the longer term. Globally, LED strategies seek to enhance economic growth. In the African context, the approach adopted includes the former, but prioritises poverty alleviation and greater inclusion of previously excluded groups. African countries that develop a positive linkage between growth and poverty alleviation are the exception rather than the rule. Only countries that are reasonably well developed, diversified, globally linked and have an urbanised economy would fall into this category; South Africa has managed to bridge this divide and is a rare exception. The African Continent as a whole is experiencing distinct challenges in implementing LED, namely a lack of human resources, and limited financial, institutional and technical capacity. Furthermore, the development environment is not very enabling and this has also proved to be a stumbling block in facilitating LED in many countries.
Mediating effects on poverty reduction in India through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme
(National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Co. LTD Ukrinformnauka) (Publications), 2021-11-02) Arulraj, A.; Rena, Ravinder
The employment opportunities in rural areas have signifi cantly decreased for the last few decades in India. Th erefore, Government of India introduced Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP) to create employment opportunities for ru ral people. Th e Programme is considered as a “silver bullet” for eradicating rural poverty and unemployment in India. Th e purpose of this empirical research study is to develop a new model for poverty reduction in rural India through this Programme. Th e novelty of this article is an attempt to develop an empirical research model that assists the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme when mapping the level of economics service quality and thereby enhance the same. Th is Programme provides an alternative source of livelihood, which will have an impact on reducing migration, restricting child labor, alleviating poverty, and making villages self-sustaining through productive assets creation such as road construction, cleaning up of water tanks, soil and water conservation work, etc. for which it has been considered as the largest anti-poverty programme in the world. Th e paper critically examines the implementation process of this Programme and its impact on tribal livelihoods. Th e following research methodology is used in the article: the data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Th e sampling procedure used for this study is stratifi ed random sampling. Th e stratifi cation is done based on the Taluks are Kumbakonam (Th anjavur District), Keeranur (Pudukottai District) and Nagappatinam (Nagappatinam District) of Tamilnadu state of South-India for the nature of region South, East, Centre, West and North while selecting the MGNREGP Employees from each category, non-probabilistic convenience and judgmental sampling technique is used. Th e fi ndings and conclusions of the study reveal that millions of rural poor with the inclusion of new works under this Programme could able to get some employment which supports their livelihoods. Eff orts are exerted to improve more transparency and accountability in implementing this programme to ensure that the benefi ts reach out to the poor and the needy villagers. Th e regression analysis revealed that the Poverty Eradication on the various dimensions of Economic Development, infl uenced Economic Development followed by Social Development. Th e visual representation of results suggest that the relationships between the dimensions of Economic Development, Social development resulted in a signifi cant impact on the mediated factor ‘Poverty Eradication’. Th e paper suggests the policy framework for the stakeholders in eff ective implementation of the Programme.
Methodology for strategic planning model to increase the profitability of a human resources outsourcing SME through the use of digital transformation
(2022-08-15) Nethevathi, K.; Tivari, Shivangee; Mishra, Preeti; Lourens, Melanie Elizabeth; Yadav, Vinay Kumar; Srivastava, Sankalp; Painoli, Arun Kant; Muralidhar, L. B.; Antony, M.; Mohanta, Giridhari; Ram, Deo Karan
During the research study, the first thing that we did was analyze the characteristics of the company and the environment in which it operated. After that, we analyzed the primary factors contributing to the issue to identify the approaches and resources that would be most useful in resolving the issue by addressing its underlying causes. Along with the Lean Service and Digital Transformation methodologies, the support strategy helped to eliminate the lack of process and procedure documentation, which was the cause that had the most significant impact on low income. The implementation of this strategy resulted in the clarification of the procedures followed by the company, a reduction in the amount of time needed to complete the process, and the removal of any bottlenecks that may have existed. The company's social media placement and sales volume increased as a result of the sales strategy, which, when combined with the Digital Marketing methodology and the Big Data tool, led to an increase in revenue from sales that was greater than expected in recent months. In conclusion, the after-sale service that was implemented as part of the resale strategy helped eradicate the problem of insufficient customer follow-up.
The perception of small and micro enterprises in the city of Durban Central Business District (CBD), (Kwazulu- Natal) (KZN) towards financial planning
(MCSER Publishing, 2014-04) Mutanda, Mary; De Beer, Mary; Myers, Graham Trevor
Poverty reduction and employment creation are some of the top United Nations Millennium Development goals. This can best be achieved through increasing employers. Many small and micro businesses are started every year but fail in their infancy due to lack of financial planning knowledge hence the purpose of this study which was to investigate and evaluate the perception of small and micro enterprises towards financial planning. This was a quantitative research method and a structured questionnaire was used to gather data. The research was carried out in Durban, South Africa and the results revealed that most of the small and micro enterprises do not understand what financial planning is, hence their inability to plan and manage their finances accordingly. Those who got advice from financial experts implemented it but in accordance with their particular businesses. It can be concluded that small and micro enterprises owner-managers in the Durban CBD working on their own or with the assistance of their accountants need to develop their financial planning knowledge skills if they are to succeed, grow and reap business benefits from the financial information they record.
Perceptions and attitudes of the community towards impacts and sustainable development: The Case Study of eMpophomeni in Pietermaritzburg (South Africa)
(Business Perspectives, 2015) Chili, Nsizwazikhona Simon
The study examines perceptions and attitudes of the community towards the impact of tourism and its sustainability as it is perceived as an alternative developmental philosophy that can serve as a panacea to alleviate poverty from communities. Social exchange theory is used to achieve the aforementioned. Since the role of residents is crucial within the sustainability paradigm, it is therefore important that their perceptions and attitudes on tourism impact towards sustainable development are understood and assessed. The study investigates and examines a range of variables involved in determining township community attitudes and perceptions towards tourism impact on development and sustainability and as a result social exchange theory is used. Literature is comprehensively reviewed on resident attitudes and perceptions towards tourism impact and sustainable development and social exchange theory are used in determining the above regarding variables involved. The findings reveal that negative perceptions of residents on tourism impact in the township of eMpophomeni offset positive outcomes. The study also reveals that long-term planning as a component of sustainable tourism, full community participation and environmental sustainability within tourism are inextricably linked and related to support for tourism and to the positive impacts of tourism.
A revision of communication strategies for effective disaster risk reduction: A case study of the South Durban basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(AOSIS OpenJournals, 2014-11-28) Skinner, Chris; Rampersad, Renitha
The study examined how effective forms of communication are, or could be, impacting the more traditional forms of emergency and disaster management communication through the print and electronic media and how an integrated communication strategy involving all stakeholders could prove to be successful. This study was of an exploratory and descriptive nature, using a case study of the South Durban basin to demonstrate how media analysis, community discussions and internal and external evaluations of current practices in use by major industrial players in the basin has thus far failed to reach its full potential for effective disaster risk reduction. Strongly emerging from this study was the finding that, as a result of these evaluations, new systems are now being planned to incorporate social media as an integral part of an overall communication strategy, which could have far-reaching implications for corporate communicators and strategic planners.
Sustainability : a discourse for local economic growth post-Covid-19 in South Africa
(Siauliai University, 2022-06-06) Zondo, Robert Walter Dumisani
South Africa had a number of sustainable policy reforms pre-Covid-19, including the protection of rural producers, consumers and the markets. However, the spread of Covid-19 / novel coronavirus at the beginning of 2020 was fast and dramatic. With an increase in death toll in various countries around the world resulting from different Covid-19 variants, its effect had tremendous impact on the general economy and local communities, most particularly in rural areas. The economic effects were also exacerbated by emergency strategies like lockdowns by various countries around the world. Strategies to turn the situation around in poverty-stricken local communities, but mostly the rural settings, post-Covid19, must be established. This is due to the fact that the rural institutions in South Africa are viewed as having a potential role to play in rural poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The enforcement of local institutions and capacity building as fundamental elements of strategies for rural poverty alleviation becomes necessary. Local economic growth, as a poverty alleviation strategy, is a people-centred process and circumstance specific. Common parameters for such growth include improved health facilities, infrastructure services, sanitation facilities and educational services. Other than the above parameters for local and sustainable development, local communities have vast indigenous knowledge that can be used to facilitate sustainable development. This knowledge is not fully utilised due to a lack of complementary institutions and facilities that enable people to improve productivity and sustainability. It is essential for development practitioners and policy makers to facilitate the dissemination of this local knowledge to enable sharing amongst community members, rather than spend scarce resources in bringing in more new knowledge and information that will not benefit the local community for sustainable development. This study assesses the influence of sustainable development on local economic growth in South Africa. It establishes the suitability of sustainable development as a strategy for local economic growth, post- Covid-19, for South Africa.
Sustainable development : local economic growth strategy post- Covid-19 in South Africa
(Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, 2020) Zondo, Robert Walter Dumisani
The local economic challenges facing South Africa, so far, have been addressed by the introduction of policies. Hence, there are major policy reforms that have taken place pre- Covid-19 era, including the protection of rural producers, consumers and the markets. However, the spread of COVID-19 novel coronavirus around in 2020 was fast and dramatic. With the death toll experienced by various countries around the world, the effect had tremendous impact on the general economy and local communities in rural areas (in specific). The economic effects were also exacerbated by emergency strategies (like lockdowns) by different countries around the world. Nonetheless, it has been established that rural institutions are viewed as having a potential role in rural poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Hence, the enforcement of local institutions in rural areas and capacity building as fundamental elements of strategies for rural poverty alleviation are necessary. Local economic growth, as a poverty alleviation strategy, is a people-centred process and circumstance specific. Common parameters for such growth include improved health facilities, infrastructure services, sanitation facilities, and educational services. Other than the above parameters for local and sustainable development, local communities have vast indigenous knowledge that can be used to facilitate sustainable development. This knowledge is not fully utilised due to a lack of complementary institutions and facilities that enable people to improve productivity and sustainability. It is essential for development practitioners and policy makers to facilitate the dissemination of this local knowledge to enable sharing amongst community members, rather than spend scarce resources in bringing in more new knowledge and information that will not benefit the local community for sustainable development. This study assesses the influence of sustainable development on local economic growth in South Africa. It establishes the suitability of sustainable development as a strategy for local economic growth for South Africa.
Tacit knowledge sharing behavior, within a relational social capital framework, in a South African university of technology
(Clute Institute, 2015) Smith, Carol; De Beer, Marie; Mason, Roger B.
The sharing of tacit knowledge is an important influence on the development of intellectual capital in a University of Technology but whereas its effects are clear in a business context, they have been absent from studies in the context of higher education. This study integrated relational social capital and reasoned action theory to construct a model to investigate the factors that predict an individual’s intention to share tacit knowledge. Specifically, it examined the relationship between relational social capital in terms of trust (affect and cognitive-based trust), shared norms and values (including social norms and norms of social support and reciprocity) and the individual’s attitude towards sharing tacit knowledge. It further examined the relationship between the individual’s attitude, their perceived norms and perceived behavioral control over the sharing of tacit knowledge and their intention to share tacit knowledge. A hypothesized, theoretical model of the individual’s intention to share tacit knowledge was developed. This model was found to be a poor fit to the data and an alternative model was developed which was found to be a good fit to the data. This study incorporated nine research interviews and five hundred and fifty four questionnaires. Relational social capital was found to be significant for predicting individuals’ intentions to share tacit knowledge but the reasoned action variables were found to be less significant, particularly perceived behavioral control over the sharing of tacit knowledge, indicating the need for further research.