Research Publications (Management Sciences)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/217
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Item Student protests and the brand image of a South African University of Technology(2023) Abdool, Sajida; Mason, Roger Bruce; Maharaj, MandushaStudent protests, often violent, can damage perceptions about universities and harm brand images. This study investigated the effects of student protests on the brand image of a university of technology in South Africa. An e-mailed questionnaire provided a sample of 402 students selected via purposive, quota and convenience sampling at a prominent University of Technology in South Africa. Participation was voluntary, confidential, and anonymous. Data was captured and analysed using descriptive and inferential, univariate and bivariate, statistics. Findings showed that student protests did disrupt learning, affecting operations such as the academic calendar being shortened, delay in graduation and threats to completion of the syllabus. Protests have a negative impact on the University’s brand image, sometimes leading to students deregistering due to the unsafe environment. Suggestions are provided for universities to better cope with student protests and further research is recommended with other universities to ascertain the wider impact of student protest.Item The implementation of augmented reality on the Internet of Things for virtual learning in higher education(Step Academic, 2024-01-28) Aroba, Oluwasegun Julius; Prof. Bringula, Rex P.Purpose–This article investigates the potential of augmented reality (AR) for virtual learning in higher education. This review discusses the advantages as well as disadvantages of virtual learning, as well as the advantages and functions of augmented reality in digital literacy on innovative education. With the launch of electronic literacy about two years ago during the COVID-19 epidemic, considerable changes in literacy and tuition methods in higher education have previously occurred. It has become clear that virtual literacy issues thereafter worse than actual literacy issues. To meet the needs of today's scholars and establish novel tutoring approaches, educational institutions must implement new literacy technology, such as augmented reality. By implementing nascent literacy technology, this investigation hopes to lead to a better comprehension of stoked reality in virtual literacy for advanced education researchers. Method–The goal of this essay is to investigatethe use of augmented reality in higher education for virtual learning. The moderate category of this technology will also be investigated. Head-mounted displays are occasionally used in conjunction with real-world environments or props, such as when simulating takeoff on a motion platform; however, augmented reality makes reading and teaching methods far more accessible.Results–Similarly, a use case was created to demonstrate the student journey using stoked reality software on the mobile device to fantasize, comprehend, and make learning more accessible for students to engage with their environment. Conclusion–Augmented reality has the potential to identify educational surroundings as far more accurate, acceptable, more unifying than digital illiteracy. Increased reality technology affects literacy and the higher education system. It possesses the possibility of increasing the approachability and accessibility of literacy sources in team and personal study. Recommendations–To successfully integrate augmented reality into the Internet of Things for virtual learning in higher education, organizations need to put a high priority on staff development, make significant infrastructure investments, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. Practical Implications–Higher education institutions should prioritize data security and ethical issues while simultaneously investing in faculty development and AR-IoT infrastructure.Item Recentering postgraduate supervision as a knowledge co-sharing pursuit in the 21st century(2022-07-30) Oparinde, Kunle MusbaudeenWhile it is generally accepted that postgraduate supervision is fundamental to the production of new knowledge, numerous aspects of postgraduate supervision have remained understudied and under-theorised. This lack of theory has presented postgraduate supervisors with limited understanding of the model(s) of supervision they should adopt. In light of this, postgraduate supervisors tend to adopt the ‘learning-by-doing’ approach. Thus, while postgraduate supervision is key to knowledge co-creation, knowledge production, and knowledge sharing, there are limited theoretical frameworks that address the nuances of postgraduate supervision at different levels. Recognising this paucity of theoretical approaches on postgraduate supervision, this paper explores ways in which postgraduate supervisors can address postgraduate supervision. This paper examines how postgraduate supervision can be re-imagined as a knowledge sharing activity rather than an academic attempt to guide a student to a postgraduate degree completion.Item Perception on the application of a learning organisation philosophy on employee performance at a selected University of Technology (UoT) in KwaZulu-Natal(Psychology and Education, 2021-05-05) Mhlongo, Patrick Mbongwa; Zondo, Robert Walter DumisaniThe learning organisation philosophy is one of the tools businesses used to achieve their competitive advantages. It is a system in which employees learn from a number of situations aimed at assisting the organisation achieve its expected goals. It enables organisations sustain competitiveness through continuous learning. Hence, this study examines its application at a selected University of Technology (UoT) in KwaZulu-Natal. Of the 1076 staff members belonging to four campuses of the university, 753 participated in the study. Descriptive and the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test the two objectives, that is, to examine opportunities for the application of a learning organisation philosophy at a selected UoT in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as to assess if the application of a learning organisation can improve employee performance. The participants were optimistic that the UoTs are capable of becoming the learning organisations. The learning organisation is a method that can improve employee performance. Hence, the original value of this study is in its approach in uncovering the strengths and weaknesses of the learning organisation philosophy in the UoTs in KwaZulu-Natal.Item Talent retention strategies for female academics in the higher education sector: a Sub-Saharan Africa context(Beykent University, 2021-11-01) Kanyumba, Blessing; Lourens, MelanieThis study aimed at identifying talent retention strategies for female academics in the higher education sector, paying particular attention to the Sub-Saharan context. Higher education institutions rely on the knowledge, abilities and skills of their academics in order to keep abreast of the changing nature of higher education globally. These institutions of higher learning are required to be competitive and achieve their strategic goals in order to remain relevant in the sector. Studies have shown that female academics are leaving the higher education sector for the private sector for numerous reasons, including better salaries and further development. Additionally, some female academics are emigrating to European countries in search of greener pastures. Therefore, higher education institutions have to ensure that talent retention strategies are implemented to retain female academics, as well as to facilitate their progress to top leadership positions. The study utilized four crucial retention strategies identified in Kenya by Mutiria, Rukangu and Kubaison in 2015. These retention strategies include compensation and benefits, formal succession planning, training and development and career development opportunities. A quantitative research design was adopted for this study, whereby online questionnaires were completed by 112 female academics at a Sub-Saharan university. The data were analyzed using the Statistical package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 for Windows. The results revealed a significant relationship between the four identified strategies and retention. Thus, institutions of higher learning should effectively implement these strategies in order to retain talented female academics, considering the dynamics in the sector.Item Managing core university business performance in the wake of ‘fees must fall’ context : a legitimacy theoretical perspective(Business Perspectives, 2016) Msweli, Pumela; Hutton, TimothyThis paper uses the legitimacy theory as a lens to identify the most sustainable performance model to defend and main-tain the legitimacy of higher education institutions in the midst of ‘fees must fall’ crisis. The body of evidence pre-sented demonstrates that universities have at least seven critical stakeholders that control resources needed for survival, growth and legitimacy. Using this evidence, this study builds a model that looks at the impact of fee income and work-load on success. The model was tested using annual time series panel data for the period 2009-2013 across 23 public universities in South Africa. The model examined the effect of fee income and workload on success rate. Basing the arguments on the notion that students are a critical constituency, with a strong influence on the amount of fee income an institution may amass, the model tested the relationship between performance and fee income using success rate as a proxy for performance. The findings showed that not only is fee income a stronger predictor of success rate, but also that fee income is negatively related to success rate of students. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.Item Change management in the higher education landscape: a case of the transition process at a South African University(Virtus Interpress, 2016) Govender, Vaneshree; Rampersad, RenithaThe South African Higher Education system in the post-apartheid period had to respond to the various discriminatory practices that existed during the apartheid era. This entailed responding to inequalities in the education system at various levels. With respect to Higher Education there was an imperative to serve society that was based on the principles of equality, equity and inclusivity. One such response was to merge higher education institutions such as ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal to form the Durban Institute of Technology now referred to as the Durban University of Technology (DUT). This paper is concerned with the process of change in the Higher Education context and examines a South African case study. The study was conducted within a quantitative paradigm and the sample population was 400 administrative and academic staff from across the seven campuses. In order to satisfy the research objectives of the study, a self-administered location based survey was distributed and data was analyzed using SPSS. The study revealed that living and coping with change in the work environment is a fact of life for organisations and individuals. The success of any change programme depends on the organisation’s ability to communicate effectively with its employees; therefore internal communication plays a pivotal role in any change programme.Item Job and career satisfaction in higher education institutions: a case study of university “A” in South Africa(Business Perspectives, 2015) Dorasamy, Nirmala; Letooane, Mpho KennethOrientation: This article focuses on the job and career satisfaction of a higher education institution in South Africa. The findings from this investigation will assist employees and management alike to understand factors that can improve career and job satisfaction, in order for university “A” to be an employer of choice that will attract, develop and retain suitably qualified employees. Research aim and objective: This study investigates job and career satisfaction amongst university “A” employees. The objective that was set for this research was to determine the level of job and career satisfaction within university “A” and therefore make recommendations to university “A” management on how to purposefully improve the job and career satisfaction and quality of work life (QoWL) of its employees. Motivation for the study: Job and career satisfaction is a challenge in higher education institutions. For organizations to achieve their strategic objectives or goals, employee’s satisfaction should be at a high level. Research design, approach and methods: The quantitative approach was employed where structured questionnaires were distributed to the population size of 160 of which 142 were completed, with the response rate of 89%. The reliability score of (0.896) was reached. This indicates a high degree of acceptable consistency. The qualitative data were collected by open ended questions that were presented to the participants and these were analyzed by N-VIVO N10. The researcher also observed the participants and recorded information relating to the research in a field diary. Findings: The findings of this research suggest that career advancement is one of the main reasons identified to lead to job and career dissatisfaction. Even though a high majority of the study participants agree that they have a clear set of goals and aims that enable them to do their job, only a marginal number agree that when they have done a good job it is acknowledged by their line manager. The findings furthermore indicate that employees are not satisfied with the training they receive. Other factors that lead to job and career dissatisfaction include poor organizational culture, disintegrated systems, lack of communication, poor facilities, poor registration processes, remuneration, unfair allocation of duties, work overload and division amongst departments. The finding also show that there are other considerations that may not be regarded as the principal functions of the employees, but these may be very critical determinants of job and career satisfaction such as job insecurity, which was one of the prominent concerns of respondents. Practical/managerial implications: The results from this research could be utilized by management and supervisors, in order to minimize the potential factors that could negatively impact on the job and career satisfaction of employees in higher education institutions. Contribution and value added: Given the importance of job and career satisfaction, it is important to ensure a good QoWL for employees. The study will assist in identifying the critical dynamics of job and career satisfaction at university “A”, and highlight those that are a cause for concern and need to be addressed with a view of improving job and career satisfaction and QoWL of employees.Item A South African perspective of work-integrated learning and HIV/AIDS workplace orientation(Kamla-Raj Enterprises, 2015) Rawjee, Veena P.; Naidoo, PauleneWork integrated learning (WIL) aims to enable students to shift easily into their chosen profession upon graduation. WIL lends value to the learning process and has resulted in it becoming far more strategic within Universities of Technology (UoT’s) in South Africa. However, students entering the workplace are only afforded access to particular kinds of workplace experiences and possibly not those that are sufficient for the development of comprehensive workplace knowledge. The notion of employee orientation is of utmost importance to any student entering the workplace, more particularly employee orientation that provides information on policies and procedures regarding HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The overall objective of this study was to examine the perceived appropriateness and effectiveness of WIL students’ experiences regarding workplace orientation on HIV/AIDS. A quantitative approach was employed for this study. The study was conducted among final year public relations students completing their work-integrated learning. Findings reflected that majority of the students did not go through a formal orientation process and they were inadequately equipped to deal with HIV and AIDS in the workplace. Research implications for improving formalized workplace orientation on HIV and AIDS are reflected upon.Item The development of a public optometry system in Mozambique: a cost benefit analysis(BioMed Central, 2014) Thompson, Stephen; Naidoo, Kovin; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Bilotto, Luigi; Ferrão, Jorge; Loughman, JamesBackground: The economic burden of uncorrected refractive error (URE) is thought to be high in Mozambique, largely as a consequence of the lack of resources and systems to tackle this largely avoidable problem. The Mozambique Eyecare Project (MEP) has established the first optometry training and human resource deployment initiative to address the burden of URE in Lusophone Africa. The nature of the MEP programme provides the opportunity to determine, using Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), whether investing in the establishment and delivery of a comprehensive system for optometry human resource development and public sector deployment is economically justifiable for Lusophone Africa. Methods: A CBA methodology was applied across the period 2009–2049. Costs associated with establishing and operating a school of optometry, and a programme to address uncorrected refractive error, were included. Benefits were calculated using a human capital approach to valuing sight. Disability weightings from the Global Burden of Disease study were applied. Costs were subtracted from benefits to provide the net societal benefit, which was discounted to provide the net present value using a 3% discount rate. Results: Using the most recently published disability weightings, the potential exists, through the correction of URE in 24.3 million potentially economically productive persons, to achieve a net present value societal benefit of up to $1.1 billion by 2049, at a Benefit-Cost ratio of 14:1. When CBA assumptions are varied as part of the sensitivity analysis, the results suggest the societal benefit could lie in the range of $649 million to $9.6 billion by 2049. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a programme designed to address the burden of refractive error in Mozambique is economically justifiable in terms of the increased productivity that would result due to its implementation.